A Letter to Someone Who Was Divorced

Posted on 29 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

To protect the privacy, names and some details were changed in the following letter sent to a church member.

Dear Shiluva,

Oh, our hearts hurt with you as we heard about your situation. Where can you go in this world to find comfort when even marriage turns to poison? You have had months and even years to see the way sin and folly have moved on your husband’s heart, but the pain must still be there. My wife sent me the voice note that she sent to you, so I have both read your letter and heard her reply to it.

A Word of encouragement

    Do not give up on Christ or His church though you feel betrayed. You would only go from a sickness to permanent intensive care. If one demon is heavy, how could you bear under 10? Our Father is very kind though it may only seen by faith. The Son of God is a good friend even when all others hurt you. And the church of God is filled with others who are hurting though their pains are all somehow different from yours, and somehow the same.

    I do not write this because you have given up on the church, but I am only guessing about the kinds of temptations that Satan could bring to your heart.

    Your letter encouraged me when I read a few lines about your children. These little ones must be your Faith, Hope, and Charity. As you live first for your Lord, then dedicate yourself to these sweet children. Follow Christ, pay the price, walk in wisdom, plant and harvest the fruit of the Spirit so that your children might be spared from the marks of sin.

    Service in the churches

    Should you stop teaching Sunday school because your husband divorced you? It seems to me that you have a reputation among the believers for dedication to the Lord. You are not perfect, but you did not commit the sin of divorce (1 Cor. 7:13). The unbeliever left you (1 Cor. 7:15). It is a sin to force him out by applying for a divorce. It is a sin to leave him by applying for a divorce. It is not YOUR sin for HIM to make his choices. He will answer to God for his sinful choice to divorce you.

    Now, in every situation, we can always be more holy. You should confess your sin, admit your guilt, walking very humbly, and be quick to say, “Oh, if only I had been more like my Savior!” But even while you do that, you must continue to serve the Lord.

    Some sins are scandals, and some are not. Do you have any scandals? Your husband’s choice to divorce is his scandal. Did you make any scandalous choices? If your sins were the kinds of sins that you can repent of each day, then you should keep on serving the Lord in your church. The sin in 1 Corinthians 5 was a scandal: A man had his father’s wife. Paul immediately removed him from the church without even waiting to go talk to the people. This was a scandal. If you do not have this, then be honest about it, and keep going with Sunday school, praying at church, or other jobs. The other pastors and I still have sins, but they are not the kinds of sins that would stop us from being pastors.

    Question about divorce and remarriage

    You asked me what the Bible says about divorce and remarriage. My sister, before I say anything, look into your heart and be certain that you are prepared to follow the Lord in whatever He says. Counsel is a waste of time if our hearts are not submitted to Him as the Lord.

    The NT speaks about divorce in 5 books: Matthew 19:3-12, Mark 10:1-12, Luke 16:18, Romans 7:1-4, and 1 Corinthians 7:10-17.

    Mark tells us that we must never divorce, and if someone divorces us, then we must not marry a second time.

    And He said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her; and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.” Mark 10:11-12

    Luke tells us the same thing:

    Everyone who divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery, and he who marries one who is divorced from a husband commits adultery. Luke 16:18

    Romans is very clear. Only death frees a wife from the marriage bond. 

    For the married woman is bound by law to her husband while he is living; but if her husband dies, she is released from the law concerning the husband. So then, if while her husband is living she is joined to another man, she shall be called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from the law, so that she is not an adulteress though she is joined to another man. Therefore, my brethren, you also were made to die to the Law through the body of Christ, so that you might be joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit for God. Romans 7:2-4

    The only way to be saved from the law is just like the only way that a wife can be freed from marriage. Death ends a marriage, but there is no other way to be freed from marriage according to Paul in Romans 7.

    The Corinthians asked Paul questions about marriage, and Paul answered those questions in 1 Corinthians 7. At the end of a long chapter, Paul summarizes his answer to these new Christians.

    A wife is bound as long as her husband lives; but if her husband is dead, she is free to be married to whom she wishes, only in the Lord. 1 Cor. 7:39

    In his answer, he actually forbids divorce 4 times in a row!

    10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord, that the wife should not leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord, that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away. 1 Cor. 7:10-13

    Remarriage is forbidden in chapter 7:11, “if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband.”

    Chapter 7 verse 15 describes your situation:

    Yet if the unbelieving one leaves, let him leave; the brother or the sister is not under bondage in such cases, but God has called us to peace. 1 Cor. 7:15

    The father of your children has shown that he was not a true Christian. Then he chose to leave you. His sins were outside your power to control. He chose to leave. You are not bound to chase down Ntsusheko. You are not bound to search out what he is doing. You are not bound by his evil choices to keep you from serving your church. You have been called to peace. You may look at him, place the blame on him for leaving the home, and peacefully walk with God. You are not bound to say every day, “What did I do? What was my sin? How did I destroy my marriage?” You are not bound by guilt, but you have been called to peace. God loves you. Your church accepts you. You can be right with God, and have your prayers answered. Your children can be saved. They can see your example and follow your godliness even though another person chose to throw mud on your name. Did this not happen to our Savior?

    Some faithful pastors teach that you are allowed to leave your husband and even to marry another husband. I ask you to look at these verses and make the decision for yourself.

    The last thing Paul says in the discussion on divorce is that God has given each one a different set of circumstances in life.

    Only, as the Lord has assigned to each one, as God has called each, in this manner let him walk. And so I direct in all the churches. 1 Cor. 7:17

    Everyone has a unique set of circumstances in life—some were saved while they were slaves (7:21). They should remain as slaves without worrying about their own personal freedom unless God has given them a clear path to be free.

    Are you bound to a wife? Do not seek to be released. Are you released from a wife? Do not seek a wife. 1 Cor. 7:27

    This sounds similar to Paul’s words in the next letter.

