June 22, 2016 Show with Michael Gaydosh on “More of the Best of Christian Books in Print…or Back in Print” PLUS Geoff Thomas on “Romans 8:28: The Christian’s Anchor in the Midst of Storms”

The Purpose of Iron Sharpens Iron and the Value of Christian Books

Live from the historic parsonage of 19th century gospel minister George Norcross in downtown Carlisle, Pennsylvania, it's Iron Sharpens Iron, a radio platform on which pastors, Christian scholars, and theologians address the burning issues facing the church and the world today.

Proverbs 27 verse 17 tells us iron sharpens iron so one man sharpens another. Matthew Henry said that in this passage, quote, we are cautioned to take heed whom we converse with and directed to have in view in conversation to make one another wiser and better.

It is our hope that this goal will be accomplished over the next hour and we hope to hear from you, the listener, with your own questions. Now here's our host Chris.

Arntzen. Good afternoon Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, and the rest of humanity living on the planet Earth who are listening via live streaming. This is Chris Arntzen, your host of Iron Sharpens Iron, wishing you all a happy Wednesday on this 22nd day of June 2016.

So delighted to have back on the program someone who is one of my favorite guests and also a very important person in my life ever since becoming a Christian by the mercy and grace of God in the mid 1980s.

That is my very first pastor as a born-again Christian, Mike Gaydosh, who is the founder of Solid Ground Christian Books, that's solid-ground-books .com, and many of you who have discovered my program through World Magazine will notice that Solid Ground Christian Books website is right at the very top.

They are one of the sponsors of my program and their website is right at the top of our full-page ad in World Magazine in the special books edition, very appropriate. And today we're going to be discussing for the first hour with Mike Gaydosh more of the best of Christian books in print or back in print because Mike not only has published works by contemporary authors and he's very finicky and fussy and rightly so about who he publishes and not only does he do that but he also probably even the more dominant aspect of Solid Ground Christian Books is that he has brought back precious jewels from the past that have been out of print, sometimes out of print for centuries, and the things that have been unfortunately and sadly forgotten by the masses within evangelical Christianity today but he has helped to revive their popularity by bringing them back into print and it's amazing that some of these things that you read you wonder how on earth did this ever get out of print and how on earth that it did ever become forgotten because some of these things are so powerful and so dynamic and so relevant even hundreds of years after they've been written.

But let me welcome you back for the for the I don't know if the the 600th time, I don't know how many times you've been on here, let me welcome you.

Back. Oh and if you can't find anybody else that's when I come on. That's not true at all, let me welcome you back to the program Mike Gaydosh. Thank you, my privilege to be here especially knowing that Buzz is there to watch you.

And as he just said our.

Co-host Reverend Buzz Taylor is in the studio today and officially greet on the.

Air our guest today Buzz. Yes good to hear you again Michael Gaydosh and I think this is going to be a very expensive program for me because I'm.

Going to have to buy all these books now. Well that makes my heart sing. Yeah and I don't hold your breath cashing that check Mike. But anyway and the second hour I'm so delighted that you are going to hear an interview with Jeff Thomas who is an author, a conference speaker, and the pastor emeritus of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth Wales and he is no stranger to Mike Gaydosh and has preached at a church formerly pastored by Mike Gaydosh on Long Island and they have known each other for quite a number of years and I'm looking forward to that interview during the second hour of the broadcast on Romans 828 the Christians anchor in the midst of storms.

So I hope that you stay tuned for the second hour for the Jeff Thomas interview. But Mike I know that I keep asking you this every time you come on but there are people who keep discovering Iron Sharpens Iron for the first time especially now that we have this World Magazine ad this full page in World Magazine I've been getting I've been getting unfamiliar names emailing questions for my guests ever since so I'm assuming that there's a connection there and I know for a fact that there is a connection there with some of them so why don't you tell our listeners what exactly Solid Ground.

