Don't Forget to Remember the Living Reformers While They're Still Living!

Don't wait until these guys go to glory before you remember them!

I was reminded of an illustration given by a pastor in one of many services I attended to in Bible Baptist Church-Katipunan where the members gave the flowers and gifts only after the pastor died.  Considering that October is Reformation Month, it's certainly nice to give honors to the Reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, Huldyrch Zwingli or any of the classical Reformers or Reformed preachers like Charles Haddon Spurgeon.  It's almost like October 31 has become a date to remember the departed Reformers but it has failed to remember living Reformers.

Nothing is wrong with remembering the departed Reformers unless you go into the superstitions of Rome like praying to the Reformers, praying for their eternal repose when they are already rejoicing in Heaven, or deifying them like Roman Catholics do to those whom the Pope has canonized saints.  I would admit there is a huge list of stuff that I owe the Reformers like the writings of John Calvin, the 95 Theses of Martin Luther and in fact, these great Reformers are indeed honorable.  However it's so easy to think of the greatness of the 3,000 sermons of Charles Spurgeon, the expositions by John Gill, the Institutes of Christian Religion by John Calvin, the writings of John Knox, the great Calvinist hymn writers dead and gone that it's easy to forget those who are still living.  Today, we still have Reformed Theology teachers but do we really take time to thank them for their contributions to the Body of Christ?  I'll talk about a few Reformed preachers that I have learned to embrace after a few years of being stuck with Jack Hyles' theology for a good time from 2007 to early 2011.

Perhaps the most well-known in Evangelical circles is Pastor John F. Macarthur of Grace to You.  I would admit I used to unfairly criticize the man until I started reading stuff in his site, finding out it's been a huge misunderstanding.  What I found ironic was how I was mostly into Independent Fundamental Baptist theology but not into Baptist Brider, was that I really agreed with most of his theology.  The more I studied through Macarthur's books, the more I realize that the whole error in the first edition of "Hard to Believe" was a result of a shoddy editing process.  After reading that book, I thought that the book itself really gave a huge picture against the contemporary of easy believism.

Ray Comfort also writes for Christian Apologetics Research Ministry (CARM) while he is also running Living Waters and Way of the Master.  After watching videos on Youtube, the more I realize that he was really in an outrage because of today's shoddy evangelistic methods.  I would agree that indeed is a modern day Reformation that's still going on especially when he attacks today's shoddy evangelism.  After Manny Pacquiao got converted into the born again Christian faith after he was witnessed to by my friend Pastor Robert Kent Jesalva, he uses the tracts from Living Waters.  Although I haven't read or bought any of his books yet but I watched them on Youtube.  

Paul David Washer is a Southern Baptist Preacher who has pointed out his anger against many Southern Baptist churches, Baptist churches or Protestant churches that have gone through with easy prayerism.  Many say that Washer teaches a washed-up Gospel but the more I listen to him, the more I realize that his sermons are taken out of context.  I still couldn't forget his sermons show his anger against easy evangelism.  How often it is today that we have repeat after me, easy prayerism and not repent ye and believe the Gospel not repent ye by believing the Gospel.  

Robert Charles Sproul has his "Renewing Your Mind" and indeed, listening to his Internet radio program from my desktop has done several wonders to help me focus on Christ.  I have read through his book "Defending Your Faith", "The Holiness of God" and "Now That's a Good Question".  He has helped me with the essentials to help me defend my faith.  He also has other helpers like Albert Mohler, Steven Nichols and his son Robert Charles Sproul Jr.

As said, remember the Reformed dead preachers but give the honors also to the living Reformed preachers too!