    For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 2 Cor. 4:17

    When we find ourselves in hard situations such as being a slave, or being divorced, or some other surprising providence, the Holy Spirit would have us focus on serving the Lord and building up the church. In this sinful world, there are a great many hardships: Have you not seen these at your work? Children in wheelchairs, victims of crime, some born in countries without Bibles, and so many other life-changing trials. Yet God is controlling and directing all the circumstances of our lives so that we will be the most like the Son.

    Much more can be said about these things. Please read these passages, or better yet read each of these 5 books, and ask “What was the Lord saying here?” I have posted a number of articles about divorce, and I will forward you a link.

    But we as Christians want to support you. We weep while you are in pain, and we are ready to laugh with you again as God restores the joy of your salvation.

    In Christ,

    Papa Kombi

    Posted in Divorce, Pastoral | Tagged , | Leave a comment

    Asahel Nettleton: Serious Christianity

    Posted on 26 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    His conversion at 18 years old

    1. In Connecticut, Asahel Nettleton was born 21 April 1783 as the second of six children.
    2. His father and mother had been baptized as babies, and they did the same with their children.
    3. But they were not allowed to take the Lord’s Table because it was not clear they were born again.
    4. He memorized the Westminster Catechism as a child.
    5. But he was not truly awakened until he was 18 years old.
    6. When a pastor preached on being born again, his heart was touched.
    7. His thoughts and prayers and fear of being damned went on for about 10 months before he found peace.
    8. For his entire life, he feared lying to himself about salvation. 432
    9. When someone asked him as an adult if he was saved, he replied, “The most that I have ventured to say respecting myself is, that I think it is possible I may get to heaven.” 30

    His training and preparation to be a preacher

    1. Though he worked as a farmer with his family, the pressing thought of Hell pulled him to be a missionary along with one of his friends.
    2. Around 18 he wrote, “If I might be the means of saving one soul, I should prefer it to all the riches and honours of this world.” 34
    3. When reading about William Carey in India, he decided to become a missionary.
    4. At 22, he entered Yale College to train for missionary service.
    5. A godly pastor who had known Nettleton for years said he was known as being kind and friendly.
    6. Throughout his time at Yale, he looked for students he could lead to Christ. 42
    7. He even decided not to marry or own property so that he could spend more time serving the Lord. 421
    8. After 3 years in college at 25, he stopped early with terrifying doubts about his salvation. 39
    9. At this time, his best friend said of him, “I have known him to weep, I may say, by the hour, under an overwhelming sense of his vileness.” 46
    10. Though his goal had been for 9 years to be a missionary, he could not go overseas because he owed money to the school. 52

    Preaching from church to church

    1. A small church in Connecticut called him to preach, not as pastor, just for a few weeks to help them.
    2. The church had seen many people truly converted about 70 years earlier, but then excited by numbers, they changed their methods. 56
    3. Nettleton saw that good intentions and energy are not enough to keep a church pure.
    4. Many evangelists rose up who looked for ways to produce more results.
    5. Over 10 years in Connecticut (28-38 years old), many churches asked Nettleton to preach for them.
    6. Commonly, he would preach each night for a week or even for a month, 3-5 times during the weeks.
    7. His goal was to make sure the church members were regenerated, and not merely nominal Christians.
    8. Soon, his presence at a church would draw men from the farms and towns.
    9. Once the church was so full that men could be seen listening in the trees and roofs of buildings outside. 170
    10. From his first preaching, he saw true conversions in nearly every place.
    11. Many churches invited him, but he only went if no announcement was made that he was coming. He wanted no trust or hope in himself.
    12. Nettleton always rejected planning dates or promoting meetings.
    13. He desired to preach multiple times over several days so that people would have the chance to think, pray, and repent.
    14. Outside of preaching meetings, those who were convicted of sin met for prayer and counsel.  
    15. He refused any money more than what was needed for food and clothing. 70
    16. Commonly, he met with the youth and urged them to be very serious.
    17. When he arrived at a new church he urged them to expect nothing from him, but to pray with all their hearts for a revival.
    18. The pastors said that his revival meetings were marked by heaviness, conviction, understanding, and humility.
    19. In Bridgewater, he had warned the people for a few days to humble themselves, but when he saw them still proud, he left the church with no notice. 89
    20. He led many people to Christ in private conversations after the services and in their homes. 295, 300

    The conversions

    1. In Waterbury, a man who hated God suddenly came to church and was converted.
    2. Sometimes, one or two in family were converted, but commonly whole families were saved together.
    3. In the church at Torrington in 1816 (33 years old), 17 were converted in August, 9 more in October, and 71 in February! 97
    4. In Middleton in 1817, the youth from the church planned to dance on a Saturday. 99Hearing about the dance, Nettleton immediately planned to leave after having preached 3 weeks to them.
      1. But when the youth saw the preacher was leaving they canceled the dance and asked for a sermon instead. A very large number of youth arrived, listened, and were cut by the preaching. Groups of them gathered to pray for humility and faith for hours after the service. This youth service began a great work of God where many were saved over about 6 months.
    5. “Did you ever witness 200 sinners, with one accord, in one place, weeping for their sins? … I felt as though I were standing on the verge of the eternal world; while the floor under my feet was shaken by the trembling of anxious souls in view of a judgment to come.” Nettleton in a letter in 1820, 113
    6. After preaching for weeks or months, he would commonly take a day or a week to listen to people’s testimonies of salvation. 128
    7. Nettleton’s life is a repetition of stories like this over and over for about 25 years.
    8. God saved 30,000 men through Nettleton over the years. 17

