Category Archives: Articles

Editorials, critiques and commentaries relevant and applicable to living a Christian life. Articles and pamphlets to challenge the non-believer and to encourage those who have decided to place their trust in Jesus Christ.

FAKE NEWS

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Mark Twain once said: “A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is still putting on its shoes.” The only problem with that statement is that Mark Twain never uttered those words!
In fact, it was one of the world’s greatest preachers Charles Haddon Spurgeon who said it.
But if we are going to be completely truthful, the original sentiment came from Jonathan Swift, who wrote in 1710 that “Falsehood flies, and the truth comes limping after it.”
Regardless of who said it first, the idea has never been more relevant than now. There is no doubt whatsoever that we are living in an era where ‘alternative facts’ are now common.
It’s like we are all living in a post truth age where misrepresentation of the truth has become the new normal, leaving many bewildered.

Fake news, or more correctly, fabricated information is so ingrained in our daily lives that we can no longer tell the difference between what is legitimate and what isn’t.
An interesting paper published in the journal Science in 2018, tells us that it took the truth about six times as long as falsehood to reach 1500 people.
In fact, they discovered that falsehood spread significantly farther, faster, deeper and more broadly than the truth in all categories of information.

Here are some examples of ‘genuine’ fake news that has spread like wildfire across the globe:

  • Pope Francis has cancelled the Bible.
  • The State of Miami Florida has introduced new ‘texting-friendly lanes’ on their motorways.
  • The Zika virus is being spread by genetically modified mosquitoes.
  • Research has confirmed that Solar Panels are draining the sun of its energy. This prompted one town in the USA to block the construction of a solar farm.

There is no doubt that fake news has and can have a devastating effect on society.
The report that the President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, had resigned caused the Rand to spike and then drop alarmingly, costing investors millions.
We only need to look around us to see that hardly anyone really knows what to believe anymore.
In fact, if we had to believe everything we hear on TV and read in newspapers and online, we would think the world has gone completely mad!
Websites are being blamed for aiding and abetting the spread of Fake News. There are so many posts on Facebook ranging from the fairly innocuous and inoffensive to the completely absurd and offensive.
So much so that the CEO of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg has openly acknowledged the role his company plays in the spread of Fake News, hate speech and anti-Semitism.

From a Biblical point of view, Fake News is nothing new, because, believe it or not, it all began in the Garden of Eden when the serpent encouraged Eve to eat of the forbidden tree, sprouting fake news that she would become like God if she disobeyed the one instruction given to her and Adam.
It was downhill from then on and remains so until this day.

We have, over the years, had many warnings and witnessed real-life consequences of listening to fake news, with many Christians pleading with people to take responsibility for what they read, watch and who they listen to.

Although the spread of Fake News over recent years has had devastating consequences for many, they pale into insignificance when compared with the public teaching of False Doctrine which has spread worldwide.

Whether we believe it or not, this is not a transgression against one personally, it is a transgression against the whole of humanity with incredibly severe consequences!
For example:

  • The Fake News that we are all products of Evolution.
    That we were not created by an all-powerful Creator, but instead we evolved over millions of years into what we are today. Just how anyone can honestly believe that this is how we came about is mind boggling.
  • The Fake News that Global Warming/Climate Change is a result of increased levels of Carbon Dioxide produced by man, when it is demonstrably evident that Carbon Dioxide does not cause Global Warming and is in fact a natural gas and without it, we would all die!
    Anyone wishing to carry out a little research of their own will discover that the Earth’s temperatures rise and fall naturally and have done so for thousands of years and long, long after the temperatures rise an increase in Carbon Dioxide will NATURALLY occur.
    This is because with warmer temperatures comes increased crops and vegetation growth and the Carbon Dioxide is needed to sustain this. Without this God given phenomena, millions would starve!
  • For those who are baffled and bewildered with the constant news of the dire consequences of ‘so-called’ man- made carbon emissions, may I suggest that you read Job Chapter 38 where you will discover just who it is that is in charge of our planet! Man may think he is in charge, but he is not by a long shot.
    Something else to think about lies within the pages of the Book of Genesis, where we read that God gave man control over the fish in the sea, the fowl of the air, over the cattle, and over every creeping thing upon the earth, together with instructions to replenish the earth.
    Not many people realise that nowhere, does it say that God gave man control over the weather! That is God’s prerogative, and His alone, with Job Chapter 38 confirming that fact!
  • The Fake News that Jesus Christ did NOT die on the Cross to save mankind from their sins.
    Just how God’s gift to mankind can be ignored is incredible! The fact that God’s unspeakable gift, the gift of His only Son, Jesus Christ, in all its wonders of Grace, Riches and Mercy has been reduced to an every day expletive is beyond comprehension.
  • The Fake News that man will eventually become like god and using his mind and enormous talents will determine his own destiny.
    The massive increase in knowledge (a fact predicted in the Scriptures) over the last 100 years has bolstered and even encouraged man’s arrogant opinion of himself that he is in complete control of the world in which he lives, bears ample testimony that God, our Creator has been consigned to the dirt bin of our lives.
  • The Fake News that the Bible is just a book – not to be taken seriously, when in fact it is God’s ‘workshop manual’ on how we should live and conduct ourselves.
    The fact that the Ten Commandments written by God Himself is ingrained in the conscience of every living person should make us realise that God transcends and surpasses everything and anything man can dream up for himself. A fact that stumps the Evolutionist because he cannot explain where the conscience comes from or how it could possibly evolve!
  • The Fake News that there is no eternity – when we die we die, that’s it we are dead!
    The erroneous belief that there is no such thing as a ‘here after’ has together with evolution spelt disaster for billions of souls. The fact that it has proved so popular in the minds of men is evidenced by man’s determination not to allow a divine foot in the door of their lives.
    The fact that most of us spend more time deciding which washing machine to purchase speaks volumes as to where our priorities lie.
    Where we will spend eternity is and should command centre stage of everyone’s life. There will be no turning back when we take our final breath, because by then it will be too late!

All of the above, and much more, are taught in Schools, Colleges and Universities across the world, with countless billions trusting and believing in them.
Can you imagine the horror and dismay of all those who have trusted in this type of Fake News when they eventually come face to face with Jesus Christ and realise they were wrong all along?
At what point will we realise that the words of Scripture are NOT Fake News.
What will it take to convince people that we are all being led down a dreadfully deceptive path by ignoring the Word of God which tells us that Jesus Christ came to save us from an eternity without God?

The Book of Judges written about a thousand years before Christ was born sums up what is so wrong in our world of today:
In those days there was no leader, every man did that which was right in his own eyes.
This is what our world has become, of this there can be no doubt. Hardly anyone sees Jesus Christ as being our Leader.
We would rather put our faith in politicians, news readers and editors of newspapers than our Creator. In fact most of us totally ignore the blessings that God pours out on us every single day of our lives and yet we are quick to blame Him when things go wrong.
If the truth be known, we all do that which is right in our own eyes. There is no right or wrong anymore. It’s how you feel that counts. People question the truth and say that what is true for you is not necessarily true for me.
We are taught that there are no absolutes and that all religions are the same, when nothing could be further from the truth!
Is it any wonder then that people do not know what to believe anymore, with millions having given up searching for the truth?
In other words, everyone does what is right in their own eyes with the result that there are a million ways of deciding how to live instead of realizing that we have no right whatsoever to ignore what our Creator has to say on how we should live. Which then begs the question: Can we honestly blame God for the mess our world is in when we are guilty of ignoring His Hand Book of Life that He gave us to live by?

This is what the Bible tells us:
But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. 2 Peter 2:1

Open your Bible and read for yourself what God has to say.
Don’t become one of those who will stand before Him one day and hear Him say:
depart from me, I never knew you.
You CAN know Him, and you can know Him now!


VERSES OF SCRIPTURE TO CONSIDER:

 Jesus said: I am the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man comes to the Father but by Me.
Invite Him into your life before it is too late!

Exodus 23:1 Thou shalt not raise a false report: put not thine hand with the wicked to be an unrighteous witness.

Proverbs 3:5-7 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Life is too short and too precious to ignore what the Scriptures tell us.
Ask and you will receive.
Seek and you will find.
Knock and the door
will be opened for you. Luke 11:9

We are given absolute assurance in the Bible that if we carry out these simple tasks with sincerity of heart, the truth will be revealed to us.
It is my prayer that this will be the year that you take God at His Word when He tells you that there is nothing about Him that makes it impossible for men to believe.
I can think of no other way to live than to place my faith in Him who died for us that we might live victorious lives.

THE WHO, WHY, HOW, WHEN

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THE WHO, WHY, HOW, WHEN

Many question the claims made in the Bible of Jesus Christ. I hope what follows answers some of those questions or at very least it will give you something to think about.

Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 15:1,3,4

 The Who of The Resurrection

But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22

The Why of The Resurrection

 But some men will say How are the dead raised up and with what body do they come? So also, is the resurrection of the dead.
It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in Glory: It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body and a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from Heaven. 1 Corinthians 15:35,42-45,47

 The How of The Resurrection

In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written. Death is swallowed up in victory. 1 Corinthians 15:52-54

The When of The Resurrection

The life of our Lord Jesus Christ on earth is enclosed by two miracles that affect the two most important facts of our existence, and that is: Birth and Death.

