Puritans For Pastors Project

June 17, 2015  David Murray   0 comments

How would you like to send a THOUSAND Reformed and Puritan books to missionaries and pastors in Africa or India or Russia?

“Way too expensive!” you say, “That would cost thousands of dollars for the books and almost as much again for postage. Plus it would take weeks to buy the books, organize, package, etc.”

What if I told you there was a way to do this for just a few hundred dollars and an hour or two of time? Imagine how much blessing for the buck you could give to these needy pastors and missionaries, and their congregations. Here’s how in nine easy steps:

Step 1: Sign up for an Amazon account (ideally a separate account from your personal account).

Step 2: Buy an Amazon Kindle (I recommend the Paperwhite Kindle).

Step 3: Buy an Amazon gift card for the amount of money you want to spend on books.

Step 4: Come back to this page and click on the books below that you want to send.

Step 5: Each link will bring you to the Amazon book page where you simply click on “Deliver to Kindle.”

Step 6: Repeat until you have spent as much as you want to spend.

Step 7: Click “Synchronize” on the Kindle.

Step 8: Send the truth-laden Kindle to a missionary or pastor you know.

Step 9: Pray for God’s blessing.

If you buy the basic Kindle and choose carefully in just the Collected Works, Select Works, and Commentary sections below, you can send many hundreds of books with a Kindle for under $200.

If you’d like to bless an overseas pastor or missionary in this way, but don’t know one, send me an email on Facebook and I’ll send you contact details of one of the many faithful overseas pastors and missionaries that I know who’d make the most use of such a gift. And if you’d like to do this but feel it’s a bit too techy for you, hang in there, because I hope to have a donation page set up soon so that people can donate to this project and leave the techy stuff to others.

The headings below should be self-explanatory. Basically the list goes from complete works, to select works, to individual Puritan and Reformed books, to more recent classic books in the Puritan and Reformed tradition, to lists of books by individual authors. The lists are all in alphabetical order, by author surname then title. Also, if you want to send some modern books at low prices for Kindle click here.

And if you want to benefit from these books yourself but don’t have a Kindle, you can download the Kindle for PC or Kindle for Mac apps and read them on your computer, smartphone, or Tablet.

Complete Works

Select Works

Commentaries

Puritan & Reformed Books

More Recent Classics

Herman Bavinck

John Bunyan

John Calvin

R L Dabney

Alfred Edersheim

Jonathan Edwards

F W Krummacher

George Lawson

Martin Luther

Arthur Pink

J C Ryle

Charles Spurgeon

George Whitefield 

Church History

How do you forgive when there’s nothing to forgive?

June 17, 2015  David Murray   1 comment

A couple of times recently I’ve been asked by Christian friends to forgive them for things they said to me. Which left me in an awkward position, because on neither occasion did I feel sinned against. I wasn’t offended in any way. So what do I do? Forgive anyway, in order to close the matter? Or blow it off as “nothing” and the friend may still feel unforgiven?

I asked a mature Christian for counsel in situations like this and this is what he said:

My standard response to such situations is simply to say something along these lines: “My brother, I appreciate your concern to maintain a good conscience towards God and man. However, I do not believe you sinned against me. However, whatever in your words or actions could have been judged that way in your own conscience, I freely extend without reservation any forgiveness needed.”

Then, depending on how the brother or sister responds to my words, I will often say something like this: “Well, my brother, can you now lay this issue completely to rest so that if and when your conscience should seek to trouble you, you will remember that the issue has been dealt with and refuse to allow the accuser to harass you.”

The principle I operate with in these matters, is that if an issue is a “borderline” issue, and I am not absolutely certain that I have sinned, but have a whisper of doubt, I believe the safest path is to acknowledge the possible occasion of fault or offense. This gives another brother an opportunity to affirm that no offense was taken, after which I can rest in the promises of God’s forgiveness.

The illustration I use in my own mind is connected to what we do when we are painting a wall with a roller brush. As you know, if you have ever done this, there are times when you’re not quite sure whether you have completely covered a given area. However, if you are wise painter, you will not scruple about going one or 2 inches over the last lap mark, lest when the paint has completely dried, you see a long streak that you mixed with your roller.

