Explaining the Gospel to Children

Every believing parent is concerned for the salvation of his or her child(ren). The article linked below is a helpful one for me. And, the book pictured to the left is the best and most biblical counsel I've come across on the subject thus far.

Good (negative) point from the article to keep in mind:
"Too many ministries to children equate every positive response with a real conversion."

Good (positive) point from the article to keep in mind:
"Certainly children are limited in their ability to understand spiritual truth, but so are adults. Very few people intellectually understand all the gospel truth at the moment of salvation. Fortunately, the essential truths are basic enough that even a child can understand. Jesus Himself characterized saving faith as childlikeness (Mark 10:15). True belief is not a function of advanced intellect, sophisticated theological understanding, or complex doctrinal knowledge."

You can read the short article here.

(article HT: TC)

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#8

To some of the Lord's redeemed children it has been granted to live with reoccurring doubts about their salvation.

Still others--who are not truly the Lord's--have been enabled to coast through life with a firm confidence that their day of reckoning will prove favorable in His presence, when in fact, that day will be horrifically the opposite.

Why, then, does the spectrum of soul-confidence yield such disparity? And where must we turn to find a responsible soul-physician to diagnose the real problem and prescribe the right solution?

Last night I did something I've never done before; I listened to two different TV preachers deliver their 'sermon.' In separate broadcasts, both men successfully provided terribly unbiblical and destructive soul-care to his hearers (what's new?).

The blame for their heresy will one day soon be laid at each's doorstep.

The first, a white guy (from Houston), recounted "God's blessing" to his church--because of his faith--that came by way of Bank of America loaning $65 million to his congregation so they could "finish" their meeting-facility "the right way." The first bank (which had little faith) from which he sought the loan wouldn't even come off of $25 million, excuse me, "just 25 million."

As this 'preacher' continued to emphasize, we too should have a "fatted calf" mentality rather than a "starving calf" mentality. The first bank, he said, "Had a calf that hadn't eaten in six months" [insert big smile here]. But I, on the other hand, should expect God's material blessings because "God is waiting to pour out His blessings on me if I will but trust Him." [insert even larger smile here]. Therefore, I should stop saying, "I can't afford it," but should start saying, "I can't afford it...right now."

Implication: Go take out a loan from whatever bank will give it to you for whatever you really really really want to have...because God wants you to have it too. This is salvation.

The second TV 'preacher,' a swole African American guy who could easily kick my tail, challenged his hearers to be like the lame man to took up his pallet and walked. His invitation admonished his hearers to be like the healed lame man who was the only one in the room with Jesus who had enough self-will to change himself. [insert long sigh here].

Implication: If you want spiritual healing, you will have to muster up the determination to heal yourself and Jesus will be happy with you for doing so. This is salvation.

After that, I couldn't handle it any more. I turned the TV off and went to bed. As I lay there, I thought about and prayed for the people of Grace Church. "Are we giving the gospel to them?" "Who's right? The TV guy, or the things we're teaching at Grace?" "How can we know?" "Are any of our people feeding on the sort of mess I heard on TV?" "Do any of them have a false confidence about their salvation?" "Do I?"

Then, the Lord brought to mind three of the sources for false assurance mentioned in the Bible. Do any of the following fit you?

1. Knowing the Bible may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

The end of John 5 unfolds an encounter between Jesus and the Jews. The Jews wrongly believed that their diligent "searching of the Scriptures" would grant to them eternal life. And search they did! We would be hard-pressed to find someone in our day more familiar with the Old Testament than a 1st century Jew--especially the Pharisees. However, the Jew's false-confidence of their salvation was stemming from their knowledge of the Bible.

2. Supernatural spiritual experiences may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

Jesus told us that "many" will recount to Him, on the day of their judgment, the supernatural spiritual experiences they have enjoyed as reason for their acceptance with God. Even though meaningful spiritual experiences happen to us, it is not reason enough to believe we are the Lord's. (Receiving material blessings would fit into this category).