  • The bypassing of natural conception could not prevent His Birth.
  • The bypassing of natural death could not prevent His Resurrection.

The miraculous Incarnation of the Man Christ Jesus pointed to the miraculous Resurrection of the Man Christ Jesus.

  • The Lord Jesus was born as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus lived as a Man and for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus died as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus rose again as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus ascended as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus intercedes as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus is coming as a Man for Men.
  • The Lord Jesus will judge as a Man over Men.
  • The Lord Jesus will reign as a Man over Men.
  • Are you ready to meet Him?

If you have any questions or are worried about your spiritual condition, please do not hesitate to contact me, and I will do what I can to help and guide you.
You can contact me via the Website.

HAVE YOU SETTLED THE QUESTION?

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*A quote from Alistair Begg, Pastor of Cleveland’s Parkside Church Bainbridge, Ohio, USA

Death is not a subject that many people like to dwell on mainly because it brings with it the finality of life. There is no going back once a person leaves this earth and enters eternity. Death puts an end to the plans, aspirations and goals a person had whilst alive on earth, and those left behind are at a loss to know what to say or do to comfort those who are grief-stricken.i

For those who have put their faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, there is an altogether different picture.

We are confident, I say, and willing to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:8

In our verse of Scripture, we have the Apostle Paul telling us that he is of good hope, confident even, in view of what lies before him. He would rather be in Heaven with the Lord than be alive here on earth!
In v6 of the same chapter he tells us whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord.

It is true that whilst most people do not want to die, there are those who have had a glimpse of what Heaven might be like together with a yearning to be with Jesus, and therefore are confident that to be absent from the body will mean they are present with the Lord.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?
1 Corinthians 15:54-55

Death is swallowed up in victory. Jesus swallowed up death in victory and He will wipe away tears from all faces!

Death, where is thy sting? These are words which hold enormous comfort for those who know where they are going when they take their last breath. Knowing our sins are forgiven, we can face death with confidence.

O grave, where is thy victory? Death has no victory, no triumph, it has been defeated! Oh, what joy there will be when one enters the presence of the Saviour and see Him face to face!

Whether you believe it or not, death ushers in either condemnation or celebration and I make no apology whatsoever for quoting from the Scriptures and bringing to you, the reader, what they have to say, simply because there is no other place on earth where the truth may be found. All other is mere opinion and conjecture designed to soothe and mollify the consciences of those who have ignored the Gospel message all their lives.

The mere fact that we have hundreds and hundreds of different religions in our world today is testimony to the fact that mankind has developed an amazing aptitude for developing a myriad of belief systems in order to escape from what our Creator intended. Whether they be moral or so called ‘spiritual’ concerns, they are all symptoms of a foundational issue—rejection of God’s Word.
Ever since being banished from God’s presence, man has decided to live life his own way, with disastrous consequences.

The throne of death rests on two bases:

  • Sin
  • The Law

The Scriptures make it very clear that Sin calls for condemnation and that the Law, which God has put within all of us, shouts for it. The best this world has to offer pales into obscurity and nothingness when compared with what is offered by God to those who love Him.

  • Every dark day should be brightened by the prospect of Heaven.
  • Every single burden we have should be lightened by the wonderful promise of what lies ahead.
  • Are you sure of Heaven?
  • Are you certain of where you are going when you leave this earth?
  • Settle this Question now!
  • Ask the Saviour into your heart now.

If you need any help doing this, please contact me.

IS THERE HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS?

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IS THERE HOPE FOR THE HOPELESS?

I AM TIRED-1

My situation is hopeless! How often one hears statements like that. People are crying out for help, inner help, from the fears, frustrations and follies that are found at every turn of the road where they find the pressures of living from day-to-day have become too much for them. Two men were driving in congested traffic, each was determined to be in front; tempers flared, the cars slammed on their brakes, hand guns were pulled out and when the noise of the explosions died down both lay dead on the road. The action was so quick, the results were so lasting. People are living in a pressure cooker environment these days. Lost control seems so common that all kinds of wrong decisions are being made on the spur of the moment, decisions that lead to the loss of jobs, families, health and sometimes life itself. It may be that you too are in a very difficult situation, and your heart is aching. I would like to talk to you about that, I want to tell you of a ‘sure thing’, a certain hope for even the seemingly hopeless.
You say to me but you don’t know how bad my case is. My marriage has broken up, my boys are on drugs, my only daughter is living with her boyfriend, I lost my job recently and just don’t know what to do. That kind of picture; one of utter despair, is becoming all too common in our present world. The world that was going to supply the answers through education has only mass-produced problems without solutions. In fact, they tell our young people that they have the answers; in drugs, in partying, in every form of mind manipulation that will switch you off. But being switched off when you are in a crisis situation is an answer to nothing! It is a prescription to disaster.

One woman had it rough. Her health had broken down. She went for medical help, but it didn’t help. The doctors took her money but left her with her problems. Even worse, her health went just as fast as her wealth, and soon both hit rock bottom. Friends were scarce and hope was almost gone when she heard of Someone who, it was said, Could help. Was it just another one of those empty promises? Tossed between despair and desperation she made her way with pounding heart to see if there might be just one last possibility. But, reaching this Man of the last chance, her only hope; fear and dismay gripped her. He was so much in demand that she just couldn’t get near Him. O, the crowds! Always there to hinder, never there to help. Then she made up her mind in that moment of panic: If they don’t move, I’ll force my way through, I don’t know what will happen, but for me this is D-day – the day of desperation and the day of Decision. If only I can touch Him! I know there is power in His Hands, but I believe there must be power in His Hem as well. The men that surrounded Him presented an impenetrable wall, there was only one way through and that was down. Humbling herself to crawl in a crowd. Then there was the danger of being trampled to death. But that problem didn’t reach her. Quickly she forced her way between their legs and touched the Hem of His Garment. The world seemed to stand still. Health surged through her and she wanted to shout for joy. Her disease, despair and desperation all vanished in a moment. She was a new woman with a new situation. You can read that account in Mark’s Gospel Chapter 5:24-34.

Well, you say, that’s wonderful, but what about today. If only the Lord Jesus were here, I expect He would do the same for me. I need the help that woman had, but I need it now. Then let me bring you up to date.

Here are the stories of Stewart and Tom, it is less than a week since they gave these testimonies at a service I was conducting.

Stewart is seventeen, he is a high school senior, but life was not what he expected. There were problems, it seemed, on every hand. Nothing appeared to really satisfy. At that time Stewart met up with some former friends, and noticed the joy that they had in their faces. He wondered about that. He wanted a joy that could last – something that came from the inside, not from the outside. He has often tried the pleasures of this life, in fact, what else was there for a young fellow? Entertainment, sport, girls and, of course drugs, drink and the like, were all there for the taking. The real problem was that while you took your fill of them, they took their toll of you. In thinking of it, he could see that it just didn’t add up, he wasn’t winning.
Everything external that seemed to spell happiness came and went with such speed that it left him feeling cheated. He didn’t know that God’s Word says:

The world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:17

But still, the emptiness of living for time was getting through to him. He asked one of the young people whose face showed that they had what Stewart wanted: Look Andy, what makes you so happy? Andy told him of the thrill of having the Lord Jesus in control of his life, how that having Christ was not for the old or the religious nut, as some are quick to say. Having the Lord Jesus as one’s Saviour and Friend is the most thrilling, the most satisfying and the most successful way of getting through this world. It also had the wonderful blessing of a real hope for the life that is before us. Stewart saw that it was not mere theory in the life of Andy, or of his friends, so he took his problems and sins to the foot of the Cross of Calvary and gained the smile that comes when the living Saviour cleanses them away with His precious blood, and gives His life, love, joy and peace in their place.

Tom then told his story, and it was certainly a moving one. By his own reckoning he is not a speaker, but as the people listened to him they were gripped. He is a young business man. A couple of years ago the bottom fell out of his world. His wife left him and took their two children with her. She was suing for divorce. His business was in a bad way, and he owed money. It was the money problem that seemed to set everything off. Frustration and fear led to arguments and arguments led to strife. What started in one home soon reached three or four as each member of the family got involved. He found himself with divorce proceedings being instigated against him. A lawyer, his wife had hired, was claiming all his fees from him. And those fees were amounting to thousands of pounds. Not only that, he had the threat of losing his house, and his wife getting the money. Tom was desperate. Had he thought of fleeing the country? No, he cried. I cannot leave my children.

It was then in a state of despair and desperation, that he got down. He took the risk of being trampled on so that he could get to the One who could help him. He came to the Lord Jesus Christ, the hope of the desperate. Opening his life to Christ; confessing his own failure and need, he found forgiveness, cleansing and peace.

LET NOT YOUR HEART BE TROUBLED

Everything began to change. By a series of wonderful events the Master dealt independently with his wife, and she came home, first to her husband and then to his Saviour. As Tom told the story of how the Lord had answered so many prayers for his family, his business and not least, his own life – He is now a calm, trusting, thankful man. His two older children are happy members of the Sunday School, he has a new baby daughter and his business is supporting them – as he spoke, his eyes filled with tears of thankfulness and joy, and so did many others in the company. The Lord Jesus is still here and He is available.

