Does faith in Christ mean you don't read anything but The Bible ?

 Thanks to John Smith for this response
 "With respect to Smith Wigglesworth's claim that he read only the bible, I cannot judge if his peculiar calling from God included his attitude re books, or was just his "narrow" view. I do know that view is at odds with the beliefs & practices of the hundreds of transformational great leaders of faith over thousands of years that I have read & researched. The leaders from St Paul to St Augustine to Calvin, Luther, etc Etc etc, were usually those whose disciplines & truth seeking was enhanced by much reading. Does S W's statement mean no-one should read his own writings or biography etc? How would we know of his ministry & teaching if we only read the bible? I would rather follow Jesus, who has provided much for us to read, including material showing he certainly had studied the interpretive writings of the Jewish scholars of his day. 
St Paul's request to Timothy, even when in jail awaiting execution late in life, was to have literature sent to him so he could read the "books & the parchments". John Wesley said to his once illiterate preachers "if you will not read you shall not preach." He provided a list I recall of about 70 volumes for his ministry preaching team to read, including books on history, theology, language etc etc. One of the impacts of this that a major historian claimed transformed England was was his promotion of good literature. Indian philosopher Vishal Mangalwadi notes Wesley trained every preacher to be a distributer of books after they had mastered the content of the books they were to distribute. He also says that the Encyclopedia Britannica records of Wesley, "no man in the 18th century did so much to create a taste for good reading & to supply it with books at the lowest prices." Wesley's book "Thoughts on Slavery", published when Wilberforce was about 13 years old, though Wesley's contribution is not fairly recognised, was a major force in bringing Evangelical Christians to the anti-slavery cause. Why have we a bible with so many documents from so many times & cultural settings if reading is not significant? Paul to the Athenians (Acts 17) shows considerable knowledge of not only scriptures but of Greek philosophy. He spent years in Ephesus daily debating in a Philosophy school & according to the biblical account by such earnest debate the gospel was spread throughout the region. 
The bible records that one of the significant aspects of the extraordinary wisdom & goodness of the Prophet Daniel was his mastery of the non-Jewish literature of his Babylonian captors. Paul's Athenian quote in Acts 17 concerning "all God's children" includes a line from a pagan love poem to a pagan God. It would be culturally like my frequent use of Henry Lawson quotes in gospel messages to people unfamiliar with the bible. Linking familiar secular literature with biblical concepts, when appropriate I have found is a great segway in caring communication. Without a wider reading experience this is not possible."

Dealing with the worst things in life

The sin of nastiness is surely so widespread that if all was revealed in one hour in one room, most people in the room would be in jail afterwards . See Chestertons quote on the most common sin we all commit  .

We therefore won't solve the problem of discrimination ridicule and low equity treatment by prosecuting it in others or by legislating  so tha we all say the same thing - saying things we don't mean;  that we stop openly disagreeing with some lifestyle choices we do not agree with -- PC speak   ( Like polygamy , surrogacy,  Gay marriage or placing Trans sexaul options in front of pubescents , or preaching at people ) .

Nastiness doesn't even need a reason , even though many will use one for cover - the shape of your face , the closeness of your eyes, the color of your skin . the bigness of your nose or ears.  The sin of nastiness not only starts inside, its cultivated there -It doesn't go away by stopping the mouth. Desperate man that I am,  it is in me. The advocates for equality and correctness in speech want us to believe the bureau can help us cast out such demons – I don’t think so!  We must not give licence to treatments that don't work - to the drug addicts in government .  What doesn't work doesn't worry the bureau - they just get more money to go exploring 

That very practical but realistic radical Jesus points to the total impossibility of dealing with sin in that way when he spoke of adultery and how often it is committed.
 EVEN little Children can find comfort when bullied in the recognition that the perosn producing the bile has a problem - they can ignore and walk away from the bully who dares or tries to unload on you.  Not out forever learning PC brigades in power
Anyone who even looks too long can be guilty of sin.  Anyone who looks too long at the odd one in a room can be guilty of cruel maiming . The heart ( inside stuff) is deceitful above all things and stopping another’s mouth just does not work ......and is not right .
Does that mean we have no way of effectively dissipating this evil?

