Today I want to bring you quotes from a talk given by John Piper about Charles Simeon. We begin with a description of Simeon’s recollection of a conversation he had with the Arminian, John Wesley, when he was a young man. The conversation is instructive about how we should deal with people we disagree with and about how sometimes moderates from both sides of a theological debate are closer than we realise. “Sir, I understand that you are called an... Read more
Andrew Fountain and his family have been fantastic hosts for this short stay in Canada. They are in the process of planting Newlife Church Toronto which has been meeting on Sunday evenings since March 2006. The church is part of newfrontiers – the same family of churches of which I am thrilled to be a part. The following clip was taken just outside the meeting place for the church and shows Andrew speaking about the vision towards which they as... Read more
This is Andrew and I outside the Toronto Airport Church which was, of course, the church in which the so-called “Toronto Blessing” originated. There was no prayer meeting going on today. This is not the place for me to comment any further on that movement, which over the last thirteen years has seen hundreds of thousands of people visit their facility from many different nations. It was, however, a great privilege to be shown around the building today and to... Read more
I have heard of grey squirrels, I have heard of red squirrels . . . but until today, I ain’t never heard of no BLACK squirrels. This was the view from my window at breakfast this morning! Like the poor grey squirrels of England, these little fellas are being blamed for the demise of their red squirrel cousins. It’s all because they get down from the trees and go hunt food – that’s what makes them successful! This is the... Read more
Well, I made it – at least as far as Toronto. I had an eager sense of anticipation as I got off the plane. As I met my now dear friend, Andrew Fountain, it was amazing to me to realize how true it is that being a Christian makes you part of one big family of God. For those of us like Andrew and I, who are also part of newfrontiers, that sense of family is strengthened still further. When... Read more
I preached today on Philippians 3:7-16. The audio is available on Jubilee’s site or to listen to right here: This whole passage is an exhortation – an encouragement that builds to the following verse in Philippians 4:1: “Therefore, my brothers, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm thus in the Lord, my beloved.” Today I want to also encourage us – yes, to produce an emotional effect on our hearts. Jonathan Edwards once said something... Read more
Well, it’s happening again. I’m traveling with my work once more, and this time I’m going to be traveling to America via Toronto. The way things have worked out, I’ll be able to meet up with some great blogger friends – all of whom I feel like I’ve known for years already! Believe it or not, it’s taken us more than 60 emails so far to organise this meeting – most of which were peppered with humour and deliberate sporting... Read more
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