The Thought of God by Maurice Roberts
I've had the privilege of sitting under the preaching of Maurice Roberts on several occasions in the early to mid-1990s. He is one of the most gifted preachers I've ever heard in person. He was the Editor of The Banner Of Truth magazine from the late 1980s through the early 2000s. His lead articles in those years are especially helpful in discerning some of the weaknesses of Christianity in our generation. In the article "Where Godliness Is Leaking," he makes this assertion—"The holy life is the end in view of all true religious activity and it is its ample reward and justification." If we are to discern "The Spiritual Temperature" of our day, the degree to which the lives of people are changed (those who sit under faithful Gospel preaching) is an excellent gauge. "History is strewn with examples of Churches and Christian Organizations which began well and did good but which then departed from their original good work." This is not only true in the case of Churches and Christian Ministries but can also be applied to individual believers. Are we seeking to grow and conform to God's Word in every aspect of our lives? Are we continuing to progress in our "Pursuit Of God" and our service to Him? A faithful minister of the Gospel can become discouraged or disheartened by seeing little fruit from his labors. "He empties out gallons of truth into men's ears over the space of a year but he seems to see scarcely a spoonful of it taking effect in people's lives." This may tempt him to think that his labors for his Lord are in vain.
The article "Glorying In Our Infirmities" had a great impact on me when I first read it many years ago. Pastor Roberts is expounding on 2 Corinthians 12:9, "Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Man by nature (especially fallen man) tends to do exactly the opposite of what the Apostle displays by his exemplary life (which believers should follow) they glory, they often boast in their strengths (unlike the Apostle Paul, who boasted in his weaknesses). "When believers glory in their strong points, therefore, they must expect Christ to withdraw His grace from them in some measure." When we boast in our weaknesses, we are acknowledging to God and to our brethren that, in ourselves, we can have no confidence, but in the strength of Christ we can be "more than conquerors." God's power is made manifest through our weakness and frailty (not through confidence in "The arm of the flesh"). ". . . the way to grow in strength is to diminish in self-importance."
These articles were very well received when first published in The Banner of Truth. They continue to be useful in the lives of the people of God collected together in book form. May our Lord be pleased to increase their usefulness, to bring needed reformation in the lives of His children to strengthen His Church in the 21st century.