Christian Books is all about. Well Chris you've already done a good job of being able to introduce what Solid Ground is all about. Solid Ground began 15 years ago or more publishing as you know Chris back in 1990 -91 an idea to bring back into print a little book called Thoughts for Young Men by J .C. Ryle very well known it's been republished and republished by several different publishers and most recently by Banner of Truth and that idea that the Lord gave me so many years ago has caught on and in our edition of it the Solid Ground isn't the only one available.

It's not the only one available. I remember the cheap.

Version. You first brought that out and then it became a very attractive.

And much-in-demand booklet. Yeah it's a book that's been I mean I completely lost track. We did ten. We we have seen so many people that have as well these old works that have been buried. And while Solideo Gloria and Don Kittin era material there most of my books are more recent than were from the 1820s here for people generally are people who are easy to read really launched that whole new dimension.

Encounters able conversations with Tony Miano. Yes. No. You've had Tony more than once on your program. Yes. And that Tony is right now he in every corner is engaging people in conversations with the gospel.

It's a modern day. Really a modern day for this top lady that was done by. We've also recently done Leaving Dark Land 1772 to 1832 Brandon Smith. Correct. Right. Come aboard yet. But he we're gonna make sure we get him as well.

He'll make. He'll do a good interview for you. And I've also done Minding Your Faith by Greg Hodge and you've had Greg on it. That's right. That's right. So these are some of the modern authors and we've also we're pretty famous for our 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith which we've done in flexible bonded leather as well as paperback a lot of people learned about us who didn't learn about us by past.

Truly is. We also have the appendix on baptism which is not found. I want I want you to give that so that at a discount to my co-host is Presbyterian we gotta. Yeah certainly I mean those into leather nowadays.

To begin with I'm very thankful that that. Which response we sold out the first now even though you.

Just highlighted a Baptist Confession of Faith and identified yourself as a Reformed Baptist. We don't want to give our listeners the wrong impression that you do not have great works by other heroes of the faith that were Presbyterian and Reformed Anglicans and other other groups.

Well you're exactly.

Right Chris. And in fact I've been accused of being Presbyterian because more of the books that I give you an example on White Cross and gifted man in this life to accompany or flow from just for cancer the benefits which in this life to accompany or flow from justification of God's love joy in the Holy Ghost increase of that he gives was not truly a Calvinist.

I indeed answered. He got a satisfactory. Do you think that they could be very dangerous. Now they are. You have an example of the kinds of. He has anecdotes about George Whitfield and John Newton. Fascinating thing.

It would be very good anecdotes out there is we have every chapter in the Bible he has in a chapter and they. By the way I'm gonna give our listeners our email address if you'd like to join.

Us on the air with a question of your own. Our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com. C H R I s a R n Z n at gmail .com. Please give us your first name city and state and country of residence. If you live outside of the USA.

And right now your phone seems to be working. Okay Mike but a few minutes ago it was sputtering. I don't know if you're on a cell phone or not. I am okay. Is that.

Required of you right now to use a cell phone. Well my business phone right now is tied up so okay. Is that any better. Are you hearing. I'm hearing you better.

Now but a few minutes ago you were cutting in and out so I just. Well but anyway we will we will take it as far as we can go with the cell phone and if you absolutely become unbearably inaudible then we'll have to switch phones.

Yeah.

No that's fine. I can I can do that during the break I may be able to go.

Okay and in fact I have a listener from Long Island New York Tyler in Mastic.

Beach Long Island. Tyler is Tyler is a new customer of mine. Oh really great yeah.

Well praise God I hope that Tyler discovered you through iron sharpens.

Iron either either that or he discovered iron sharpens iron through me.

I'm not sure one or the other it could be he says. I have known many Christians who are anti intellectuals and have told me not to read books. They say man's teachings are useless and to stick with the Bible alone.

How should I respond to that statement. Well before Mike answers I would say to the person now did you what you just said. Was that a text in the Bible or was that something from your own brain. Because obviously this these people are telling him to do something that they themselves are not even doing if they're not just walking around reading the Bible.

But they're telling people things that they think are biblical truths in the contradiction contradicting themselves aren't they.

