I have been thinking recently about spiritual survival. As Christians we believe we are saved by grace, through faith in Christ. The promises of God are sure (Romans 10:13; 2 Corinthians 1:22-22), and the position of the Christian before God is assured (Ephesians 1:13-14; 2:6-10). Nevertheless, God has ordained that those he has saved should continue to run the race of this life and in this we often can struggle. The apostle Paul wrote of this in his first letter to believers in Corinth, home of the Isthmian games:
"Do you not know that in a race all the runners
run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do
it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that
will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly;
I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body to make
it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not
be disqualified for the prize."
Paul is comparing the Christian life with that of the athlete, who gives up many legitimate pleasures in order to run a good race. So too the Christian must apply himself or herself in order to make spiritual progress. The parallel with Christianity is not complete of course, since there is not one winner in the Christian race, many are saved by Christ. Nevertheless the Christian walk should be spiritually athletic and the flabby Christian needs to shape up. The Christian life, then, is purposeful (I do not run like a man running aimlessly) and disciplined (I beat my body to make it my slave), in other words, I do not give in to myself. In all this I have found it helpful to go back regularly to those things that help me in my training and I call this my spiritual survival kit. The truth is that there are different things in my spiritual survival kit for different seasons but consider this:
If you had to pick five items essential to your Christian walk, things you simply couldn't do without, apart from your Bible, which is a given, five things you go back to again and again for help and encouragement, what would they be? Books, music, talk tapes, study guides, all sorts of things might be included in your Spiritual Survival Kit, but if you were limited to five what would you include?
Here are five I think I would include in no particular order:
1. The Lion Handbook to the Bible (the latest edition is an excellent
resource).
2. How to Read the Bible for all its Worth, by Gordon Fee and Douglas
Stuart (an indispensable Bible study tool).
3. Pilgrims Progress (I am that man).
4. The Cross In The New Testament, by Leon Morris (An excellent exposition
of the key doctrine of Scripture).
5. Decision Making and the Will of God, by Garry Freisen (I stopped
getting screwed up about my decisions after I read this).
Mike Thomas
Here are some more and we will be posting more in the coming months
and would welcome your own lists and suggestions. Who knows but that
you might bless someone with your own suggestions or perhaps find blessing
and encouragement for yourself (the management reserves the right to
vet entries - that is to say we will vet the lists, not the contributors.
This is an editing process and not a surgery).
Sally Smith is a foster carer from the Midlands (UK). She attends
her local Anglican Parish Church.
1. ipod with all my favourite songs, - all of Jami Smiths collection,
especially Bravo God and Your love is deep. Also would have Come thou
fount of every blessing, especially the verse:
O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I'm constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here's my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.
2. Notebooks and pens to write.
3. Laptop with Nelsons Ultimate Bible Reference software, which
contains a wealth of reference information, and access to the Internet.
4. Photograph of my family on the beach at Polzeath, Cornwall
(I know that there is a little bit of heaven that is exactly like that!!)
5. The Lion Christian Classics Collection compiled by Tony Lane.
Lisa Peregrine is a Christian child psychiatrist
from Wales.
1. Warren Wiersbe-Be Free (study of Galatians) - It helped me through
a period of spiritual development in which I came to see that not all
preachers were true teachers. After reading it i could never view the
church in the same naive light again, but it gave me confidence to grow
into discernment. I would recommend all of this series to non-professional
theologians, as they are simple but full of biblical insight.
2. The Diary of Ann Frank - I am a firm believer that the study of this
book should be compulsory to all school children. No one should ever
be allowed to forget the horrors of anti-Semitism. It helps to remind
me of my love for the Jewish people.
3. The Normal Christian life by Watchman Nee - It is full of wonderful
spiritual truths, it is so good that I had to keep writing pages of
it and e mailing it to various friends. Unfortunately, I also kept giving
it away and so I have never actually read it to the last page!!
4. The hymn Amazing Grace by Newton - Because this reminds me of the
best gift anyone ever gave anyone, and ever since I discovered that
I was saved by his grace alone, it has become a warm place in my heart
that i can retreat to when all is dark outside.
5. Holiness by JC Ryle - Written nearly 100 years ago. The first time
I read this book it was really traumatic, as i realised that my whole
walk in the Christian life had been by my own effort. It firmly pointed
me to the cross and thereby to grace.
John
Tancock is a Church leader in Swansea, has been a Christian
since his childhood and has proved a good friend of Reachout Trust through
the years. His comments and choices give you the measure of the man.
What do we mean by that? You decide.
You've selected books!! If mine was books it would be..
1. NIV Thematic Study Bible or Thematic dictionary. Every believer
should have one, what does the bible say about….., no commentary just
the scriptures…….just what the doctor ordered.
2. FF Bruce, Answers to Questions. Such sense, such scholarship, such
wisdom.
3. G E Ladd, New Testament Theology. How to learn theology and get gloriously
'blissed out' as he describes the NT teaching on the Kingdom of God,
his book 'presence of the future' does it too.
4. G Collins, Christian counselling
5. Interlinear Bible
If it wasn't books it would be..
1. Computer for Internet access
2. Civ 3 computer game (or Rome Total War when it is available). Yep a game to give me some 'escape!!
3. The cheap compilation album of worship songs…great value, lots of songs!
4. and I'm thinking about the rest!!
John did think about the rest and recently wrote again:
My list is likely to change and I'd probably add some secular dance/trance music because it draws from me awe at the life God gives us, the energy of living and the exhilaration of 'being'.
Guess what? Yes, his choice changed, or was added to, and these were his additions. Is this getting a little out of hand?