    His manner of preaching

    1. Usually he preached 5-7 times per week for decades. 232
    2. He preached much on the sinner’s condition as completely lost and hopeless.
    3. “It was difficult to say which he made plainest—their danger [of Hell] or their guilt [as sinners].” 376
    4. One man described Nettleton’s preaching as “one continued flash of conviction.” 160
    5. “In his preaching, his humility was apparent to all.” 162
    6. “When he spake of the glories of heaven, it was almost as if he had been there himself.” 162
    7. Those who watched him said that his face spoke clearly and his voice sounded like a song though he was always very serious.
    8. He always preached from the Bible, but he did not preach verse by verse through books, and he usually focused on sin and judgment.
    9. He cut out any story, thought, or truth if it was not aimed at bringing conversions. 176
    10. He would use drama when he preached as if he were a sinner lost in Hell, or a believer in Heaven.
    11. His preaching was “practical reasoning animated by strong emotion.” 229
    12. “His eye, after all, was the master power in his delivery. … He seemed to look every hearer in the face, or, rather, to look into his soul.” 230
    13. So far from being the power of Nettleton, the strength of his preaching “was the Holy Spirit poured out on him and his hearers.”
    14. The pastor in Taunton said that Nettleton so occupied men with God, that the revival continued without change after he left. 244
    15. He expected results not from a single sermon, but from weeks of preaching, then evenings with lectures, and then private conversations.

    The Serious Attitude

    1. He left one church while about 30 people were still wanting to hear more preaching. “It drove them from all human dependence. Distressing as it is, and cruel as it may seem, it is necessary for them to feel that no arm but God’ can help them.” 120
    2. “The distress was so great, and the suppressed sighs and sobs became so loud, that I could scarcely hear my own voice.” 126
    3. At the end of a service he said once, “Go away as still as possible. Do not talk by the way, lest you forget your own hearts. Do not ask how you like the preacher; but retire to your closets, bow before God, and give yourselves to Him this night.” 145
    4. Most people, he said think they have received Jesus, but in reality they are simply afraid of being thrown into fire. 180
    5. “How does the subject of the conviction and conversion of sinners affect your hearts? It is a subject in which God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and saints, and angels, are all interested. All heaven is moved at the repentance of one sinner. And, my hearers, if your hearts are not deeply interested in this subject, it is because you have no claims to the Christian character.” 183
    6. He aimed his private conversations and public sermons “to produce silence and self-condemnation, and confine their thoughts to their own lost and ruined state.” 243
    7. He felt that when a man is considering salvation, he ought not to spend much time in conversation, but mainly be alone thinking about his soul.
    8. In the revivals, Christians “were deeply humbled in view of their past neglects of duty. They mourned over their backslidings, and returned to God with deep contrition.” 323

    Sickness

    1. For about 10 years, he preached from church to church until at 39, he had a terrible illness.
    2. The sickness hurt and sometimes tortured him for the last 22 years of his life often keeping him from preaching.
    3. Modern medicine was not yet invented, but Nettleton still wrote while suffering, “Our mercies are greater than our afflictions.” 234
    4. Another pastor tried to nurse him, but caught his disease and died.
    5. For more than 2 years he could not preach.
    6. During this time, he compiled a hymnal and had it published. 238

    Problems with Charles Finney

    1. In 1826, after 15 years preaching, a new preacher suddenly became very popular in the US, Charles Finney.
    2. Lacking both the training and the kindness of Nettleton, Finney developed methods to produce revivals.
      1. Praying for people by name

      1. Encouraging women to speak publicly

      1. Asking men to come forward to show their faith
    3. This last method was called “the anxious seat” but over time it has been changed slightly to “the altar call.”
    4. For years Nettleton had rejected these ideas, but now they were becoming popular in churches in the US.
    5. Nettleton met with Finney twice, but he could not persuade him to stop the measures which Nettleton believed were “exceedingly dangerous.”
    6. “If the evil be not soon prevented, a generation will arise, inheriting all the [weaknesses] of their leaders… And these evils are destined to be propagated from generation to generation, waxing worse and worse.” 348
    7. Though Finney had only been preaching for 3 years and Nettleton for 15, he published a sermon attacking Nettleton.
    8. Finney accepted testimonies quickly, but Nettleton saw that a key work of a pastor consists in watching for false conversions.
    9. Nettleton saw that Finney’s problem was impatience: Finney wanted results—and big results—immediately.
    10. Finney “says not one word by which we can distinguish between true and false zeal, true and false religion.” 360 cf. 367
    11. Finney introduced entertaining practices of public prayer. 367
      1. They would tell stories about other people while pretending to pray.

      1. They would use different voices for a stage effect.

      1. They would ask for things other than conversion or spirituality.
    12. Ultimately, in the new methods, Nettleton was concerned that he saw no emphasis on humility, gentleness, and submission. 368ff

    Lessons to learn from Nettleton’s life

    1. False assurance is a terrible danger.
      1. When a man thought he was saved without evidence, Nettleton said, “You had better give it up, and seek your salvation in earnest.”

      1. When another asked, “Do you think there is any hope in my case?” Nettleton would reply, “It is uncertain. Sinners as concerned as you, and perhaps more so, have returned to stupidity.” 307

      1. “False affections often rise far higher than those that are genuine.” 360

      1. “Feelings which are not founded on correct theology cannot be right.” 362

      1. He evidently saw so many people claiming to be Christians, but with no evidence of salvation.

      1. To cure false assurance, he spoke much of conviction, judgment, and the new birth.

      1. He saw that entertainment and worldly methods were gimmicks making men feel spiritual without “pure religion.”

      1. Thus the great message of his life was a pursuit of true, serious, genuine conversion—a salvation that delivers men to Heaven.
    2. Our hearts, preaching, and talk must move more and more around the Son of God.
      1. There are many examples of his preaching in this book, but very little reference to the Son of God.

      1. Even in his own description of his conversion, he says almost nothing about Christ’s work, or his own faith in or love to Jesus.

