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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

Date: Sun Sep 14, 2003 9:28 am
Subject: The Bible Bus

Sitaram writes:

I frequently listen to a radio broadcast of Rev. Vernon J.
McGee's "The Bible Bus." I am fairly certain that this broadcast is
introduced by a chorus singing only the first few verses of the
hymn "How Firm the Foundation" (see below.) Each time I hear that
hymn, the words which stand out for me are the verse, "What more can
He say than to thee He hath said." This hymn was actually written by
a Quaker, George Keith (see below).

Whatever our parents or teachers or religious or political leaders
say to us, it never seems to be enough. We always seem to be
shopping around for someone who will say something more, perhaps
something more strange and wonderful (because what is wondrous has
now become commonplace for us), or perhaps simply something that more
suites our fancy or convenience.

Abraham was not happy with what God said when God said "If there are
50 righteous men, I shall spare the city." Abraham, like a good
camel trader, Jewed God down to a mere "ten righteous men". A
Covenant is an agreement, and agreements are never entered into
without some degree of bargaining. Perhaps God wants us to be
dissatified and restless, rather than complacent, in certain matters
which pertain to mercy and compassion for others.

I began to feel a great desire to know more about this curious hymn.
In my search and research, I have come across several interesting
URLs, one of which explains that this hymn was a favorite of Robert
E. Lee and Thomas Jackson and also Teddy Roosevelt.

I should mention something in explanation about Vernon McGee and "The
Bible Bus". The Rev. McGee passed away in the 1980's, I believe, but
during his career in radio ministry, he read the entire Old and New
Testament, and spoke at length concerning each passage. Those
programs are rebroadcast daily. It takes a full five years to listen
to all the broadcasts (30 minutes per day, five days per week). It
is called the "Bible Bus", because a bus has a circular route, and
one may board the bus at any point in that route, and ride the entire
route until it comes full circle.

http://www.wemmfm.com/programs/thruthebible.htm

http://www.twr.org.za/htm/newsletter_article_02.asp

A pastor once said: "The Bible is not for lazy people".
Knowledge of the Word of God do not just fall into our hearts and
minds, we need to study it!

It is here where Trans World Radio-SA can make a difference and
provide you with a unique way to study the whole Bible in our society
where we have little time available.

Thru the Bible is an excellent programme that will take you through
the Bible (Genesis to Revelation) in five years. This unique
programme gives you background information on Bible passages,
excellent teaching as well as life application principles.
The presenter is Dr Vernon McGee, a well known Bible teacher who
started his radio ministry in 1967 from the Church of the Open Door
in Los Angeles. Today, this programme is aired over more than 400
stations in more than 50 languages around the world.

You can begin the study at any time. When the Book of Revelations has
been concluded, the programme will start again with Genesis. It is
like a bus going over the same route. The bus can be boarded at
Exodus ... Job ... Jude - and we will stop to let passengers on or
off. By staying on board, you will benefit even more on the second or
even on the third trip.

Rev. McGee speaks with a quaint, down-to-earth, practical,
commonsense Southern Baptist accent, a simple meat-and-potatoes
accent which is appealing even to a vegetarian like Sitaram.

http://www.midwaypca.org/Index/Pastors%20desk/From%20the%20Pastor%208-
1-03.htm

The nineteenth century Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard (with
whom I don't always agree) spoke of worship in this fashion: God is
the Grand Audience and all we do in worship is to be staged for him.
That, I find, is a very helpful beginning notion for considering what
we are to do in those important hours of worship.

Michael S. Horton, associate professor of historical theology at
Westminster Theological Seminary in Escondido, California, wrote a
book entitled A Better Way: Rediscovering the Drama of God-Centered
Worship.

Horton and others have noted a distinctive shift in the church's
worship—across denominational lines—in the late nineteenth century,
when Protestantism began to alter its identity to conform to
consumerist expectations. The worshipper as shopper or as one who
would survey the religious market and look for his own preferences
led to the "triumph of the therapeutic," or determining good worship
by what made the consumer happy or fulfilled.

Philip Rieff summarized the difference as: "Christian man was born to
be saved; psychological man is born to be pleased." (16) That makes a
HUGE difference in worship expectations and planning. We all have to
continually ask ourselves, "Am I looking to be pleased or to please
God in worship?" Whichever goal is adopted makes an enormous
practical difference.

I'm grateful for Mike Horton's discovery that consumerism and the
triumph of the therapeutic are extensions of American Pelagianism,
and I think he correctly decries "the voracious appetite for
imitation and self-expression" (63) among evangelicals who often have
become excessively driven by the attempt to satisfy the unbelievers
and culture around us. At heart, he asks, must we really stoop so low
to get attention? Is God's Word or the means of grace so weak that we
must satisfy the consumer? Don't we have something stronger to offer?

Many of you are accustomed to pastors with grandiose visions. I'm
still waiting for one. Actually, it's pretty grand to come into God's
presence week after week and hear from him through his Word. Much of
my job description seems to be provided already for me in 2 Tim. 4:1-
5. With your prayer, fellowship, and support, I'll continue those
things.

