How Can I Know if I Am a Christian?

SermonAudio.com - Wheat or Chaff - Which are you?

This is the last sermon preached by my dear friend (and father-in-law), Pastor Bob Hueni. It is a passionate call by a 75 year old pastor for all people to turn to God in Christ.

He preached it last summer and my family has been blessed in listening to it several times since then. I cannot commend this to you enough.

Toronto Spiritual Life Convention

GTSLC Home

The Toronto Spiritual Life Convention is almost here - it begins this Sunday night (Jan 18) and runs through Wednesday (Jan 21).

The Sunday meeting starts at 6:00PM. All other meetings begin at 7>30PM.

This year's guest preacher is Colin Smith, pastor of The Orchard in Arlington Heights, Illinois. He will be bringing us four messages from Romans 8 - what a glorious chapter!

Once again, all meetings will be held at The People's Church (374 Sheppard Ave E).

Hope to see you there!

Thought You Were Having a Bad Day?

&rel=0

Toronto Pastors Fellowship - January Meeting

Toronto Pastors Fellowship:

When the Christian ministry is defined by worldly standards, it is often the most simple duties that are neglected.

Several years ago I asked Pastor Carl Muller to teach a section of my pastoral theology course on ministering to the elderly, sick and dying. Carl was a natural choice for this—he has modelled a caring ministry for many years. Thus, we were thrilled he agreed to present on this topic and help all of us remember that 'it is more blessed to give than to receive...' and to not forget 'the least of these.'

So, join us on January 19th, and plan now to take another day off that week instead of Monday.

You will not want to miss this meeting for a second reason—we have a very exciting announcement to make regarding our annual conference taking place on June 1-3!

Workshops on Biblical Exposition - About the Workshops

The Simeon Trust is coming to Toronto to put on a Preaching Workshop

"The purpose of the workshop is to increase the pastor’s confidence and ability in rightly handling God’s Word. We also want them to leave convinced that God’s Word is powerful and anxious to preach it to their people. A successful Workshop on Biblical Exposition has three essential components:

Instruction–clear, simple principles of exposition for interpreting and explaining the message of the Scriptures in an accurate and accessible way.

Small Group Practice–hands-on groups made up of 6-9 men who come having prepared sermon outlines for certain texts and are able to interact with the other men and an instructor to hone their skills

Model Exposition–a gifted local pastor who models how exposition can be done well by giving one of his own expository sermons."

Specific information on the Toronto workshop being held at Richview Baptist Church is available here.

Merry Christmas!

Now stop reading blogs!

Poem: The Meaning of Christmas (at the Mall)

One way to understand a culture is to study the songs, poems and art that it cherishes. Some have argued that you cannot understand a culture until you can interpret its poetry...even write it. I took this challenge to heart this year in my effort to understand Christmas.
Although I was rather certain I had a good grasp of the meaning of this holiday, my recent study exposed some gaping holes in my knowledge. Thus, I took it upon myself to write a poem that reflected the true meaning of Christmas... from the perspective of mall music.
I am rather excited about it… even with the somewhat Puritanical Title…

The Meaning of Christmas
(or, a Reflective Sonnet Upon the Various and Sundry Nuances and Fancies of December in North America)
A long time ago in Bethelehem
In a winter wonderland
A little drummer boy drove into town
With Frosty the Snowman

Giddy up, giddy up, giddy up let’s go
They sang that midnight clear
And turned their headlights way down low
To avoid red-nosed Reindeer

The boy had five golden rings
Frosty, two turtle doves
And stuffed with figgy pudding then
They gleamed the light of love

They drove on city sidewalks (busy sidewalks!)
To a certain unstirring house
And met three wise men at the door
Of Mr. and Mrs. Klaus

A fat man wearing red underwear
Answered the door with a list
And elvish folk rocked ‘round the tree
Singing of their dental wish

Then someone called on Frosty’s cell
And said they would be home
The boy began to play his drum
The wise guys read a star tome

Parson Brown knocked at the door
Bearing awfully bad news
“Grandma was reindeer-trampled
After drinking too much booze”

So, Mrs. Klaus called the cop
To charge, he did not know
But then a thumpety-thump-thump
Was heard on hills of snow

For Frosty owned that herd of deer
And afraid it was his Cupid
He snuck off to retrieve his pet
But this, my friends, was stupid

For all the rest chased him far
And he started to perspire
Which when you’re made of snow and ice
Is like you’re eating fire

And so ‘neath lights of red and green
They chased him on the double
But when they caught the culprit snowman
He was nothing but a puddle

And so this cryptic story
Its message now construes...
And once I figure what that is
I’ll be sure to tell all of yous.