Anger is no complete answer but it is given territory and boundaries in the Bible, even if it’s falsely  now called a sin by many social progressives of our day.

Jesus should be followed because his way through anger rejection and abuse actually works.  His way is not quick fix or in denial about the right way to relate to adrenalin.  Many social progressive’s are in denial about the good and bad side of the tools we have been given to live well and move on.Like the Greens they are confused at which temple one should worship at . Nature is not our Mother but our sister.

Jesus and our social conservative heroes from the Bible did Ok thank you very much .Their way works .
Walk up and down your own street and consider this assertion about our own countrymen in those houses before you. . 

There is more destruction in households when its members do not express what is inside them than when they do .B4 the sun goes down;

You have a gooday now ! .

Dealing with the worst things in life

The sin of nastiness is surely so widespread that if all was revealed in one hour in one room, most people in the room would be in jail afterwards . See Chestertons quote on the most common sin we all commit  .

We therefore won't solve the problem of discrimination ridicule and low equity treatment by prosecuting it in others or by legislating  so tha we all say the same thing - saying things we don't mean that we disagree with some lifestyle choices  ( Like polygamy , surrogacy,  Gay marriage or placing Trans sexaul options in front of pubescents , preaching at people ) .

Natsiness doesn't even need a reason , even though many will use one for cover - the shape of your face , the closeness of your eyes, the color of your skin . the bigness of your nose or ears.  The sin of nastiness not only starts inside, its cultivated there -It doesn't go away by stopping the mouth. Desperate man that I am,  it is in me. The advocates for equality and correctness in speech want us to believe the bureau can help us cast out demons – I don’t think so!  We must not give licence to treatments that don't work - to the drug addicts in government .  What doesn't work doesn't woory the bureau - they just get more money to go exploring 

That very practical but realistic radical Jesus points to the total impossibility of dealing with sin in that way when he spoke of adultery and how often it is committed. Children can find comfort in the recognition that the perosn producing the bile has a problem - they can ignore and walk away from the bully who dares or tries to unload on you.
Anyone who even looks too long can be guilty of sin.  Anyone who looks too long at the odd one in a room can be guilty of cruel maiming . The heart ( inside stuff) is deceitful above all things and stopping another’s mouth does not work ......and is not right . Does that mean we have no way of effectively dissipating this evil?

Anger is given territory and boundaries in the Bible, even if it’s falsely  called a sin by many social progressives of our day.

Jesus should be followed because his way through anger rejection and abuse actually works.  His way is not quick fix or in denial about the right way to relate to adrenalin.  Many social progressive’s are in denial about the good and bad side of the tools we have been given to live well and move on.

Jesus and our social conservative heroes from the Bible did Ok thank you very much .
Walk up and down your own street and consider this assertion about our own countrymen. 

There is more destruction in households when its members do not express what is inside them than when they do .B4 the sun goes down;

You have a gooday now ! .

FOR When YOU grieve

from John Piper

O Lord, God of might and mercy and mystery, you have driven the arrows of your quiver into the breast of your people, your beloved. You have filled our throat with bitterness and gall. You have made our teeth grind on gravel, and laid us down with wounds in the ashes of dreams.

You have taken away our sleep, and replaced our gladness with groaning. You have covered us with the shadows of those we love, and we have reached out in vain to touch their bodies.

Happiness has left through the window where the rain pours in, peace has put her hand on the latch, and endurance wavers at the threshold of our soul.

A voice is heard, like Rachel’s — lamentation and bitter weeping. Where is the comfort for her children, because they are no more. You have spared us — us who have lived out our days through no merit of our own, who would happily have finished our course and taken their place, but you have not spared the children, or the valiant, young lovers and your most loyal servants.