Someone ought to keep a chart of new gimmicks I propose. Hope you
won't see many. Instead, let's covenant together to preach and hear
God's Word. Isn't that enough? Or as the hymn says, "What more can he
say than to you he has said?"

Michael Horton (in the title above) put it this way: How many times
have we heard someone state that he wished he had more time to dig
deeply into Scripture and be in the presence of God? "And yet, deep
down we know that we always have time for what we really want to do
in life . . . For generations of faithful believers, Sunday was not
about football or shopping but about God and feeding at his luxuriant
table." (189) However, we eventually realize that the "latest
spiritual diet plan" doesn't really work, and that "amid all the
stress of `trying this fad or feel guilty,' a commitment to the
institution that God has actually commanded risks being called
legalistic." Give Mike Horton the last word: "In other words, the
regular observance of the Sabbath keeps us oriented to God's drama of
redemption and catches us up into it as the Spirit reconciles us to
God through Word and Sacrament" (202).

http://www.daveblackonline.com/favorite_hymns_of_robert_e.htm

Do you have a conscience void of offence toward God and your fellow
man? Are you right with your spouse, your parents, your children,
your neighbors, your employer or employee?

Today we could use a lot of plain, old-fashioned kindness and
humility—the kind exemplified by the two men I admire most, Robert E.
Lee and Thomas Jonathan Jackson. Their portraits grace my office wall
and are a constant reminder that the serpent's wisdom must always be
blended with the harmlessness of the dove. Criticism from others,
opposition, slander, lies, the grind of the ordinary and the pressure
of adversity—these call for a tough but gracious hide.

The simplest faith in the Christ of the Bible is worth more than all
the carnal weapons of intellect and ability—and the simpler the
better.

Two men who had a simple faith in their God. Two hymns that
epitomized their love for God and man. Two expressions of humility
before the Sovereign of the Ages. These are the favorite hymns of Lee
and Jackson.

How Firm a Foundation

How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,

Is laid for your rest in his excellent word.

What more can he say than to you he has said,

To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

"Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed!

For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand."

"When through the deep waters I call thee to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not thee overflow.

For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,

And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress."

"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose

I will not, I will not desert to his foes.

That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,

I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

http://www.thefamily.org/word/moments/index2.php3?mmid=3

=============

Show Pity, Lord

Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive.
Let a repenting rebel live.
Are not thy mercies large and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee?
My crimes, though great, cannot surpass
The power and glory of thy grace.
Great God, thy nature hath no bound.
So let thy pardoning love be found.
O wash my soul from every sin,
And make my guilty conscience clean.
Here, on my heart, the burden lies,
And past offenses pain my eyes.
Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord,
Whose hope, still hovering round thy word,
Would light on some sweet promise there,
Some sure support against despair

++++++=

http://www.appleberryroad.com/lcc/hymnal/hymnal0006.htm

How Firm a Foundation
by George Keith

Ps 102:25

1 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
What more can He say than to you He has said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?

2 "Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed;
I, I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand."

3 "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, Though all hell should endeavor to shake,
I'll never, no never, no never forsake."

Extra Verses

4 In every condition, in sickness, in health,
In poverty's vale, or abounding in wealth,
At home and abroad, on the land, on the sea,
"As thy days may demand, shall thy strength ever be.

5 "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

6 "E'en down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love;
and when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn,
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be borne.

+++++++++++

http://www.mylinuxisp.com/~appelomega/TR_words_of_wisdom.htm

A President's Platform!

When Theodore Roosevelt was questioned often by an inquisitive
public, he was quick to state his system of Doctrine was best
summarized in the lyrics of his favorite hymn.

How Firm a Foundation! (We have forgotten the words!)

How firm a foundation ye saints of the Lord
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word
What more can He say than to you He has said
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

Fear not I am with you, O be not dismayed
For I am your God and will still give you aid
I'll strengthen you, help you, and cause you to stand
Upheld by My righteous, omnipotent hand.

When through the deep waters I call you to go
The rivers of waters shall not overflow
For I will be with you, your troubles to bless
And sanctify to you your deepest distress.

When through fiery trails your pathway shall lie
My Grace all sufficient shall be your supply
The flame shall not harm you, I only design
Your dross to consume and your gold to refine.

E'ven down to old age all My people shall prove
My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love
And when hoary hair shall their temples adorn
Like lambs they shall still in My bosom be born.

The soul that on Jesus has leaned for repose
I will not, I will not desert to His foes
That soul, that all hell should endeavour to shake
I'll never, no never, no never forsake.

Believing that all leadership is in the end moral leadership,
Roosevelt was convinced that a leader's faith must be firmly
established. Quite obviously his was.

