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When Christians Disagree

  I’ve been thinking lately about disagreements between Christians and how we ought to think of one another and relate to one another, even in the most difficult of circumstances. I admit that I have made many mistakes in this regard and have written about some of them previously; but I am also learning from those mistakes. Jesus said that the world will know we are His disciples by our love (John 13:35). He even said that they will know the Father sent the Son when they see the way in which we love one another (John 17:21). As I have reflected on my past and on the state of the Church today, I have been thinking specifically about Paul’s instructions on love and how they apply when there are sharp disagreements and even divisions among Christians. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul said that love “beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (1 Corinthians 13:7). We all know that disagreements and divisions exist. But it seems to me th...
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Preaching Jesus: On T.T Shields, Martyn Lloyd-Jones and losing my first love

  Years ago, Martyn Lloyd-Jones met with T.T. Shields and, in the course of their conversation, confronted him about his ministry. At one point he said, “ Dr. Shields, you used to be known as the Canadian Spurgeon, and you were. You are an outstanding man—in intellect, in preaching gift, in every other respect—but over the McMaster University business in the early twenties, you suddenly changed and became negatory and denunciatory. I feel it has ruined your ministry. Why don’t you come back? Drop all this; preach the gospel to people positively and win them ( Iain H. Murray, D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years (1899–1939) !”  What happened to Shields can happen to any one of us. And by “us,” I mean especially preachers - though it can be true of laypeople as well. I’m not entirely sure how or why it happens, except that it is a very real temptation, and one to which many of us have succumbed. During a visit with friends the other night, I found myself reflecting o...
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The longer I serve Him

I’ve been thinking about the words of that old gospel song, “The longer I serve Him the sweeter He grows.” I believe that must be the testimony of every believer. Find a man who has served Jesus seventy years, and he will tell you he has discovered Jesus to be better and sweeter and more lovely with every passing year. That’s certainly been my experience. As the years pass, I am less pleased with what I see when I look in the mirror, but I am increasingly amazed by the person of Jesus. The truth is, others disappoint us, and we disappoint both ourselves and others. Whatever we may have resolved when we first began to follow Jesus, none of us are anywhere near as faithful as we would like to be. We are inconsistent, often distracted, sometimes lukewarm, and never as we ought to be. But Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He is always kind, always merciful, always good, always holy, always true to everything He has ever said.   Sometimes we don’t call on...
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The time of the singing of the birds is come

* The following is an edited excerpt from a sermon I preached several years ago. Like the older writers, I believe the Song of Solomon is allegorical. It is ultimately about the “ greater than Solomon,” who is Jesus. It gives us a picture of the relationship between the Groom -  our Saviour -  and the bride, which is His church.    What He - the beloved - says here to His bride He says to His people. One of my favourite sections is found in chapter two.  There the bride says,  “My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away.   For lo the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth the time of the singing of the birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.” "Rise up and come away," He says.  Why?  Because the winter is past, the rain is over and gone, and now come the flowers and the singing of birds.  Everyone can relate to this. Some people despise the...
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The treasure hid in a field

Last night, I dreamed about the parable of the hidden treasure. I woke up thinking especially about the man's joy. Jesus said, “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field.”​ Our forefathers seem almost universally agreed that the treasure here represents Jesus Himself. Though the parable is a parable of the kingdom, it is important to remember that the heart, the glory, and the joy of the kingdom is the King Himself. It is as men and women put their trust specifically in Him that the kingdom advances. As Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world.” Rather, it is a kingdom marked by the progress and power of the Spirit as He makes men and women “willing in the day of His power.” This is not a kingdom advanced by the might or wisdom of men. Rather, as the gospel is proclaimed, the Spirit gives life to the dead. Men and women are bo...
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