Did You Catch Tim Challies Post?

In advance of this year's Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference, Tim Challies will be conducting a "blog interview" of Iain Murray, and he's given his blog readers the opportunity to suggest some questions that would be good for him to ask Iain. The Banner Ministers' Conference (like no other conference that I'm aware of !) will be May 27-29, 2008 ... it's an incredible time for like-minded men in ministry to come together for some rich spiritual nourishment preached from God's Word, combined with personal fellowship that just isn't a part of most conferences today.
If interested in joining us this year, or suggesting it to your pastor, download the conference brochure by CLICKING HERE.

If interested in reading Tim's post, CLICK HERE.

By the way, I so strongly recommend you coming, even if you already have another conference on your calendar. Here are a few comments I've received just recently as guys are already re-registering for this year:

"Three years ago I was invited to attend the Banner of Truth Conference by another minister - what a blessing it has been to me ever since.... It is where I go to sit under the sound preaching of the Word and have my soul fed in great abundance. This year was no disappointment."

Pastor S.R.

"I consider the Banner Conference the highlight of my year and plan (D.V.) to be there! The Banner Conference is a time I anticipate being preached to. As a preacher we seldom get the time to sit under the Word as a live minister of the Gospel opens and applies it to our hearts. What a joy to sing with so many men and then fellowship around the mealtimes. The late night round tabales in the rooms are also a blessing. Praying with brothers down by the river is another highlight I look forward to. I would not miss the conference for anything but the most sovereign providence of God."

Pastor M.M.

"I've been looking forward to this conference from the minute I got in my car at the close of last year's conference. It was my first year and I fell in love with everything that went on in those wonderfully Christ-focused three days. I envied the stories of those men who had been attending for a lifetime and quietly looked forward to the day when I'll be able to wear the coveted Banner polo from decades back :-)

Pastor S.U.

"Yes (dv) I am coming, so add me to your list! I would walk to Pennsylvania to attend the Banner Conference. It is the mainstay of my collegial fellowship and my primary time to sit under the preaching of the Word of God each year. And I cannot begin to find the words to share how vital Banner books are to my soul, and my ministry."

Pastor D.B.

Another Addition to the Banner Booklet Series

There are many things that I really appreciate about The Banner of Truth - certainly it's booklet series is one of them, although it might be less well known than other series (i.e. Puritan Paperbacks, etc.). Because of that, I've listed below all of the booklets currently in the series. Joining Iain Murray's, "The Cross: The Pulpit of God's Love," and Spurgeon's, "A Defence of Calvinism," is this third most recent addition. Check it out, and enjoy!
TITLE: Reading the Bible and Praying in Public
AUTHOR: Stuart Olyott
ISBN: 978-0-85151-9722
PAGE COUNT: 24 pages
LIST PRICE: $3.00
DESCRIPTION: Bible reading and prayer are two elements in all evangelical church worship. At certain points in every service someone will read the Scriptures and lead the congregation in prayer. These regular acts of worship are so familiar that many probably take them for granted and do not think too seriously about them.
But what is the best way to read the Bible in public and what are the things we need to keep in mind if we are to lead others in public prayer? In Reading the Bible and Praying in Public, Stuart Olyott supplies us with wise practical advice on these vitally important acts of our corporate church worship.
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Stuart Olyott travels widely, helping and encouraging especially young and inexperienced pastors in the UK and Europe. Before his ‘semi-retirement’ at the end of 2007, he was Pastoral Director of the Evangelical Movement of Wales and lectured in preaching at the Evangelical Theological College of Wales, Bryntirion, Bridgend. He has also pastored churches in London, Liverpool, and Lausanne. The Trust has also published his Ministering Like The Master, and his translation of John Calvin's Truth For All Time.

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THE BOOKLET SERIES, from The Banner of Truth:

A Call to Prayer, J.C. Ryle, $2.50
Authentic Gospel, Jeffrey Wilson, $2.00
Behind a Frowning Providence, $2.50
Bleeding of the Evangelical Church, Wells, $2.00
Burial or Cremation, Howard, $2.50
Can We Know God? Maurice Roberts, $2.00
Christians Grieve Too, Donald Howard, $2.50
Coming to Faith in Christ, John Benton, $1.50
Cross: The Pulpit of God’s Love; Iain Murray, $4.00
Cross (The): Vindication of God, Lloyd-Jones, $2.00
Defence of Calvinism (A); C.H. Spurgeon, $4.00
Evangelistic Calvinism, John Benton, $2.00
Free Offer of the Gospel, John Murray, $2.50
Five Points of Calvinism, Jack Seaton, $2.00
Healthy Christian Growth (Revised), Ferguson, $2.50
Her Husband’s Crown, Sara Leone, $3.00
High Calling of Motherhood, W. Chantry, $0.85
Holiness, Joel Beeke, $2.00
Incomparable Book, W. McDowell, $1.00
Invitation System, Iain Murray, $3.00
Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, Lloyd-Jones, $2.50
Kingdom of God, W. Tchividjian, $2.00
Life of Principled Obedience, A.N. Martin, $2.00
Living the Christian Life, A.N. Martin, $2.00
M’Cheyne Daily Bible Reading Calendar, $0.50
Moral Basis of Faith, Tom Wells, $1.50
Open Your Mouth for the Dumb (abortion), $1.50
Practical Implications of Calvinism, A.N Martin, $2.50
Preaching: The Centrality of Scripture, Mohler, $2.00
Priority of Preaching, John Cheeseman, $2.00
Psalter: The Only Hymnal? Iain Murray, $2.50
Read any Good Books? Sinclair Ferguson, $2.00
Reading the Bible, Geoffrey Thomas, $2.00
Reading the Bible & Praying in Public, Olyott, $3.00
Shorter Catechism (with Scripture Proofs), $1.00
Unresolved Controversy, Iain Murray, $2.50
Victory: The Work of the Spirit, P. Potgieter, $1.50
Westminster Larger Catechism, PB, $4.00
What is the Reformed Faith? J.R. deWitt, $2.50
What...Think: Carnal Christian? Reisinger, $2.00
What’s Wrong with Preaching Today? Martin, $2.00
Whom Shall I Marry? A. Swanson, $2.00
Worship, J.C. Ryle, $2.00