Now I fully realize that operating in this framework can leave a sensitive man or woman vulnerable to becoming overly scrupulous. However, I don’t believe we natively tend to be overly scrupulous – rather, we tend to rationalize, excuse, extenuate, etc. and fall prey to what the apostle calls “the deceitfulness of sin.”

Check out

June 17, 2015  David Murray   0 comments

Blogs

What Principles Guide My First Meeting With A Couple In A Marital Crisis?
A dozen principles and four words of counsel.

6 Cautions When Preaching Redemptive-Historical Themes
From John Frame.

Forgiveness and the Christian’s Piety
“The 12 most important words for your marriage–or, really for any relationship. These are 12 words that can change, strengthen, and renew any relationship. These 12 words are: I was wrong. I am sorry. Please forgive me. I love you.”

Culture

You Will Be Assimilated
Jonathan Last: “The same-sex marriage movement is interested in a great deal more than just the freedom to form marital unions. It is also interested, quite keenly, in punishing dissenters. But the ambitions of the movement go further than that, even. It’s about revisiting legal notions of freedom of speech and association, constitutional protections for religious freedom, and cultural norms concerning the family.”

Everything You Thought You Knew About Love Is Wrong
Some fascinating facts in the romance industry.

  • The biggest changes have been brought by the $2.4 billion online-­dating industry.
  • 38% of Americans who describe themselves as “single and looking” have used an online-­dating site.
  • Throughout all our interviews—and in research on the subject—this is a consistent finding: in online dating, women get a ton more attention than men.
  • The kind of partner people said they were looking for didn’t match up with the kind of partner they were actually interested in.
  • Despite the nuanced information that people put up on their profiles, the factor that they rely on most when preselecting a date is looks.
  • OkCupid founder Christian Rudder estimates, based on data from his own site, that photos drive 90% of the action in online dating.
  • In the U.S., marriage rates are at historic lows—the rate of marriages per 1,000 single women dropped almost 60% from 1970 to 2012.
  • Americans are also joining the international trend of marrying later; for the first time in history, the typical American now spends more years single than married.

Kindle Books

Running Scared: Fear, Worry, and the God of Rest by Ed Welch $2.51.

Jesus Among Other Gods: The Absolute Claims of the Christian Message by Ravi Zacharias $2.99.

Humilitas: A Lost Key to Life, Love, and Leadership by John Dickson $2.99.

More Kindle books here.

New Book Recommendation

Piety: The Heartbeat of Reformed Theology
More of a booklet than a book, and a bit on the pricey side for 40 pages. But still, this little booklet could transform your life.

Samuel and the Witch at Endor

June 16, 2015  David Murray   1 comment

I’m really enjoying the TGC series on interpreting difficult texts. I don’t always agree with the conclusions, but I always appreciate and learn from the way that the writers faithfully wrestle with the biblical text. The latest article on who the witch at Endor raised up comes to the conclusion that it was Samuel’s spirit.

Arguments for Samuel

The arguments for this being Samuel are quite strong:

1. The text states it was Samuel.

2. The medium was startled because it was not one of the evil spirits with whom she was used to dealing.

3. The spirit gives an accurate prophecy of what would happen to Saul the next day.

Arguments against Samuel

However, after studying this a number of years ago, I came to the conclusion that a stronger case can be made for this being an evil spirit impersonating Samuel (just as the devil can transform himself into an angel of light). Here are some of the points I remember from that study:

1. Witches cannot disturb good and glorified men and being them into the world again.

2. Would God permit Samuel to appear and answer Saul when He did not answer him by living prophets?

3. The spirit ascended out of the earth rather than descending from heaven.

4. The spirit accepted worship, which Samuel would not have done.

5. All that is told Saul (God is your enemy, David will be king) is told to exasperate him and drive him to despair, not to repentance.

6. The witch’s shocked reaction was because, like so many mediums, her work was usually a big con. But this time she sees a real spirit from the other side.

7. As Calvin said: “God sometimes gives to devils the power of revealing secrets to us, which they have learned from the Lord.”