3. A reformed spiritual life may give an unbeliever a false assurance of his salvation.

For many, the alteration of lifestyle, the turning over of a new leaf, or the success of oath-keeping ("God, I promise I will never again...") gives to some an assurance of their salvation that is faulty. The bible has something to say about this sort of person (see here also). Like the second TV preacher taught, this would be the category that a person with a great deal of "self-will" could find a false assurance of his salvation.

Lord willing, the next post in this series will seek to highlight to the Bible's remedy for soul-anxiety, by pointing to the Bible's only ground for legitimate assurance of salvation.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#7

Letter to a soul seeking Jesus – No. VI

Go up, leaning on Jesus

Dear friend,

I have heard of you from ______, and have been praying for you, that your eye may rest on Jesus, and that your soul may lie in perfect peace under His blood shed for the sins of many. I have been thanking my Father, too, for dealing so bountifully with you. “He is the Father of mercies, and the God of all comforts.”

I will give you a sweet verse to meditate upon: “Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon the beloved?’” (Song viii. 5). Do you think this is your position? Truly this world is a wilderness if you have seen it rightly. It is a place of guilt and shame. Every natural heart is a wilderness—a dead place without a drop of living water; and then all natural hearts put together make up a wilderness world. The whole world lieth in wickedness.

There are few that know and love Jesus, and these few are panting to get more of the living water. But if you have truly fled to Jesus, you are coming up from the wilderness. Now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. “The night is far spent, the day is at hand.”

Have you found Jesus truly? Do you feel willing to be all vile, all hell-deserving in yourself, and to let God’s dear Son be all your shield and righteousness? Oh, make sure of this.

Never mind what man thinks of you. I would not give a straw for the opinions of men, as to whether I was safe of no. It is not what man thinks of us that will cover us on the judgment day. Oh no! You must be in Jesus, sitting at His feet, allowing Him to wash your stains away, allowing Him to enwrap your guilty soul in divine righteousness.

If you were lying at the bottom of the sea, no eye could see your deformities; so when the infinite ocean of Immanuel’s righteousness flows over the soul, you are swallowed up as it were in Christ. Your blackness is never seen, only His fairness; and thus a God of truth can say, “Behold thou art fair; behold thou art fair, My love. Thou art all fair, My love; there is no spot in thee” (Song iv. 1-7).

Keep this always in memory; and when guilt comes on the conscience, as it will, lie down again beneath the righteousness of Jesus. Never lose sight of this. Jesus must be seen by the Father instead of our guilty soul. It is not change in our black soul that is to be our covering. You must leave self, and stand in your Elder Brother. Hide behind Him. Let the Father’s eye fall on Him, not on you. This is what Jesus wants. He died to be a shelter for such as you. This is what the Father wants; for He is not willing that any should perish. If you are seen by the Father a naked, guilty sinner, you must die; there is no help for it. But if Jesus appear for you—if you hide in His wounds like the dove in the clefts of the rock, and under His snowy raiment—then the Father Himself loveth you, and how you are coming up from the wilderness.

Every hour that strikes, that is an hour less between you and glory. Oh, do not grieve to part with the world if you are in Christ! And hour with Christ will make up for all your griefs and pains. Half and hour in the presence of our God will make us forget a lifetime of agony.

“Leaning on her beloved!” Is this the position of your soul? Do you feel empty, weak, and helpless? And do you see Him mighty to save, able to save to the uttermost? “His legs are like pillars of marble.” This is Christ’s glory, that He justifies sinners who have no righteousness, and sanctifies souls that have no inborn holiness. Let Jesus bear your whole weight.

Remember, He loves to be the only support of the soul. He is a jealous Saviour. He wants to be entirely trusted. There is nothing that you can possibly need but you will find it in Him. “All my springs are in Thee.” Do you want righteousness? He has the spirit of a weaned child to give you (Ps. cxxxi.). Do you want love? He is the fountain of love: all the promises of God in Him are yea and in Him amen.

I am sure, if you get a glimpse of Him, you would lay your head in His breast and die there. May the Spirit anoint your eyes to see Him more and more, and soften your heart to lean on Him. Those that have leaned on Him through the wilderness shall sit with Him on the throne (Rev. iii. 21).

