Praying for the Upcoming Conference ...

It's great to begin seeing the anticipation of the upcoming Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference among pastors who blog. Here's one recent post, from Jim in Canada.
If you cannot be at the conference, I would certainly welcome your prayers for the guys who are coming. Thanks.
Steve
------------------------
Jim wrote, "It is only two more weeks until our group leaves for the Banner of Truth Minister's Conference. I can already feel the anticipation growing. I have been very drained from a very busy couple of months. Even when it wasn't busy, I found that I have been spiritually flat. God has been gracious in that sermons did get written every week, but each week the task became more and more difficult. Just knowing I will have some time off to recharge is encouraging. Knowing that, DV, I will be doing that under the preaching of God's word with other men who serve as pastors, elders, and those who are studying to do so, is something I look forward to even more."

Pictures from T4G

It was definitely an interesting week in Louisville recently, as the every-other-year Together for the Gospel conference converged upon this Kentucky city.

Here's where most of my time was spent - the conference bookstore!

The Together for the Gospel bookstore was quite the caverness place!
If

you were among the 5,500 people there, you well understand what I mean. How good to see the Banner of Truth billboard standing in the midst of it all!

And how good to meet so many people, young people in particular, who stopped to visit and

either expressed appreciation for the work of the Banner or, in some case, got to hear about Banner of Truth for the first time.
I'm pictured here with Bo and Cam, a couple of guys from Eastern Kentucky University. Actually all of these pictures are courtesy of these guys (thanks). Uhhh, I'm the one in the middle, in case you weren't sure.
:-)

It was a good, yet busy time!

The Positive Road to Joy

"An inadequate understanding of our own sinfulness is probably the greatest single cause of our failure to rejoice in the Lord always, and to realize that this message is the greastest good news that the world has ever received. Let us therefore examine ourselves. If you are lacking in joy, the thing to do is not to try to work up some joy within yourselves; it is to go to the Bible, to the law, and to see your sinfulness. The positive road to joy is always via the depth of sin."

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Romans: Exposition of Chapter 1, The Gospel of God
Banner of Truth Trust, 1985

Not to Sound Like a Broken Record, But ...

This Friday, May 2nd, is the "early bird" deadline to register for the upcoming Banner of Truth 2008 U.S. Ministers' Conference. The price goes up after Friday! I am really looking forward to having Iain Murray with us this year. Also, I had several conversations with Rick Phillips at last weekend's PCRT in Philadelphia; Rick will be with us, too, in addition to others. But I'd like to get away from pushing conferences through the "Christian celebrities." Instead, just know that you'll get solid, reformed, biblical teaching/preaching plus personal fellowship among like-minded guys in ministry that you just don't get at other such conferences.

"Them's the facts!"

:-)

You can download a conference brochure and even register online through the link you'll find at http://www.banneroftruth.org/.

I am not ashamed!

I have restarted my read through D.M. Lloyd-Jones sermons on the book of Romans. I confess to really not having been a reader of sermons much before coming to work at Banner of Truth, but I have been converted, without a doubt, to believing in the incredible value that they hold. And the Lloyd-Jones series is so rich; I am reading it together with a 17-year old guy from our kids' school. Now there's a challenge for you ... keeping up with a 17-year old!
"I am not ashamed of the gospel ... it is the power of God unto salvation."
My family are I are heading into the woods today for two days of camping. D.M. Lloyd-Jones is going with us. In addition to playing with the fam, and perhaps as a follow-up to last week's T4G, I want to both meditate on and relish in the thought of the gospel. In just one part of Lloyd-Jones sermon, he preached about this "salvation" that this gospel is "the power of God unto" - "What does it mean?" he asks. His answer: First, it must mean that man is delivered from sin ... from the guilt of sin, from the power of sin, and from the pollution of sin. Secondly, it means that we are completely reconciled to God; our communion with God is completely restored. And the third thing he mentions is that it restores to us the hope of glory. You know, I have to ask myself ... why would anyone be ashamed at such a thing as that?
I hope you take time to medidate on the gospel today, as well.
Grace & peace to you,
Steve

Starbucks Musings After T4G

Sitting in Starbucks at the Louisville airport, I got to enjoy a rare, relaxed conversation with a dear brother who works for another well-known ministry organization. Such relationships are just one of the many "perks" I enjoy from doing what I do. So as we sat there, we reflected back some on the just-concluded T4G. Part of our discussion included mention of the significant percentage of the audience that was so young (and it's not just that I am getting so old!). And we pondered ... just perhaps, might it be possible that the Lord is awakening a new generation? There have, of course, been other signs to this effect as documented in various places. Clearly we at Banner moved a lot of books, obviously good and solid books, hand chosen by Mark Dever and crew. And I also engaged in conversation after conversation with many a young person who exhibited what appeared to be a genuine thirst for the deeper things of God. Oh, may we be so honored as to play some small part in such a grand movement!
Praying towards that end ...
Steve

Headed to Louisville ... BEFORE Launching a NEW SERIES for Banner!

