Monthly Archives: August 2020

Sermon Shorts from Spurgeon – Sermon 9: Spiritual Liberty

Posted on by

The afflictions of this mortal life are not punishments for sin to Christians; they are fatherly chastisements, and not the punishments of a judge. For me there is no hell; let it smoke and burn, if I am a believer I shall never have my portion there. For me there are no eternal racks, no torments, for if I am justified, I cannot be condemned. Jesus hath suffered the punishment in my stead, and God would be unjust if he were to punish me again; for Christ has suffered once, and satisfied justice for ever. When conscience tells me I am a sinner, I tell conscience I stand in Christ’s place, and Christ stands in mine. True, I am a sinner; but Christ died for sinners. True, I deserve punishment; but if my ransom died, will God ask for the debt twice? Impossible! He has cancelled it. There never was, and never shall be one believer in hell. We are free from punishment, and we never need quake on account of it. However horrible it may be—If it is eternal, as we know it is—it is nothing to us, for we never can suffer it. Heaven shall open its pearly portals to admit us; but hell’s iron gates are barred for ever against every believer. Glorious liberty of the children of God!

From the Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Volume 1, Sermon 9 by Charles Haddon Spurgeon

https://ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons01/sermons01.viii.html

Church Meetings – Part 1: Introduction

Posted on by

With the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, churches have been adjusting how they meet and when they meet. Some churches have moved to virtual services. Some have outdoor or in-car services. Some have added more service times to promote social distancing. All are striving to find a way to meet the need of a church to assemble in a meaningful way. This has brought up the question: What constitutes a church meeting?

In this series, I will attempt to address some specific concepts involved with a church meeting. These will include topics such as:

  • What constitutes a church?
  • When should churches meet?
  • Where should churches meet?
  • What functions are required at a church meeting?

During this pivotal time in world history, perhaps we need to reevaluate our concept of the local church. I fear that we have become so accustomed to how our culture has defined a church that we have neglected what is revealed in Scripture about churches. Let’s get back to the Bible and let God dictate our beliefs about what a church meeting should be.