Bunyan

Prayer and Teaching of Paul

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1 Thessalonians 1:2, 3 (ESV)
We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

A Theme to Remember:
God is everywhere, watching, superintending, overseeing, governing everything in the highest interest of His church, and carrying forward His plans and executing His purposes in creation and redemption. He is not an absentee God. He did not make the world with all that is in it, and turn it over to so-called natural laws, and then retire into the secret places of the universe having no regard for it or for the working of His laws. His hand is on the throttle. The work is not beyond His control. Earth’s inhabitants and its affairs are not running independent of Almighty God. (Adapted from E.M. Bounds, The Necessity of Prayer)

Words to Remember:
I am content with what I have,
Little be it or much;
Here little, and hereafter bliss,
As long as God is my guide.
–John Bunyan

A Prayer of Repentance

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Jeremiah 14:20-22 (KJV)
We acknowledge, O LORD, our wickedness, and the iniquity of our fathers: for we have sinned against thee. Do not abhor us, for thy name’s sake, do not disgrace the throne of thy glory: remember, break not thy covenant with us. Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.

A Theme to Remember:
Certain sins, sadly, are found in one generation after another within a family. Sins like drunkenness, dishonesty, rebellion against God, adultery, and many others. If such a sin is evident, the only recourse – the only way to achieve true freedom from this cycle – is to turn to Christ and ask Him, by the indwelling power of His Holy Spirit, to break the chains of iniquity so that they will bind and enslave no more.

Words to Remember:
A broken and contrite heart is esteemed above all sacrifices.
–John Bunyan

Pilgrim’s Progress

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John Bunyan (1628-1688), a Baptist preacher and writer, grew up in Bedford, England, joined the army as a teenager, and later became a tinker, the trade of his father. He married a pious believer who led him to Christ. After his baptism, he joined the Baptist church and began preaching. Since he had not received permission from the Established Church he was arrested and thrown into jail in 1660. His family fell into severe poverty during this time and he was rarely permitted to see them. Yet, despite these circumstances, he wrote one of the great classics of literature, The Pilgrim’s Progress, while imprisoned. The Act of Pardon freed him in 1672 and he became pastor of the Bedford Baptist Church, a congregation he served until his death. He wrote other books including The Holy War and Grace Abounding.

Impact: His allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress is considered one of the great works of Christian literature and was often one of only two books, along with the Bible, that families owned for over 200 years until the early twentieth century.

Bunyan, John

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John Bunyan (1628-1688) was a Baptist preacher and writer. Bunyan grew up in Bedford, England, joined the army as a teenager, and later became a tinker, the trade of his father. He married a pious believer who led him to Christ. After his baptism, he joined the Baptist church and began preaching. Since he had not received permission from the Established Church he was arrested and thrown into jail in 1660. His family fell into severe poverty during this time and he was rarely permitted to see them. Yet, despite these circumstances, he wrote one of the great classics of literature, The Pilgrim’s Progress, while imprisoned. The Act of Pardon freed him in 1672 and he became pastor of the Bedford Baptist Church, a congregation he served until his death. He wrote other books including The Holy War and Grace Abounding. His allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress is considered one of the great works of Christian literature and was often one of only two books, along with the Bible, that families owned for over 200 years until the early 20th century.