O how I would love you to see, my dear friend, it is not the difficulty or the dimension of your problems that matters; what matters is: WHAT ARE YOU DOING ABOUT IT? Instead of pain, poverty and panic, the Saviour will fill you with peace and praise. But the way to get through to Jesus is to get down. Like the woman in the crowd and like Tom in his despair. Before honour is humility, says God’s Word. And if you come to the Saviour that way He says: I will never, no never, reject anyone who comes to me.

Tom, who had been through University, told the people how he despised his older brother who had taken drugs and driven fast cars, not caring about anyone except himself. His brother hit rock bottom and came to the Saviour. Tom shook his head and said: Not only does he need to have constant highs, he has to use religion as a crutch when he gets down.
Tom viewed it all as a weakness that would have no place in his life. He looked at the congregation and said:

I once pitied people like you, when I was out there. Now I pity the people out there, since the Lord has brought me in.

Tom is a new man and he has a new song:

In God’s green pastures feeding, by His cool waters lie, soft in the evening, walk my Lord and I, All the sheep of His pasture fare so wondrously fine, His sheep am I.

Tom is not a weak man, he is a strong man and he is a saved man and he knows the wonder and beauty of the 23rd Psalm and is not ashamed to say with all his heart:

The Lord is MY Shepherd, I shall not want.

You can join him now just where you are and as you are. You can take your problem and your pain to the Saviour, for that’s what He asks you to do:

Come to Me, all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I WILL give you rest…..

That’s the invitation with a promise that He makes to you personally.
So come…… He’s waiting.

A M Ross

HOW UNREASONABLE CAN WE GET?

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 UNREASONABLE

REASON - 1

HOW UNREASONABLE CAN WE GET?

The more I write the more I am confronted with words that I need to investigate. I like to look up the meaning of words in a dictionary to get a sense of how they are used, why they are used and in what context they should be used. Well, today is no different, because the words are: Reason, Reasonable and Unreasonable. Let’s take them one at a time:

  • Reason (n) – aim, motive, cause, goal, purpose, intention, judgement, logic, wisdom, rationale, justification.
  • Reasonable (adj.) – sensible, rational, practical, sound, intelligent, wise, logical, level-headed, acceptable, fair.
  • Unreasonable (adj.) – irrational, arbitrary, perverse, awkward, excessive, extravagant, extreme, unnecessary, uncalled for, unjust, unfair.
  • Why these particular words? you may well ask! Well I want to explore and examine all three of these words in conjunction with the way mankind acts and behaves in the world today. For instance, if we are willing to think a little, all of us would or more importantly, should, have every reason to question where we will spend eternity. Why? because it is probably the most important goal we could ever have whilst we are alive.
    There is every reason in the world to respond to the Love of God. And yet most people want nothing to do with Him.
    It matters not what education they have, what qualifications they possess or how confident they are in their own abilities, they see no reason whatsoever to consider their future destination.
    When the subject of Heaven and Hell surface, most people do not want to talk about it and make it very clear that it is a topic they do not wish to hear about.
    They display a totally unreasonable attitude toward the very Person who created them and they prove that by living day after day as though He does not exist.

FACTS

  • There is no margin for error when it comes to the truth regarding where we will spend eternity.
  • We cannot go back and put things right after we take our last breath here on earth.
  • It is totally unreasonable to believe that man is nothing more than the sum total of his material body and that when we die, that’s it, the end! 
  • There are many people who do not even consider that the activity in our brain cells do not originate our thoughts.
  • The thoughts and ideas which we have and express in words, are NOT physical.
  • We are NOT physical!
  • It is, therefore, unreasonable NOT to ask where our thoughts come from.
  • Wilder Penfield, one of the world’s leading neurosurgeons, has said:

The brain is a computer programmed by something independent of itself, the mind.

  • The mind belongs to the soul and the spirit living in the body.
  • Only a non-physical intelligence can form conceptual ideas and thoughts and express them in words.
  • The mind (non-physical) belongs to the soul and spirit which lives temporarily in the body and the brain is part of that.
  • The Bible refers to the thinking mind as the heart, and God reminds us of this fact hundreds of times throughout the Scriptures beginning in Genesis. Here are a few verses of Scripture for you to look up yourself:

And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (every day).
Genesis 6:5

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God. Psalm 14:1

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. Proverbs 4:23

And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?
Matthew 9:4

Do not ye yet understand, that whatsoever entereth in at the mouth goeth into the belly, and is cast out into the draught? But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. Matthew 15 17-18

Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken, Luke 24:25

If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shall believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. Romans 10:9

Everybody knows that when we die the body returns to dust. But what happens to the person that lived inside that body?  Where is that person now? Many years ago I asked the same questions when my best friend was killed in a motor bike accident. He was crossing an intersection when he was hit by a car and died instantly. During the weeks that followed I wrestled with these questions until deciding to investigate what the Bible had to say on the matter.

The Bible makes it very clear that the body returns to dust, but the person, the real person who lived inside that body, lives on. That person lives on in one of two places: A place of eternal agony or a place of eternal bliss. There is no in-between! It also makes it very clear that the choice of where one spends eternity is made whilst we are still alive.
It is at this point that most people, who do not accept what the Bible has to say, will shut their ears and begin to either protest or argue. They will raise their hands and say: enough! I’ve heard enough. I have my own thoughts on the issue and I don’t agree with yours.
Sadly what they don’t realise is that all you are doing is telling them what our Creator is saying, and the reason you are having to tell them is because they cannot be bothered to read The Bible for themselves and find out what God has to say! It really is as simple as that! The dreadful consequence of this is that if they do not bother to find out from the only source of TRUTH, they will be left with their own opinion, and as we all know, opinions change like the wind. Is that REALLY what counts?
It is, therefore, reasonable to expect EVERYBODY to make absolutely certain before death comes knocking, where one will spend eternity. Because after death, it is too late!

Sadly, most people don’t think about eternity, being, as they are, wrapped up in living for today, giving no thought to what eternity will bring them. The great Christian Author Dave Hunt put it like this:

Man spends more time researching what his next car will be than finding out where he will spend eternity.

Ask the average person what he or she thinks about eternity, or what happens after death, and the vast majority will not be able to give a coherent answer with some refusing to even talk about the subject. This leaves you wondering what it will take to get them to even consider the issue before it is too late. To take a chance on eternity or to trust in a vague hope is the most unreasonable thing one could do.

The discovery of DNA, the very building blocks of life itself, has shattered the theory of evolution. We each begin as a single cell with the instructions for building the body encoded in the DNA. The code itself can only be read by certain protein molecules and are instructions for manufacturing trillions of cells out of non-living materials which arrange themselves perfectly with other cells which eventually form a functioning human body.

These truly amazing facts spell the death of the theory of evolution, because there is no way that DNA originated the code (it can’t even read) and therefore points irrefutably to God Himself as the Designer and Creator of all things. Even though the facts are laid out in front of them for all to see and marvel at, the evolutionist turns his back on the very one who is responsible for all of Creation and creates a theory all of his own. This theory is totally unreasonable and yet it is forced upon school children around the world by those who have made it their business to push God out of His universe, claiming their theory is the truth.

The fact that man chases his own goals and objectives whilst ignoring God is beyond comprehension. The fact that the universe supplies the most obvious and undeniable evidence of a God who created everything, even the very air we breathe day after day, year after year, and yet occupies so little of our thoughts, is ungratefulness of the highest order and is unreasonable in the extreme.

The fact that evolutionists, who have not found a single shred of evidence to support their claims, have resorted to manufacturing it, is completely dishonest and unreasonable.

To deny that God produced the instructions within DNA and to insist that natural selection produced the eye and brain, when they could not contribute to survival until they worked, is the embodiment of unreasonableness. Furthermore to promote the lie that thousands of insects, fish and animals evolved from one into the other without leaving behind trillions of intermediate forms, is unreasonable and corrupt.

There are millions of people who call themselves Christians and who deliberately disobey the basic teachings of Jesus Christ and the examples He set. Pastors and theologians claim to teach from the Bible, but deny it is infallible, claiming that portions of Scripture are open to interpretation to fit modern-day living. There are those who say we cannot be absolutely sure of what God is really saying. This is unreasonable!

There are those who agree wholeheartedly with rules for caring for oneself, for others and for the body, but openly state that insofar as caring for the soul and spirit, you can believe anybody or anything. That is unreasonable! This is the  irrational thinking employed by the majority of people today. They can be very sensible and careful about things in this life, but when it comes to eternity they literally throw reason and caution to the wind.

The night before His crucifixion Jesus Christ slept on the ground covered in the only piece of clothing he possessed; a homespun robe. The next day He was surrounded by a jeering mob shouting for His death. He was hated. He was despised. He was rejected. He was the Saviour of the world!  Yet more than a billion people today are convinced that a man who is cheered by huge crowds wherever he goes, who has hundreds of the finest silk robes embroidered with gold, who lives in a Vatican palace of 1,100 rooms, and has a summer palace of the same size together with numerous other residences—that he represents the One who hung naked on the cross. That is as unreasonable as one can be.