      1. Once in Scotland a woman interrupted his sermon saying, “Dear Sir, don’t forget that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” 286

      1. Even his biographer says that he wished Nettleton had preached Christ more. 175

      1. This must be why he had no confidence even in his own salvation until the day of his death. 432-433
    3. Covenant theology leads to false conversion.
      1. Since many churches held to Covenant Theology, they allowed people to baptize their babies and be members without giving testimonies of faith in Christ. 18

      1. Nettleton’s whole family was counted as Christian without true faith.

      1. Others converted by his ministry had counted themselves as true Christians for many years because of their infant baptism.

      1. Historically when Covenant Theology is emphasized, the new birth is not.
    4. Kindness leads men to Christ.
      1. Though Nettleton was very serious, numerous men said that his kindness drew men to hear him. 42, 242, 254, 300, 414

      1. When he led a man to Christ, he took time to speak to the new believer about being kind and enduring hardness. 424
    5. Pleading is an important part of Christian preaching.
      1. “Have you courage? Dare you not act a part so friendly to the souls of men? How many, think ye, may be lost through your neglect? If we do not warn sinners, my brethren, God has warned us. … What is your zeal, brethren, for the salvation of souls, compared with that of the Son of God? ‘He beheld the city and wept over it.’” 196

      1. “They felt themselves in the hands, and at the disposal of God [when Nettleton preached]. … They felt, that if they were lost they should be without excuse. … Everyone felt that the finger of God was in [his preaching].” 105

      1. His preaching was pleading, persuading, and pulling.

    Thesis

    • Because Nettleton took God, Hell, and the new birth very seriously, he was used to see thousands converted.

    Bibliography

    • Tyler, Bennet and Andrew Bonar, Asahel Nettleton: Life and Labors, Banner of Truth, reprinted 1996, 1854, 454 pages.
    Posted in Biography | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

    Thoughts on Charlie Kirk’s Assassination

    Posted on 20 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    Written by Colin Meyers

    Today I read the martyrdom of Stephen in Acts 6 and 7. He is one of the only men who could truly be called a saint. He was one of whom the world was not worthy. But I was also struck with the parallels between him and Charlie Kirk:

    1. They were both men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom. 6:3
    2. They both did wonders among the people. Perhaps Stephen worked miracles like the apostles, but Charlie elected a president and got the youth interested in religion and family. Very few in our day are having as much success as he did. 6:8
    3. Many of those who disliked their teaching came and disputed with them. 6:9
    4. Their opponents never won their debates. 6:10
    5. Their opponents stooped to lying and deceitful rhetoric. 6:11
    6. Their opponents lies were stupid and unbelievable. 6:11 (He blasphemes Moses, You’re a Nazi!)
    7. They defended themselves by beginning with what they could both agree on. 7:2-47
    8. Their opponents persecuted the ones who came before them. 7:52
    9. Their opponents were full of anger, but they were full of the joy of the Lord. 7:54-55
    10. Their opponents could not answer their arguments with logic, so they killed them. 7:60
    11. Their deaths did not bring about the opponents desired results. (See the rest of Acts, also 5:38-39.)

    The messages of Stephen’s life and death have been ringing through my mind: 

    1. If you just teach the Word of God, you will be persecuted for it.
    2. The more successful you are in evangelizing, the stronger the persecution will become.
    3. If you truly walk with God, then you will commonly see Him sooner. (Enoch, Elijah, Whitefield)
    4. Knowledge of the Bible is essential to effectual evangelism. Stephen not only knew the stories, he knew the prophesies that corresponded to them.
    5. No unsaved person actually wants a fair debate.
    6. If you do good where you have been called, you will probably be ordained to serve the church in some exemplary way. Would I have been one of the names that they called as a young man full of the Holy Spirit and of a good report?
    7. Weak Christians hurt stronger Christians. 6:7 Where were these priests who had just believed when Stephen was stoned?
    8. Just because a man is “learned” does not mean he is good. 6:9
    9. The difference between unbelievers and believers ought to be very clear. 6:15
    10. Respect for your elders is good, but you must be willing to correct them when they are wrong, even if they will hate you for it. Acts 7:53, Proverbs 9:8, Ecclesiastes 7:5
    11. Finally, would I stand for my faith even to death? I would like to answer yes, but I am not sure if the little aspects of the Christian faith like constant prayer are still so hard for me. 
    Posted in Unusual character | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

    Spurgeon on “Neglect Not the Gift”

    Posted on 19 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    “If on the other hand, you have only one talent, remember that you are the man who is in the greatest danger of neglecting gifts. The man with the five talents did not bury them, nor did the man with the two talents; but the man with the one talent was the one who buried his. He said he never should be the foremost man, so he gave up trying to be anything.

    “Yours is a more classical type of mind; very well then, study the classics diligently. Neglect not the gift that is in thee.

    “Suppose that you who have five talents do only as much as the brother with one talent, that will not do, for you have to account for the five talents which God has given you. If you have the swiftness of the hare, it is not enough for you to be a little ahead of the tortoise; you can go so much more rapidly, and God expects you to do so.

    “[One pastor] has turned out to be a dreadful apostate in the pulpit. I do not know how it is; but often an excess of cleverness is often accompanied by an excess in other directions, and so a man’s brains get turned.

    “You may neglect your gift so much as not to know that you have a gift. … Now, brethren, I do not want you to have self-conceit, there is too much of that already in the world, but do you know what true humility is? Humility is not to think too little of yourself, but to appraise yourself at your real value. … It is not humility for a man to think, ‘I have only one talent,’ when he has five, or at least two. What will his Master say to him when he says, ‘My Lord, I never thought I had more than one talent’? Will that let him off? I trow not. If he had the five,or the two, it will not do for him to think he has only one.”

