Susan Bates > Recent Status Updates

the sun appears to be flat as a plate of silver and to be less than twelve inches in diameter; the moon appears to be as big as the sun; the rainbow appears to be a large substantial arch in the sky: all of which are in reality gross falsehoods. So knavery puts on the face of justice; hypocrisy and superstition wear the visage of piety; deceit and evil are often clothed in the appearances of truth and goodness

The Jews had their self-made interpretation of the Word; they made it the greatest barrier between themselves and Him of whom it spoke. It is often so with Christians; our human comprehension of Scripture, fortified as it may be by the authority of the Church, or our own circle, becomes the greatest hindrance in the way of Christ's teaching. Christ, the Living Word, seeks first to find His place in our heart ...

Worldly Wiseman: 'Well, a short distance from here there is a Village named Morality. In this Village lives a man named Legality. This man has sound judgment and a very good reputation ... If he is not at home himself, he has a son, an impressive young man named Civility. He can help you just as well as the old man ...'

"The failure is in the preacher. God has not made him ... His ministry may draw people to him, to the Church, to the form and ceremony, but no true drawings to God, no sweet, holy, divine communion induced ..."

"...letter-preaching deals with the surface and shadow of things, not the things themselves ... It has no deep insight into the hidden life of God's Word ... The letter may be dressed so as to attract and be fashionable, but the attraction is not toward God, nor is the fashion for heaven."

"Nothing is so dead as a dead orthodoxy, too dead to speculate, too dead to think, to study, or to pray."

Interpreter begins with a picture of a faithful minister. In learning to discern counterfeits, it is best to study the authentic ... Carnal hirelings, blind guides, and false teachers dress in ministerial garb and speak from lofty pulpits but are far from the Gospel. How can they be trusted to lead anyone? It is of utmost importance for unseasoned pilgrims to learn to distinguish between true and false pastors.

Once upon a time, there was a woman who loved her family and her home.

However, she was less keen on the mess her family made and the upkeep her home demanded ... aka housework. But, it seemed to be a package deal, so she muddled on as best she could, wondering how all the other women coped so much better than here ...

... mostly there is neither order nor Spirit, just a routine prayer ... and a few songs that were never much to start with and have long ago lost all significance by meaningless repetition.

In the majority of our meetings there is scarcely a trace of reverent thought, no recognition of the unity of the body, little sense of the divine Presence, no moment of stillness, no solemnity, no wonder, no holy fear ...

Well, actually, I haven't read all the way to page 240! Only pages 221-240, because they go along with my regularly scheduled Bible reading. For that matter, I haven't really read them, either! I've actually listened to them on my ipod ... but we'll say it comes to the same.

General themes of this Epistle: the glory and the greatness of God, the sovereignty of God, the mystery of God, the grace of God ... all carried out by Christ, in Christ, through Christ from the beginning to the end ... seen most plainly and clearly in and through the Christian Church, bringing together people different in every conceivable respect, yet all one 'in Christ Jesus.'

"The most realistic book in the world is the Bible. God is real, men are real and so is sin and so are death and hell ... The presence of God is not imaginary, neither is prayer the indulgence of delightful fancy. The objects that engage the praying man's attention, while not material, are nevertheless completely real; more certainly real, it will at last be admitted, than any earthly object."

"Our Lord died an apparent failure, discredited by the leaders of established religion, rejected by society and forsaken by His friends. The man who ordered Him to the cross was the successful statesman whose hand the ambitious hack politician kissed. It took the resurrection to demonstrate how gloriously Christ had triumphed and how tragically the governor had failed."

General themes of this Epistle: the glory and the greatness of God, the sovereignty of God, the mystery of God, the grace of God ... all carried out by Christ, in Christ, through Christ from the beginning to the end ... seen most plainly and clearly in and through the Christian Church, bringing together people different in every conceivable respect, yet all one 'in Christ Jesus.'

‎"Over and over the Old Testament writers exhort us to get quiet and think about high and holy things as a preliminary to amendment of life or a good deed or a courageous act ... Long practice in the art of mental prayer (that is, talking to God inwardly as we work or travel) will help to form the habit of holy thought."

"Anyone who wishes to check on his true spiritual condition may do so by noting what his voluntary thoughts have been over the last hours or days. What has he thought about when free to think of what he pleased? Toward what has his inner heart turned when it was free to turn where it would? ... Such a test is easy to run ..."

Since I now have the sound files from the original preaching of these sermons, I think I'll make my way through the series again, both listening AND reading ...

"Occasionally there will appear on the religious scene a man whose unsatisfied spiritual longings become so big and important in his life that they crowd out every other interest. Such a man refuses to be content with the safe and conventional prayers of the frost-bound brethren who 'lead in prayer' week after week and year after year in the local assemblies ..."

"In the world of men we find nothing approaching the virtues of which Jesus spoke in the opening words of the Sermon on the Mount. Instead of poverty of spirit, we find the rankest kind of pride; instead of meekness, arrogance; instead of mercy, cruelty; instead of peacemakers we find men quarrelsome and resentful; instead of rejoicing in mistreatment we find them fighting back with every weapon at their command."

"Lord, teach me to listen. The times are noisy and my ears are weary with the thousand raucaus sounds which continuously assault them. Give me the spirit of the boy Samuel ... Let me get used to the sound of Thy voice, that its tones may be familiar when the sounds of earth die away and the only sound will be the music of Thy speaking Voice. Amen."