Mike I think yeah you're right. And I think that when people say there's no reason to read anything but simply read the Bible to them right it begins to in and seek to preach scriptures and apply the scriptures.

He is not just reading the Bible and and so I would say you shouldn't read the writings of other men but that also it would guide his people into the truly read the Bible means that we don't need somebody to explain it to us up to the Ethiopian eunuch who was reading and yet for a reading what was his reason.

A brilliant response. How can I unless someone explain it to me. And so Philip comes alongside and he preached. And so what I would say is be cautious make sure that you're reading books. But told is true.

Oh yeah and we even have you.

Know the the text and scripture that's worn against ordaining people that are too young in the faith and so on. We have in first Timothy 3 you know one of the one of the actual requirements for overseers and deacons is that they not be a novice.

And here if you're if you are going to trust your own brain over the great minds of the faith men who spent their lives pouring over the scriptures like few today have the time or ability to do these great teachers that God has given us in the faith.

You would have to be an arrogant fool to dismiss what these great men have been given to us by God to teach us what I.

Venture to sue. You should not read anything but the Bible if you would turn back. How much time do you personally in your Bible. Very few of them. That's usually just a cop-out for somebody who's lazy.

I don't. I never prepared us. But he'll he'll give me a word to. Certainly that is not. What the Lord was saying is when you are in situations where you're arrested the Lord will give you what to say.

He's certainly not saying by that but in your regular everyday ministry say whatever comes to your mind. Yeah in fact I love the the.

Quote by Charles Haddon Spurgeon that we use in the solid ground Christian books that we run where Spurgeon says let's see give yourself into reading. The man who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted.

He who will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves that he has no.

Brains of his own. Yeah I got my feelings hurt just then but yeah it is it is.

Ridiculous. And you I would be shocked if these people saying this weren't reading their own you know chick tracks or whatever they're reading. Oh yes all the the the fundamentalist predominantly Armenian stuff.

That is just really garbage for the I mean a lot of it is. And of course you had somebody who wasn't an Armenian. Just a heretic but not an Armenian. Harold camping. He was one of those few rare people who at one time and for most of his life professed to be reformed but was was opposed to confessions of faith and catechisms and reading books by men.

But what did he do. He wrote his own books he wrote. I can still remember a man who I will not identify on the air Mike but you would know his name very well. He used to visit Calvary Baptist Church and even grace reform Baptist Church where you pastored.

And he was a disciple of Harold camping. Back in the days when Harold camping still told his followers that they should go to church before he came up with the heresy that Christ was the enemy of the church.

But I could still remember in the North Ex of the church after the service this person was standing there. And I was. I took a deep breath because I knew he was gonna say something critical. And he said to me you know what I don't like about you a pastor.

I said what is it now he's. And he said he's always quoting men Jonathan Edwards this and Charles Spurgeon that and George Whitfield this. Why doesn't he just stick to the Bible. And mr. camping I said are you kidding me.

Do you realize what you just said. What part of the cannon did mr. camping contribute to. Oh man. So there you have the you know.

It's absolutely ridiculous this whole notion. Well I think but I do think. You know you're right I think but I do think that the one thing that I would take acknowledging that there is always danger in leaning upon yes we're not filled with the quotations of men right.

In fact most of the time when I was quoting from men it was usually in a country in my ministry. Other more respected men's a novel idea that I had come up with and could easily be this I think as much less I didn't feel upon the names of yeah well when I was.

Quoting the the troublemaker who said he's always doing this I think he just meant just because of the fact that you did it with frequency not that the majority of your messages contain the culture but we have any quote.

Any quote for him would have been too much right. Well we have to go to a break right now. And if you'd like to join Tyler by asking a question of your own to be read and answered on air by our guest.

Our email address is Chris Arnzen at gmail .com. CHRISARNZEN at gmail .com. Don't go away we'll be right back. With Mike Adosh of solid ground Christian books. I am Chris Arnzen host of iron sharpens iron radio.