O Lord, our eyes are on you. We do not look to another for hope. To you alone. To you we cry. Remember our affliction, remember the bitter wormwood and the gall! You have not made us drink this cup in vain.

This we call to mind, and therefore we have hope: Your steadfast love, O LORD, never ceases; your mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. You alone, O Lord, are our portion, therefore we will hope in you.

You are good to those who wait for you, to the soul who seeks you. You are good today. You were good last Sunday. We are waiting, we are looking for the salvation of the Lord. We are not running from the yoke of this dark providence, or throwing off the burden of your good sovereignty. But we are waiting, and looking, for the yoke to be made easy and the burden light.

You do not hide yourself forever. Though you cause grief, you will have compassion, according to the abundance of your steadfast love; for you do not afflict from your heart, or grieve the children of men.

We know your heart, O God. For there is nothing in the world more bright, more blazing, more terrible, more beautiful, more bloody, more hopeful, than the revelation of your heart in the death and triumph of your Son, Jesus.

Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned — every one — to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

This is the great and glorious Rock where we stand — or lie prostrate — and on which we give thanks for the lives of Jamison and Kathryne and Ezra and Violet and Calvin, who did not count their lives to be more valuable than obedience.

We praise you that they did not snatch a few vain years of life on this earth in exchange for allegiance to their King, but set their faces, like flint, toward Japan and the finishing of their course and the ministry they had received from the Lord Jesus.

And we praise you that they did finish it — like your apostle Paul who wrote from Rome, “I have finished my course,” though he never got to Spain.

We stand on this mighty Rock of Christ, and his shed blood for our sins, and for the sins of the Pals family, and on his victorious triumph over death. And standing on this Rock we pray . . .

For these parents — grandparents, great-grandparents — who sit with pieces of thread in their hands from a fabric of life woven from the womb, and then consumed. Father, we ask that you would sustain in their hearts an unshakeable confidence that the countless hours of investment in Jamison and Kathryne and the children were not in vain. Because your promise in1 Corinthians 15:58 that their labors were not in vain is built with a mighty “therefore” on the massive foundation of the greatest chapter in the Bible about the blood-bought resurrection of Christ and his people from the dead.

And we pray for these brothers and sisters of Jamison and Kathryne that in spite of the sudden and horrific severing of priceless sibling ties they will feel the unbreakable bond that binds them still through the brotherhood of Jesus, who said, “Who are my brothers and sisters? Here are my brothers and sisters! Whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” Lord, cause this family to know and feel: This circle is not broken.

And we pray for these cousins — the children. O God, make the risen, living, reigning Jesus real to them. And as they taste what we could wish no child would have to taste, grant them to know and feel that in the arms of Jesus all are well, for he did not promise, “I will be with you to the end of your life,” but “to the end of the age.” In death and life.

And we pray for the young people who remain — in this church and throughout the world — that they may find the love of their lives — their Kathryne, their Jamison — and embrace together the second proposal Jamison made — to lead the family in obedience — “whether it is life or death or discomfort or disappointment . . . to take up our cross — just as he did — to suffer and die” (April 15). Lord, in the name of Jesus, and by the blood of these five, I ask, raise up — raise up! — a legion of replacements for the global glory of his imperial Majesty, Jesus Christ. Forbid that any of your children would hear of this news, and waste their lives on trifles.

And we pray, Father, for Tony Weekly, whose head is covered with shame and whose hands are stained with blood. The heart of this family is not a vengeful heart. We pray that Mr. Weekly will find the one and only remedy for shame and guilt, Jesus. And we ask that, in time, through Christ, he would make his way to heaven, and know the indescribable miracle of reconciliation with those already there.

And finally, we pray for Japan, that the great idols of gold and silver and material success would fall before the blood of this family — that these five, even these three little ones, who have now grown to the fullness of their glory and the perfection of beauty, not through the trials of three score and ten, but in the twinkling of an eye — that these all — all five — might be found among the champions of the victory of the gospel in Japan.