Most people expect others to be reasonable to them but sadly they are not reasonable when it comes to matters of the soul and spirit and of God and eternity. Religious people seem to be content to let the minister or pastor or some other leader tell them what to believe in or trust in. They do not take the time, or feel the need to check it out for themselves. This is most unreasonable.

Peter tells us to be ready always to give an answer to every man who asks for a reason of the hope that is in us. 1 Peter 3:15. This is reasonable.

Furthermore Paul tells us:

I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
Romans 12:1-2

Let us remind ourselves of the meanings of the words under consideration:

  • Reason (n) – we are to have an aim, a motive, a cause, a goal, a purpose, and an intention to investigate what we believe. We are to exercise judgement, use logic and wisdom to do this. We are to have a foundation and a reason for doing so which will provide justification and validation.
  • Reasonable (adj.) – we are to be sensible and rational in the search for the truth, simply because it is practical and sound. We are to use our God-given intelligence and employ wise logic which is both acceptable and fair.
  • Unreasonable (adj.) – As the meaning of this word implies, it is irrational not to seek out the truth. An arbitrary approach to this task based on a chance that our present way of thinking will pass muster is both illogical and perverse in the extreme.

FINAL THOUGHTS

All men and women are sinners. Sin is what separates us from God. God has offered us a way of escape from the wrath to come by sending Jesus to die on the Cross. It was Jesus who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world so that we could be reconciled back to God, and whoever puts their complete trust in Him will be saved. Having done so God expects all of us to live a righteous, clean and holy life that brings honour and glory to Him. Inward changes brought about by obedience to God will bring corresponding fruits, never the other way around. Whatever is true about your heart will show up in your actions, and we must NEVER forget that the power and authority of death rests on 2 foundations:

  1. Sin, which calls for condemnation.
  2. The Law, which pronounces it.

THEREFORE

  • It is perfectly reasonable to accept the reason for mankind being alienated from God.
  • It is perfectly reasonable to trust and believe what The Lord Jesus Christ did for us on the Cross of Calvary.
  • It is perfectly reasonable to trust the fact that God loves us and wants us to love Him.
  • It is completely unreasonable to ignore the message of Salvation.
  • Accept Jesus into your life now – before it is too late – that is the most reasonable thing anyone could do.

 

SPEAKING UP FOR FAIRNESS

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SPEAKING UP FOR FAIRNESS

It never ceases to amaze me how twisted the logic is of academics and society in general. I looked up the meaning of the word Academic in the dictionary and found that it applies to:

  • Researchers
  • Instructors
  • Teachers
  • Professors
  • Scholars
  • Lecturers

I looked up the meaning of the word Twisted and discovered that it means:

  • Warped
  • Perverse
  • Sick
  • Cruel
  • Perverted

I also looked up the word Logic and found that it relates to:

  • Judgment
  • Sense
  • Reasoning
  • Soundness
  • Rationality

One would be forgiven for forming the opinion that Academics should know better, being blessed as they are, with superior credentials and education compared with the rest of us when it comes to the application of wisdom and knowledge, because the latest outpouring of expertise and understanding in the field of justice and fairness has grabbed the headlines and seems set to occupy our minds for some time to come.

The first article appeared recently in a local newspaper in which we were told that the President of the Oxford Union has been accused of rape, and in accordance with law he is innocent until proven guilty. However it would appear that this is not the case. A few very high-profile speakers scheduled to speak at a gathering of Union Members have decided that the President is guilty and have cancelled their appearances as a result. Oddly enough one of those who has cancelled is a human rights campaigner, but clearly presumed innocence is not high on his agenda.

The article goes on to lament the slow, insidious and cruel demise of one of the most fundamental tenants of British Law in that a person is innocent until proven guilty, and that it is enough for one allegation to be made to ruin someone’s life completely, no matter what the final outcome of the ensuing proceedings.  From TV stars, to Teachers, from pop stars to priests to the President of the Oxford Union, the new rules apply:

  • Suspend
  • Sack
  • Boycott
  • Destroy

And long afterwards decide whether the accused might in fact be innocent.
The antics of a lynch mob readily come to mind.

The second article appeared in the Bible written about 2000 years ago and focuses on the trial of one man who, for all intents and purposes spent only three years of His adult life teaching. He also went about healing people who were very ill and suffering from incurable diseases. He returned the sight to many who were blind and He raised people from the dead. Therefore logic would dictate that this is one Man who you would really, really want to have around you, at all times!

There was one incident which took place in the Jewish synagogue which involved a man who had a withered hand. The leaders of that day asked Him if it was lawful to heal someone on the Jewish Sabbath which was their holy day and during which it was forbidden to do any work. It would appear that they asked Him this question for the specific purpose of trapping Him so that they could accuse Him of breaking the law. He answered them by asking what they would do if one of their sheep had fallen into a hole on the Sabbath day. Would they just leave it there or would the rescue it there and then? After getting no answer from the leaders and reminding them how much more important a man was than a sheep, He promptly healed the man’s hand. Incredibly, after such a show of compassion and love for His fellow human beings, the leaders left the synagogue and held counsel as to how they might destroy Him. Perhaps the academics of today would be kind enough to show me where justice and fairness played a part in this incident.

Nevertheless the general populace were so impressed with Him they followed Him wherever He went. He fed them and He taught them how to live good wholesome lives and at one time they decided that it was right and proper to crown Him as their King. As he entered into the town riding on the back of a donkey the people shouted and sang with happiness and joy. They even laid palm leaves along the road where the donkey walked and shouted and praised their King.

Sadly though, a week later, despite all the good He had done, they changed their minds and decided to get rid of Him. (So much for logic) The leaders, who were at the forefront of this revolt, involved themselves in one of the most infamous cases of bribery and corruption known to man, arranging, as they did, for one of His followers to betray Him for a sum of money. After which they took Him to court. A court which, by the way, was run by the very people who they hated because of their vicious and inhuman demands imposed on them. The chiefs and leaders then plotted together to produce witnesses who would lie to the court, but after what appears to be an exhaustive search for these witnesses, only two could be found. A charge of blasphemy was all they could muster. After this they decided to dispense with witnesses and called for the death sentence to be imposed. He was tried and convicted on trumped-up charges in a complete and utter mockery of justice and fairness during which they tied Him up and beat Him so badly that His face and body were almost unrecognisable. They made Him a crown out of thorns which they forced onto His head. Then they made Him carry a cross until He could no longer walk and another was made to carry it for Him. On arriving at a specific place they laid the cross on the ground and laid Him on the cross and hammered huge nails into His hands and feet. Then they raised the cross up and thumped it into a hole specially prepared in the ground and left Him to die.
In short He was:

Suspended
Sacked
Boycotted
Destroyed.

Never before has the twisted logic of academics and the general population been so graphically portrayed than in the trial, conviction and execution of Jesus Christ, and yet hardly anyone acknowledges this. Nobody seems in the least bit interested in the cruel injustice visited on the Creator of Heaven and earth. Nobody seems the least bit interested in the fact that what was done to Jesus Christ changed the course of the whole world and mankind irrevocably and brought judgment crashing down on the entire human race. It was and still is the most tragic and dreadful deed ever committed in all of time, and we would do well to ask:

  • Where were those who have made an occupation out of calling for justice?
  • Where were those who have carved out a career for themselves demanding fairness?

In complete contrast: If ever there was a display of the depth, breadth and height of love our Creator has for us it is wonderfully and beautifully portrayed in Jesus Christ.

The thought that no-one ever was so shamefully treated as the only perfectly wise, Holy and beautiful Person that ever appeared on earth, MUST lead those who are serious about life to have very strong views of man’s wickedness and enmity toward God.

The twisted logic displayed by mankind as a whole led to the greatest disgrace and travesty of justice and fairness ever to visit this earth.

It is my prayer that this message of Love so Divine will grip you such that you will not tire of spreading the GOOD NEWS to those around you.

WHICH BIBLE SHOULD I USE?

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WHICH BIBLE SHOULD I USE - TNWHICH BIBLE SHOULD I USE?

Which Bible should I use? Is a question I have been asked on many occasions, and the question is usually followed by one or more of the following statements:

  • I have a King James Bible and I find it very hard to understand.
  • The language used is so ancient and we don’t speak like that anymore.
  • Can you recommend a Bible that is easier to understand?

My response is and always has been to say that I was brought up on the King James Version and have been with it for more than 45 years. I fell in love with the way it is written from day one, despite the old-fashioned English and I am still in love with it! It has a flow that makes it easy to memorise verses and it possesses a majesty all of its own. I occasionally use other translations and quote modern versions when writing articles for publication and on my web site where it seems to me to be more understandable to the average reader, especially the non-believer.

The King James-only debate has raised its head on many occasions over the years and sadly has brought with it conflict and division between Christians across the globe to the detriment of those who wish to spread the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. If that is not enough, there are web sites which appear to thrive on scathing criticism if anything other than the KJV is mentioned, with blistering attacks on individuals who quote verses or parts of Scripture from any other source than the King James.

Although I have hesitated to enter this conflict on the grounds that whatever one says only seems to deepen the quarrel, I feel I must, simply because I have received a number of requests on this subject which have highlighted and exposed misunderstanding and bewilderment on both sides so much so that I have decided to attempt to bring some stability where I think it is badly needed. At this point I think it would be wise to lay down some ground rules which I believe are very important and I pray are acceptable to both sides.