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To the church at Galatia for my now seeking the approval of man or of God. Where am I trying to please man. If I were still trying to please man I would not be a servant of Christ. Hi. I'm Mark Lukins pastor of Providence Baptist Church.

We are reformed Baptist Church and we hold to the London Baptist confession of faith of 1689. We are in Norfolk Massachusetts. We strive to reflect Paul's mindset to be much more concerned with how God views what we say and what we do than how men view these things.

That's not the best recipe for popularity but since that wasn't the Apostles priority it must not be ours either. We believe by God's grace that we are called to demonstrate love and compassion to our fellow man and to be vessels of Christ mercy to a lost and hurting community around us and to build up the body of Christ in truth and love.

If you live near Norfolk Massachusetts or plan to visit our area please come and join us for worship and fellowship. You can call us at 508 -528 -5750 that's 508 -528 -5750 or go to our website to email us.

Listen to past sermons worship songs or watch our TV program entitled resting in grace. You can find us at Providence Baptist Church MA .org that's Providence Baptist Church MA .org or even on sermon audio .com.

Providence Baptist Church is delighted to sponsor Iron Shoppers Iron Radio.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon once said give yourself unto reading. The man who never reads will never be read. He who never quotes will never be quoted. He will not use the thoughts of other men's brains proves he has no brains of his own.

You.

Need to read. Solid ground Christian books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the Prince of Preachers to heart. The mission of solid ground Christian books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to Christians in the present and future and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world.

Since it's beginning in 2001 solid ground has been committed to publish God-centered Christ exalting books for all ages. We invite you to go treasure hunting at solid ground-books .com that's solid-ground-books .com and see what priceless literary gems from the past or present you can unearth from solid ground.

Solid ground Christian books is honored to be a weekly sponsor of iron.

Sharpens iron radio. Welcome back. This is Chris Arns and if you just tuned us in we have as our guest for the first hour with a half hour to go right now. Mike Adosh of solid ground Christian books. And I'm glad Mike that you told me that that you were not holding on because I must have answered the phone when somebody that I don't even know called and they they beat you to it.

It must have been like a bill collector a telemarketer or somebody was on the line on hold there and I thought that you were on and then I hear the call waiting. Beep going on the air. Anyway. The joys of live radio.

I'm on a landline now so we're much better much better. That's a good thing to remember for future. Yes. Reference. Yep. Well what is some of the other new things that you have coming out that you want our listeners to know about that you believe will bless their.

Lives. Well I think that then there's also the portion view of the second and second amendment. Oh yeah. Ron Gleeson that came about through this broadcast. It sure did. Ron Gleeson. You you recommended Ron to me and revising it California.

And uh he read it and said a tremendous understanding of that. All right. Oh yeah. Definitely. All right. What I featured recently on trilogy of books. Ways they relate to one another. Really not done.

Promote them take a look at them. In a man he has the wisdom of God and redemption that he has the penis of the example of power of. It's absolutely the late dr. Robert Paul Martin class of it's entitled heaven up is the most we.

Do have a listener David in. It's either Ada Ohio or at a Ohio ADA I'm not sure how to pronounce that and he asks what does it take to have a book reprinted such as Oswald T Alice prophecy in the church or Alan turns or Karnes dictionary of theological terms just to name two of the many I would like to see.

In print again. Well I think it's a more it's more difficult to do the Alice book copyright. What the copyright situation would be with the Alice work. I have that book. It's it's certainly worthy of being done and I can do some investigation on that because it'd be right issue.

Public domain. You mean go ahead and do. Well I don't know. You just said. You just said that. If you just said.

That the copyright may no longer be binding or say yeah which is that's the same thing. And how about the other book. Alan CAI RNS. I never heard of that here.

With that one I think I would you know what I would do. What. Mike are you there.

Looks like our guest is been cut off. Welcome back. We got knocked off the air temporarily. We do not know why that happened that is definitely the fault of the internet provider because the internet went out and I had nothing to do with my computer or anything like that so we apologize for the the the fact that we went off the air for probably five or six minutes.

