In September of this year, i found myself in a second hand bookstall in an exhibition hall. Quite the life i lead.
Most of the books were Amish romance fiction and Children who have 'been to Heaven,' imagine my delight then, when, in a final 'just in case' sweep through, i saw volume one of Iain Murray's epic biography of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones being unpacked from a box in front of my eyes. And it was only $5! Which softened the blow of what i had to pay for volume two if nothing else.
Even though these volumes were published in the early 80s, and tell the story of a man who was born in the 19th century, they are wonderfully and powerfully relevant today. Lloyd-Jones was raised in rural Wales, and though he lived and ministered for the majority of his days in London, he remained a Welshman. He trained for the medical profession, and was one of the most promising doctors of his generation, until slowly, but surely, He was called back to Wales to preach the Gospel. He started preaching in Port Talbot, in what would probably today be called a church plant. He grew this small church in a poor town by simply preaching the Gospel, simply telling the truth. This devotion to the plain, deep truth of the Gospel was to be the mark of the rest of his ministry. Through a series of events that can only be put down to divine providence, he was led to Westminster Chapel, the church with which he is instantly associated today. It was here that he was to serve as the Assistant Pastor, then as Senior Pastor until poor health ended his days in the Westminster pulpit, but opened up what the author describes rightly as a 'world pulpit.'
So what did i learn from this book? Why should it be near the top of your 2013 reading list?
Firstly, as i've touched upon, never overlook God's mysterious providence. Had Lloyd-Jones not been worked to the point of exhaustion in his first ministry, he probably never would have ended up at Westminster. Had he not suffered from cancer in the mid seventies, he never would have had the time to prepare his manuscripts for publication, and never would have had to worldwide, posthumous ministry that he has today.
Second, information is a great servant and a terrible master. For the majority of his local church ministry, Lloyd-Jones's position on the major issues of the day was misunderstood. This was down in part to the fact that so few of his thoughts were disseminated. His messages on the state of evangelicalism and ecumenism, on Pentecostalism and revivalism to name some of the issues he faced simply didn't read a big audience. They weren't podcasted, or streamed online. Some of his messages lay in a drawer in his study for twenty years. Via social media and the internet in general we can keep pace with tomorrows controversy. And this is important, but it's not the most important thing. Lloyd-Jones was influential despite those disadvantages, his priority, when it came down to it, was his local church. And ours needs to be. I don't need to keep pace with what's happening in Minneapolis or Seattle, i don't need to hear which foundational doctrine Rob Bell has just denied. I need to know where the people of Trinity are at, and how i can serve them.
Third, this book has made me reflect on the state of British evangelicalism. A greater part of Lloyd-Jones's London ministry was spent thinking through, and dealing with the issues around whether evangelicals could responsibly stay in a denomination that was moving further and further away from the Gospel. Not much changes does it!?Lloyd-Jones was a prophetic voice, calling his generation back to the Bible, and counselling those behind him. Do we have that prophetic voice today? As the Church of England seemingly drifts further and further from the truth, where is the voice that a broad spectrum of evangelicals will listen to? Who is teaching non-conformists what exactly it is they don't conform to? Who, in a hostile world is helping my generation stand firmly on the Bible. I know part of the problem with this question is that few people would have answered 'Martin Lloyd-Jones' to those questions in his day, but i feel they're questions worth asking.
Finally this book has challenged me as i make some plans for 2013. Lloyd-Jones was a great reader. Now, of course, he had the advantage of weeks away from his desk in the summer to use for that purpose, but he has helped me dream a bit bigger when i think about my own reading for next year. Of course, some sort of systematic Bible reading plan will be central, but what then. Lloyd-Jones loved the Puritans, and he has inspired me to take down the copy of Overcoming Sin and Temptation, that has intimated me for so long. He believed in taking time to work through larger books, so, God willing, 2013 will be the year i read the Institutes every day. He hasn't introduced me to either John Owen or John Calvin, but has pushed me back towards them.
Reading this biography was helpful, and inspiring, and ultimately sanctifying. Add them to your 'to read' list for 2013, and you'll not regret it.
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