This week is the second "Together for the Gospel" conference in Louisville, KY ... and my first. Looking forward to seeing many. Stop in to the conference bookstore and say hi if you're headed to Louisville, also! And after I return, I'll start telling you about a totally new series of books that Banner of Truth is on the verge of releasing! Exciting stuff!

Why Has Reformed Theology Surged Among the Younger Generation?

This was the recent subject of an interesting post at reformationtheology.com and there is an summary post on David Westerfield's site. You might want to check them out.

Calling Fellow Bloggers ...

SPREAD THE WORD ...

THE BANNER OF TRUTH

2008 MINISTERS' CONFERENCE

Theme: "The Preachers' Task"
May 27-29, 2008 ... Grantham, PA

Questions have been coming in, so here are some answers. Yes, Iain Murray will be with us this year along with Richard Phillips, Craig Troxell, David Campbell, Ian Hamilton.
Also, Tim Challies of challies.com will be here, continuing his daily blogs. It would be GREAT if we could spread the word through the blogging community about this event. Invariably, after it's all over, I'll hear from some disappointed guys who would have come if they had only known! Here are some pictures of last year's conference. If you're a "man in ministry," as in pastor, elder, deacon, missionary, chaplain, or preparing for such as a seminary student, download the brochure HERE, or register online by clicking HERE. The price is certainly right (make sure you know it includes lodging and meals, plus more!). We would absolutely love to have you a part of this Banner of Truth event. Questions? Let me know.
Steve
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Looking Forward to May!

THE BANNER OF TRUTH
2008 MINISTERS' CONFERENCE:

It's hard to believe, but we are once again coming up on another Banner of Truth Ministers' Conference, May 27-29, on the campus of Messiah College in Grantham, PA. I get to a number of conferences, and even with admitting my bias, I so appreciate the intimate fellowship of like-minded men in ministry that takes place at the Banner conference - men ministering to men, brother to brother, and interacting/fellowshipping around such spiritual nourishment that pours forth in that chapel building. And we're not just talking old guys here! Seminary students and guys in their first pastorate are really engaging with others who have been in the ministry for 30+ years. It's great!

Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Missionaries, Chaplains, Seminary Students ... here, read some of what I've gotten in the mail from guys who are returning again from last 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."

"I consider the Banner Conference the highlight of my year and plan to be there! 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. 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."

"I have been there about twenty (20) straight years and, the Lord willing, I plan to come again this year."

"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 shirt from decades back. :-) "

"YES, 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."
------------------------------
To download the conference brochure, CLICK HERE or on the brochure image above. Like-minded men in ministry, coming together in a relatively small gathering, enjoying the nourishment from a bountiful spiritual smorgasbord from the Word of God and the sweet fellowship of dear brothers in Christ. Consider it this year, would you?
Steve

From The Valley of Vision: "Crucifixion & Resurrection"

A prayer for you to consider this weekend:

-------------------------------------------------------

"O Lord,
I marvel that thou shouldst become incarnate,
be crucified, dead, and buried.
The sepulchre calls forth my adoring wonder,
for it is empty and thou art risen;
the four-fold gospel attests it,
the living witnesses prove it,
my heart's experience knows it.
Give me to die with thee that I may rise to new life,
for I wish to be as dead and buried

to sin, to selfishness, to the world;
that I might not hear the voice of the charmer,
and might be delivered from his lusts.
O Lord, there is much ill about me - crucify it,
much flesh within me - mortify it.
Purge me from selfishness,
the fear of man, the love of approbation,
the shame of being thought old-fashioned,
the desire to be cultivated or modern.
Let me reckon my old life dead
because of crucifixion,
and never feed it as a living thing.
Grant me to stand with my dying Saviour,
to be content to be rejected,
to be willing to take up unpopular truths,
and to hold fast despised teachings until death.
Help me to be resolute and Christ-contained.
Never let me wander from the path of obedience
to thy will.
Strengthen me for the battles ahead.
Give me courage for all the trials,
and grace for all the joys.
Help me to be a holy, happy person,
free from every wrong desire,
from everything contrary to thy mind.
Grant me more and more of the resurrection life:
may it rule me,
may I walk in its power,
and be strengthened through its influence.
-------------------------------------------------------
From The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
Edited by Arthur Bennett
Published by The Banner of Truth Trust