8. The dead do not return but are impersonated by evil spirits (Eccl. 9:5,6; 2 Kings 2:9; Lk. 16:19f).

Check out

June 16, 2015  David Murray   0 comments

Blogs

Elisabeth Elliot (1926-2015)
Elisabeth Elliot died yesterday aged 88. As Justin says, “of whom the world was not worthy.”

What’s Up with the Witch of Endor? | The Gospel Coalition
I’m enjoying this series on interpreting difficult passages from TGC. Even when I don’t agree with the conclusions (as in this case), it’s still helpful to see how others wrestle with the biblical text in a God-honoring way.

How pastors save their people (and yes, they really do save them). | Denny Burk
And here Denny goes to the mat with a difficult NT text. 

Foot of the Mountain: PCA hotly debates delaying formal acknowledgement of racism and the end is EPIC
Beautiful ending! This kind of thing rarely happens at denominational gatherings.

A Multiplicity of Mentors – Feeding on Christ
Nick Batzig comes back from the same Assembly with an appeal to young pastors (and others) to seek out multiple mentors.

Tweets Set on Fire By Hell | Nathan W. Bingham
Nathan Bingham applies James 3 to social media.

Christians Need To Stop Playing The Self-Flagellation Game
“The solution to a culture that won’t heed the church’s words is simply to keep speaking them, trusting that the same Holy Spirit who created faith in the hearts of tax collectors, prostitutes, and Christ-hating-Pharisees will continue to do so today.”

Happiness Honors the King | Desiring God
David Mathis says “There is no biblical distinction between happiness and joy.” I agree, the biblical distinction is between good happiness (or joy) and bad happiness (or joy).

Kindle Books

The Underestimated Gospel $0.99.

Christianity, Cults & Religions $3.03.

Anxious for Nothing: God’s Cure for the Cares of Your Soul by John Macarthur $0.99. See also

Because He Loves Me: How Christ Transforms Our Daily Life by Elyse Fitzpatrick $2.99.

Check out

June 15, 2015  David Murray   0 comments

Blog

The Kingdom of God in the Old Testament: The Prophetic Hope by Ben Dunson | Ligonier Ministries Blog
Ben finishes up his excellent series.

Organized Sports on Sundays? | Reformation21 Blog
I’ve seen the devastating spiritual impact of this too often.

Why Bloggers Are Calling It Quits | Christianitytoday.com
I was pretty close to this myself recently, but couldn’t get away from a sense of God’s calling to continue.

3 Things Remarkably Successful People Do During the First Hour of Each Day | Inc.com
I think we could put personal Bible reading and prayer under #3 in this article.

The RP & ARP Synods; A Family Reunion of Churches | Gentle Reformation
Good to read about historic churches respecting and appreciating one another like this.

The 10 Characteristics of a Rockstar Executive Assistant – Michael Hyatt
EAHelp.com got me one of these.

Mortification Of Spin | Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals
I recently spoke with Amy, Carl, and Todd about depression and happiness in the Christian life.

Culture

College is not a commodity. Stop treating it like one | The Washington Post
The primary aim is an education, not a degree.

If Rachel Dolezal Isn’t Black, How Is Caitlyn Jenner A Woman?
A powerful article. It’s good to have reason and logic on your side.

The President Once More Declares Traditional Christians to Be Bigots and Enemies of the State

The Scottish Solution to Gay Marriage | RealClearReligion
Given gay activists’ intolerant hatred of Christians, I’m doubtful that this arrangement will hold.

Kindle Books

Speaking Truth in Love: Counsel in Community by David Powlison $2.51.

Engaging Exposition $2.99. 3-D Preaching: Discovery, Development, Delivery.

Perspectives on the Extent of the Atonement: 3 Views $0.99. Carl Truman presents the Reformed view.

Recommended New(ish) Book

William Perkins by Joel Beeke and Stephen Yuille $8.99.

Video

Christians Are Dyslexic Too
Dyslexia affects 1 in 10 people. There are 930,000 sermons on sermonaudio.com and only one mentions dyslexia!