Farewell, dear soul! The Lord feed you sweetly, as He feeds the flowers, by silent drops of dew.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 303-4.

Does The US Really Need More New Churches?

Decide as you watch this video. Then, pray.

(HT: Missional Thoughts)
Planting in Cooper/Young; Memphis

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#6

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. V

Be found in Christ

December 8, 1841

Dear friend,

I send you another line to tell you of Him who is altogether lovely. I have a very dear boy in my parish who is dying just now. He said to me the other day, “I have just been feeding for some days upon the words you gave me: ‘His legs are like pillars of marble set upon sockets of fine gold’ (Song v. 15); for (said he) I am sure He is able to carry me and all my sins.”

You may say the same, if your eyes have been opened to see the beauty, fulness, freeness, and compassion of the Lord Jesus. Nothing but the hand of God can open your eyes to see your lost condition as it truly is. Flesh and blood cannot reveal Him unto you, but my Father.

Oh, call upon Him to do this for you! A spiritual discovery of yourself and of Jesus is better than a million of worlds to you, and to me also. Remember, you cannot be fair in yourself before God. Song i. 6 must be all your prayer: “Look not upon me.” Take yourself at your best moments, you are but a vile worm in Jehovah’s sight, and so am I. Remember you may be “perfect in Christ Jesus.” Allow yourself to be found in Christ.

Oh, what will come of you if you are found in yourself? Where will you appear? You will shrink back, and call on rocks and mountains to fall upon you and cover you. But if you are hiding in Jesus—if your eye and heart are fixed upon His wounds made by our sins—if you are willing to be righteous in His righteousness, to lie down under the stream of His blood, and to be clothed upon with the snowy fleece of the Lamb of God—then God will love you with His whole soul exceedingly.

The pure, full love of God streams through the blood and obedience of Jesus to every soul that is lying under them, however vile and wretched in themselves. Have you tried—have you tasted the holy love of a holy God? Thy love is better than wine. It is better than all creature love or creature enjoyments.

Oh, do not love—oh, do not die, out of this sweet, sweet, sin-pardoning, soul-comforting love of God! Remember, Jesus is quite willing to gather you under His wings (Matt. xxiii. 37). Put that beyond all doubt. Remember, also, the present is your only time to be saved (Eccles. ix. 10). There is no believing, no repenting, no conversion in the grave—no minister will speak you there. This is the time of conversion. We must either gain you now, or lose you for ever. Oh that you would use this little time! Every moment of it is worth a world.

Your soul is very dear to me—dearer far to Jesus. Look to Him and you will be saved.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 301-2.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#5

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 4

Taste that Christ is precious

Dear friend,

It is written, “Unto you who believe He is precious;” and if you are a child of God, you will know and feel what the words mean (1 Pet. ii. 7).

At one time Christ was “like a tender plant” to you, and like “a root out of dry ground.” You saw “no form nor comeliness in Him, no beauty that you should desire Him.” At that time you were at ease in Zion—you had no concern for your soul. Do you remember that time? Is it otherwise with you now? Have you been pricked in your heart by the Holy Spirit? Have you been made to see how impossible it is for man to be just with God? And has the Spirit drawn away the veil from the fair face of Immanuel, and given you an unfeigned glance at the brow that was crowned with the thorns, and the cheek from which they plucked off the hair? Has the Spirit opened a window into the heart of Jesus, and let you see the fountain-head of that love that “passeth knowledge”? Then you will be able to say, “To me He is precious.”

If you see plainly that all your standing before God is in Him, that He is your foundation-stone, your fountain, your wedding-garment, then you will feel Him to be precious. Most people refuse to come to Christ. Read Luke xiv. 16-24—“They all with one consent began to make excuse.” Why is this? Just because they do not see and feel that He is precious.

But oh, if you, my dear friend, feel that He is your only righteousness—your only fountain of living water—your High Priest—your Shepherd—your Advocate, then you will say, “He is precious!” You will never say, “Have me excused.”