Gethsemane

'Tis Thursday of the week before Easter. Maundy Thursday, as it is known in some circles. The day of the Last Supper and the Agony of Gethsemane. Please, do force the busy-ness of the day aside to contemplate and perhaps even weep.
The following is from the Banner of Truth book, "The Cross He Bore."
May you rejoice in Him today.
Steve
--------------------------------------
"It is true that Christ in his sinless human nature recoiled from the prospect of death and shrank from it with horror, for death came with sin. It is also true that he sensed the approach of Satan who after the temptation in the wilderness 'departed from him until an opportune time' (Luke 4:13). It is also the case that he anticipated the approaching wrath of a holy God. But none of these facts can account for the distress and sorrow that were to prove too much for unaided human nature (albeit sinless) to bear. There must be something deeper and more actual to account for our Lord's struggle in Gethsemane.

Gethsemane means 'the oil press'. David could say, 'I am like a green olive tree in the house of God' (Psa. 52:8). Israel in her long history could say the same. But the suffering Saviour could say it best of all, for there in Gethsemane - the oil press - he was crushed and bruised without mercy. But how and why? How is the sudden and dramatic change of atmosphere between the upper room and Gethsemane to be explained, even in a measure? Christ knew all along the death that awaited him. He had grappled with Satan and his legions more than once. He had repeatedly spoken of his death to his disciples, telling them what that death would accomplish. He had prayed with the utmost confidence in his high priestly prayer (John 17). Why, then, is there this sudden plunge into such awful agony, why this shuddering horror? Why is this fruit of the olive tree so severely crushed? Why does the divine record say that in Gethsemane our Lord BEGAN to be sorrowful, sorrowful in a new and terrible way? Was it not because God began forsaking him then? How else is this sorrow unto death to be understood?

'Jesus wept', but never like this. No previous sorrow of his could match this. At the time of his arrest he declared, 'Shall I not drink the cup which the Father has given me?' (John 18:11). That cup was constantly in view as he prayed in Gethsemane. What cup? 'THIS CUP' - not some future cup. The cup that was symbolized in the feast (Matt. 26:27,28) was not actual; God was placing it in the Saviour's hands and it carried the stench of hell. But stop! Schilder is right. 'Gethsemane is not a field of study for our intellect. It is a sanctuary of our faith'. Lord, forgive us for the times we have read about Gethsemane with dry eyes."

The Wonder and the Glory!

I'm back in the Carlisle, PA office and warehouse for Banner of Truth after being at two conferences and getting an incredible number of books into the hands of many people. Several of those books are especially fitting for this week, one of them being Banner's recent release, "Jesus Himself: The Story of the Resurrection" by Marcus L. Loane. I hope to spend some time in this book here during the next few days. Join me in it, won't you?
From the Foreword:
"The wonder and glory of the Resurrection are far greater than we can ever conceive. That great drama took place in the silent tomb a great while before it was yet day. No one else was there when God raised Jesus from the dead: no one saw it happen. there was neither man nor angel as a witness in that sacred moment. He emerged from the grace-clothes and left them lying undisturbed on the ledge. He left the tomb while the stone was still in place at the mouth of the sepulchre. It was later when an earthquake shook the site and the stone was rolled away. When the women arrived, the guard had fled and they found the tomb empty. The grave-clothes were there; angel watchers were there; but him they did not see.
But no one had seen how he awoke from the sleep of death in newness of life. All that was mortal had put on immortality; death was swallowed up in victory. And it was in his risen glory that he made himself known to his disciples."
May you spend this week contemplating on the wonder and glory of the Lamb of God.

