Ben Zornes

Living and Dying to Show the Preciousness of Christ

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The Lion on the Other Side

The Lion on the Other Side

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One of the key principles of Christian discipleship is that to say the same things over and over again must not be grievous to1254727240_e0501a7535 the teacher, because this repetition is safe for the disciple (Phi. 3:1). I remember hearing an anecdotal story about someone in Luther’s ministry telling him that he was always saying the same thing in all his sermons, and by gum, when will Luther say something new. Luther replied, “Well, when you start living what I’m preaching now, then maybe I’ll consider preaching something else!” We are creatures that oft forget, and need continual reminders of what it is we actually believe.  [Read more…] about The Lion on the Other Side

Bildad Had Sound Doctrine

Bildad Had Sound Doctrine

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In my recent journey through the book of Job, one thing that had always puzzled me about the story of Job seemed to grow 6951253530_707108d13aclear. I’ve always been curious why the advice and counsel of Job’s friends–Bildad, Eliphaz, and Zophar (all relatives of Abram, by the way)–is full of profound truths about our God that the Bible teaches elsewhere; yet, in the end they are rebuked by God. These guys seem to be staunch defenders of the faith, do they not? Here is some of what they say, full of pretty good doctrine!

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Ten Things We Love

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South Africa Chronicles 2013-2014, Part 3:

Ten Things We Love

 

We thought, as our hiatus in South Africa comes to a close, to share some things we love about South Africa and America. Hope you enjoy, and those of you who have never been to SA, we hope you someday have the joy of visiting this lovely country!

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The Contract

The Contract

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Whenever I walk someone through the Gospel, I typical rely heavily upon Romans 6, where Paul teaches us that if we have been baptized into Christ, then we are baptized into His death and resurrection. Further, we are raised and seated together with Him in heavenly places (as Eph. 2:1-9 declares). A few months, I got the itch to do some form of creative, allegorical writing. What came out was my attempt to articulate how a soul should walk through the promises of God’s Word. It does us no good to merely know truths about the Gospel and never reckon them as ours. As Hudson Taylor well said, “I am dead and buried with Christ—aye, and risen too and ascended; and now Christ lives in me, and “the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.” I nowbelieve I am dead to sin. God reckons me so, and tells me to reckon myself so. He knows best. All my past experience may have shown that it was not so; but I dare not say it is not now, when He says it is. I feel and know that old things have passed away.” So, this is my humble attempt, and probably not a very good one at  that, to help souls grasp the great truth the Christ’s death, burial, resurrection, ascension, and sending forth of the Spirit was done for us. Meaning, in our stead, for God’s glory and our everlasting joy! I know this is an incomplete articulation, but may it speed you along on the path of faith in Christ!5012499490_56d744d022

The prisoner sat in his cell awaiting the day of his punishment. The Punishment? Death. Aymün, the prisoner, knew he deserved it, and there was no question in his mind that when the summons came to stand before his judge, he would not be spared. The King’s law was clear, and since the King was also judge of the land, Aymün knew he had no excuse. The consequence of violating the law was clear: “Every violator of the King’s Law will receive death as the punishment.”

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Skinning the Sheep

Skinning the Sheep

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A pastor friend of mine, Shawn, is fond of saying, “You can either scream at the darkness, or you can light a candle.” More

Eduardo Amorim via Compfight cc
Eduardo Amorim via Compfight cc

3552731927_342fe5041b3552731927_342fe5041band more I have seen the wisdom of that statement. Christians can see darkness a mile away, and get really loud about it. Yet, we are not so swell at being, well, you know, the whole “light of the world thing.” Christians are often appalled at the wickedness of the culture and the compromise within the Church. I did a little research before I wrote this, and you can find whole websites devoted to “unveiling” all the wolves in sheep’s clothing. Apparently, some guy who owns a website finds it to be his personal commission from God to lump Oswald Chambers, Charles Spurgeon, John Piper, CS Lewis, Joel Osteen and Oprah into one massive heretical lump.

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A New Year’s Hymn

A New Year’s Hymn

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I have begun to read through the hymns of the great hymn-writers as a part of my morning routine of prayer and study. It has been a rich addition for my soul. Poetic verse has the ability to unlock a dimension of our being that is untouched by mere intellectual input. Think about it. How many lectures from your college classes do you remember? Now, finish this line, “Just a small town girl . . . ”

Our mind is soft clay, and poetic verse has the ability to stamp itself deep within our memory. Thus, to begin the year of 2014, here is John Newton’s powerful hymn, which asks us to pause and consider how we shall spend our lives in this new year:

See! another year is gone!photo
Quickly have the seasons passed!
This we enter now upon
May to many prove our last.
Mercy hitherto has spared,
But have mercies been improved?
Let us ask, am I prepared
Should I be this year removed?

Some we now no longer see,
Who their mortal race have run;
Seemed as fair for life as we,
When the former year begun;
Some, but who God only knows,
Who are here assembled now,
Ere the present year shall close,
To the stroke of death must bow.

Life a field of battle is,
Thousands fall within our view;
And the next death-bolt that flies,
May be sent to me or you:
While we preach, and while we hear,
Help us, Lord, each one, to think,
Vast eternity is near,
I am standing on the brink.

If from guilt and sin set free,
By the knowledge of Thy grace;
Welcome, then, the call will be
To depart and see Thy face:
To Thy saints, while here below,
With new years, new mercies come;
But the happiest year they know
Is their last, which leads them home.

Yes indeed. The longing of the believing soul is such that it aches for the day when we are ushered from this life into the world of joy and eternal delight. May God give you grace this year, and speed you along the pathway to Heaven. May there be no dallying or delaying in your heavenly pilgrimage! Soon, my friends, our faith will be sight, and all our prayers will melt into praise! Oh, Lord Jesus, haste the day!

Your Days (of Singleness) Are Numbered

Your Days (of Singleness) Are Numbered

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I love marriage deeply, and every day just grows sweeter! However, this joy and contentment in marriage is built on the The Immortal Soulbedrock of 25 years of deep joy in singleness. After one of my recent posts on marriage and the beauty of marriage, I promised someone that I would soon write about the glories of singleness. So, here goes! Most people who read this are either married, or will someday get married. I don’t know what the precise percentage is of people who will never get married, but what I do know is that everyone is, for some indefinite season of their life, unmarried. If you happen to be unmarried, I have three things you need to be intentionally doing with your life.

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Ben Zornes