I carry to you the sweet invitation, “Come, for all things are now ready.” Jesus is ready to wash and clothe you in His own blood and righteousness. The Holy Spirit is ready to come into your heart and make it new. The Father is ready to put His arms round your neck, and kiss you (Luke xv. 20). The angels are ready to give thanks for you, and to love you as a sister for eternity. Now, will you come, for all things are ready?

Are you now saying in your heart, “I cannot but believe I am the chief of sinners, and Jesus offers to be my refuge, my Mediator, my all in all; I feel He is precious”? Oh, dear friend, I trust you do. This only will make you happy in living, and blessed in dying. This is a poor dying world. Man that is born of a woman is of few days and full of trouble. There is no part here that death cannot take from us. But if you have Christ, you have the only imperishable portion!

Oh, may the Holy Spirit give you a firm hold of Jesus! Then we shall meet in that sweet place, where there shall be no more death, neither sorrow nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain. The Lord deal kindly and gently with you, both soul and body. Farewell, dear friend.—Ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 300-1.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#4

Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 3

Joy in believing

Dear friend,

I send you another line to tell you Jesus is the way. I would like much to hear how your weak body prospers, and whether your soul is resting under the apple-tree (Song ii. 3); but till some opportunity occurs, I must just content myself with committing your soul and body into the hand of Jesus, your faithful Creator (1 Pet. iv. 19).

We are now looking forward to another communion season, and I am busy instructing young persons for that holy and blessed ordinance. I think you said you were a good deal impressed at our last communion, and wished that you had been one of those seated at the table: perhaps you may never be permitted to sit at the table on earth; perhaps your first communion may be in glory.

There is a text in Rom. xv. 13, which expresses all my desire for you: “Now that you may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” You see here who is the author of conversion—“the God of hope.” He must open your heart to attend to the things that are spoken. The truths that are presented to you will not convert your heart; the God of hope must breathe on your heart and water it oft. Then see how He give you joy and peace—“in believing.”

When Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas (John xx. 28), Thomas cried out with joy, “My Lord and my God!” If Jesus reveal Himself to you in all the glory of His person, the completeness of His work, and the freeness of His love, you too will be filled with appropriating, joyful faith, and will cry, “My Lord and my God!”

It is a difficult thing to explain what it is to believe—I suppose it is impossible. But when Jesus unveils His matchless face that was buffeted and spit upon, then the soul joyfully clings to Him. This is believing, and this is joy and peace in believing. The truest, purest joy flows from a discovery of Jesus Christ. He is the hidden treasure that gives such joy to the finder (Matt. xiii. 44). Do you think you have found that treasure? Touching question! For if not, you are poor indeed.

But how much joy may you have in Christ? “The God of hope fill you with all joy.” You need not be afraid to take the full joy that Jesus gives. If you really come unto Christ, you come unto the love of Jehovah, and that is a filling love. The love of the creature does not fill the heart; but God’s love coming full upon the soul gives fulness of joy (1 John i. 4). It is holy love, sovereign love.

I have been interrupted several times in writing this little note. I will not be long in writing you again. Do decide the question of your eternity. One thing is needful! Have you closed with the great Mediator? Have you got saving knowledge of Jesus? Then only will death lose its power, and the grave become the bed of peaceful rest.

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign;
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

Lean all your care for time and eternity on Jesus; that is the softest of all pillows—the bosom of our guardian Immanuel.—I am, ever yours, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 298-9.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#3

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Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 2

Seek the righteousness of Christ

Dear friend,

I was glad to hear of your safe arrival, and that your health had not suffered by the voyage. I trust the Lord is dealing gently with your frail body, so that your mind may get leave freely to fix itself on Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Above all, I pray that the Holy Spirit may sweetly and silently open your heart, to relish the way of salvation through the blood and obedience of Immanuel. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins, and by Him all that believe are justified from all things (Acts xii. 38, 39).

