Author: Gospel Folio Press

Tell me more about… The Holy Spirit

By: Jack Hay

“This is the fifth book in the Tell me more about … series, prepared for young believers who are seeking to learn the fundamentals of “the faith … once delivered unto the saints” (Jude v 3). The writer is conscious of his diverse readership, so “complicated sentences and difficult words” are noticeably absent.

The book has four chapters – The Holy Spirit and His Work; The Holy Spirit and the Believer; The Holy Spirit and the Church; and The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Tongues and other Miraculous Signs. These are important aspects of truth relating to the Holy Spirit that believers must grasp if they are to make progress in their understanding of the Bible, and are to appreciate the great blessings into which they have been brought. Each of the chapters concludes with a helpful summary of key points, and guidance as to further study. The author begins chapter 1 with a consideration of the word ‘trinity’; a word that Unitarian writers oppose so vehemently. He emphasises that that “there is one God” (1 Tim 2.5), and outlines the Scriptural revelation of three Persons without reverting to ancient creeds, with which few readers would be familiar.

Tell me more about the Holy Spirit also includes clear statements about other areas of controversy such as the sign gifts of the Holy Spirit. The author distinguishes Biblical terms that are often confused, such as the baptism in the Spirit, the filling of the Spirit, and speaking with tongues. Clarity is a marked feature of this helpful publication.”

~ This book review was originally published by Believer’s Magazine (January 2017), written by Tom Wilson.

Book Preview: This is an excerpt from the book 31 Days at Bethlehem’s Manger, written by Shane Johnson.

A great devotional to pick up before December 1!

---

December 1 – Morning

“But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah…” Micah 5:2

Why did the Lord choose Bethlehem to birth His Son? Why not Jerusalem, the nation’s capital, or Shechem, or Jericho, or any of the other famous cities of Israel? One reason is because Bethlehem bears the signature of God. God has always bypassed the rich, the famous and the powerful of this world in favour of the meek. He has hidden Himself from the wise and prudent and has chosen to reveal Himself to babes (Matt. 11:25).

Palestine was a despised nation in the eyes of the Roman Empire at the time of Christ’s advent. Christ did not march into our world a Roman, nor set Himself up as a cultured Greek. Jesus Christ was born a Jew, despised, enslaved, unrecognized and weak. Bethlehem was “little” among the thousands of potential cities of Judah in which Messiah could have been born. Yet God chose this very place to be the black velvety cloth against which He could display His rarest diamond.

You and I are also “little” among the thousands of rich and powerful of this world, yet the Saviour chooses to dwell in us. Marvelous is the thought: He has decided to display His mighty power in these earthen vessels, these jars of clay, in order that His power and excellence might clearly be known (2 Cor. 4:7). He forsook the palace for the stable. He bypassed the kings and nobles, and instead invited the despised shepherds to witness His birth. He refused to call the chief priests and Pharisees as His disciples but chose instead unlearned fishermen and former tax collectors to be among His twelve. That is why He has chosen you and me. God has not chosen the wise, the mighty and the noble to display His glory, but has chosen “the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty” (1 Cor. 1:27).

You want to be great? Then shrink yourself small.
To look a little like the Son,
Relinquish everything, give up all.
Take as your pedestal a manger stall
And of the world’s fame take none.

When He came here he erased his face,
And let His massive name be killed.
Alexander (the Great) did a little kingdom make
But next to Christ he seems ungreat.
Jesus’ name is the smallest and greatest still.

---

“If you want to seriously meditate on the great truths of what really happened just over 2000 years ago, and how it shook both heaven and earth, forever, you will not be disappointed with any page of this fresh and rich devotional book written by a man I have come to respect very much.

Shane Johnson has provided us with two meditations for each day of December, predominantly with a focus on the Incarnation – God becoming a man, in real though sinless human flesh – to help us not only understand the plan of God, but to motivate us to worship and serve Him. The last few days in the book shift the focus away from the “Christmas” theme, as Shane points to a new year of putting this renewal of adoration into practice, by first addressing what we really believe.” – From the Introduction by Peter Bolton

 

By This Conquer: Studies In The Epistle to the Philippians

By: Andrew Borland

“By This Conquer continues Ritchie’s Classic Reprint series. Subtitled ‘Studies in the Epistle to the Philippians’, it is a verse-by-verse commentary that will prove helpful to a wide age range of readers. The name Andrew Borland was associated with Believer’s Magazine for more than three decades, and he was Editor of the Magazine for most of that period. All who remember his editorial precision will not be disappointed by his elegant prose in By This Conquer. The clarity of his writing will also be appreciated by a wider 21st century readership.

In his Foreword, the author modestly suggests that this book contains “nothing new”; he claims to leave that to “more scholarly and more original thinkers”. Yet his exposition of Philippians is much more than a re-working of other writers’ interpretations, and he parts company with many in his approach to Philippians 3.11-12. His defence of Christ’s Person, as presented in Philippians 2, is trenchant. He states clearly his defence of both the Lord’s deity and His humanity and, in so doing, he opposes emphatically those who try to have one foot in the camp that would dare to present ‘a fallible Christ’, and the other in a more fundamentalist camp. He strips aside their veneer of reverence to Christ to expose their desire to have “a non-miraculous Jesus … that leads to a purely legendary Christ.”

The chapters of By This Conquer were originally published in a monthly magazine, so every verse is not covered in the same level of detail. Many younger readers will be encouraged by the brevity of the chapters – 30 chapters are covered in 232 pages. By This Conquer is a good choice for Ritchie’s Classic Reprint Series. To those familiar with his writing, it is Andrew Borland at his best. To others who never heard him preach, or who may not have had opportunity to read his articles or books, By This Conquer will provide an introduction to an author who proved helpful to many in past generations.”

~ This review was originally published in the Believer’s Magazine (January 2017), written by Tom Wilson.