But first let us turn to the Scriptures to learn how we, as Christians, should display the fruits of the Spirit and in what frame of mind we should be to tackle areas of disagreement with those who need encouragement, nurturing and the Love of our Saviour. We should never forget that this is what we received from Godly people, when we were searching for the truth.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, Longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, Temperance: against such there is no law. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another. If a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
Galatians 5:22-23, 25-26 and 6:1

OUR RULES SHOULD BE –

  • Where doctrinal purity and clarity is NOT involved we MUST respect one another’s sincere differences of opinion.
  • Deviation from what the Scriptures teach and beliefs that are obviously at variance with established Christian doctrine that are taught publicly must be opposed publicly.
  • We must disagree courteously and in love, which comes only from knowing Jesus as our Saviour, bearing in mind that we were not born with a love for our fellow-man, therefore it is something we have to learn and cultivate. It can be stated quite categorically that if we do not love others with a love and concern which only comes as we walk day by day with Jesus, then the love of the Saviour is NOT in us.
  • It must be understood that reading and/or quoting from other versions and translations of the Bible, cannot by any stretch of the imagination be labelled as heresy or a sin as some would like to thrust upon their readership.
  • We are to deal with the issues only and not attack or ridicule the person or perceived motives, remembering that there are Godly and sincere people on both sides of this rift.
  • Let us remind ourselves of how gracious and longsuffering God is toward us and consider words from Scripture which are appropriate to our subject:

Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
Philippians 2:3

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.
Romans 12:3

These verses warn us to honour, respect, value and appreciate one another and not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. One method I have used when I find a person particularly obnoxious or disagreeable is to tell myself that Jesus loves that person just as much as He loves me, and that He died for that person as well as me.

Horatius Bonar (1808–1889) the great Scottish Churchman and poet wrote in his classic, God’s Way of Peace, 150 years ago:

It takes a great deal to destroy a man’s good opinion of himself even after he has lost his good opinion of his works; he retains a good opinion of his heart.

No wonder the Bible frequently reminds us that we are sinners and unprofitable to God in and of ourselves. How reluctant we are to admit that truth!

To indicate where I stand on this issue I would like to start off by telling you of one of my best friends who, after many months of being witnessed to by believers and being undecided on the Gospel, finally decided to accept Christ as his Saviour after reading his Living Bible over and over again and being convicted of his sin. I was overjoyed and cried tears of happiness with him as we hugged each other and prayed together. Without a doubt God used the Living Bible, which, strictly speaking, is a paraphrase, to bring my friend to Himself.

Here are some little known and under-appreciated facts which we would do well to consider before setting our preconceptions and biases in concrete.

  • Both sides of the debate need to remember that ALL VERSIONS of the Bible are TRANSLATIONS!
  • For the KJV, as we have it today, to be perfect in every word, the translators must have had the same infallible inspiration of the Holy Spirit in their translating as those who wrote the original Greek and Hebrew documents had in their writing.
  • The King James translators themselves NEVER claimed such infallible inspiration or perfection and in fact confessed that they consulted other Translators and Commentators to improve their work.
  • They acknowledged that the KJV was NOT perfect but could be improved on and that there were places where they were uncertain of the exact meaning of some words. They even recommended consulting a variety of translations.

At this point we would do well to read what the Translators themselves say of their own work. What follows is from the introduction to the 1611 KJV and is entitled:

THE TRANSLATORS TO THE READER

(Please note that in 17th century English the u and v were reversed)

Neither were we barred or hindered from going over it again, having once done it [the work of translation]…[nor] were we the first that fell in hand with translating the Scripture into English, and consequently destitute of former helps….Neither did we thinke much to consult the Translators or Commentators, Chaldee, Hebrewe, Syrian, Greeke, or Latin , no nor the Spanish, French, Italian, or Dutch; neither did we disdaine to reuise that which we had done, and to bring back to the anuill that which we had hammered…vsing as great helps as were needfull….

Yet for all that it cannot be dissembled…[that] it hath pleased God in his diuine prouidence, heere and there, to scatter wordes and sentences of that difficultie and doubtfulnesse, not in doctrinal points that concerne saluation (for in such it hath beene vouched that the Scriptures are plaine) but in matters of lesse moment, that fearfulnesse would better beseeme vs than confidence …and to resolue upon modestie….There be many words in Scripture, which be neuer found there but once…there be many rare names of certaine birds, beastes and precious stones, &c. concerning which the Hebrews themselves are so divided among themselves…so to determine of such things as the Spirit of God hath left (euen in the judgement of the iudicious) questionable, can be no lesse than presumption. Therefore as S. Augustine saith, that varietie of Translations is profitable for the finding out of the sense of the Scriptures; so diuersitie of signification and sense in the margine, where the text is not so cleare, must needes doe good, yea, is necessary, as we are perswaded….They that are wise, had rather haue their judgements at libertie in differences of readings, then to be captiuated to one, when it may be the other.

  • In great humility and sincere acknowledgment of their own fallibility, frailty and short comings, the KJV Translators themselves disagree with those who claim inspiration and inerrancy for the King James Bible.
  • They admit their own fallibility and the imperfection of their work in translating the Scriptures.
  • They give alternate readings in the margin and even recommend consulting other translations.
  • Given the fact that man is likely to err, it is only logical that the translators humbly acknowledged this.

If, as some insist, the KJV is the only perfect word of God and all other versions are of the devil, then someone needs to explain what those, who happen to speak another language, are to do.

  • Are those who speak Afrikaans and read and study their Bibles written in that language wrong?
  • What of the German, French, Italian, etc. Bibles?
  • Do all these people possess God’s word written by the devil!?
  • Are they really telling everyone that to have the perfect Word of God they all need to learn to speak and read 17th century English?

Another unappreciated fact is that those who advocate the KJV only don’t realise that to refer back to the Hebrew and Greek manuscripts behind the KJV in order to carry out research or be more certain of words, phrases and meanings, would be tantamount to admitting that the KJV was not perfect after all. There are of course those who state quite categorically that as we already have the perfect word of God in the AKJV, there is no need to refer back to the original Greek and Hebrew! Which then begs the question:

  • What about all those who came to a saving knowledge of the Saviour long before 1611?
  • What then are we to make of The Bereans in Acts 17 who searched the Old Testament Scriptures daily?
  • Are we to believe that every version of the Bible, other than the KJV, is of the devil?

As we all know and appreciate the Scriptures need to be in every language so that all may read it in their own language and understand it better. The translators themselves argued that:

The very worst translation of the Bible completed by men of our profession……is the Word of God! How far they were from what some are claiming today!

It goes without saying that the KJV translators had not encountered the deliberately perverted translations used and promoted by today’s cults. These versions calculatingly and knowingly alter and corrupt doctrine and we all need to be aware of them. Having said that, the translators were confident that while there were indeed a number of translations in English and many other languages, NO ACTUAL DOCTRINE WAS AFFECTED, which for obvious reasons cannot be said for today’s perverted versions such as the New World Translations of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, Joseph Smith’s Inspired Version and others, where doctrine has been very much affected. So if you are asked why you consult other translations, you may answer that the KJV translators did so and recommended the practice!

Therefore to inform millions of people who came to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ through reading and studying the New American Standard, The New King James Version, The New International Version or the Revised Version and others, that they are using the devil’s false Bible, is completely wrong. It not only causes great division and confusion, it also gives the Christian faith a very bad name indeed and virtually destroys the work and reputation of those Godly people who have made it their life’s occupation to spread the good news of the Gospel.

Our behaviour and the language we use before the unsaved is of vital importance. If our speech, phrases and expressions to those who do not know the Saviour are the same as the world uses, how can we expect God to bless our witnessing.

If we mock, ridicule and belittle other believers who don’t quite match up to the high standards we have imposed upon ourselves, (and sadly on others), how are we to retaliate against those who reject what we believe.

  • Do we hit back at them with all guns blazing?
  • Do we strike back to even the score and give as good as we get?
  • Do we turn the other cheek?
  • Do we give our jacket to those who demand that we part with our shirt?
  • Or do we do as Jesus did when they nailed Him to the Cross when He asked His Father to forgive them?

Our behaviour and conversation before the unsaved is of vital importance and if what we do and say causes another to sin or even turn away from the Gospel, we should cease to behave in that fashion and we should hang our heads in shame!

As far as I am concerned, no other version comes close to the KJV but I certainly do not condemn and ridicule others for not agreeing with me preferring rather to use other translations and I certainly do not use every opportunity to lambaste other versions and people who happen to find reading them helpful.
In fact when they come to me in an excited manner that they have finally and at long last understood what Jesus is saying, or that the Holy Spirit has guided their thoughts and intentions, I breathe a silent prayer of thanksgiving that their interest in Spiritual matters was kindled by whatever version they were using, and for the opportunity I now have of witnessing to them because of this.

My elderly Father is a case in point. I gave him a KJV when he finally showed an interest in Spiritual matters at the ripe old age of 84. He came to me some weeks later and said that he just could not get his head around the words, the style and the old-fashioned expressions used in the KJV, so I purchased him an NIV to read and he has never looked back!
He is now 90 and rejoices everyday that he has found the Lord. Our God can and does use a contrite and repentant heart together with honesty and obedience to bring them to Salvation no matter what version of Scriptures they use. The thief on the Cross certainly had no time to discuss which version to use.