You would be deeply concerned to hear that your room-mate, -------, has been so suddenly and awfully called away. Should it not be a solemn warning to you? Oh that you may be even now clothed in the righteousness of Jesus! So that, if you were called away, you may meet God in peace, and hear Jesus say, “Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.” In yourself you never will stand righteous before Jehovah. Ps. cxliii. 2 answers your case. “Enter not into judgment with me,” must be your cry.

In your nature, in your past life, in your breaking of the holy law, in your contempt and neglect of Jesus, in your indwelling sin, God can see nothing but what He must condemn. Oh that you would be of the same mind with God about your own soul! Do not be afraid to look upon its loathsomeness; for God offers to clothe you in Jesus Christ. “By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous” (Rom. v. 19). There is only one in all the world on whose face God can look and say, “He is altogether lovely.” Jesus is that one. Now God is willing that you and I should hide in Jesus.

I feel at this moment that He is my righteousness. “This is His name whereby He shall be called, The Lord our Righteousness,” (Jer. xxiii. 6). I feel that the love of God shines upon my guilty soul through Jesus. This is all my peace.

Your tears will not blot our sin; they do nothing but weep in hell, but that does not justify them. Your right views of the gospel will not justify you; you must be covered with a spotless righteousness. Your change of heart and of life will not justify you; it cannot cover past sins—neither is it perfect. Your amended life is still fearfully sinful in Jehovah’s sight, and yet nothing but perfect righteousness can stand before Him. Jesus offers you this perfect righteousness; in Him you may stand and hear God say, “Thou art all fair, my love.” There is no spot in me.

Do you thus look to Jesus? Do you believe the record that God has given concerning Him? Do you receive Christ with open arms? Do you cry, “My Lord and my God;” my Surety—my all?

Dear friend, do not tarry. Eternity may be near. Now is your best time, perhaps your only time, of closing with Christ. How many worlds would a lost soul in hell give for such an opportunity of cleaving to Christ as you have now! “He that has the Son hath life.” This is all my prayer and desire for your precious, precious soul.—Ever yours in the gospel, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 297-8.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#2

When a young lady came inquiring to Robert Murray McCheyene, he dealt--as we now invite you to read--carefully, responsibly, and biblically with her soul. As the GC blog now turns the next six posts in this 'DRWAS' series over to Rev. McCheyene, we share two words of counsel:

1. Consider your own soul. Have you closed with Christ?
2. Consider that evangelism--which has suffered much in our culture from slick programization--is truly nothing less than giving Christ to others.

Now, Rev. McCheyene:

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Letters to a soul seeking Jesus – No. 1

Seek to know your corruption

Dundee, 1841.

Dear friend,

According to promise, I sit down to talk with you a little concerning the great things of an eternal world. How kind it is in God that He has given us such an easy way of communicating our thoughts, even at a distance!

My only reason for writing to you is, that I may direct your soul to Jesus, the sinner’s friend. “This man receiveth sinners.” I would wish much to know that you were truly united to Christ, and then, come life, come death, you will be truly and eternally happy.

Do you think you have been convinced of sin? This is the Holy Spirit’s work, and His first work upon the soul (John xvi. 8; Acts ii. 37, xxi. 29, 30). If you did not know your body was dangerously ill, you would never have sent for your physician; and so you will never go to Christ, the heavenly Physician, unless you feel that your soul is sick even unto death. Oh, pray for deep discoveries of your real state by nature and by practice! The world will say you are an innocent and harmless girl; do not believe them. The world is a liar. Pray to see yourself exactly as God sees you; pray to know the worth of your soul. Have you seen yourself vile, as Job saw himself? (Isa vi. 1, 5). Have you experienced anything like Ps. li? I do not wish you to feign humility before God, nor to use expressions of self-abhorrence, which you do not feel; but oh, pray that the Holy Spirit may let you see the very reality of your natural condition before God!

I seldom get more than a glance at the true state of my soul in its naked self. But when I do, then I see that I am wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked (Rev. iii. 17). I believe ever member of our body has been a servant of sin (Rom. Iii. 13, 18)—throat, tongue, lips, mouth, feet, eyes. Every faculty of our mind is polluted (Gen. vi. 5).