===================

http://www.gbgm-umc.org/hydeparkumcny/RevJim/SERMON_100701.html

On Thursday night we had a gift, a chance to see the resource of
faith still working in this limited, wounded man. His sister, my Aunt
Alison, said "Dick, when I was in the hospital you came and sang for
me, and I want to sing the same song for you." My father gave no
indication of consciousness, but she began singing an old hymn: "How
firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, is kept for your faith in
his excellent word. What more can he say, than to you he has said, to
you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?" After a few lines my father's
lips began moving in time with the words. And then, after a few more
lines, he began - in a soft but audible voice - to sing the bass line
of the hymn. I couldn't believe my eyes and ears, but I started up a
second verse and my Dad sang along: "When through fiery trials thy
pathway shall go, the rivers of woe shall not thee overflow. For I
shall be with thee, thy troubles to bless, and sanctify to thee thy
deepest distress."

There were six of us in the room, and for the next ten minutes or so
we kept singing hymns. Never have I listened to the words so intently
as when I was watching my father's lips struggling to form them: "He
leadeth me, O blessed thought, O words with heavenly comfort fraught.
Where e'er I go, where e'er I be still `tis God's hand that leadeth
me......." We paused and my dad remained motionless - eyes shut,
uncommunicative, distant - but I started one of his old
favorites: "What a fellowship, what a joy divine, leaning on the
everlasting arms. What a blessedness, what a peace is mine, leaning
on the everlasting arms." At this point, as you may know, the chor us
has some long notes - "Leaning, Leaning," - but my Dad softly sounded
out the bass line "Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus," a line I've
heard him do with a lot of gusto so many times before...... He never
opened his eyes, but he sang along, with some pauses for rest, as we
sang "Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me
save that thou art. Thought my best thought, by day or by night.
Waking or sleeping thy presence my light........" As you might
imagine it was tough for me to sing because of the tears in my eyes
and the lump in my throat, but that was a wonderful moment.
We don't know what the future will be for my Dad, how long he will
live, or whether he will speak, or think, or walk as he once did.
Yesterday he was slightly improved, able to converse a little. But
whatever the outcome, I am so grateful that he is facing this
situation with the resource of a faith he has labored to develop for
more than 80 years. He learned the words and the ideas of faith in
many ways - music being one of the most prominent - and now when in
weakness he has lost a great deal, he still has this faith. It's
stored away in him like a vast reservoir of meaning and energy. He
knows what it means to be leaning on the everlasting arms. Whether on
earth or in heaven he knows that he can say "He leadeth me........"
So today, at a time of concern and sadness, I am grateful for the
resource of faith. It's sustaining my Dad, this faith that is
powerful enough to move trees and mountains, and the lips of a semi-
conscious patient.

++++============

http://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/read/QUAKER-ROOTS/2001-02/0981324868

George Keith was an acknowledged classical scholar and theologian
even before he became a Quaker. When he joined the Quakers, he was
undoubtably considered quite as good a "catch" by that group as
William Penn, who was virtually the only member of the aristocracy to
join that movement in its early days,. As you noted, he travelled
with Fox and Penn, and was imprisioned alongside of them on occassion
(in England, probably not in Scotland, though.

I haven't seen anything indicating he preached or went to jail in
Scotland, although that could just be my own ignorance speaking
here.) His falling out with the Philadelphia Quakers was based on
his contention that THEY, not he, had strayed from the "correct"
path. His group, sometimes called Keithian Quakers,
sometimes "Baptist Quakers" (he called them "Christian Quakers") did
not believe that Biblical teachings, especially those of Jesus
Christ, should be subsumed by the teachings of the "Inner Light" but
should continue to be forefront. He also did not agree with the idea
that Jesus was not divine, which some of the New World Quakers
apparently were teaching.

But I think the biggest problem he had was not so much what he
preached, as how he did it. Look at some of his writings. The man
was brilliant, but he was also NOT a diplomat. He could, as the
saying goes, try the patience of a saint. If he said something, that
must be the way it was and if you disagreed you were unenlighted and
probably heretical. I have a feeling there were a few people in
Philadelphia who were exactly the same way, and when flint met steel
the fireworks were inevitable. Add the fact that there was also a
cultural dissonance (not many Quakers were Scots), and that Scots
are notoriously short-tempered (as I know of my self to my sorrow),
and it gets worser and worser. The cultural clash provided the tinder
that those sparks fell on and created a conflagration which resulted
in Friends doing some very un-Friendly things, like taking their
internecine battles to the civil authorities and charging Keith and
his friends with "seditious libel."

The lyrics to a hymn Keith wrote ("How Firm a Foundation") might shed
some light on his personality:

"What more can He say, than to you he has said..." In other
words, "Hey, you dummies, I told you once already, what's your
problem?"

Keith came to Philadelphia at the invitation of William Penn, to be
an "out of town expert." Being a consultant myself, I am well aware
of how much stress and resentment having an outsider brought in by
the boss can create among the hometown team. If the outsider is not
careful, he'll wind up being totally ineffective because of
resistance to his innovations and unpopular to boot. And Keith
wasn't careful! Ever!

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