“You are not asked to believe in a blind leap of faith. The Bible teaches that there are good and sufficient reasons to know that these things are true. If you examine the ministry of Paul and also of Christ, you find they endlessly answered questions. There was no concept here of “Keep quiet, just believe”; it just does not exist. Paul answered the questions of the Jews, he answered the questions of the non-Jews, he was always answering questions; and the book of Romans certainly answered the questions of those without the Bible as well as of those with it.”

– Francis Schaeffer in The God Who is There (via johngrasty)

“This is a universal principle of Christian ministry: the way to prepare for greater service is to be diligent in some lesser service. Faithful ministry is both rewarded by God and recognized by the church.”

– Philip Ryken

Solzhenitsyn’s Harvard Address

“It is time, in the West, to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.”

– Alexander Solzhenitsyn

I’m preaching on Gabriel’s announcement of John the Baptist’s birth in Luke 1:5-25.

Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.

(Luke 1:8-10 ESV)

John’s father is in the temple offering the incense sacrifice, it is most likely the more well attended evening sacrifice considering the reference to the “whole multitude of the people”.  When Zechariah asks for a sign that his wife Elizabeth would conceive in old age he is stuck mute.

And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.”

(Luke 1:18-20 ESV)

I’ve been struck to the reference to 141.  My study Bible included it as a cross reference, but no commentaries I’ve read have mentioned it.  I’ve been returning to all week pondering how Zechariah’s silence was a guard over his mouth, and the Lord watching over the doors of the lips of the one who called on the Lord with prayer and incense.

O LORD, I call upon you; hasten to me!

Give ear to my voice when I call to you!

Let my prayer be counted as incense before you,

and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice!

Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth;

keep watch over the door of my lips!

(Psalm 141:1-3 ESV)

“It is of first importance that the Christian, especially the young Christian, should be clear upon the two natures in the believer. The new birth is not the improving of the old nature, but the receiving of a new; and the receiving of the new nature does not in any wise improve the old.”

– A.W. Pink (via drquote)

A Late-Victorian Minister’s Library

““The best time to plant an oak tree was twenty-five years ago. The second best time is today.””

– James Carvilee