Besides, you have long neglected the great salvation; you have been gainsaying and disobedient. Oh that you were brought to pass sentence on yourself, guilty of all! Hear what a dear believer writes of himself: “My wickedness, as I am in myself, has long appeared to me perfectly ineffable, and swallowing up all thought and imagination, like an infinite deluge, or mountains over my head. I know not how to express better what my sins appear to me to be, than by heaping infinite upon infinite, and multiplying infinite by infinite. When I look into my heart and take a view of my wickedness, it looks like an abyss infinitely deep, and yet it seems to me that my conviction of sin is exceeding small and faint.”

Perhaps you will ask, Why do you wish me to have such a discovery of my lost condition? I answer, that you may be broken off from all schemes of self-righteousness; that you may never look into your poor guilty soul to recommend you to God; and that you may joyfully accept of the Lord Jesus Christ, who obeyed and died for sinners. Oh that your heart may cleave to Christ! May you forsake all, and follow Jesus Christ. Count everything loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.

You never will stand righteous before God in yourself. You are welcome this day to stand righteous before God in Jesus. Pray over Phil. iii. 7, 9. I will try and pray for you. Grace be with you.—Your friend in Jesus, etc.

Memoir and Remains, pp. 296-7.

Dealing Responsibly With Anxious Souls-#1

This new series of posts is dedicated to Christ Jesus, the only Lord and Savior. In these posts, I hope to inspire thought, discussion, and practice around responsible evangelistic soul-care. We all know that leading a thirsty man to a dry riverbed could never satisfy his thirst. But, leading him to the never-failing "Fountain of living waters" will eternally quench his parched soul. So for you, which source will it be? The empty riverbed of man-centered tactics, or the saving oasis of Jesus Christ?

Complaining is easy. Finding solutions is more difficult. This is true even for (especially for?) Christians who are thinking about conversion counseling (i.e. witnessing). Have believers not become notorious for identifying the problems of decisionistic, 'I-can-do-it', Christianity? And rightfully so! Why is it then that guidance for those wanting to faithfully present the gospel, and represent the God of the gospel, have little help on which to lean?

It is one thing to lament the the erroneous theology of easy-believism that has been sweeping our land for quite some time. It is another thing altogether to seek the Lord's counsel in His Word in order to realize His revealed will for dealing responsibly with those whose souls are anxious for a remedy for their sin problem.

Too many are stating man's solution; "Repeat this prayer and you will be saved." Too few are stating God's solution; "Turn to GOD and be saved, all the ends of the earth; for He is GOD and there is no other" (Isaiah 45:22).


What is a child of God to do if he or she wants to lead someone else to faith in Jesus Christ (And every true Christian does desire to be used of God to do lead others to Christ!)? What are we to say in the 'moment of truth' when a soul is desiring to press into the kingdom of Christ, forsake sin and self, and rest in the Savior? What are we to do in that moment? To be certain, it is not the slickness of our words, or the winsomeness of our appeal that saves a soul. Yes, but in evangelism words are necessary. And the blame for wrong words is appropriately laid at our doorstep.

Some who become aware of our God-given responsibility to represent Him faithfully with our words will shrink back from being evangelistic at all for fear they may say the wrong thing. Silence, however, would be a greater crime.

With that, I invite you to join us in letting the hard work begin (er...continue) of finding God-pleasing solutions for our day's man-centered soteriological dilemma.

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First things first: We at Grace Church don't presume to have responsible soul-care figured out. But we are desiring to always be praying and laboring to become better soul-physicians. And God forbid that any of us cop-out of our evangelistic responsibility by employing the 'magic prayer' either to expedite the process, or because we are unwilling to seek counsel from God, His Word, and other faithful soul-physicians.

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The next six posts in this series will come from Robert Murray McCheyne (pictured). And, Oh friend does he ever have God-centered biblical help to offer!

"And this is eternal life, that they know Thee, the only true GOD and JESUS CHRIST whom Thou hast sent" (John 17:3).