Pastor, Love Your Wife! - Toronto Pastors Fellowship

Pastor, Love Your Wife! - Toronto Pastors Fellowship

My good friend, Tim Kerr, gave a compelling presentation to us this past Monday on both the need and the means to loving our dear wives.

You can download the audio (be sure to listen to the discussion period) and the written paper at this link.

A PRAYER MADE BY LADY JANE IN THE TIME OF HER TROUBLE

This prayer, written by Lady Jane Grey, is not available in many places. Therefore, I thought I would bless you with it here. She wrote this as a 16 year old prisoner of Bloody Mary in the Tower of London as she prepared to die by beheading.

A PRAYER MADE BY LADY JANE IN THE TIME OF HER TROUBLE.

"O Lord, thou God and father of my life, hear me, poor and desolate woman, which flieth unto thee only, in all troubles and miseries. Thou, Lord, art the only defender and deliverer of those that put their trust in thee; and therefore, I being defiled with sin, encumbered with affliction, unquieted with troubles, wrapt in cares, overwhelmed with miseries, vexed with temptations, and grievously tormented with long imprisonment of this vile mass of clay, my sinful body, do come unto thee, merciful Saviour, craving thy mercy and help, without which so little hope of deliverance is left, that I may utterly despair of any liberty.
Albeit it is expedient that, seeing our life standeth upon trying, we should be visited sometime with some adversity, whereby we might both be tried whether we be of the flock or no, and also know thee and ourselves the better; yet thou that saidst thou wouldst not suffer us to be tempted above our power, be merciful unto me now, a miserable wretch, I beseech thee, humbly desiring thee that I may neither be too much puffed up with prosperity, neither too much pressed down with adversity, lest I, being too full, should deny thee, my God, or being too low brought, should despair, and blaspheme thee, my Lord and Saviour.
Merciful God, consider my misery best known unto thee; and be thou now unto me a strong tower of defence, I humbly require thee. Suffer me not to be tempted above my power; but either be thou deliverer unto me out of this great misery, or else give grace patiently to bear thy heavy hand and sharp correction.
It was thy right hand that delivered the people of Israel out of the hands of Pharaoh, which for the space of four hundred years did oppress them, and keep them in bondage. Let it, therefore, likewise seem good to thy fatherly goodness, to deliver me, a sorrowful wretch, for whom thy son Christ shed his precious blood on the cross, out of this miserable captivity and bondage wherein I am now.
How long wilt thou be absent? Forever? Lord, hast thou forgotten to be gracious, and hast thou shut up thy loving kindness in displeasure ? Wilt thou be no more entreated? Is thy mercy clean gone forever, and thy promise come utterly to an end forever more? Why dost thou make me so long tarry? Shall I despair of thy mercy, O God? Far be that from me. I am thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus; give me grace, therefore, to tarry thy leisure, and patiently to bear thy works, assuredly knowing that as thou canst, thou wilt deliver me, when it shall please thee, nothing doubting or mistrusting thy goodness towards me: for thou knowest better what is good for me than I do: therefore do with me, in all things, what thou wilt, and plague me what way thou wilt.
Only in the mean time arm me, I beseech thee, with thy armor, that I may stand fast, my loins being girded about with verity, having on thy breastplate of righteousness, and shod with the shoes prepared by the gospel of peace; above all things taking to me the shield of faith, wherewith I may be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked, and taking the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the spirit, which is thy most holy word, praying always, with all manner of prayer and supplication, that I "may refer myself wholly to thy will, abiding thy pleasure, and comforting myself in those troubles that it shall please thee to send me; seeing such troubles be profitable for me, and seeing I am assuredly persuaded that it cannot be but well all that thou dost. Hear me, merciful Father, for His sake whom thou wouldst should be a sacrifice for my sins: to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory. Amen.

Coalition Government or Not?

Politics is ugly. That said, Christians still need to think through the issues that face them in the world.
The political earthquake shaking up Canada is waking lots of folks up to the fact that this country does have a government and is forcing us to think through where our loyalties lie.
But that is the point that needs the most consideration.
I wonder if all those online forums and cyber petitions are full of the names of those who have thought through the issue at hand, or if they are just a representation of what we already believed. Christians, more than any other people, are able to think issues through without party loyalty, since our loyalty is first to Jesus Christ.
Have you?
Or are you merely toting the party line?