Imprisoned but Not Silenced

One of great ironies of Christian history occurred in the latter part of  seventeenth-century England, in the little town of Bedford. Despite more than a century of attempts at reforming both church and state, the struggle for religious freedom had been long and hard in coming. A poor tinker (mender of pots and pans and such) named John Bunyan had recently begun to preach the gospel with uncommon effect. In increasing numbers the people began to give him a hearing, and it was evident to all that his preaching was greatly blessed of God.

            But Bunyan was not part of the established church, and he was not properly licensed to preach. This didn’t matter to him, because it was under the orders of the Lord Christ that he preached the gospel. But it did matter to the authorities, and they demanded that he stop. Under orders by a higher authority, of course, he would not stop. He continued preaching with great effect. And for his crime of preaching the gospel without proper authorization, and in order specifically to keep him from preaching, Bunyan was locked up in the Bedford jail.

            The irony of the story is that as a direct result of their shutting him up in prison his voice has been heard by more people than most any preacher in history. Not only did he preach often even while in prison to a very “captive” audience, but languishing there he turned to writing and produced many popular works of Christian literature. And among his many titles, begun it seems during his later imprisonment, is the renowned Pilgrim’s Progress, the most widely published book in all history, second only to the Bible itself.

            We are told that Pilgrim’s Progress has been translated into more than two hundred languages, and it has passed through countless English editions, with millions of copies worldwide. It was a runaway best seller in his own day, it has been continuously in print ever since, and never before or since has a book ever been published that can rival it — the Bible only excepted. It has been a staple in Christian homes for three and a half centuries, and even in secular studies of literature it has been studied and hailed as the greatest allegory ever written. This from a man shut in prison in order to keep him from being heard.

            I love this story, and preparing recently to teach again on Bunyan and his immortal classic I have been impressed once more with the wonders of divine providence. Bunyan was imprisoned more than twelve years, all told, in attempt to shut him up. And yet he still speaks. Indeed, not only does he still speak, few men in history have been heard more!

            Of course, not all Christian suffering results in such obvious triumph. God’s providence is mysterious, and he has often allowed his children to suffer with little evident consequence. We trust him in either case. But it is encouraging indeed to be reminded how easy it is for God to give success to the gospel and accomplish the advance of his kingdom. Let the world do as it will, no one will ever stay his hand or frustrate his purpose (Dan. 4:34-35). He works all things according to the counsel of his own will (Eph. 1:11) — so infallibly, in fact, that even the wrath of man shall praise him (Ps. 76:10).

            Such a God we can surely trust.

Preachers, Know When to Quit!

There are few things more disheartening as a congregant than hearing a forty minute preacher preach for fifty minutes, a thirty minute preacher preach for forty minutes, or a twenty minute preacher preach for thirty minutes.  Somehow, that last ten minutes can weaken and even destroy the impact of all that has been said in the sermon to that point.  There is no virtue in length for the sake of it.  I think I’ve heard two preachers in my entire life who could preach for an hour; and most preachers I know would be much better if they shaved at least five or ten minutes off their typical length.  Get up there, say what you’ve got to say as clearly as you can, and then sit down again.  That’s all that’s necessary.   As Luther says elsewhere in Table Talk (2643a), `I hate a long sermon, because the desire on the part of the congregation to listen is destroyed by them, and the preachers hurt themselves.’   And, as usual, Luther got it right.

Carl Trueman, “Luther on the Marks of a Good Preacher, II”

Are You Sanctified?

Simeon was a fifth-century monk who subjected himself to severe practices of asceticism in his quest for what he thought was holiness. He became somewhat of a celebrity in his day, widely known for his extreme practices of depriving himself of the basic necessities of life. Crowds began to seek him out for advice and prayer.

Unable to escape the world horizontally, he attempted to do it vertically. He climbed up a pillar among some Syrian ruins with a narrow platform at the top, determined that there he would live out his earthly days. With meager food and drink brought to him by boys from the village, he lived atop the pillar for 39 years, refusing to come down even for his own mother’s funeral. There, consistent with his wish, he died.

“Saint Simeon the Stylite” inspired many isolationist imitators, and pillar-sitting became quite popular for a time. Others apparently bought into his philosophy – that the best way to avoid contamination from the world is to avoid contact with the world.

The problem is, Jesus had a larger agenda for his followers than just not being contaminated by the world. In His prayer recorded for us in John 17 (including eighteen mentions of “the world”), He made it clear that He desired us to remain pure and obedient, yet fully engaged in a redemptive mission to the hurting people in the world.

“I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” (John 17:15-18)

We don’t achieve “sanctification” by climbing atop a pillar and isolating ourselves from unbelievers. Rather, we live in the world, but we march to the beat of a different drummer. Our ethics, our values, our purpose in life – all of these are distinct from the unbelieving world around us and derived from our daily study of God’s unchanging Word. This is the sanctification Jesus asked the Father to grant us: obedient to the Word, yet still connected in redemptive mission to those who need to hear the gospel. Are you sanctified . . . or just sitting on a pole?