I shudder to think what would have happened to the friend I mentioned earlier had I strongly insisted that he throw away his Living Bible and read mine! And further more if he did not listen to me, that I was not going to have anything more to do with him and would in fact strike him off my birthday card list. What answer would I offer as an excuse to the Saviour for even thinking that, let alone doing it?

I am going to call a halt to writing further on this subject as I feel that I have given some readers food for thought and at very least something for both sides to digest. I am praying that what has been written will be accepted in the same spirit in which I have attempted to write in and that it will not be used for an occasion to further the already hugely sensitive issue in a negative way.

Please remember that there are very godly and sincere people on both sides and to widen the division further would not be good for anyone and that you have a right to disagree, as the saying goes, but no right to be disagreeable.

Finally I would like to leave you with a prayer which I pray at the start of each and every day the Lord, in His mercy, gives to us all, in which we can rejoice and praise His Wonderful and Holy Name.

 Oh to be but emptier, lowlier,
Mean, unnoticed and unknown.
Unto God a vessel holier,
Filled with Christ and Christ alone.
Naught of earth to cloud the Glory,
Naught of self the light to dim,
Telling forth the wondrous story,
Broken, emptied and filled with Him

SHOPPING – THE NEW RELIGION

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SHOPPING – THE NEW RELIGION

SHOPPING - THE NEW RELIGION

Our Prime Minister recently caused quite a stir in the media and amongst members of Parliament by announcing just prior to the Easter break that we should, as a nation, be more confident about our status as a Christian country. Jumping on the bandwagon of criticism and accusations of fuelling sectarianism were a large number of so-called liberal-minded people who are never shy to voice their own religious beliefs loud and clear. The Humanist Association got itself into such a froth over the mere mention of the word Christian that what poured out in vitriolic venom was foolish in the extreme. It seemed to have passed them by that Mr Cameron’s message did not bother other segments of society, including Sikhs, Hindus or Muslims. One person elected to interview a few followers of other faiths and came away with the view that most of them agreed with Mr Cameron in that Britain was indeed a Christian country and that they felt safe and secure living here because of that, and what’s more they are baffled when we do not protect our own faith. I find it strange how atheists and humanists make a habit of taking offence on behalf of others and consider themselves watchdogs for the rest of us and take upon themselves the task of forcing us to believe what they believe. So it is one point to David Cameron and nil to his opponents! In the meantime I looked up the meaning of the word Sectarianism and discovered that, inter alia, it means:

A spirit or tendencies toward excessive devotion to a particular sect, especially in religion.

It also means:

A narrow-minded devotion characterized by bigoted adherence to a factional view-point.

It was at this point that I inwardly objected to being labelled a bigot, because some of the worst dogmatic and opinionated people reside in the camp opposed to anything remotely connected to Christianity and the general public will be forgiven for thinking that anyone who has the temerity to publicly mention the word Christianity must be condemned, especially when a letter sent to a newspaper complaining about Mr Cameron’s viewpoint during the Easter almanac had been signed by 55 people who considered their opinions to be of such monumental importance that the viewpoints of the vast majority and actual facts are meaningless and should be consigned to the dustbin of society. It is a sad situation indeed that, no matter what the subject, if a letter is signed by academics, novelists, actresses and TV celebrities it must be correct. What is even worse is that the majority of the population will not even bother to do any research of their own, turning into sheep, as they do, accepting as fact what in reality, is idiotic drivel.

One of the political commentators writing for the Daily Express on Tuesday April 22 2014 page 12 put it like this:

While attitudes towards things such as adultery may have softened in recent times, if you read the Ten Commandments and the Seven Deadly Sins, you are reading the bones of a moral code that still governs the vast majority of us in Britain, and you are, whether you appreciate it or not, reflecting the values imbibed in British society through generations of Christian teaching.

What opponents to Christianity need to realise is that the whole concept of human rights has Christian origins. The rights we now enjoy in the West and which have been adopted by the whole world did not emerge as a rationalist reaction against religion, as modern atheists would like us to think.

Who is right? Whose opinion is correct? Are we really that advanced that we have no need to search out the truth? Sadly most people in Britain and indeed the world see no advantage or benefit in doing so, little realising that what has crept up and caught us unaware is the sinister teaching that all opinions are equal and are just as valid as the next and that each has its own point to make and should be respected and as a consequence of this everyone sits back and does what they consider best, which is nothing! The humanists and atheists who commandeered the education system many years back have foisted this philosophy upon all of us including our children, who, when asked what they believe in, are at a loss to know how to answer the question. It is also abundantly clear that many are troubled with this almost complete lack of knowledge and understanding. So-called modern thinking has given rise to a whole new set of beliefs, words and phrases to which we have all been forced to adhere to. The word Tolerance springs to mind. We are now forced to be tolerant of anything and everything. For instance we are not allowed to have or voice any opinion on homosexuality. It has become a criminal offence to even quote what our Creator thinks of this way of life. Same sex marriage is now legal. We are to be tolerant of all belief systems which include lifestyles, values and perceptions of what constitutes truth and that no one is more right and correct than the other, which leads many to question the wisdom and abilities of our leaders who embrace thought patterns and lifestyles that a few years ago would have been soundly condemned.

What has emerged from this process, and it is a process that is undermining the very fabric of society, is the dogmatic statement that absolute truth does not exist, and if it did you cannot specifically identify it and label it as such because it is relative to your particular beliefs, and because there are so many different beliefs you cannot say your belief is more true than any other truth. The new tolerance prohibits anyone from being intolerant of other belief systems, values and lifestyles.

I really wish someone would make this clear to atheists and humanists who are amongst the worst offenders when it comes to displaying intolerance of those who happen to believe that God loves and cares for us so much that Jesus died on the Cross at Calvary to atone for the sins of all mankind. They would have us believe that we evolved over billions of years after a big bang which is supposed to have occurred in outer space into the complex beings that we are now. If ever mankind needed to get into a froth over lies, lies and more lies, the time is now! Because in one foul and frankly, dishonest swoop, these people have, for all intents and purposes, taken over world-wide educational institutions such as schools, colleges, universities, government departments and even whole countries in order to propagate their own form of religion. Take America for instance where it is an offence to take a Bible to school and where prayer is disallowed and yet they still retain on their currency the words: In God We Trust! How weird is that?

If that is not enough, research into spiritual enlightenment and mind control is forging ahead at breakneck speed with the latest findings that we are in fact pure spirits, struggling with the confines, constraints and limitations of our own humanity with our goal being to break through these limitations in order to be truly free and at peace. According to the experts in this field it is an empowering process as it puts the divine within us and not something we are seeking externally and our task is to work with our own key to unlock our potential from within. The author and coach of this new method, Andrew Jenkins, has produced a book in which he states that this is nothing short of a passport to your own true potential and that we are who we really are without the influence of upbringing, society, cultural pressure and our own fearful restrictions. He goes on to say the great news is that we don’t have a fixed mind and we can change ourselves and our lives by our thoughts and we can change the language we use by shutting up and listening to ourselves more. By doing this we allow our unconscious mind to speak up and reconnect with our real self.

  • If anyone out there can translate this utter nonsense into plain language that I  can understand: I am all ears!
  • If anyone can convince me that this is what everyone needs and that I should trade in what Jesus Christ did for me at Calvary, who by the way, is the Author of Peace and Freedom, for this new method of thinking: Again, I’m all ears!
  • If anyone can convince me that to break free from limitations and constraints of my humanity, I must seek release from within with my own key to unlock my potential: Sign me up!
  • If anyone can convince me that what Andrew Jenkins and thousands of others before him are advocating is not a replay of what happened in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve when they got it into their heads that they wanted their own passport to free thinking, deciding, as they did, to disobey God: I would like a subscription.
  • If anyone can convince me that I must now turn the tables on what evolution has made me into without assistance from anyone else: Put my name down for further promotional literature.
  • If anyone can convince me that to survive this life I must now do battle with evolutionary forces nobody can control: Include me for weapons training now!
  • If anyone can convince me, against my better judgment, why we should even bother with any of these ridiculous notions after being told by some of the world’s leading scientists and academics that my joys, my sorrows, my memories, my ambitions, my sense of personal identity and my free will, are all merely the behaviour of a vast assembly of nerve cells and their associated molecules: I will join the protest against the reality of life.
  • If anyone can convince me that this is the best mankind can come up with after millions and millions of years of evolution. I would like an office at H.Q. and an expense account.

Facts remain facts just as truth remains truth. What the new tolerance fails to realise is that it is not WHAT is truth it is in actual fact WHO is truth? The Bible declares that TRUTH, real TRUTH is not a concept to be messed around with by man. It is not something that is true today and untrue tomorrow. Real TRUTH is in fact a person! And it is NOT relative to one man’s belief system and feelings of right and wrong. The facts are that Man has chosen to turn his back on the only true source of truth, which does not include in any way shape or form, self-help books such as the one written by Andrew Jenkins. Man has chosen to do wrong and to go his own way, and furthermore to arrogantly justify his wrongful actions he has invented a system of beliefs that are contrary to what God intended us to have and to hold dear to our hearts.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. John 14:6

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:1, 14

Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in my Word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32

The new tolerance has brought absolute truth, honesty and integrity crashing down around our heads and has thrown it into a pot, a cauldron, if you like, to be stirred up and mixed up with every conceivable crackpot theory imaginable and then it has dished the mixture out on the whim and fancy of those professing to be wise and knowledgeable concerning the real issues of life, to all who do not want to know, see or hear the truth.

