Ever heard of Rob Bell? What about NOOMA? Greg Gilbert reviews Bell's NOOMA videos. On the heels of Gilbert's review C.J. Mahaney gives us sound advice (based on Gilbert's excellent job) on reviewing things as well as protecting the gospel with humility. Man, I love C.J. Mahaney; but more than that I love his Jesus. You really need to read anything written by C.J., including his recent appeal.

Brian Thornton is continuing his discussion on the calling of God. Today he clearly and concisely shows that only the elect receive three callings of God. Disagree? Agree? Check it out.

Stephen Altrogge gives 7 Questions to Ask Your Friends. One of my favorite questions, of the 7, is this one: "Have you diligently pursued your wife/husband this week?"

John MacArthur attempts to teach us on the "unfathomable and yet unmistakable doctrine" of the Trinity, read it here.

Trevin Wax has a really good consideration on Evangelicalism's Blast from the Past.

Randy Alcorn considers the Longing for God and Joy of Augustine.

You've got to check this out (HT: Micah)

I am reading through John Stott's classic work The Cross of Christ. In the book he quotes John Foxe concerning Ignatius, bishop of Antioch in Syria. It could be debated whether or not his admonition to his followers, to not attempt to sercure his release, was grounded. Nonetheless, his devotion to Jesus and willingness to suffer for the sake of Christ shames me:

"Let fire and the cross, let the companies of wild beasts, let breaking of boens and tearing of limbs, let the grinding of the whole body, and all the malice of the devil, come upon me; be it so, if only I may gain Christ Jesus!" (Stott, John. The Cross of Christ, p.77)

In this chapter Flavel considers a much neglected area in thinking of Providence; our employment. Flavel makes five particular points, showing how the Providence of God is displayed in our civil callings:

1. In directing you to a calling in your youth, and not permitting you to live and idle, useless and sinful life.
2. In ordering you to such callings and employments in the world as are not only lawful in themselves but most suitable to you.
3. In settling you in such a calling and employment in the world, as possibly neither yourselves nor parents could ever expect you should attain to.
4. In securing your estates from ruin.
5. In making your calling sufficient for you.

Flavel labors to help us rejoice in the hand of Providence concerning our earthly toil. He spends much time upon the fifth point. As he closes he draws out a few specific instructions. He urges us to not abuse any of these providences. How do we do that? By not being slothful and idle in our vocations, and by being intent in our particular callings while not neglecting our general calling. Through all of this we must remember that the success of our particular callings hinges on divine blessing.

Discussion:

On page 75, when discussing our particular callings Flavel says that they have, "not only an eye upon your well-being in the world to come, but upon your well-being in this world also..." What do you think he means by our well-being in the world to come? What was the Puritan view of heaven?

Flavel would be very hard on those on welfare in our day and age. Certainly, he would have been merciful to the orphans, widows. elderly, and disabled. But he, like the apostle Paul before him, saw that it is a sin to eat what other earn. Or to put it as Paul did, "if a man will not work he shall not eat."

Did you notice that Flavel is making a distinction between our particular callings (notice the plural) and our general callling. What is the difference between these two? Do ministers have the same particular calling as they do general calling? What is our general calling? How often do we "lose our God" in the hurry and business of every day labor?

Stories from Flavel:

Who was Oecolampadius?
From Carpentry to Concordia
Who was Pareus?

In John Flavel's The Mystery of Providence he speaks of a master builder named Oecolampadius. This name is not well known in our day; yet in his day, Johannes Oecolampadius was a trusted theological scholar. While not as revered in the annals of history as Zwingli, Luther, and Calvin the church has benefited that the Providence of God saw fit to keep this man from becoming a merchant. More is told of his Reformation life here:

The second period of Oecolampadius's life opens with his return to Basel in November 1522, as vicar of St Martin's and (in 1523) reader of the Holy Scripture at the university. Lecturing on Isaiah he condemned current ecclesiastical abuses, and in a public disputation (2oth of August 1523) was so successful that Erasmus writing to Zürich said " Oecolampadius has the upper hand amongst us." He became Zwingli's best helper, and after more than a year of earnest preaching and four public disputations in which the popular verdict had been given in favour of Oecolampadius and his friends, the authorities of Basel began to see the necessity of some reformation. They began wiih the convents, and Oecolampadius was able to refrain in public worship on certain festival days from some practices he believed to be superstitious. Basel was slow to accept the reformation; the news of the Peasants' War and the inroads of Anabaptists prevented progress; but at last, in 1525, it seemed as if the authorities were resolved to listen to schemes for restoring the purity of worship and teaching. In the midst of these hopes and difficulties Oecolampadius married, in the beginning of 1528, Wilibrandis Rosenblatt, the widow of Ludwig Keller, who proved to be non rixasa vcl gárrula vcl vaga, he says, and made him a good wife. After his death she married Capilo, and, when Capito died, Buccr. She died in 1564. In January 1528 ecolampadius and Zwingli took part in the disputation at Berne which led to the adoption of the new faith in that canton, and in the following year to the discontinuance of the mass at Basel. The Anabaptists claimed Oecolampadius for their views, but in a disputation with them he dissociated himself from most of their positions. He died on the 24th of November 1531.

Copied from: The Encyclopædia Britannica A Dictionary of Arts, Sciences, Literature and General Information By Hugh Chisholm

In John Flavel's The Mystery of Providence he makes mention of a man named James Andreas. He was called out of carpentry into the service to the church of God. A little more information is given to us here:

Universal Pronouncing Dictionary of Biography and Mythology By Joseph Thomas

Do you find it strange that Flavel included the story of a man that was polemical towards Calvinists?

In John Flavel's Mystery of Providence he makes mention of a man named Pareus. Apparently Pareus had been apprenticed, by his mother, to be a pharmacist (apothecary). God, however, had contrary plans. Pareus ended up being a marevelous teacher during the Reformation period. He was irenic in nature and sought to bring reconciliation to the Lutherans and the Calvinists of his day. More information is given here:



The New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge Embracing Biblical, Historical, Doctrinal, and Practical Theology and Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Biography from the Earliest Times to the Present Day By Johann Jakob Herzog, Philip Schaff, Albert Hauck