A New Booklet from Iain H. Murray

TITLE: "The Cross: The Pulpit of God's Love"
AUTHOR: Iain H. Murray
TYPE: Paperback booklet
PAGE COUNT: 42
ISBN: 978-0-85151-9748
LIST PRICE: $4.00

The atonement is the center of the Christian faith and of the work of the gospel ministry. The purpose of gospel preaching is to make know what God has done in the cross of Jesus Christ. The evangel is 'the preaching of the cross' (1 Cor. 1:18).

If this was apostolic Christianity then we must examine ourselves as to whether our emphasis corresponds with it. Is the cross central to the message we preach in our evangelism?

But how are we to preach the cross? Does our preaching resemble that of the NT apostles? Does it match the passionate freeness with which the church’s greatest evangelists preached the cross to needy sinners?

In this booklet, Iain Murray helps us to think through the message of the cross, to appreciate God’s love and justice in the death of Christ, and to grasp the truth afresh that ‘by Christ crucified the love of God and his willingness to save is to be made known to all people.’
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Iain H. Murray , born of Scots parents, was educated in the Isle of Man before serving with the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) in the Emergency in Malaya. After study at Durham University, he entered the Christian ministry, serving as assistant to Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones at Westminster Chapel, and subsequently as minister of Grove Chapel, London, and St Giles, Sydney. From 1955 (to 1987) he edited the Banner of Truth magazine, and in 1957 became co-founder of the Trust with which he remains closely connected.

NOTE TO ALL MEN IN MINISTRY: Iain Murray will be among those speaking at this year's Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference, May 27-29, 2008. For conference details, or to purchase this or other titles from The Banner, visit www.banneroftruth.org.

More New Releases Arrive in U.S.

The guys in our warehouse were busy while I was talking with some of you in Minneapolis. They were unloading FOUR new Banner releases: three booklets and one paperback. Let's take the next few days and check them out. Here's the first, one of the booklets ...

TITLE: "A Defence of Calvinism"
AUTHOR: C.H. Spurgeon
ISBN: 978-0-85151-973-9
PAGES: 32
LIST PRICE: $4.00
DESCRIPTION: It is a great thing to begin the Christian life by believing good solid doctrine. Constant change of creed is sure loss. If a tree has to be taken up two or three times a year, you will not need to build a very large loft in which to store the apples. When people are always shifting their doctrinal principles, they are not likely to bring forth much fruit to the glory of God. It is good for young believers to begin with a firm hold upon those great fundamental doctrines which the Lord has taught in his Word.

With his winsome style and customary mix of wit, wisdom, and warm devotion to his Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) explains and defends the Bible’s teachings about the grace of God in the gospel. In so doing he helpfully answers several important questions, which young believers sometimes struggle with, such as: How did I become a Christian? Did God love me before I was born? What did Jesus accomplish by his death upon the cross? What can overcome the wickedness of my sinful heart? Will a true Christian persevere in faith? What is the best way to be happy as a Christian? Will the doctrines of grace encourage me to sin or to live a holy life to God’s glory?
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Check out www.banneroftruth.org the first of the week for online ordering!

Back from Minneapolis

It was a quick trip, just two nights away, but a good visit to the Minneapolis Convention Center for the 2008 Desiring God Pastors' Conference. Once again, the privilege was mine to represent The Banner of Truth and place good, solid Christian literature before so many. It was a different mix of attendees this year, given the Father/Son theme, but great to see pastors there with their sons, and/or their dads. For some, it was a time to reaffirm and give thanks for that special relationship. For others, it was difficult and painful to see what a good father/son relationship could have been like, but wasn't, at least for them. As has been consistently true when I travel, I heard yet more accounts and testimonies of how God has used The Banner, specifically the words of Owen and Baxter and Bunyon and Rutherford and .....
This begins a busy Spring season with March trips to California (Shepherds' Conference) and Florida (Ligonier Conference), April trips to Louisville (Together for the Gospel) and Philadelphia (Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology), and May's conferences in Pennsylvania including the Banner of Truth 2008 Annual Ministers' Conference. Perhaps we'll get to see one another in the near future?