At the Ligonier Conference in Orlando

The Banner road trip continues ... After a great week in LA with more than 3,000 guys at the Shepherds' Conference, this week has me in Orlando with apparently as many people registered for this year's Ligonier event. Our own trustee chairman, Sinclair Ferguson, is among those speaking this week. It will be good to see and spend time with him again, in addition to everyone else. Today was set-up day; the conference will kick off Thursday and run through Saturday afternoon. If you're among those here in Orlando, be sure to say hello!
More to come.
Steve

At the Shepherds' Conference in LA

Once again, it's great to have the opportunity to represent Banner and introduce a number of guys, younger guys in particular, to the works of Baxter, Watson, Spurgeon, etc., that Banner makes available ... this time, I'm here in the Los Angeles area at Grace Community Church's Shepherds' Conference. Attendance this year is at their full capacity of about 3,400 or so. Yesterday, it seemed like most of them were in the bookstore at the same time! Twelve hours later, it was clear that our piles of books had gone down significantly, including a number of titles that I was spending my time working to introduce guys to, ones that they may not just naturally be drawn to or have heard much about before.
As for the personal ministry times, indeed, there have been opportunities for a number of substantive conversations, hearing testimonies of how some of these guys came to faith in Christ. The circumstances are different from one guy to the next, but some things are constant in every story ... the intervening power and grace of God, through the instrument of His Word.
I've had some great conversations outside of the conference, too, with guys who clearly don't know Christ ... a young Penn State student in the DC Dulles airport who lives close enough to me back in PA that he already said he'd like to get together back home. Also, I learned that even a broken laptop ought to be viewed positively as an instrument of the Lord providentially at work. That's what took me to a store that fixes laptops here in LA, which got me into the life of a young guy named Chris for three hours the other night. What a great opportunity! "Forgive my frustration, Lord, with not having a machine that worked when I wanted it to. Help me to continually and positively resign my will and my DayTimer to yours. And please use my conversation with Chris as you see fit!"
No matter what you're faced with today, see it from the perspective of our sovereign God at work both in and through you. Broken laptops, interruptions, cars that don't work ... avoid getting angry and frustrated by looking toward the Lord and saying, "Ok, Father, so what I had planned is different from what you desire for today. Help me to go with your plan, and to do so without my usual kicking and screaming!"
:-)
Blessings to you, today, from here in LA.
Steve

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.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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.

============================

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?

ANOTHER NEW ONE ARRIVES: Spurgeon's "Lectures to My Students"

This is one beautiful book, published ... can I say it? ... Banner-style! Here are the details; you can order it now, online, from Banner of Truth by clicking HERE.

TITLE: Lectures to My Students
AUTHOR: C.H. Spurgeon
PAGE COUNT: 928
BINDING: Clothbound
ISBN: 978-0-85151-9661
LIST PRICE: $39.00
DESCRIPTION:

While C. H. Spurgeon is still remembered as being the most popular preacher of the Victorian era, it has generally been forgotten that the influence he exercised on fellow ministers and theological students was possibly an even greater factor in his life than his own personal ministry. That he organized a college, supervised the training of some 845 students, presided at an annual conference of ministers, and regarded all this as his ‘life’s labour and delight’ are facts that are little known today.
Spurgeon’s Lectures to my Students, contain the substance of Spurgeon’s regular Friday afternoon addresses to the college students. This new complete and unabridged Banner edition, which has been newly typeset, contains all the lectures in the original first and second series, including The Minister’s Self-Watch, The Preacher’s Private Prayer, The Minister’s Fainting Fits, The Holy Spirit in Connection with our Ministry, The Need of Decision for the Truth, and On Conversion as our Aim. Also included is a third series of lectures, originally published as The Art of Illustration, which focuses on the nature, use, and sources of illustrations and anecdotes in preaching.
To make this new edition as complete as possible, the publishers have also included Spurgeon’s Commenting & Commentaries, which contains two further lectures and a fascinating and often humorously annotated catalogue of commentaries. This catalogue, compiled by Spurgeon after a review of some three to four thousand volumes, is anything but dull: calculated to produce enthusiasts for books, it also opens up a new world by its well-placed signposts to the riches of the past.

"My College lectures are colloquial, familiar, full of anecdote, and often humorous: they are purposely made so, to suit the occasion. At the end of the week, I meet the students, and find them weary with sterner studies, and I judge it best to be as lively and interesting in my prelections as I well can be. They have had their fill of classics, mathematics, and divinity, and are only in a condition to receive something which will attract and secure their attention, and fire their hearts.