But you were. You were answering a question from David in Ada or at a Ohio and he was mentioning a couple of books that he wants brought back into print and you were about to tell him to investigate whether these books are public domain.

Yet it wasn't that way. Yeah that's right. Yeah if he could do investigation on that and then just get back to me and send me a note at Mike dot sgcb at gmail .com and my ke dot sgcb at gmail .com and then that way I can make a decision as to whether or not these would be I mean I'm pretty sure the Alice book with and the other one I would.

Just yes. And that's Mike dot s gb.

No yeah right. Mike dot s g CB for solid ground Christian books correct at gmail calm correct and well thank you very much. And by the way David since you are a first-time questioner I don't know how long you've been listening but since this is the first time we've gotten a question from you you are getting a free.

New American Standard Bible. Compliments of the publisher. Oh compliments of the.

Publishers of the New American Standard Bible who have just renewed their contract with iron sharpens iron and we are so we are so thankful to them. They've been loyal sponsors of ours since 2006 and so that's encouraging.

So David you should be getting this in the near future within a week or so. Well what's.

The third neglected gem oh the third gem is actually the displayed in the works archibald alex. Archibald alexander was literally blown away. What I love about this one thing. The reader may be assured of that whether he should coincide in opinion with the author or not he will find nothing in the volume.

Calculated to a spirit of meekness and kindness eminently characteristic. Several days devouries of letters on the divine purpose as I have read the you're walking down the street a poisonous and of course he's referring to Jeff Thomas.

Who is going to be our guest in about nine minutes or so. But we do have another listener from Fort Atkinson Wisconsin. Another first-time listener or at least a first-time questioner. William from Fort Atkinson Wisconsin.

S if one is a beginner at reading old books what three or four would you recommend to get started. Well I could. Just before Mike answers I can chime in saying the oldest book I know of that's still in print is Mike Gadosz's high school yearbook.

You start. You can. You can actually give him the true answer to that question. Well.

You know I don't know that I would. Bridges what I like about and for today a small faith well I think I think the listener may have been talking about not.

The fact that he's a new Christian and new to Christian literature. But maybe.

New to reading old books. So okay. So I think I still think that the. I still think that a more solid with it was available in many cases from banner true.

And you of course you can never lose by picking up Spurgeon. Who's that's right.

Her who's writing speaks clearly even to a modern audience. Yeah Spurgeon speaking.

Of modern audience though would you recommend the purchase of like for example a Noah Webster dictionary to get the current usage of the people that.

You're reading oh I think Noah Webster's yeah the you talk about the old that old. Yes yeah oh you have changed meaning and oh yeah yeah I think that I think the Webster this tool the three things that they should and of course you mentioned.

John Owen. That that's got to be really picked up by somebody who has got a fairly large vocabulary already. He's not the easiest to read. No you're right.

He is not the easiest to read that's why I think that. Well I want to make sure.

Our listeners have your website again it's solid-ground-books .com. That's solid-ground-books .com. And by the way folks if you're ever trying to remember the website of one of my sponsors such as solid ground Christian books and you can't remember it you can always go to iron sharpens iron radio .com where you listen to the broadcast all over the world iron sharpens iron radio .com.

And if you scroll all the way to the bottom you will find a display ad or a banner ad for all of our sponsors and they have hyperlinks to their own website so when you click on them you'll be taken directly to their own websites.

Well I want to thank you Mike for being our guest once again. I look forward to your.

Return and thanks Chris. I appreciate it. It's good to have Buzz along as well.

Thank you very much and it's always not only a pleasure to interview you but to count you among my most faithful and loyal friends for so many years and thank you also for your support obviously of iron sharpens iron radio my.

Pleasure Chris. I'm excited about what God's doing through you. I knew that you had the gift. Well thanks brother. And we are going to be going now to our.

Interview with Jeff Thomas who is the pastor emeritus of the Alfred Place Baptist Church in Everest. With whales. And so don't go away. We're gonna be talking about Romans 28 the anchor for the Christian in the midst of storms.