Another interesting survey taken by a journalist after David Cameron made his thoughts known to the public was to gauge how many people attended church during the Easter break and his findings are very telling because even though about 60% of the British population agree with the statement that we are a Christian country, their actions do not support their belief, because church attendance during this time of worship was down by 70%, indicating that for most of us Christianity is little more than an occasion for hatches, matches and dispatches with shopping, rather than going to Church, taking over as the new religion.

As far as I am concerned there is no need to invent ways of finding peace, harmony and understanding together with respecting and tolerating a multitude of belief systems in order to satisfy our consciences, self-esteem and attempts to break away from constraints of our humanity, because this type of thinking gets us nowhere. The state we find our world in today provides more than enough proof that we are in one monumental mess! A mess so large that no-one seems able to put it right.

We need to realise that real truth and real peace are not relative issues and that in actual fact they reside in the person of Jesus Christ, and knowing this, should make us want to accept His message of real love, real peace and real hope with open hearts and minds. Surely this is better than what is on offer in this day and age. I urge you to consider His claims before it is too late. Don’t put it off.

Finally whether you think of our country as a Christian country or not, the question remains:

What will you do with Jesus?

I do not believe for one single second that my destiny lies with what Andrew Jenkins and many others like him promote and encourage. I will not allow humanists, atheists and evolutionists to dictate and decide my fate or future. I will put my trust in that MAN who came to die in my stead that I might be set free, and to whom, one day I shall have the greatest thrill ever of meeting face to face.

 

 

FAITH IN THE WORK PLACE

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FAITH IN THE WORK PLACE

FAITH AT WORK - TN

But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6

I was in line waiting to have my groceries scanned at our local supermarket last week and could not help but overhear a conversation two people in front of me were having regarding who they had over for ChristmasContinue reading →

AN OVERVIEW OF THE FOUR GOSPELS

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE GOSPELS

The following verses of Scripture are probably the clearest statements of fact concerning God, Jesus, His Creation and His Word found anywhere in the Bible:

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.
John 1:1-4, 14

These verses finish off all other religions, cults and belief systems which claim to be the way for mankind to reach and understand the mind of God.

These verses close the door and throw away the keys on Atheism and the theory of Evolution which teaches that there is no God and that man evolved after a huge bang in outer space.

These verses put paid to all that mankind can dream up to avoid having to face an Eternal God and give an account of why he has not obeyed his Creator.

The Bible tells us that:

ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof (blame, accusation, reprimand, dressing-down, telling off) for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man (or woman) of God may be thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.
 2 Timothy 3:16

Both the Old Testament and the New Testament are inspired by God.

The word Testament means Covenant.

A Covenant is a pact between God and His people. It is an alliance, a promise between Him and those who believe.

  • The Old Covenant has its centre in and around the Law.
  • The New Covenant has its centre in and around the Gospels.

For the Law was given by Moses, but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.
John 1:17

  • The New Covenant is the superstructure of which the Old Covenant is the foundation.
  • The Old Covenant was the foreshadow of things to come.
  • The New Covenant was the fulfilment.
  • The Old Covenant was the promise and the New Covenant was the presentation.
  • The Old Covenant was a problem and the New Covenant is the solution.
  • The Old Covenant was the beginning and the New Covenant was the end.
  • The Old Covenant has its centre in and around the Law.
  • The New Covenant has its centre in and around the Gospels.
  • The Old Covenant is of the Law.
  • The New Covenant is of Grace.
  • The one led to the other.

Those who do not believe or refuse to even acknowledge God cannot enter into this treaty and will forever be outside His blessings.

There is a relationship between the Old and New Testaments and you will find that the New Testament is concealed in the Old Testament and the Old Testament is revealed in the New Testament.

The New Testament begins with four books known as the 4 Gospels.

  1.  Matthew (28 chapters)
  2.  Mark (16 chapters)
  3.  Luke (24 chapters)
  4.  John (21 chapters)

It is in the Gospels that we meet Jesus because they present mid-day of the day which began at dawn in the Garden of Eden.

The Gospels present to us the Christ of prophecy of the Old Testament for us to meet, get to know and love with all our hearts and minds.

The first 3 Gospels: Matthew, Mark and Luke are called The Synoptic Gospels. The word synoptic means to view from the same angle. They look at the life of the Lord Jesus Christ from the horizontal position. The Gospel of John is known as the Autoptic Gospel, and this is because it has a view from above that is unique and stands alone.

As for the likeness of their faces, they four had the face of a man, and the face of a lion, on the right side: and they four had the face of an ox on the left side; they four also had the face of an eagle.
Ezekiel 1:10 and Revelation 4:7

It has always been commonly known and taught that the faces of the Cherubim (angelic beings) are representative of the 4 Gospels.

Each Cherub had 4 faces:

  •  The first was the Face of a Lion.
  •  The second was the Face of an Ox.
  •  The third was the Face of a Man.
  •  The fourth was the Face of an Eagle.

THE LION
A picture of Matthew’s Gospel A PICTURE OF A LION -1

THE OX
A picture of Mark’s Gospel A PICTURE AN OX

THE MAN
A picture of Luke’s Gospel

A PICTURE OF A MAN

 THE EAGLE
A picture of John’s GospelA PICTURE OF AN EAGLE

 This picture gives us a view of all 4 representations

A PICTURE OF ALL FOUR IMAGES

  1. The Lion is the King of the Beasts and is the emblem of Matthew’s Gospel, in which the Lord Jesus is presented as the King of The Jews.
  2. The Ox is the Servant among Beasts and is the emblem of Mark’s Gospel, in which The Lord Jesus is presented as the Servant of Jehovah.
  3. The Face of A Man is the emblem of Luke’s Gospel and represents God’s Perfect Man, in which the Lord Jesus is presented as The Son of Man, who has come to seek and save that which is lost.

Now note that the Lion, the Ox and the Man all have the same view: The horizontal view, as they walk the earth. They look straight ahead, and so it is that these 3 Gospels view the life of the Lord Jesus from His Humanity.

  • The King
  • The Servant
  • The Man

They all have Humanity in common and each has their beginning in time, which is not true of John’s Gospel.

The Face of an Eagle is the emblem of John’s Gospel, which looks down from above and represents the Lord Jesus as the Great I Am, coming down to man. John’s Gospel does not start in time, it starts in eternity, and throughout its pages it presents the Lord Jesus as God Manifest in the Flesh.

Remember how John’s Gospel starts:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are 4 records of one Gospel, with the word Gospel meaning Good News. This Good News is that God has manifested or revealed Himself in time, and in the flesh, and that He has done so for the redemption and salvation of all mankind. Each of the 4 Gospels records this Good News.

The best explanation for the fact that there are 4 Gospels is probably that God is seeking to reach 4 distinct groups of people.

  •    Matthew was a tax collector.
  •    Mark was the son of Mary.
  •    Luke was a Doctor.
  •    John was a fisherman.
  •    Matthew was written to the Jews.
  •    Mark was written to the Romans.
  •    Luke was written to the Greeks.
  •    John was written to the Church.
  •    Matthew is related to the Past.
  •    Mark is related to the Present.
  •    Luke is related to the Future.
  •    John is related to all Eternity.
  •    Matthew is the Preacher.
  •    Mark is the Chronicler or Reporter.
  •    Luke is the Historian.
  •    John is the Philosopher.

It has been said that we are entirely dependent on these 4 records for our knowledge of Jesus and had they not been written, the Church would probably not have survived!

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

The Gospel of Matthew presents the Lord Jesus as The King, and is known as the Gospel of Power. It was written around 52-56 A.D.

Matthew was one of the 12 Apostles, and had been a tax collector for the Romans before his call to discipleship and as a result of his occupation he was despised by everyone around him.

He wrote his Gospel mainly for the Jews, his countrymen. He uses a lot of references to the Old Testament, to Jerusalem and the Kingdom and traces the genealogy of Christ all the way back to Abraham, which the Jews appreciated.

The Gospel of Matthew has been called Antique Simplicity and Monumental Grandeur and questions have been asked as to how a despised Jewish tax collector working for the Romans could have written a book, unaided and of such immense importance to the whole of mankind and how did he sketch a tragedy of such divine proportions which dwarf the greatest of all earthly tragedies?

The answers to these questions lie in the fact that this book is not as a result of genius, but of revelation. Not because it has artistic value but because it contains the truth. The greatness of the work lay not in the writer but in Jesus Christ, of whom he wrote.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

The Gospel of Mark presents the Lord Jesus Christ as The Perfect Servant and is known as the Gospel of the Servant. It was written around 50-55 A.D.

He is the Servant of Jehovah who was obedient unto death, even death on a Cross. During the Second World War the Y.M.C.A. distributed to the forces, many thousands of copies of the Gospel of Mark, because of all the Gospels it seems the most fitting for the occasion of troops going to war.