    An address to the students at the pastor’s college. Selections from chapter 8 in Spurgeon’s Forgotten College Addresses

    Posted in Pastoral, Quotes | Tagged | Leave a comment

    8 Observations on John the Baptist’s Preaching

    Posted on 17 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    While reading Matthew 3, I saw so many marks of the kind of preaching God blesses in John’s ministry.

    1. He uses drama when he impersonates the Pharisees. 3:9
      “We have Abraham as our father!” We should have a lively, interesting, engaging delivery when we preach.
    2. He anticipates objections from his audience. 3:9
      “And think not to say within yourselves… for I say unto you…” We should put ourselves in the minds and hearts of our hearers and imagine what kinds of things they are thinking and how they are objecting.
    3. He used metaphors. 3:7, 8, 10, 12
      “Vipers, flee, fruits, axe, wheat” A preacher speaking to normal men should pictures and imagination.
    4. He mentions the work of all three members of the Trinity. 3:9, 11, 11
      Good preaching assumes the doctrine of the Trinity and references the works of individual members naturally and commonly.
    5. He includes eternal, conscious torment. 3:7, 12
      “The wrath to come… He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” God is marked by wrath. It is such a terror as to make us run. He will actively bring it, not the devil. The fire cannot be ended. The people marked as chaff will be its subjects.
    6. He calls for repentance and its fruits. 3:2, 8, 11
      True conversion brings a changed life.
    7. He introduces a category of false converts. 3:7
      Some of his hearers are not listening in good faith. He knows this in advance, and he publicly remarks upon it. We must keep this category of false convert in our minds when we teach.
    8. He groups the world into two categories: wheat and chaff. 3:12
      John the Baptist had his Master’s theology who said there is light and darkness, children of God and children of Satan, sheep and goats. We should speak very clearly about these two groups.

    Of such a preacher, the Alpha and Omega said, “There hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist.” I would have Him speak so to me.

    Posted in Pastoral | Tagged , | Leave a comment

    The Party of Murder

    Posted on 11 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    “The thief comes to kill.” In 2024, after many public personalities called for murder against Donald Trump, he was shot. Yesterday, Charlie Kirk was murdered. These men were attacked because they support America and see more good in her than bad.

    A clear divide shows itself. On one side are those who share these marks:

    1. Viewing America as a leader in evil, injustice, and oppression
    2. Opposition to or even hatred for Donald Trump
    3. Opposition to Israel or serious doubt about her actions since October 2023
    4. Support or sympathy for the sin of denying the sex God gave
    5. Minor concern about the growth of Islam in America and Europe
    6. Concern about racism from whites against blacks in America
    7. Critical attitude toward the dangers of capitalism

    This describes today’s Democrat party in the USA. They are on one side of this debate. Democrats support transgenderism which sent a man to murder children in a Catholic school in Minneapolis in August. Another from this same unnatural group shot children in a school in Nashville in 2023, and another in 2022, and 2019. One political party supported the perversion that opened the door for the demons. Are we surprised that when a man turns from God in the most basic areas, he begins acting like the devil who comes to kill?

    One side of the chasm and all its supporters in the movie industry, media world, and academic fortresses supported race riots, freeing violent criminals, and reduced sentences for crime. The murder of the white Ukrainian in Charlotte in August by a released violent criminal who openly shouted that he was trying to kill white people was enabled by the Democrat party. This party talks about racism, but their talk is subterfuge for more lawlessness in society.

    These are the ones who want to dilute America’s culture by a steady stream of migrants from cultures who do not share a Judeo-Christian heritage. And these are the ones who love abortion, write laws that crush small businesses, and see churches as a threat.

    America is under attack because the strongest presentation of Christianity anywhere in the world in the 21st century is in the USA. More Biblical churches are in the US than any other country in the world by far. More missionaries hold US passports than any other sending nation in the world by far. More money goes to planting churches and other righteous causes from the US than any country in the world.

    The USA does this because it has been influenced so heavily by the Bible and the preaching that says, “Ye must be born again.” With all her sins, America has a more Christian culture than any place in the world.

    And the demons know this so they are eager to attack. Charlie Kirk’s murder reminds us that there are only two sides, and any who calls himself a Christian must stand on Kirk’s side. Not only in doctrine since Kirk was a Protestant and believed in salvation through Christ alone by faith alone revealed in the Bible alone, but in the temporal matters that he so clearly promoted. God is using America. Marriage and children should be a man’s goal. Israel deserves our support. Freedom makes businesses and wealth grow better than the government. Kids growing up without fathers is a far bigger problem for blacks than racism.

    Christians around the world must get as far away from the party of murder and its evil marks. “Come out from among her that you receive not of her plagues for her sins have reached to Heaven.” African Christians should love America like Kirk did because the only other option is to look like the murderers.

    Posted in Politics | Tagged | Leave a comment

    Pride in Missionaries

    Posted on 9 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    When the Lord said, “Go into all the world and make disciples,” He began the most complex industry in the history of the world. It is a call that is exhausting, terrifying, confrontational, demanding, and humbling.

    Who can go? Only those who have met the 16 qualifications in 1 Timothy 3. They must be men of God. Further, there is commonly a personality trait that could be called individualistic because they are willing to leave their familiar structures and move to the unknown. Or from another perspective, we could call that trait boldness because they are willing to come into other peoples’ circles and try to change them. Without this Christian grace for which Paul told the Ephesians to pray for on behalf of missionaries (Eph. 6:19), men either will not go, or they will struggle and return to their home culture.

    So a missionary must be a man of character with real strength and grit—a Petrine lion.

    And to whom does this man go? He goes to people whom Peter says are deceived by the useless lifestyle of their ancestors (1 Pet. 1:18). They are bound in habits of lying and laziness. Their minds and consciences are defiled (Titus 1:12 and 15). So demonic are their ways, that even wearing clothing was too much grace for many of them. What kind of mud must a man be in if he must be told from the outside how to write his name?