Times Atlas of World history. You see them come you see them go, the colours change, but the word of the Lord stands forever. And of the increase of his kingdom shall be no end.
Jesus and the Victory of God by N T Wright. Cos its BIG, it challenges my mind, inspires my soul and lifts my Spirit.
Did I say five? Never mind. Maybe there is some inspiration in this loot for everyone. I will certainly be looking out for the titles I don't already have.
Jeremy Ley is a Reachout Associate
and he attends Grace Community Church, Looe, Cornwall
Five things I would have in such a kit would include:
1. Attributes of God by Arthur Pink (Pink just can't help quoting
so many Scriptures on every single page!)
2. Streams in the Desert Vol 1 by Mrs Charles Cowman (a great daily
devotional which has stood the test of time. My copy is dog-ear'd but
I love it)
3. Audio Recording of Zac Poonan's sermon on 'The Body of Christ' (lost
count how many times I have listened to this)
4. Eden's Bridge CD; New Celtic Worship (great Irish group who put wonderful
Celtic sounds to wonderful hymns. Great for a reflective mood)
5. Hard To Believe by John MacArthur (John unashamedly tells it as it
really is. If you want an unflinching message from the Word, you'll
always get one from this man!)
Matthew Tricker is the pastor of a busy
Baptist Church in the South Wales valleys and offers his own list, along
with some helpful commentary:
My spiritual survival kit of five things would probably look like the following.
1. The Saint's Everlasting Rest by Richard Baxter, This is the book
I read when I am ill or cannot sleep in the early hours of the morning,
I always find something here to soothe my soul and to get me thinking.
2. Volumes 1 and 2 of Aid Us in Our Strife by Arthur Neil. When I am
up to my neck in spiritual warfare these are the books I turn to, knowing
this man has trodden the battlefield and hid/stood well in Christ out
Lord.
3. The Trinity by Bishop Edward Henry Bickersteth, When I have times
of quiet I like to dip into this book to broaden my simple understanding
of the Godhead, and to be challenged to back my self up continually
with Scripture as seen by Edward's scripture references in the margins.
4. A commentary that has richly blessed me so far this year is "Ezekiel"
by William Greenhill. Every time I read of it I learn something new.
I love his keenness to point us to Jesus.
5. My fifth survival item would be my climbing equipment and sit on
kayak. A healthy body helps to keep a fit mind, both activities I find
help with prayer, relaxing and deepening one's relationship with Jesus
as I view his creation from different angles.
Lionel Atherton, an Anglican priest in
Preston, Lancashire, in the North of England offers this list:
1. A photograph of my wife and children.
2. A recording of Psalms 78 and 84 as sung by Exeter Cathedral choir
in my time as a Lay-vicar.
3. My House Communion set.
4. A Dictionary of the Christian Church, Cross.
5. A sufficiency of homebrew equipment for the duration.
Cathy Bielenin is from Chicago, Illinois,
attends an Evangelical Free Church ('pretty much Reformed' she tells
me), and has been a Christian for six years.
1. The awesome Christian hymn " It is Well with My Soul" (Horatio
Spafford), because after God redeemed me, He mercifully put this awesome
hymn into my heart to show me that I was finally "right with My God".
I had been so "wrong" for so long.
2. Another awesome Christian hymn "When I survey The Wonderous Cross"
(Isaac Watts). The words speak volumes of how this song has helped my
own spiritual journey.
3. A little known book by the great English Puritan preacher Pastor
Jeremiah Burroughs, called "Gospel Fear". This book holds a veritable
goldmine of helpful advice on growing near to God.
4. A small book by the modern day Scotsman by the name of Pastor Sinclair
Ferguson called "Sermon On The Mount." This book goes over, in amazing
detail of the greatest sermon ever preached in the world, The Lord Christ's
"Sermon on the Mount".
5. A tape from a sermon by one of America's great expository preachers:
Pastor John MacArthur, called: "Salvation Survey, Empty Words." This
sermon preaches on how easily the human heart can deceive itself and
how vital it is for all of us to ask the Lord to examine us.
Doug Harris has been the chairman of Reachout
Trust for almost twenty-five years. In that time he has worked extensively
in Bible teaching and apologetics work, writing several books, and speaks
extensively in churches and conventions. He also helps lead a local
church.
1. Strong's Concordance
2. Life of C.T.Studd
3. Matthew Henry's Complete Bible Commentary
4. Spurgeon's Metropolitan tabernacle Pulpit
5. My Utmost for His Highest
Sharon Lindbloom has run Word for the
Weary, an Evangelical Mission to Mormons, since 1989. She lives with
her family in Minnesota. Her web site can be found at www.answeringlds.org
1. The Holiness of God, by R.C. Sproul (centers my thinking on what
true holiness is and how desperately I need my Savior)
2. A Hymnal (to keep a song in my heart and on my lips)
3. The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions,
edited by Arthur Bennett (these prayers always move me to worship and
thanksgiving, focusing my heart and mind on what really matters)
4. Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology, edited by Walter A.
Elwell (helps me better understand the big picture and the small details,
how everything fits together in God's Word)
5. The Hiding Place, by Corrie ten Boom (reminds me that God can change
a life in an instant, can use anyone at any age, to bring about His
amazing plan)
Sharon Lindbloom, a sinner saved by grace, walking with Jesus
O God, You are my God,
Earnestly I seek You;
My soul thirsts for You,
My body longs for You,
In a dry and weary land
Where there is no water.
-Psalm 63:1
What would you include and why? Send
them by email and we will consider all contributions carefully and
look forward to seeing the Christian community helping each other grow
as we learn from each other's lists.
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