The solemn work with which the Christian ministry concerns itself demands a man's all, and that all at its best. To engage in it half-heartedly is an insult to God and man. Slumber must forsake our eyelids sooner than men shall be allowed to perish. Yet we are all prone to sleep as do others, and students, among the rest, are apt to act the part of the foolish virgins; therefore have I sought to speak out my whole soul, in the hope that I might not create or foster dullness in others. May he in whose hand are the churches and their pastors bless these words to younger brethren in the ministry, and if so I shall count it more than a full reward, and shall gratefully praise the Lord."

-- C. H. Spurgeon

NEW RELEASE: John Calvin's "Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles: Chapters 1-7"

Have you all heard that NEW RELEASES are arriving at the Banner of Truth? Here's one of them!
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TITLE: Sermons on the Acts of the Apostles: Chapters 1-7
AUTHOR: John Calvin
PAGES: 688
TYPE: Clothbound
LIST PRICE: $36.00 (U.S. currency)
DESCRIPTION: How to answer the question ‘Is your conscience at peace?’ A reading of any or all of these forty-four extant sermons on Acts by John Calvin will help the reader determine whether his conscience is at peace or simply asleep!

Calvin’s vigorous presentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ in its full extent shows the sixteenth-century expositor understood the ramifications of New Testament theology, just as did his mentor, the apostle Paul, who, after presenting his reasoned understanding of the meaning of Christ’s work, immediately follows it with the ‘therefore’ of consequence. Calvin mixes biblical teaching and its demands on the believer’s life together so closely that the theology and its effects cannot be easily separated. Divine judgment and mercy underlie this ‘effects theology’, and it is the sense of judgment versus the promises of and the conditions for forgiveness and acceptance that informs the reader’s conscience whether he is indeed forgiven and at peace, a member of the body of Christ.

On the other hand, the reader of the sleeping conscience, by comparison and self-examination, will be incited to awaken to a new or renewed relationship with the pressing demands of Christian ‘effects theology’. Calvin pulls no punches. If belief does not end in an increasingly Christlike character, it is as good as no belief, no theology. The reader is either at peace or asleep.

‘One wonders, after perusing any sequence of Calvin’s sermons, whether Calvin would he welcomed in many Protestant, even Presbyterian, pulpits today. Calvin is hailed for his biblical theology, but largely ignored with respect to his insistence upon the transformed-life, life-long self-abnegation demanded of genuine Christian discipleship. The motive behind his insistence arises from his acute awareness that God, after expressing his fatherly love and gracious acceptance of the wayward, remains the uncompromising judge of all humankind, Christian or not. That awareness of judgment should, Calvin says, “make our hair stand on end” and drive us to repentance, without which there is no forgiveness.

‘It is hoped that the reader of these sermons will seek not just to confirm the sermons’ agreement with Calvinistic theology, but particularly to experience Calvin’s sincere and profound personal response to the loving and merciful God whose Son is on the threshold of judging with finality the whole world with mercy and justice.’

—From the Translator’s Preface

John Calvin is generally thought of as the greatest theologian of the Protestant Reformation or as a gifted Bible commentator whose insights into the text of Scripture are still highly valued today. Yet it is not widely known that the greatest obligation Calvin felt was not to his fellow scholars, nor even to his students, but to the ordinary people – citizens of Geneva and persecuted refugees, shopkeepers and merchants, the young and the old – who crowded St Peter’s church no less than ten times a fortnight to listen to his sermons in French.
Calvin’s sermons have lain for too long in the shadow of his commentaries. In seeking to correct this imbalance, it should be remembered that a sermon serves a very different purpose from a commentary. While explanation and interpretation are enough for students, they are never enough for a congregation of sinners. That is why Calvin’s sermons always combine the essential elements of all true preaching – exposition, exhortation and practical application. So let the reader be warned: this volume contains lively preaching! Calvin aims to awaken the conscience and also demands life-changing action. Is it any wonder that such preaching was used by God to bring spiritual renewal on an unprecedented scale to the people and nations of sixteenth-century Europe?
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To purchase this book from Banner of Truth, CLICK HERE.

Book Review: "The Art of Prophesying," and Banner's Puritan Paperback Series

Thank you, Benjamin Glaser, for sharing the following:
I am a sucker for Banner of Truth Trust's Puritan Paperbacks. I find the situation surrounding the early Puritan writers and our own to quite similar. We have much to learn from their wisdom. This work by William Perkins on Preaching is dynamite text for any preacher who really wants to understand how the Scriptures interact with your preaching. Highly Recommended.

