Episodes

A Layman’s Commentary on the Whole Bible…Review from 05.03.2022 In this A Layman’s Commentary on the Whole Bible initial episode, you will hear: Our first blush direction of the effort. Our intent down the road, as the Lord leads. What a layman is, as I use the term. All Christians are theologians. There are; Tight theologians Sloppy theologians (not as bad as it sounds :)) The dangers of being a sloppy theologian. How Dick Butkus illustrates a sloppy theologian, even! How David illustrates a ti...

Bishop Ryle's key sentence for our meditation in this episode is: "Of course I do not say we have a right to expect a miraculous grant of intellectual gifts; but this I do say, that when a man is once converted to God, his progress in holiness will be much in accordance with his own diligence in the use of God's appointed means." He invites further consideration is: And I assert confidently that the principal means by which most believers have become great in the church of Christ is the habit of...

Thank you for listening. In categorizing episodes for the new website, we should revisit some past episodes with the editing I now use. Today's episode is the beginning of those presentations. Today we reprise our very first devotional episode. Early devotionals were not numbered in the beginning. Therefore this episode is not Devotional 001, but 093. How do you like them apples? (lol out loud.) Two special features: 1. We edited the episode with our new processes, which left out comments now ou...

(Our introduction after the first episode, sorry about that, chief.) Biblically and experientially, the abundant life Jesus paid for and promises cannot be fully known without prayer. J.C. Ryle continues to school us: "There are some of the Lord's people who seem never able to get on from the time of their conversion. They are born again, but they remain babes all their lives. You hear from them the same old experience." "There are others of the Lord's people who seem to be always advancing. The...

As we work on our website, we forge ahead with our coverage of John Charles Ryle’s tract, “A Call to Prayer.” His genius of organization and expression was remarkable in his day and is even more so in ours. He makes the point that is ever been evident when he says: “I ask whether you pray, because diligence in prayer is the secret of eminent holiness: Without controversy there is a vast difference among true Christians. There is an immense interval between the foremost and the hindermost in the ...

October Surprise 2022: "A Call to Prayer." Day 31 October 31, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's Ryle's treatise on prayer. Well, we made it! Day 31 of our October Surprise (no need to look at the calendar!) J.C. Ryle once again encourages us to pray. "What more can a man want to lead him to take any step in religion than the things I have just told him about prayer? What more could be done to make the path to the mercy seat easy and to remove all occasions of stumbling from the sinner's way? Surely...

Our mentor for October has been encouraging us through the roles of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He moved to the promises and the power of prayer. Today, he asks, what more can be said in the way of encouragement? ""What more can a man want to lead him to take any step in religion, than the things I have just told him about prayer? What more could be done to make the path to the mercy seat easy, and to remove all occasions of stumbling from the sinner's way? Surely if the devils in hell had...

October 29, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on prayer. J.C. Ryle encourages us to seek the God of the impossible and gives us a litany of achievements of prayer. For clarity of focus: “There are wonderful examples in Scripture of the power of prayer. Nothing seems to be too great, too hard, or too difficult for prayer to do. It has obtained things that “seemed impossible and out of reach.” “Well might Mary Queen of Scots say, “I fear John Knox’s prayers more than an army of ten thousand ...

October 28, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. J.C. Ryle covers the exceedingly great promises from the word of God to encourage our prayers J.C. Ryle “There are exceeding great and precious promises to those who pray. What did the Lord Jesus mean when he spoke such words as these: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: for every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall ...

October 27, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We have the sweet savor from our Redeemer, and added to that is our comforter assessing our groaning too deep for words and praying for us while He comes along side us, helping form our words lifted to the Father. Romans 8:26-27 And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hear...

October 25, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. Our prayers are mingled with our Advocate's and made a “sweet savor.” Romans 8:33-34 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? God is the one who justifies; 34 who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. “There is an Advocate and Intercessor always waiting to present the prayers of those who come to God through him. That advoc...

October 25, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. Our introduction is shortened again, and we have several announcements that may interest you. Thank you for listening. Bishop Ryle’s first encouragement: "I cannot see your heart. I do not know your private history in spiritual things. But from what I see in the Bible and in the world I am certain I cannot ask you a more necessary question than that before you—Do you pray? I ask whether you pray, because prayer is an act in religion ...

October 24, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. Our introduction is shortened again, and we have several announcements that may interest you. Thank you for listening. J.C. Ryle: "I believe there are tens of thousands whose prayers are nothing but a mere form, a set of words repeated by rote, without a thought about their meaning. Some say over a few hasty sentences picked up in the nursery when they were children. Some content themselves with repeating the Creed, forgetting that t...

October 23, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. Our introduction is shortened again, and we have several announcements that may interest you. Thank you for listening. A clarion call from J.C. Ryle: "We live in days of abounding religious profession. There are more places of public worship now than there ever were before. There are more persons attending them than there ever were before. And yet in spite of all this public religion, I believe there is a vast neglect of private pray...

October 22, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. "Do you wish to find out whether you are a true Christian? Then rest assured that my question is of the very first importance—Do you pray?" "I ask whether you pray, because there is no duty in religion so neglected as private prayer." J...

October 21, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. "Never be surprised if you hear ministers of the gospel dwelling much on the importance of prayer. This is the point we want to bring you to; we want to know that you pray. Your views of doctrine may be correct. Your love of Protestanti...

dOctober 20, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. A pastor's heart: "A real, hearty prayer, coming from a broken and contrite spirit, is worth all these things put together. I know that the Holy Spirit, who calls sinners from their evil ways, does in many instances lead them by very s...

October 19, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. J.C. Ryle: “I know that much may go on in a man’s mind before he is brought to pray. He may have many convictions, desires, wishes, feelings, intentions, resolutions, hopes, and fears. But all these things are very uncertain evidences. ...

October 18, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. Today we concentrate on Ryle’s remarkable insight that although many live so, their piety is seen by others… “But a man seldom goes into his closet, and pours out his soul before God in secret, unless he is in earnest.” Only a man in ea...

October 17, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. Our current mentor, J.C. Ryle, wrote: "And I say, furthermore, that of all the evidences of the real work of the Spirit, a habit of hearty private prayer is one of the most satisfactory that can be named. A man may preach from false mot...

October 16, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. JC Ryle describes true and mature Christians as broken by our sins, lovers of God, brought to our knees in gratitude for our redemption, longing to be like Him in holiness, and impatient for eternity with our Savior. Genuine affection f...

October 15, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. But this I do say, that not praying is a clear proof that a man is not yet a true Christian. He cannot really feel his sins. He cannot love God. He cannot feel himself a debtor to Christ. He cannot long after holiness. He cannot desire ...

October 14, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. “I do not deny that a man may pray without heart and without sincerity. I do not for a moment pretend to say that the mere fact of a person’s praying proves is everything about his soul. As in every other part of religion, so also in th...

October 13, 2022 - Inspired by J.C. Ryle's treatise on Prayer. We truncated our introduction for the last half of our October episodes. Our shorter introduction ends at the 3:18 mark if you would like to skip to that mark. This way, you have less to wade through. "True Christian." Reading authors from the past, we need to read carefully for context. I believe the Puritans use the phrase "true Christians" often for those mature in the faith. JC Ryle does consider spiritual growth. "I do not deny ...