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That's NASBible .com. Tired of box store Christianity of doing church in a warehouse with all the trappings of a rock concert. Do you long for a more traditional and reverent style of worship. And how about the preaching.

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His own you need to read. Solid ground Christian books is a publisher and book distributor who takes these words of the Prince of Preachers to heart. The mission of solid ground Christian books is to bring back treasures of the past to minister to Christians in the present and future and to publish new titles that address burning issues in the church and the world.

Since its beginning in 2001 solid ground has been committed to publish God-centered Christ exalting books for all ages. We invite you to go treasure hunting at solid-ground-books .com that's solid-ground-books .com and see what priceless literary gems from the past to present you can unearth from solid ground.

The Christian’s Anchor in the Midst of Storms

Solid ground Christian books is honored to be a weekly sponsor of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio. Welcome back.

This is Chris Arnzen of Iron Sharpens Iron Radio if you just tuned us in. I am so delighted to have for the second hour today for the very first time on Iron Sharpens Iron somebody I have been wanting to get on this program for quite a long time.

His name is Pastor Jeff Thomas and he is a mutual friend of Mike Gaydosh the founder of solid ground Christian books that you just heard advertised on the broadcast. I can remember many many years ago Jeff Thomas coming out to Long Island when I was a very young Christian new in the faith and remember how blessed I was by his preaching and meeting him personally and I've enjoyed reading things that he has written.

One thing that is near and dear to my heart is his biography of Ernie Riesinger. Ernie Riesinger is the founder of the church where I am now a member Grace Baptist Church in Carlisle Pennsylvania. Well actually Jesus Christ is the founder of it but Ernie Riesinger was the very first pastor of it back in the 1950s or 60s somewhere around that time and it is currently pastored by David Campbell.

But Pastor Jeffrey is no stranger to reform Baptists and other theologically reformed Christians globally. He has been the minister of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberyswith Wales since 1963 or 1965 I'm sorry and he has systematically preached the Bible to his congregation ever since and has published the complete text of almost a thousand sermons on the church's website.

He has served as the chairman of the Grace Churches of England and Wales and of the Association of Evangelical Churches of Wales and is currently editor of the Banner of Truths website articles. He is the author of scores of articles in several books including the Holy Spirit Daniel Servant of God under four Kings Philip and the Revival in Samaria and Ernest Riesinger a biography the book I mentioned earlier as well as as the booklet reading the Bible some of which have been published by the Banner of Truth.

He is a frequent speaker at conferences throughout the world and is a visiting professor of historical theology at Puritan Reform Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids Michigan where my friend dr. Joel Beakey is the president who you have heard on this program a number of times.

In 2011 Westminster Seminary awarded him a doctor of divinity degree. Jeff Thomas and Iola Thomas have two daughters and are married who are married to deacons and a third who is a pastor's wife and they have eight grandsons and one granddaughter.

It's my honor and privilege to welcome you to the for the very first time to iron sharpens iron pastor Jeff Thomas. Well pastor Jeff first of all I want to bless our audience with a little bit about your personal background on how you came to faith in Jesus Christ.

One of my members as I said earlier in while introducing you you are the pastor.

Of Alfred Place Baptist Church in Aberystwyth Wales. How did I do.

Pronouncing. Aberstwyth. Well as you firmly believe in the sovereignty of God.

That's what exactly God intended you to preach to those folks. And you are also a mutual friend of somebody who's very important in my own life Peter Jeffrey who used to when his health was better come out to Long Island New York where I formerly lived quite a number of times.

I believe my former pastor Mike Gadosz was.

The very first person to bring Peter to America. If I'm not mistaken I'm sure I.

Still listen to recordings of his sermons that he preached on Long Island back in the nineteen nineties and are riveted riveted to them just as much as I was back then. And I have the rare privilege of having Peter Jeffrey sit at my mother's bedside when she was dying of pancreatic cancer and he spent a half hour at least alone with her.