The Gospel According to Jiminy Cricket

'My conscience is clear.' This has become the standard answer in the church to excuse sin. And for many people- they believe this is a fine standard- Jiminy Cricket said to "always let conscience be your guide."

Although conscience is important, and conscience is one of the ways that God has given to direct our sense of right and wrong- we must understand something. The conscience is fallen. It too is tainted by Adam's guilt. So when one becomes a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, he or she must bring his conscience under the authority of Jesus Christ. As we inform our conscience from the Scriptures, only then will be able to find it useful for us. Of course, even then it is not our standard of behavior- the Scriptures are. So next time you attempt to excuse sin with stating, 'My conscience is clear' ask yourself whether your conscience has been properly informed by the Word of God. The Bible is our guide in the Christian life- and the conscience should affirm what the Scriptures teach.

The Reformed Presbyterian Testimony has a helpful statement in chapter 20:

Conscience is a sense of right and wrong by which one evaluates his own thoughts and behavior. When one follows his conscience, he feels a measure of contentment; when he violates his conscience, he feels dis- tress. Conscience is natural to man, and implies his accountability to God, but it is not the rule of faith and practice. Conscience shows the work of the law written on the heart, but is distorted by the work of Satan, by man’s sinful nature, and by the ungodly standards of the world. The Christian’s conscience is to be directed by God’s revealed law, under the illumination of the Holy Spirit, with due attention to the teaching and admonition of the brethren. Although conscience is not infallible, a person should not do what he believes to be wrong.

Why Are Reformed People Such Downers?

I have written on the lack of joy in the Reformed churches before. I think that it is a horrible thing that many in Reformed churches and people lack the joy that accompanies salvation from the Lord Jesus Christ. What kind of witness is that?

Now there may be many reasons for why Reformed people lack the joy of the Lord; but as people of the Book; we must realize that 'Rejoice in the Lord always', as the Apostle Paul says- is an imperative. That means it is commanded.

We like rules, laws, and regulations in the Reformed Church. Just think of being joyful as a law that we must keep. Will that help us be more joyful?

Pastor Anthony Selvaggio gives his take on Reformed joy over at Ref21. I found my self getting more and more joyful as I read the article; and then when I saw that it was Selvaggio; I was even more joyful!

Let's show the world that we are are people posessed with the Spirit of Christ- and be joyful!

Life in the Spirit: A Sermon Series on Romans 8

Romans 8 is one of the greatest chapters in the whole Scriptures. I believe that as the Christian meditates on Romans 8, and applies the truths of this chapter of Scripture to their lives- that we will have a greater understanding and appreciation of who we are 'in Christ' and what he came to accomplish on our behalf. It really is such a blessing to be able to read this chapter of Paul's epistle to us. Over the past several weeks I have had the great privilege of bringing this chapter of Scripture to the Los Angeles church. Enjoy!

Romans 8:1 "Three Tiny Words"

Romans 8:1-4 "True Liberation Theology"

Romans 8:5-11 "Christian: Mind Your Own Business!"

Romans 8:12-17 "Sons and Daughters of God"

Romans 8:18-27 "A Triple Groaning"

Romans 8:28 "A Cordial From Our Heavenly Father"

Romans 8:29-30 "Redemption's Golden Chain"

Romans 8:31-39 "What Shall We Say Then?"

Romans 8:37-39 "More Than Conquerors!"

You Are Not A Christian!?

Boice, commenting on Jesus' words about loving each other as evidence of being in Christ:

If people come up to us and cast in our teeth the judgment that we are not Christians because we have not shown love toward other Christians, we must understand that they are only exercising a prerogative that Jesus gave them. [He then quotes Schaeffer] 'And we must not get angry. If people say you do not love other Christians, we must go home, get down on our knees, and ask God whether or not they are right. And if they are, then they have a right to have said what they said.'

Sabbath a'Brakel: How to Attain Christian Joy

To that end you should first of all continually exercise faith in Christ, reflect upon the truths pertaining to the atonement and God's way in which He leads man to salvation, and put your trust in Jesus, leaning upon Him. To entrust yourself thus to Him, without seeing Him or apart from any feeling, is the way that leads to joy (1 Pet. 1:8).

Secondly, continue to read and acknowledge the Word to be what it really is: the Word of God. Acknowledge that it addresses itself at that particular moment to you. Search for the promises, deem them to be unbreakable, and when you apply them to your soul as such, you will experience joy. "For thy word hath quickened me" (Psa. 119:50).

Thirdly, pray much, and acquaint yourself with the Lord by praying to Him, communing with Him, making request to Him, and laying before Him all that you lack and desire, especially your desire for joy. "Make me to hear joy and gladness" (Psa. 51:8); "O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days" (Psa. 90:14).

Pursue the promise and lift up your heart to the truth that whatever you will pray for in Christ's Name, He will indeed give you. By being thus engaged in prayer the soul will experience more and more of this joy.