    The word civilized was defined during the eras of European exploration as 1. Having a written language, 2. Musical notation, and 3. Buildings that reached above a single story. When men come from societies with those three marks and also numerous churches, schools, and industries, and arrive in societies that lack those marks, their arrival produced and still produces a dramatic shock for both sides.

    Now the missionary must be a man of character, so he must in a vital way be a moral example. He must be in that sense, superior or above as a teacher is above the student. How profitable would a Brazilian missionary be were he to arrive in Japan if he were not in the most important, spiritual way above the lost Japanese? If a Philippine Christian went to plant churches in Iraq and yet his wisdom, morals, lifestyle, and marriage were below or even at the same level as those to whom he came, what good could he do?

    It was said of William Carey in his old age by a new missionary wife who had just met him that he was the most humble man alive and that everyone knew it except Dr. Carey himself.

    This morning I read from Thomas A Kempis,

    Thou has nothing of which thou canst glory, but many things for which thou oughtest to account thyself vile; for thou art much weaker than thou art able to comprehend. …

    Let thy own extreme unworthiness be always displeasing to thee. Fear nothing, blame nothing, flee nothing, so much as thy faults and sins.

    One of the preachers most used by God in America’s history, Asahel Nettleton was recorded by his closest friend as weeping often from an overwhelming sense of his own vileness.

    Are missionaries not unprofitable servants (Luke 17:10)? Are we too not dogs who have scrabbled after the crumbs mercifully allowed us (Matt. 15:26-27)? Are the heathen sold under sin (Rom. 7:14), but not us because of our passports? Are we above King David who called himself a dead dog (1 Sam. 24:14) and a worm (Ps. 22:6)? Is the Apostle Paul the chief of sinners because of his pre conversion life, but we are the chief of saints?

    Many of the religious bodies that style themselves churches in Africa began generations ago by splitting from churches started by missionaries. I wonder if some of those splits could have been avoided had the missionaries been as much experts in humility as they were in linguistics.

    Should new converts have a greater degree of humility and abasement for the vile condition in which they were not only found, but which they were actively supporting? Of course, they should. But maybe we missionaries would make disciples in humility more efficiently by clearer examples for new believers to follow.

    Who can balance this matter? Before we cast stones at the missionary, try his role for a few years, or better, a few decades. It may be easier to critique than surpass. Leave your home, pull a language out of the air, raise your children without any relatives around, and keep a strong marriage with the added temptations of an unreached society hammering on your weaker vessel.

    But the best missionaries simply want their new nation to be all for Christ. Have we paid for plane tickets, but the price of humility is too steep? Can we pass out tracts, but not start the day with confession? Should we review grammar, but not the Biblical descriptions of who we are as sinners? Can we have any hope that the Spirit of God will come to us with life and power while our old man still lives and his stench drives the lost away?

    What souls might come to the Savior from a man who has no rights but plenty of love? What levels might our disciples reach were we at those levels giving them a hand up? What is more persuasive than humility and love?

    “Father, do Thou perform in me the heart work that will make me glad to be a spiritual beggar—stepped on, neglected, used, or forgotten—if only Thy sheep will hear that voice through some of my weak efforts. I would that my mind not forget so quickly the greatness of my sins and guilt against so much light as I was born into and yet which these dear people had not the grace to receive until just recently. Drain from us the septic self and fill us with that Spirit who is content that only the Son would be known.”

    Posted in Missions, Orthopathy | Tagged , | 1 Comment

    Revival Prophecies

    Posted on 8 September 2025 by Seth Meyers

    At least 14 books of the Old Testament promise a remarkable change in the world. Though now the gate is narrow, persecution is promised to the little flock of believers, and few are chosen, the OT promises that a revival is coming.

    This revival is complex, but there are 4 positive elements commonly repeated in the prophecies.

    • Israel will be saved. This country will believe in Jehovah. He will be their God, and they will be His people.
    • The nations will be saved. A day is coming when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
    • Israel will be prosperous. The country will have successful harvests, safe houses, happy families, and respect from the world.
    • The nations will be prosperous. Not only Israel, but all nations will be wealthy and safe.

    These messages are found in 92 prophecies which employ some of the most striking metaphors and pictures in the Bible.