The "Puritan Reading Challenge" is GROWING!

It would seem that nearly several hundred people have now signed on for "The Puritan Reading Challenge" that Timmy Brister posted on his blog before the end of the year. As an update on his blog, he wrote, "After three days, over 100 people have signed on! I am super-excited. Also I have tallied 55 blogs plugging or blogging the challenge. Thanks to everyone who has helped get the word out! Perhaps we can see 200?!" That would be great! If you would like to accept the challenge and read a Puritan Paperback each month during 2008, CLICK HERE. He also posted a comment by Tim Keller whereby Tim wrote, "For what it’s worth, I read all but one of the books on this list during seminary and my early ministry, and they had an enormous, life-changing, ministry-shaping impact on me. A couple of them almost literally saved my life. I couldn’t recommend them more highly. I’d only add: a) Read Owen on Temptation as well as Mortification. It’s short and well worth the read. b) Consider adding Baxter’s Saints Everlasting Rest. Other than those, I’d agree that these are the best short, accessible Puritan works. A great list." Keep reading! Steve

Are You An Appreciator of Letters?

Wow. Dean over at "Life & Letters" blog certainly is one who has come to appreciate the value of reading the letters from the likes of a Samuel Rutherford, John Calvin, etc. You'll find excerpts from a number of them at his blog. The most recent one follows - indeed a challenge from Calvin that ought not be restricted to the "student of law at the University of Padua" to whom it was written. Thanks, Dean.
Steve
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As I understand from your letter, that it is not very long since the Lord shed the light of His gospel on you, I could not give a fitter expression of my love towards you, than by exhorting and encouraging you to daily exercises. For we see sparks of piety immediately disappear which had shone forth on many occasions; because, instead of increasing the flame, they rather extinguish what little light the Spirit of God had enkindled in them, by the empty allurements of the world, or the irregular desires of the flesh. That nothing of this kind may happen to you, you must first of all give devoted submission to the will of the Lord, and in the next place, you must fortify yourself by His sacred doctrines.

Letters from John Calvin: Selected from the Bonnet Edition, the Banner of Truth, 1980, p. 118.

Psalm 146 ... again

This morning's read. So good. No matter how many times. God truly does nourish our souls through the reading of His Word.
Wishing you a great day with Him.
Steve
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"Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day there plans come to nothing.
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them - the Lord, who remains faithful forever.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down, the Lord loves the righteous. The Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.
The Lord reigns forever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.
Praise the Lord."

"Home Again, Home Again ..."

There is a Mother Goose nursery rhyme that goes,
To market, to market, to buy a fat pig,
Home again, home again, dancing a jig;
To market, to market, to buy a fat hog;
Home again, home again, jiggety-jog;
To market, to market, to buy a plum bun,
Home again, home again, market is done."
While I haven't danced a jig, bought a hog or purchased a bun, I can revise the last line and say,
Home again, home again, our Hawaii trip is done!

Mornings sure are tough still; today is the first day back at my desk here at Banner of Truth in Carlisle, PA and 8:30 a.m. eastern time still feels as if it's the 3:30 a.m. Hawaii time that I'd grown used to. Wow. How do people do this?
To bring you up to date - I had a great visit and lunch with Kevin (pictured here as he takes a customer's lunch order) and his incredible staff at Covenant Books and Coffee there in Honolulu. If you visit the islands, you must stop in. And if you guess the identities of all ten(?) Puritans on his wall, he'll give you a free book. Thank you Kevin, along with Dave and Roland and Brandy and everyone else there at Covenant Books & Coffee.
My wife did an incredible job and loved working with the staff of Trinity Christian School in Kailua. And we both very much appreciate their serious desire and offer to have her work there full-time, but ...
Our trip home was blessed with an 8-hour stopover in Chicago; just enough time to be picked up by one of our "unofficially adopted sons," taken to his apartment to "crash," then join him and his wife for church followed by lunch with several other couples at another house - all before he returned us to O'Hare to continue our flight! Thanks, Mark!
Now, it's emails and messages and strategy planning and ............ I hope you are doing well (and are more awake than I am) wherever this finds you. Grace & peace to you this day.
Steve

