A book club to encourage reading of Reformed Christian Classics at around 10-20 pages a time.
April 2, 2010
Holiness - Ryle - XIII - Chapter 12
Required reading Holiness by J C Ryle (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Read Chapter 12, 'Ruler of the waves'. My summary Ryle now draws out lessons from Jesus calming the storm.
We learn that: 1. Following Christ will not prevent our having earthly sorrows and troubles; 2. Jesus Christ is truly and really Man; 3. There may be much weakness and infirmity, even in a true Christian; 4. The Lord Jesus Christ is powerful; 5. How tenderly and patiently the Lord Jesus deals with weak believers.
What grabbed me I enjoyed the encouragement to look after new believers as tenderly as Jesus did: 'Take as an example, this day, your Master’s gentleness and long–suffering, and learn to be tenderhearted and kind to others. Deal gently with young beginners. Do not expect them to know everything and understand everything all at once. Take them by the hand. Lead them on and encourage them. Believe all things, and hope all things, rather than make that heart sad which God would not have made sad. Deal gently with backsliders. Do not turn your back on them as if their case was hopeless. Use very lawful means to restore them to their former place. Consider yourself, and your often infirmities, and do as you would be done by. Alas, there is a painful absence of the Master’s mind among many of His disciples. There are few Churches, I fear, in the present day, which would have received Peter into communion again for many a long year, after denying his Lord. There are few believers ready to do the work of Barnabas—willing to take young converts by the hand, and encourage them at their first beginnings. Verily we want an outpouring of the Spirit upon believers almost as much as upon the world.'
Be gentle as your Lord is gentle.
Next week's reading Read Chapter 13, 'The church which Christ builds'.
Now it's your turn Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
1 comment:
Margo
said...
I found it helpful to be reminded how important it is to read the Gospels; and as Ryle says, ‘It is well to be familiar with faith, grace, justification and sanctification …but it is far better to be familiar with Jesus Himself, to see the King’s own face, and to behold His beauty.’ For me, this is very important because Heb.1:3 ('The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being') tells us that Jesus shows us what God is like; otherwise we can’t really know God. I really liked section (V) – how Jesus tenderly and patiently deals with weak believers: ‘But what do you see in our Lord’s behavior towards these disciples all through His ministry? You see nothing but unchanging pity, compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, long suffering and love. He does not cast them off for their stupidity. He does not reject them for their unbelief. He does not dismiss them forever for cowardice. He teaches them as they are able to bear. He leads them on step by step, as a nurse does an infant when it first begins to walk. He sends them kind messages as soon as He is risen from the dead. "Go," He said to the women, "Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me" (Matt. 28:10). He gathers them round Himself once more. He restores Peter to his place, and bids him "feed His sheep" John 21:17). He condescends to sojourn with them forty days before He finally ascends. He commissions them to go forth as His messengers, and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. He blesses them in parting, and encourages them with that gracious promise "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). Truly this was a love that passes knowledge. This is not the manner of man.’
1 comment:
I found it helpful to be reminded how important it is to read the Gospels; and as Ryle says, ‘It is well to be familiar with faith, grace, justification and sanctification …but it is far better to be familiar with Jesus Himself, to see the King’s own face, and to behold His beauty.’
For me, this is very important because Heb.1:3 ('The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being') tells us that Jesus shows us what God is like; otherwise we can’t really know God.
I really liked section (V) – how Jesus tenderly and patiently deals with weak believers:
‘But what do you see in our Lord’s behavior towards these disciples all through His ministry? You see nothing but unchanging pity, compassion, kindness, gentleness, patience, long suffering and love. He does not cast them off for their stupidity. He does not reject them for their unbelief. He does not dismiss them forever for cowardice. He teaches them as they are able to bear. He leads them on step by step, as a nurse does an infant when it first begins to walk. He sends them kind messages as soon as He is risen from the dead. "Go," He said to the women, "Go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see Me" (Matt. 28:10). He gathers them round Himself once more. He restores Peter to his place, and bids him "feed His sheep" John 21:17). He condescends to sojourn with them forty days before He finally ascends. He commissions them to go forth as His messengers, and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. He blesses them in parting, and encourages them with that gracious promise "I am with you always, even unto the end of the world" (Matt. 28:20). Truly this was a love that passes knowledge. This is not the manner of man.’
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