    TextAll Israel will be saved.All the nations will be saved.Israel will prosper.All the nations will prosper.
    Ps. 2:8-9 X  
    Ps. 14:7X   
    Ps. 22:23, 27-28XX  
    Ps. 37:9, 11, etc.  XX
    Ps. 45:16-17XX  
    Ps. 46:9-10 X X
    Ps. 47:2-3 X X
    Ps. 53:6X   
    Ps. 67:4 X X
    Ps. 72:8-11 X  
    Ps. 86:9 X  
    Ps. 96:13   X
    Ps. 98:9   X
    Ps. 102:13-16 XX 
    Ps. 138:4-5 X  
    Is. 2:2-4XXXX
    Is. 2:17-18 X  
    Is. 10:20-22X   
    Is. 11:4-12 XXX
    Is. 14:1-2X X 
    Is. 19:21 X  
    Is. 27:6, 13 XX 
    Is. 30:23-26  X 
    Is. 31:7X   
    Is. 32:18  X 
    Is. 33:20-24X X 
    Is. 41:16X   
    Is. 43:1, 5, 6X X 
    Is. 44:21-22X   
    Is. 45:17, 22-25XX  
    Is. 49:22-23, 26X X 
    Is. 51:5 X  
    Is. 52:9-10XX
    Is. 54:2-3 X  
    Is. 54:13-14X X 
    Is. 60:1-22XXX 
    Is. 61:1-11XXX 
    Is. 62:1-12X X 
    Is. 65:18-25X X 
    Is. 66:12-24XXX 
    Jer. 3:16-18X X 
    Jer. 12:14-15X   
    Jer. 15:19-20X   
    Jer 16:14-16X   
    Jer. 23:3-8X X 
    Jer. 24:6-7X X 
    Jer. 29:13-14X X 
    Jer. 30:3-21X X 
    Jer. 31:1-37X X 
    Jer. 32:37-44X X 
    Jer. 33:6-26X X 
    Jer. 46:27-28X   
    Jer. 50:4-5X   
    Jer. 50:20X   
    Eze. 11:17-20X   
    Eze. 14:11X   
    Eze. 16:60-63X   
    Eze. 20:40-44X   
    Eze. 28:25-26X X 
    Eze. 29:21X   
    Eze. 34:22-30X X 
    Eze. 36:8-11X X 
    Eze. 36:23-38X X 
    Eze. 37:21-28X X 
    Eze. 38:14-23 XX 
    Eze. 39:21-29X X 
    Dan. 7:14, 18, 22, 27 X  
    Hos. 1:10X   
    Hos. 2:14-20X X 
    Hos. 3:5X   
    Hos. 14:4-8X X 
    Joel 2:23-27X X 
    Joel 3:16-18X X 
    Amos 9:11-15X X 
    Oba. 17-21X X 
    Mic. 4:1-13XXXX
    Mic. 5:2-5XX  
    Mic. 7:18-20X   
    Nah. 1:15  X 
    Hab. 2:14XXXX
    Hab. 3:3-16X   
    Zeph. 2:11 X  
    Zeph. 3:9-20X X 
    Zech. 2:4-5, 10-12XXX 
    Zech. 8:2-23XXX 
    Zech. 9:10, 15-17XXX 
    Zech. 10:6X X 
    Zech. 12:4-12X X 
    Zech. 13:2-4, 9X   
    Zech. 14:9-21XXXX
    Mal. 1:11 X  
    Mal. 3:12XXX 

    Observations

    1. Many times, God promises that He will not forsake Israel, but that He will regather them to the land of their fathers.
    2. A complete conversion of the nation of Israel to the one, true God is promised repeatedly.
    3. A complete conversion of the nations of the world to the one, true God is promised repeatedly.
    4. The metaphors and terms of these prophecies overwhelm the imagination with thoughts of a Christian world—like the waters cover the sea, to the ends of the earth, change weapons to business tools, all the kings of the earth, all nations, all the ends of the earth, all families, etc.
    5. A universal prosperity where Israel is not threatened, there is no war in the earth, wild animals are no longer wild, and harvests are abundant is promised repeatedly in the OT, but not as often as the promises of conversion.
    6. This age of prosperity is commonly called “in that day” or “the day of the Lord.”
    7. Before this Golden Age, before Israel’s revival, there will be terrible judgment called “the time of Jacob’s trouble” in which many will die both of the Jews and the nations (Jer. 25:29-33; 30:5-6; Dan. 12:1, et. al.).
    8. During this Golden Age, there will still be sin and death in the world (Zech. 13:3; 14:17; Is. 65:20; Ez. 11:21; 47:10).
    9. The feasts, death penalties, and sacrifices of the Law of Moses are found in this time (Is. 19:21; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 13:3; 14:16; Mal. 1:11, et. al.).
    10. 14 of the 16 OT prophets and numerous psalms record Golden Age prophecies making this theme the most commonly inspired prophecy in the OT.
    11. 8 of the 16 OT prophets end their books with clear statements about hope in the Golden Age—Isaiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Zephaniah, Zechariah.
    12. The descendants of Abraham are contrasted with the nations by at least 8 specific, historic, ethnic names : Jews, Israel, Judah, Jerusalem, Zion, house of Joseph, Ephraim, and my people.
    13. Specific names for other nations, cities, and geographical features are used commonly in the Golden Age prophecies: Moab, Ammon, Edom, Egypt, etc.
    14. The pattern of terrible judgment before amazing blessing (bitter before the sweet) sounds just like the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24-25, Mark 13, Luke 21), John’s Revelation, and the NT motif of suffering persecution before the Blessed Hope.
    15. Israel is first called in Genesis, then redeemed in Exodus, then judged terribly and at length for her vile sins in the prophets, and then finally regathered, converted, and made prosperous in the land of her fathers “in the day of the Lord.”
    16. 95% of the prophecies explicitly speak of spiritual revival either among Israel or the entire world.

    Best Phrases for Prayer and Hope

    1. “May he also rule from sea to sea And from the River to the ends of the earth.” Ps. 72:8
    2. “And let all kings bow down before him, All nations serve him.” Ps. 72:11
    3. “All nations whom You have made shall come and worship…” Ps. 86:9
    4. “The earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord As the waters cover the sea.” Is. 2:9
    5. “All mankind will come to bow down before Me.” Is. 65:23
    6. “They will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them.” Jer. 31:34
    7. “All the coastlands of the nations will bow down to Him,” Zeph. 2:11
    8. Ten men from all the nations will grasp the garment of a Jew, saying, “Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you.” Zech. 8:23
    9. “The Lord will be king over all the earth.” Zech. 14:9
    10. “From the rising of the sun even to its setting, My name will be great among the nations.” Mal. 1:11

    Prophecies per book

    1. Psalms—15
    2. Isaiah—25
    3. Jeremiah—14
    4. Ezekiel—12
    5. Daniel—1
    6. Hosea—4
    7. Joel—2
    8. Amos—1
    9. Obadiah—1
    10. Micah—3
    11. Nahum—1
    12. Habakkuk—2
    13. Zephaniah—2
    14. Zechariah—7
    15. Malachi—2
      TOTAL—92

    Conclusions

    1. The Holy Spirit wanted these themes to be not only declared, but emphasized.
    2. A great revival is coming to the nation of Israel and the entire world.
    3. The clarity and repetition of the words must be fulfilled on earth with Israel and the nations of the world. It is entirely foreign to the laws of language to see these prophecies happening now in our hearts, or in the churches around the world, or in the future in Heaven.
    4. The modern history of Israel since 1948 fits this revelation: the regathering has begun, but they are still hard and darkened.
    5. These truths should fill us with a grand, ultimate hope. We should expect these things to happen. Massive revivals are a Blessed Hope to which we should look eagerly.
    6. We should pray the exact phrases that are so hopeful and victorious.
    Posted in Missions, Orthopathy | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

    The Sacrament of the Sinner’s Prayer

    Posted on 29 August 2025 by Seth Meyers

    Last night while driving home from evangelism, I picked up a 25-year old Venda man who needed a lift. He had a good job and education. After some conversation, I asked him if he attended church.