Hawaiian Trip Update

Aloha, again. We have moved from the island of Maui to Oahu and are now enjoying the beautiful area of Kailua. Our hosts here, Trinity Presbyterian Church and Trinity Christian School have treated us like royalty. We have met so many wonderful people. Our purpose in being here, actually, is for my wife (an upper school principal and acting head of a classical Christian school) to come alongside the great staff here at the school. So, as business trips go, I happen to be the "spouse" on this one - not a bad trip to "tag along" on, huh? I heard it was 18 degrees at home yesterday; uhm ... it was warmer than that here!
:-)
I'm off to visit Covenant Books and Coffee in Honolulu now, a ministry of the Honolulu Bible Church. I happen to know that they carry a good number of Banner of Truth books. I'm looking forward to my visit.
Grace & peace.
Steve

Meet Richard Sibbes and the Puritan Paperback, "The Bruised Reed"

I'd like to direct your attention to Stephen Newell's "The Silent Holocron" blog. Stephen is an Associate Pastor at the Louisville Baptist Deaf Church where he and a group there are apparently reading "The Bruised Reed," by Richard Sibbes. Here's what Stephen wrote ... Enjoy, all - and thanks, Stephen!
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From Stephen Newell's "The Silent Holocron" blog:
The Puritan we will be reading this month is Richard Sibbes (1577-1635). Much of the following material is taken from Meet the Puritans by Joel Beeke and Randall Pederson, and The Genius of Puritanism by Peter Lewis.
Richard Sibbes was one of the most influential Puritans of his time, after William Perkins (1558-1602). He seems to have escaped the persecution by the English government that characterized the lives of many of his fellow Puritan ministers. Sibbes was known as “the heavenly Doctor” due to his godly preaching and heavenly manner of life, and his preaching and writing was extremely popular; especially the volume we will be reading this month, The Bruised Reed, and its companion, The Soul’s Conflict.
Sibbes was born at Tostock, Suffolk, which Beeke and Pederson call “the Puritan country of old England.” He was baptized as a child. He was a bibliophile; that is, he was a lover of books from an early age. His father, a wheelwright (a person who builds or repairs wheels) and a Christian himself, tried to break his son of his bookish ways by attempting to interest him in the wheelwright’s trade, but Sibbes refused, uninterested. At the age of 18 he was admitted to St. John’s College in Cambridge, where he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1599, a fellowship in 1601, and a Master of Arts in 1602. In 1603 Sibbes was converted through the preaching of Paul Baynes (c. 1573-1617), whom he called his “father in the gospel.” Baynes succeeded William Perkins at the Church of St. Andrews in Cambridge.
It seems Sibbes began to experience the blessings of God almost immediately following his conversion. He was ordained to the ministry in the Church of England in 1608 and the following year was chosen as one of the college preachers. In 1610 he earned a Bachelor of Divinity degree and from 1611 to 1616 served as lecturer at Holy Trinity Church, Cambridge. His preaching brought revival to a Cambridge which had fallen into “spiritual indifference” after the death of Perkins in 1602; and his speaking became so popular a gallery had to be built to accomodate visitors in the church. During this time, he became a major factor in the conversions of such noted Puritans as John Cotton and Hugh Peters, and was a large influence on Thomas Goodwin and John Preston, other notable Puritans.
In 1617 Sibbes went to London as a lecturer for Gray’s Inn, the largest of the four great Inns of Court (which remain to this day one of the most important centers in England for the study and practice of law). In 1626 he became master of St. Catharine’s College at Cambridge and received his Doctor of Divinity during this time. It is while here that he became known as “the heavenly Doctor.” In 1633 King Charles I offered Sibbes the charge of Holy Trinity, Cambridge. He continued to serve as preacher at Gray’s Inn, master of St. Catharine’s Hall, and vicat of Holy Trinity until his death in 1635.
Interestingly, Sibbes never married. He did, however, establish a large network of friendships that included godly ministers, noted lawyers and parliamentary leaders of the early Stuart era. He is quoted as saying, “Godly friends are walking sermons.” As a result, he wrote at least 13 introductions to the writings of his Puritan colleagues.

A Quote from Richard Sibbes

“To preach is to woo….The main scope of all [preaching] is, to allure us to the entertainment of Christ’s mild, safe, wise, victorious government.”