In the name of Jesus and for his glory, Amen

---

More on the Pals Family

• For the Joy of Japan | For the Joy of Japan was the Pals Family blog, documenting their life, family, and journey toward missions.
• Pals Family Obituary | A local newspaper in the Twin Cities published this obituary remembering the family.
• “Family of Five Dies in Fiery Car Crash on Trip to Missionary Training” | The Pals’ story drew the attention of People Magazine, who profiled the family and the testimony of their faith.

Unsure about what lies beyond for YOU ?

Don't be . From one who has been on the lonely road for over 50 years I know I have had, not only a travelling companion, but the best travelling companion one could hope for and way beyond what one could wish for  . I have my doubts but I know whom I have believed  and I look to him to carry me just as he has done every day.
Jesus promises us a place in heaven , relief from the burdens of this life and our careless strayings with forgiveness,, if we just ask Him .  May God show you His great blessing this day !

The good shepherd

 Heard a Shakespearean actor ask this week ( on ABCTV) how he could get the audience to identify with " Hamlet".  Hamlet is not someone we easily identify with ,  just like we don't easily identify with herd like behaviour. Hamlet's  tragedy is one of histories greatest tragedies because it doesn't involve semigods and because its a joint failure . Like Adam and Eve they didn't really help each other . Good intentions abound , but evil therby hangeth round.
I thought of a possible answer to the actors question "by seeing Hamlet the man  as,  a bit sheep like " . Whether we like it or not we all get caught out as herd members some time .In this case above cows will have to do .
Only God knows how anyone could love sheep - they are so easily led and so stupid. Yet Jesus spoke so lovingly about US being like them . And he was not alone to do so . The 23rd Psalm is a down to earth witness to a vision so powerful and so punchy that only a pedant could miss it .
Jesus view of " the creatures "too is always a realistic. Seeing someone else in the mirror , while not ideal  can be liberating provided you don't get pedantic and deterministic. We as humans can do better and we should try .In another twist its a condition  we  share with sheep that those who follow the goodshepherd himself  are like sheep to the slaughter . The big paradox is how is  he is still able to look after them then .
Following the shepherd , rather than feeding on the edge of everything leads to green pastures,  still waters , abundance and a rested soul . If you don't know that comfort , maybe its time to stop being overly vulnerable . Revisit the territory you started in , be more critical of all the reactionaries around you ; enjoy both the past , the present and what's still to discover in walking in His way ?
How many people die or are maimed by fear ? : How many people get lost  because they are always exploring beyond the boundaries identified as safe . A war against everything . Hamlet is seriously stupid stuff; Reactionary stuff that we are , in a power game sharing sense ,are all capable of .
Hamlet isn't safe. In some ways his problem was inside him and in some ways it was because he sought what he didn't have that he bought bread in a place that would never satisfy - he went beyond the boundaries to get it . He went over the edge , with the help of his wife who honestly seemed to think she could help him overcome his weaknesses - his lack of confidence in himself . Weakness is always present in every couple-- something to be owned and not always to be overcome  . She knew he had weaknesses . Instead of accepting his weaknesses and hers (their joint sense of impotence ?) they together sought a solution that was never going to work.
Fear is Ok if its a real thing. Its not always the problem to be rooted out either,  but it is generally something to be faced? :  If you don't want to see what it really is and how close  , you will limit yourself and your vision of a growing future .
It's great to be in a place of security.  Infact it's neccessary to be  in a place of security to really explore the places and spaces around you  . To know the value of what you have discovered beyond yourself , you have to know what home is.We all live with abundance and scarcity and we all have to live within the space we are given .The paradox is of course that we have to know which boundaries are real and closed and which are open to those who would dare to explore them. In another wonderful truth  we have been given a unique place to explore which means we can feel very lonely in it .Do good  in your space .  Life is short - wander but don't get lost .
Where do you fit in - comfortably and honestly ? Read Psalm 23

The Antidote to hate speech

Like a lot of good medicine it's already in your cupboard . You just have to make sure the label is still correct for the purpose , its not gone off. and you don't listen to the TV or someone other than the source . If you do the latter,  chances are you will pay too much and miss the real remedy.
Hate is a serious matter
Jesus said that "anyone who hates his brother is a murderer " . Infact, while you may think you obey all the commandments ( I never kill anyone 5th) you're wrong . Last time you "thought hate "you had a problem .Verbal assault is in Western Culture as bad as physical assault - same story. Lucky we can't read minds or we would all be in jail !!!!

