No iPhone......No Headphones......No Workout

The following post is from July. Charles Spurgeon once....in one of his sermons....referenced a contemporary of his....a pastor of a church of a few hundred. That pastor was in prayer throughout every day....pleading for the salvation of people in his own church.....of whom he had responsibility....and it was taking its toll on the pastor. Spurgeom remarked how much more it effects him as his congregation was so much larger. That sermon may have been Compassion For Souls. I'll listen to it again today....and update this post if that was the sermon. We do not have the preaching today....we just don't. It's the age we live in. The church is very up on liberty and freedom and the Supreme Court and our 401s....and who is or is not a true patriot....but discernemnt on who is or is not a lost soul....even within our own families.....is all but gone. I have Christian friends who do not seemed concerned about the souls of their own children....for in order to live with themselves on this.....without the inner turmoil that the above pastor had....they have assuaged their failures by accepting the gospel of the day....where an adult child with an amiable disposition....and some church in their youth....are in God's hands....no need to worry. I may not be up to date on the errands that need to be done or the tasks I have to do....for there is always a sermon to listen to....with maybe some words to pass on to you....or a book on the false prophet Donald Trump to read....so that I can warn you of how he is destroying the evangelical church....as he destroys everything with which he comes in contact. The following words from missionary C. T. Studd come to mind:

Two little lines I heard one day
Traveling along life's busy way;
Bringing conviction to my heart,
And from my mind would not depart;
Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what's done for Christ will last.

Update: I did listen....as I just this moment finished my walk....and cannot wait to add this....that that is the sermon....and I plead with you if you know Christ as your Savior....to not only listen to it....but to recommenced it to others!

Preface: This morning as I walked in the sun....marveling once again at God's creation....and thankful for being able to enjoy it....and after listening to the great 20th century London preacher David Martyn Lloyd-Jones.....a sermon titled An Encounter With God....(which I highly recommend that you Google)....my mind wandered to England....for it was this small island nation that most magnificently proclaimed the gospel of Jesus Christ in its churches....yes only in certain time periods....but over a span of over three centuries. Overall we cannot even come close to what England's pulpits gave the church. How often we hear on talk radio how we are the greatest nation in the world.....even in history....(somehow forgetting Israel when it was obedient to God)....but 'greatest' in 2020 is nothing to brag about. God used America mightily....militarily....particularly after England succumbed to the temptations of modernism....but we as a people followed suit and fell with a thud. We clench our fists at how this once noble heritage is under attack....and rightly so....but we should tremble and shudder at something even more devastating....as we lost the ability to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ....and to look to Him only as our Lord and our King. There is no longer a cost to discipleship....only a small user fee....that can be renewed every two years at the voting booth.

            It's about a fifteen minute trip for me to the gym....the way I drive....but it took about forty-five minutes today. It's odd....but it's me....I had Breitbart radio on....and the topic with the guest....a Trump campaign official I believe....was on how rumors that many Trump voters would not be voting for him again were untrue. So there I am with....VOTED FOR HIM....NEVER AGAIN in bold letters on the tailgate of my truck....along with the URL for these posts. Knowing that conservatives often listen to Breitbart.....and wanting at least a few of them to see that in front of them was someone that might give some truth to the rumors....I passed up the gym and just drove the interstate for a half hour....until the interview was over.
            So I finally arrive at the gym....mask in hand....but no iPhone....for I had left it at home. It has been at least a year and a half since I exercised anywhere....or walked anywhere....without listening to the gospel in some form on my wireless headphones. I can't imagine working out and not hearing Spurgeon or Martyn Lloyd-Jones or MacArthur or Horton or Alistair Begg or O Palmer Robertson....or Pilgrim's Progress or something about the gospel of grace offered to us. So I got back in the car....and drove home to get my iPhone....and then back to the gym.
            I'm bringing this little anecdote up for one reason. I didn't even choose the Spurgeon sermon....as it just came up next on whatever I had last listened to. It was titled How To Please God....and was preached August 20th, 1885 in the Metropolitan Tabernacle. I thought it might be just the sermon that you need. Everybody needs it....that why I can say that. So....if you are interested...you can easily Google....Spurgeon...How To Please God....and it will come righ