Synopsis of The Bruised Reed

This month’s Puritan Paperback is The Bruised Reed, authored obviously by Richard Sibbes. What follows is a brief synopsis from Meet the Puritans.
This treatise on the dejected sinner is one of the best works of its kind. In sixteen chapters, Sibbes expounds Isaiah 42:3, “A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.” Richard Baxter said that God used the reading of this treatise to effect his own conversion. Martin Lloyd-Jones wrote, “I shall never cease to be grateful to Richard Sibbes who was balm to my soul at a period in my life when I was overworked and badly overtired, and therefore subject in an unusual manner to the onslaughts of the devil….I found at that time that Richard Sibbes, who was known in London in the early seventeenth century as the ‘Heavenly Doctor Sibbes’ was an unfailing remedy….The Bruised Reed quieted, soothed, comforted, encouraged and healed me.”

Where to Buy The Bruised Reed

You can get this book from any of the links in my Books page. If you live in Louisville, you can run down to the Southern Seminary campus bookstore or, if you want it at a discount, the Christian Book Nook near the University of Louisville. If you’d like to order directly from the publisher, you may be able to take advantage of a great sale they are having at the Banner of Truth website. Just click on “Book Catalogue” to see the specials. Currently you can get 5 Puritan Paperbacks of your choice for $35. Take that opportunity to get yourself 5 months’ worth of reading in one fell swoop! See the reading schedule in the sidebar to determine which titles to purchase.
Well, that wraps up our first Puritan biography of 2008. I am now off to take a brief nap before reading another chapter of The Bruised Reed and then going to work. I pray you will take up the Puritan Challenge 2008!

OUTSIDE SOURCE BOOK REVIEW: "Raising Children God's Way" by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

BOOK REVIEWED: "Raising Children God's Way," by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
REVIEWER: Tyler Sultze at "Heart of Ezra" blog
THE REVIEW (his words, not mine): "With the Iowa caucuses being held today, it is easy to hear many messages which promote change to our society. Every presidential hopeful has an answer to what they would do in order to change society. While they say much about taxes, health care, the war on terror, international experience, and education, I have not heard one talk about parenting. What part do parents play in the fabric of society? Would things be different in the word if parents parented differently than they currently do?
Dr. D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones answers these questions and more in Raising Children God’s Way. These five sermons from Ephesians 6:1-4 compiled by Banner of Truth Trust give great insight into how parents are to raise children for the kingdom of God. Even though these sermons were given decades ago, they still are accurate with the trends of parenting today. It goes to show that God’s Word is timeless. Dr. Lloyd-Jones has given biblical precision concerning what the Lord requires from parents. When one picks this book up they will immediately see the passion and concern he has for the family.
Only 85 pages, Raising Children God’s Way is a short read, but it must be thoroughly digested. It is packed with biblical truth applied accurately to the fallen conditions of man. Those parents who are seeking to raise children who glorify God will be challenged and convicted by this book. The church thirsts for books like this, which brings the light of the Word of God to shine on the family. God has designed the family, instituted the family, and been an example to the family. We can no longer ignore the problems of parenting or seek to remedy them with anything other than the Bible.
Read a few excerpts from the book:
I believe that Christian parents and children, Christian families, have a unique opportunity of witnessing to the world at this present time by just being different. We can be true evangelists by showing this discipline, this law and order, this true relationship between parents and children. We may be the means under God’s hand of bringing many to a knowledge of the truth. Let us therefore think of it in that way.
Whether we like it or not, a breakdown in home-life will eventually lead to a breakdown everywhere.
But the tragedy of today, with its superficial thinking, is to assume that the opposite of wrong discipline is no discipline at all.
There is no more important influence in the life of a child than the influence of the home. The home is the fundamental unit of society, and children are born into a home, into a family. There you have the circle that is to be the chief influence in their lives. There is no question about that. It is the biblical teaching everywhere; and it is always in so-called civilizations were ideas concerning the home begin to deteriorate that society ultimately disintegrates.
Raising Children God’s Way is a must read for any parent. It will help shape one’s thinking around the truth of God and convince him or her of the importance of the necessity of the family. God’s design must not be forsaken and those of God’s church must uphold it for the glory of God and the testimony of Christ. Raising Children God’s Way will make your family look different than the rest of the world, but think of the opportunity it opens for the proclamation of the gospel. May the church encourage fathers and mothers to faithfully uphold the biblical standards of child rearing."
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For more information or to purchase this book, CLICK HERE.