 Jesus doesn't make it any easier either  . He says IF  you call someone a fool you are in danger of hell fire. Name calling - ever don e any of that ? No I don't wanna know . This paragraph  is too long already for all the things I said I shouldn't have -.. this week. Jesus is not about telling tales but moving on on this .
So what do we do about it ?  Context - help in history . Jesus could be talking about  same old stuff in the 10 commandments too. Negative has positive spin you know ( copyright EA) . The eighth is  destroying a person by writing off their reputation.

Sin is serious and we should hate it and prosecute it . The sinner on the other hand,  is precious, redeemed and redeemable .Protecting every persons reputation is all of our jobs ,. And, by the way,  we are all sinners, so its everyone's interest to be careful.  Death by stoning can happen before justice gets a word in edgeways. Maybe the Eight commandment needs more attention that the fifth (killing) ? The issue of protecting person hood ( Slander Libel and so on )  is so precious that its got a whole commandment attached to it ( 8th ). If you slander someone publicly you should correct it publicly because someone's whole life may be at stake if you don't . Sin is that serious .

What if there  is injustice and  you are angry about that ? Ah read the posts here at Do good . And remember this . Its sometimes OK to be angry . "Be angry but don't sin" ; "Don't the sun  go down on your anger"  . Some good types of anger get going slowly;  God gets angry at sin. Be a straight shooter and don't shoot yourself in the foot -follow His lead  . Hate the sin and love the sinner - there is the antidote .
Does it work ? Of course it does-- lots of people around you use it everyday.  Bless you !
And if you find you don't like yourself ? Practice  doing good  anyway ,.God helps those who admit they have a problem and you have made the first step !!!!!! we wish you well !
The answer then is to face the hate and anger inside you. Its not likely to be the problem of those outside you as much as it is but your problem . No matter how big your rant and how much power you have,  you can't solve the problem till you know what it is - till you face the truth --recognise that its your problem .

Truth and Beauty

Many of us would say on this most strange , but delightful of intersections
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder ".
If that be so, then it is quite reasonable to conclude that we are made in the image of our Creator .( What do we do then with "terror" , you might well ask - I suggest that like good rationslists we leave it aside for a moment . We might find out more if we pursue one line now and WAIT till we get back to that subject too - waiting a beautifaul act in itself? )

Surely none of us can really fully describe Beauty !
A great series of images of these deeply hidden companions are in Isaiah 28:1 .;33:17 ;44:13 and 53:2 ..
I always think beauty is something mostly hidden . Pilate thought truth too was hidden, so what hope have we got ?
There are TIMES though, when our senses together say "its there" .
Sure our senses are unreliable, but God forbid we think our only refuge is in our own wisdom and words .
Moderns have great trouble admitting they have seen it or felt it or smelt it because its all supposed to be just maths: one plus one equals two and so on.
No this sort of conclusion is not right ; The sum is indeed greater than the sum of the parts.
The created order speaks strongly of beauty and we should share our appreciation of it - even if we don't understand it.
We don't all worship in ration churches do we ? Ones where the chorus is - "Oh though predictableness , oh though ordinariness, and our song shall ever be' We don't know we aren't sure "
It was that beautiful man of later history who said "I am the way, the truth and the life ".
others said about him and history ? how beautiful are the feet .........
and even later ....beyond our limits and failings ....there is ...Grace and Truth together (in one package ) John 1:17 .