A Book Recommended

In addition to reading the book I shared with you in my last post, I have developed a real appetite for Missionary Biographies. While working I've been listening to the biography of Hudson Taylor - Missionary to China (available at Sermonaudio.com - see below,) and in the evenings I've been reading the biography of Henry Martyn - Missionary to India (For the Love of India by the Rev Jim Cromarty - see end for publisher details.)

In reading the accounts of the lives of such godly men, it is hard not to be amazed at the faith and constancy they displayed. In prayerfulness, submission, practical holiness and purpose, these men lived exemplary Christian lives. Reading their stories, we look back very recently in our past and see what was accomplished by the Lord through the lives of men who were naturally very weak. Both Taylor and Martyn weren't very healthy men as their stories, and latter's early death especially, testify.

Martyn's biography very honestly shows him as somewhat a failure in his early Christian life, falling into sin and then suffering tremendous guilt because of it. Such honesty in a biography is a help to those of us with similarly shameful experiences of sin and guilt in our lives, pointing us to the free Grace of God in Christ which can take a failure, sanctify him, and use him powerfully in the work of Christ and His Kingdom. I don't know of many Christians like the early Taylor, who - while training as a Physician before going to China - would restrict his daily diet to a couple of apples and a few oats in order to save as much of his money as possible. Such dedication (if not nutritional understanding) is admirable. But I know of many Christians like the early Martyn, whose lives are more examples of failure than any exemplary service.

We shouldn't use Martyn's example to feel comfortable remaining in any sin or rebellion, but be encouraged to seek the Lord for the same holiness and usefulness that Martyn was later known for. In a time when we see so many muslims, particularly Iranians, coming to Christ, we can remember that Martyn - through much trial and discomfort - was responsible for the first Urdu and Persian translations of the scriptures (the Persian translation was presented to the then Shah of Iran who was very pronounced in his praise of the translation, expressing his committment to have the whole read to Him.)

Martyn's biography frequently mentions the desire of his heart, Lydia Grenfell. Martyn had met her once in Cornwall before embarking to India and his happy experience of the day spent with her never left his memory. He wished Lydia to leave England and marry him, joining him in his work in India. She never did. When I originally read, on the back cover of the book, that Henry left 'the woman he loved' I imagined this to be somewhat different to the true situation. My first thought was that this woman wished to marry Martyn but not to go to India. As it happens, she never expressed more or other than a deep Christian love and friendship for Martyn in her diaries and correspondence with him. Martyn was very honest in expressing his affection for Lydia, and although I'm sure the culture of the time contributed to Martyn's directness in addressing her, his proposal of marriage after just one meeting in person certainly seems hasty and presumptuous in today's context. Would that have been the case in Martyn's time? Even if it was, perhaps some of us romantic types can empathise with him and, while rejoicing in his life's accomplishments for the Kingdom, lament this tragic love never requited. Martyn died whilst heading back to England in the hopes of persuading Lydia to come to India.

A true disciple of Christ, Martyn's life as a minister and missionary was marked by the meek, sensitive preacher's constant subjection to cruel mocking and criticism by those he preached to. In spite of all this and his unrequited love for Lydia he remained faithful to the end, with a love for those whose souls he sought and an steadfast sense of duty to and love for his Lord. Which of us would esteem the praise of men as lightly as Martyn did? We must be willing to.

Martyn's biography is available from Evangelical Press:
http://www.evangelicalpress.org/esales/product_info.php?products_id=532

Hudson Taylor's biography is available in serialised mp3 audio from SermonAudio.com:
http://www.sermonaudio.com/sermoninfo.asp?currSection=&sermonID=10120204551

A Book Shared

It would be very inconsiderate of me if, having once alerted people to the existence of my blog, I neglected to update it for any longer than is already the case.

With this in mind, I have a solution that I hope will be both convenient for me and edifying for others. They say a 'joy shared is a joy doubled.' The same surely applies to those things which are the means of God's blessings in our lives. So, I'd like to share some choice selections of text from the book I'm currently reading - Studies in the Sermon on the Mount by D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (see end for publisher details.)

The sixty chapters in this book - originally delivered as sermons themselves - form a profound exposition and application of the Greatest Sermon of all time. To quote from the back cover, "With his eye always on both Scripture and life, [Lloyd-Jones] explains and applies Christ's teaching for Christians struggling to live like Christ."

This book is not only abundantly clear in explanation, but also sharp and searching in application. The author constantly encourages the Christian to measure himself by the standard our Lord describes in the Sermon on the Mount, and to aim for that standard in repentance and faith (for none of us meet it.)

The selections I will be posting here will be mostly from the latter half of the book, since as I type I'm almost halfway through. To begin, here is an excerpt from the 7th Chapter, Righteousness and Blessedness:

'Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness.' Now this is most important because it brings us to the practical aspect of this matter. What does it mean to 'hunger and thirst'? Obviously it does not mean that we feel we can attain unto this righteousness by our own efforts and endeavour. that is the wordly view of righteousness which concentrates on man himself and leads to the individual pride of the Pharisee, or to the pride of one nation as against other nations regarding itself as being better and superior. It leads to those things which the apostle Paul lists in Philippians iii and which he there dismisses as 'dung', all self-confidence, all belief in self. To 'hunger and thirst' cannot mean that, because the first Beatitude tells us that we must be 'poor in spirit' which is a negation of every form of self-reliance.

Well, what does it mean? It obviously means some simple things like these. It means a consciousness of our need, of our deep need. I go further, it means a consciousness of our desperate need; it means a deep consciousness of our great need even to the point of pain. It means something that keeps on until it is satisfied. It does not mean just a passing feeling, a passing desire. You remember how Hosea says to the nation of Israel that she is always, as it were, coming forward to the penitent form and then going back to sin. Her righteousness, he says, is as 'a morning cloud' - it is here one minute then gone the next. The right way he indicates in the words - 'then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord.' 'Hunger' and 'thirst'; these are not passing feelings. Hunger is something deep and profound that goes on until it is satisfied. It hurts, it is painful; it is like actual, physical hunger and thirst. It is something that goes on increasing and makes one feel desperate. It is something that causes suffering and agony.

I'd certainly recommend this book to all - Christian or non-Christian. You can buy it online at the below web addresses:

UK: IVP - http://www.ivpbooks.com/cb/listgen.asp?layout=singleitem.asp&Id=2610

US: Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/080280036X/104-7885138-4627159?v=glance&n=283155

First Post

Welcome to the Hooptie Blog, where those who know me can expect to find occasional updates on, and pictures of, my Stateside experiences as well as the (few) thoughts I have worth sharing with others.

As is apparent, I've chosen a theme based on my 1976 Ford LTD, better known as the 'Hooptie' (Southern US slang for a big, old car.) 30 years young and just as good lookin', smooth-ridin' and gaz-guzzlin' as the day she rolled off the production line.