Fourthly, engage much in holy contemplation and meditation. Reflect upon who and what you are, the ways the Lord has led you hitherto, and upon your former mourning, seeking, and tears. Reflect upon the comforts and deliverances which the Lord has frequently given you, upon the benefits of the covenant of grace (each individually), and upon future glory and all that the soul will forever enjoy there. This is suitable to cause the soul quietly to rejoice. "My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the LORD" (Psa. 104:34).

Fifthly, be much on guard against yielding to a sinful routine in your life. Even if there are no great falls, this yielding, this drowsy carelessness, and this departing from God will readily rob us of this joy. Rather, one ought to refrain from unrighteousness, and, upon falling, arise each time again and immediately run to the fountain once more; this will, time and again, quicken joyfulness. May the God of our exceeding joy gladden you! Amen (II: 466-467).

Surrendering to the Spirit

There is something awful in the thought of being absolutely surrendered to the Spirit, to be led by him through fire and water, to be lifted up to heaven and cast down again, to be brought into fiercest conflicts and under overwhelming obligations. Few have the courage to surrender to the Spirit in the unreserved consecration of their lives to Jesus.

Stephen surrendered himself, and was led into contention for the truth and to death by stoning. Peter surrendered himself, and was led against the desperate thousands of his Lord's crucifiers, to preach the plain, piercing, terrible truth of their guilt, and proclaim the offer of pardon. Paul surrendered, and he was led into weariness and painfulness, into perils and prisons, into watchings, hunger, thirst, fastings, cold and nakedness. Martin Luther surrendered to the Spirit, and was led into work and warfare that shook his soul with dread, and Europe with battles. Richard Cameron surrendered, and he became a trumpet of the Lord, whose blasts defied the powers of darkness that stained Aird's Moss with his blood. John Howard surrendered, and he was led over the world for the relief of earth's prisoners, and when urged to abandon his work in Egypt, which was then devastated with a plague, replied : "The way to heaven is as near from Cairo as from London." Count Zinzendorf, the Moravian missionary, surrendered himself, and was filled with the Spirit of Christ, till he could say, " I have but one passion, and that is He, only He."

In the face of consequences, who has courage to surrender to the Holy Ghost, in tbe effectual prayer that will give him unlimited and everlasting control over the whole person! However, with all the sacrifices included, the absolute surrender to the Spirit is but the beginning of happiness. Then the soul begins to discover the end of its being, finds its place in the heart of God, realizes its power in Christ, places a right estimate on the invisible world, and moves in the orbit of duty swayed as little by the allurements of earth, as the earth is swayed by the shooting stars. Imperfections' and vexations still exist, but spiritual life and power are mightily in excess.

From a sermon titled, 'The Gift of Spiritual Power and Its Use' by Rev. J. C. McFeeters, Moderator of the Synod of the RP Church. Preached on June 6, 1895.

Sabbath a'Brakel: The Temperment of the Truly Converted

God is the moving cause of meekness. Man is naturally inclined to lose his temper, be angry, be rancorous, and to be as prickly as a sticker bush which cannot be touched without being injured by it. However, when God regenerates a man according to the image of the meek Jesus, He grants him a meek heart. The apostle therefore also lists meekness among the fruits of the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is...gentleness" (Gal. 5:22) [IV: 82].

How Important is Friendliness in Evangelism?

With some people, you may establish a relationship in five minutes, whereas with others it may take months. But the principle remains the same. The right to talk intimately to a person about the Lord Jesus Christ has to be earned, and you earn it by convincing him that you are his friend and really care about him. And therefore the indiscriminate buttonholing, the intrusive barging into the privacy of other people's souls, the thick-skinned insistence on expounding the things of God to reluctant strangers who are longing to get away--these modes of behavior, in which strong personalities have sometimes indulged in the name of personal evangelism, should be written off as a travesty of personal evangelism. Impersonal evangelism would be a better name for them! In fact, rudeness of this sort dishonors God; moreover, it creates resentment, and prejudices people against the Christ whose professed followers act so objectionably. The truth is that real personal evangelism is very costly, just because it demands of us a really personal relationship with the other man. We have to give ourselves in honest friendship to people, if ever our relationship with them is to reach the point at which we are justified in choosing to talk to them about Christ, and can speak to them about their own spiritual needs without being either discourteous or offensive. If you wish to do personal evangelism, then--and I hope you do; you ought to--pray for the gift of friendship (J.I. Packer)

God is pleased with the joy of His children. It is His will that they delight themselves, value the benefits, fully trust in His Word and in His promise, and jubilate, leap for joy, and sing His praises with joyful and singing lips. Cheerfulness and joyfulness are a delight to Him. "But Thou art holy, O Thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Psa. 22:3-4); "Thou meetest him that rejoiceth" (Isa. 64:5). Is it your desire to do something which is pleasing to God? Is God's nearness, His presence, and your familiar encounters with Him, your desire and your delight? Accustom yourself then to live joyfully by faith (II: 463-464).