    Venda man: Yes.

    Seth: If a man came to your church and wanted to go to Heaven, what would your pastor tell him?

    Venda man: My pastor would pray with him.

    Seth: That is important, but is there anything else that your pastor would tell him?

    Man: Like what?

    Seth: OK, what if my friend Nyiko came to you and said, “I want to go to Heaven.” What would you tell him?

    Man: He should pray.

    Seth: Do you think you will go to Heaven?

    Man: Yes.

    Seth: How do you know?

    Man [speaking in Venda]: Ndo dzhia “sinner’s prayer.” [Lit. I took the “sinner’s prayer.” Spoken sacramentally as if this action brought grace.]

    Seth: What are you forgetting?

    Man: I don’t understand you.

    Seth: Today before we picked you up, we had already picked up 4 other different people and asked them the same question. 3 of the 4 said they were Christians, and they all gave answers similar to yours. But they all forgot this one great Thing. What did they forget? Now, I will tell you, but when I tell you, you will immediately say, ‘Oh, I knew that!’ But for some reason you didn’t think of it before I told you. If you can’t think of it before I told you, it means you are lost. You are in darkness. You are not born again. You are a goat.

    Would you like one last chance? What did you forget? You forgot Christ, His Cross, His blood, His keeping the law, His praying for His people, His promise to come back on a white horse. You thought nothing of God’s Son. And this is proof that you are lost.

    Man [surprised as he is about to get out of the vehicle]: Where is your church?

    His line that he “took the sinner’s prayer” was instructive and sad. Though I am now hearing from time to time, “I received Jesus Christ,” my experience and conversations lead me to believe that most Tsongas and Vendas and Shonas trust some kind of sacrament to deliver grace to them like a sinner’s prayer and African traditional voodoo charms.

    Posted in Accounts of African Religion | Tagged | 1 Comment

    Alcohol and Drink According to Charles Spurgeon

    Posted on 15 August 2025 by Seth Meyers

    Do any pastors talk like this today? All the lines below are from Charles Spurgeon in 1869 and 1880, reprinted by the Banner of Truth in 2009 as Spurgeon’s Practical Wisdom.

    From a slovenly, smoking, snuff-taking, beer-drinking parson may the church be delivered. page 19

    Beer guzzled down as it is by many a working man is nothing better than brown ruin. Dull droning blockheads sit on the ale bench and wash out what little sense they ever had. 89

    You young people who want to get on in the world must make a point of dropping your half-pints, and settle in your spirits that no spirits will ever settle in you. 115

    The beerhouse is a bad friend. … Those who go to the public-house for happiness climb a tree to find fish. We might put all their wit in an eggshell, or they would never be such dupes as to hunt after comfort where it is no more to be found than a cow in a crow’s nest. 146

    They say that drunkenness makes some men fools, some beasts, and some devils, but according to my mind it makes all men fools whatever else it does. … Certain neighbors of mine laugh at me for being a teetotaller, and I might well laugh at them for being drunk, only I feel more inclined to cry that they should be such fools. … We smile at a tipsy man, for he is a ridiculous creature, but when we see how he is ruined body and soul it is no joking matter. [This section is from one of two whole chapters devoted to attacking alcohol] 187

    Could we not have a feast without the beer and the headaches? 199

    I have tried to convince Joe Scroggs that it would be a fine thing for him to join the teetotallers. … Can nothing be done for such fools? Why not shorten the hours for dealing out drink? Why not shut up the public-houses on Sundays? If these people have not got sense enough to take care of themselves the law should protect them. 209

    A man who drinks a glass or two, and goes now and then to the tap-room, is a horse with his bridle on, and stands a fair chance of being locked up in Sir John Barleycorn’s stables, and made to carry Madame Drink and her habit. … Nobody wants to keep a little measles or a slight degree of fever. We all want to be quite quit of disease; and so let us try to be rid of every evil habit. What wrong would it be right for us to stick to? Don’t let us tempt the devil to tempt us. If we give Satan an inch, he will take a mile. As long as we carry his halter he counts us among his nags. Off with the halter! May the grace of God set us wholly free. Does not Scripture say, ‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing’? 263

    I cannot make out why so many working men spend their evenings at the public house, when their fireside would be so much better and cheaper too. There they sit, hour after hour, boozing and talking nonsense, and forgetting the dear good souls at home who are half-starved and weary with waiting for them. Their money goes into the publican’s till when it ought to make their wives and children comfortable; as for the beer they get, it is just so much fools’ milk to drown their wits in. Such fellows ought to be horse-whipped, and those who encourage them and live on their spendings deserve to feel the butt end of the whip. Those beershops are the curse of this country—no good can ever come of them, and the evil they do no tongue can tell; the publics were bad enough, but the beershops are a pest; I wish the man who made the law to open them had to keep all the families that they have brought to ruin. Beershops are the enemies of the home, and therefore the sooner their licenses are taken away the better; poor men don’t need such places, nor rich men either, they are all the worse and no better, like Tom Norton’s wife. Anything that hurts the home is a curse, and ought to be hunted down as gamekeepers do the vermin in the copses. 69

    Posted in Alcohol | Tagged , | 1 Comment