  •   Matthew’s Gospel made its appeal to the Jewish mind.
  •   Mark’s Gospel made its appeal to the Roman mind.
  •   Luke’s Gospel made its appeal to the Greek mind

It is interesting that the inscription that was written over the Cross of the Lord Jesus was written in Hebrew, Latin and Greek, being the 3 major groups in the world of that day.

  1. Hebrew representing those who believed that RELIGIOUS   POWER was the ultimate.
  2. Latin representing those who believed PHYSICAL POWER was  the ultimate.
  3. Greek representing those who believed that PHILOSOPHICAL POWER was the ultimate.

The picture Mark’s Gospel presents is that of power, discipline and order which appealed to the soldier’s thinking. There was no need for genealogy as found in Matthew and Luke because a soldier and a servant has no need for that, and also because no-one is going to enquire after your pedigree for that type of job. A soldier is employed to do a job and the only thing that matters is: How does he perform? Can he do the job? Is he faithful, competent, effective and is he totally trustworthy? Can he submit to higher authority and does he know how to handle difficult situations without complaining and without breaking the rules?

Mark’s Gospel presented to the Romans the Ultimate Servant, the One who served from the heart with all His Heart. He finished the work He was given to do regardless of the cost to Himself. Such is the picture of the Flawless, Faithful and Fruitful Servant, whose Works and Ways are without fault is what Mark brought to the Roman mind.

The Roman soldiers could not only admire such a One, they could also stand in awe of Him and declare Him more than Man – He must be God!

  •  Jesus in His life was the Perfect Servant.
  •  Jesus in His death was the Perfect Sacrifice.

He is our example and we should follow in His footsteps.

For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many.
Mark 10:45

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke’s Gospel presents Jesus as The Man and was written around 56-60 A.D. Luke is probably the only Gentile writer in the New Testament and his Gospel is described by some as being:  The most beautiful book that exists.

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and He shall grow up out of this place, and He shall build the temple of the Lord.
Zechariah 6:12

The third beast had a face as a Man.
Revelation 4:7

Luke’s Gospel tells us that God had made man in His own image and had set him to rule over everything, but this first man, Adam failed. The second Man did not fail. The second Adam brought unimaginable blessings to those who believed and trusted.

Luke presents the 2 offices of our Lord as man:

  1. The Prophet or Apostle – God’s messenger to man.
  2. The High-priest – man’s messenger to God. He comes from God, and goes to God for us.

The Greeks were always looking for a perfect, divine human being. They relished philosophical and scholarly works and delighted in conversations and debates where deep thinking was the order of the day. It is therefore little wonder that they were drawn to the writings of Doctor Luke, which contained all the values and studious qualities they admired.

Luke makes it very plain that obedience is the organ of spiritual knowledge. It is the vehicle through which spiritual knowledge is obtained and the means through which God responds to those seeking a closer walk with Him.

We must never forget though that a reverential fear of a Holy God accompanies a desire to be obedient.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.
Proverbs 9:10

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

John’s Gospel presents our Lord and Saviour.

 Behold Thy God.

It is the Gospel of Wisdom and the author is the Apostle John, the beloved disciple, a cousin of Jesus. It was written around 90-100 A.D. and brings the Good News to us from a different viewpoint.

Whilst Matthew wrote for the Jews, Mark and Luke wrote for the 2 great representatives of the Gentiles, the Romans and the Greeks and from among the Jews and Gentiles the Christian Church was to be called and it was to be called through the fourth Gospel written by John, the purpose of which can be summed up in this verse of Scripture:

These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name.
John 20:31

Looking forward to the future, John directs everything to prove that Jesus was God. The most memorised and quoted verse in the Bible is without doubt:

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
John 3:16

This verse contains some surprises:
It contains the 4 most important words in Christianity:

  •   World
  •   Gave
  •   Believeth
  •   Life

The following words:

  •   God                )
  •   Only               )
  •   Son                 )    Spells the word
  •   Perish            )          GOSPEL
  •   Everlasting   )
  •   Life                 )

Another interesting thing about this wonderful verse is that there are exactly 25 words in it and would you believe it, the word in the middle is:

SON!

Yes indeed, we can be eternally grateful that God came down to earth in the form of the Man Jesus for the sole purpose of winning us back to Him. He should be the centre of our lives, right in the middle! Because if we give Him His rightful place, when it comes time for us to depart this temporary home we call earth, we will live with Him forever.

Have you any time for Jesus, as in grace He calls again? Oh today is the time accepted, for tomorrow you may call in vain. Room for Jesus, King of Glory, hasten now His Word obey. Swing wide thy heart’s door open,  and bid Him enter while you may.

There are certain things that are common to all four Gospels:

  •   All four gospels speak of the ministry of John the Baptist.
  •   All four gospels speak of the baptism of Jesus.
  •   All four gospels speak of the feeding of the 5000.
  •   All four gospels speak of *Peter’s denial of the Lord.
  •   All four gospels speak of the arrest and trials of Jesus.
  •   All four gospels speak of the crucifixion of Jesus.
  •   All four gospels speak of the resurrection of Jesus.

They all point to that blessed person, the Lord Jesus Christ, The Saviour, The Son of God.

                           *Matthew 26:75, Mark 14:30, Luke 22:61, John 13:38

QUESTION TIME – WHAT SHALL I DO?

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WHAT SHALL I DO?

For those seeking the Saviour and the gift of eternal life, the question: What shall I do? is valid and fitting, because the Scriptures tell us in Luke 11:9 to Ask, Seek and Knock.

  • Asking who can save us and being pointed toward the Saviour is STEP ONE.
  • Seeking out the Saviour is STEP TWO.
  • Knocking on the door of Salvation and requesting entry is STEP THREE.

THE SEEKER’S QUESTION – WHAT SHALL I DO?

And when He was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to Him, and asked Him, Good master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life? ….. Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother ….. Sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven: and come, take up the Cross, and follow me. And he was sad at that saying, and went away grieved: for he had great possessions.

Mark 10:17-22

Here we are told of a man who, on hearing what was a prerequisite of inheriting eternal life, went away sad, because he was not willing to do what was required of him, deciding that the price was too high to pay. How many people have made this same decision? How many millions of souls have turned their backs on the greatest gift ever offered thinking that to claim it they would lose too much? Not realising that for short-term gain they gave up long-term security. Trading what could be stolen or lost in a moment, for what is steadfast and rock solid for eternity.

THE CYNIC’S QUESTION – WHAT SHALL I DO?

And behold, a certain lawyer stood up, tempting Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? He answered: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself ….. But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

Answer: The Good Samaritan Luke 10:25-29

You will no doubt have noticed the sneaky way this Lawyer side-stepped the main issues regarding his question. He ignores the fact that his heart is in the wrong place and focuses rather on trying to trap Jesus by asking who his neighbour is, which is typical of those who don’t really want to be told what to do, rather seeking praise and approval for what they do already. Trying to justify ourselves and our actions is a typical response of those who are not really serious about getting right with God.

THE SUCCESSFUL MAN’S QUESTION – WHAT SHALL I DO?

The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully: and he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits.

Luke 12:15-21

Here we have a rich man who places so much emphasis on his wealth and the abundance of his crops that he ignores the fact that life itself is tenuous and fragile at very least. He pulls down his barns, and builds bigger ones to contain all his produce and then he congratulates himself that he can now relax, he can eat, drink and be merry on account of the fact that he has laid up goods to last many years. God on the other hand, has other ideas and warns us against laying up treasures for ourselves. That night the rich man died and he had to leave behind all that he had worked for. So it is for those who spend their lives amassing riches here on earth and neglecting to store up treasures in Heaven.

We need to realise that earth is not our final resting place and that what we do with Jesus now, will determine what He does with us in the future. If living for and getting to know the Saviour is our treasure here on earth, we will stockpile much treasure in Heaven where we will, one day, experience the full measure of Him.

An exciting prospect indeed!

 

FROM THE NEWSPAPER I PICKED UP

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 FROM THE NEWSPAPER I PICKED UP

THE NEWSPAPER I PICKED UP - COVER

On a recent trip to South Africa I picked up part of a newspaper that had been discarded by another passenger and began reading it. Two articles on page 14 of The Sunday Independent of September 22 2013 caught my eye. One was written by Thabo Makgoba, the Anglican Archbishop of Cape Town, and focused on a human chain which was formed to commemorate Nelson Mandela’s birthday, Continue reading →

CONSIDER HIM

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CONSIDER HIM

In His humiliation His judgment was taken away: and who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth.

Acts 8:33

From the Scriptures we read that:

In His humiliation justice was denied Him.

The judge of all the earth was denied justice on earth, is a phrase that will come to the minds of every person that has ever lived when the day comes that we see Him face to face.Continue reading →

THE SOUL’S – WHAT SHALL I DO?

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WHAT SHALL I DO?

This is a question that every person alive will have to answer when it comes to Jesus Christ.

Do I Crown Him or do I Crucify Him?

Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?

Matthew 27:22

The crowds cried out as one and said:

Let Him be crucified.

Matthew 27:22

And the Governor said:

Why, what evil hath He done?

But the crowds cried out even more, saying:

Let Him be crucified.

Matthew 27:23

Simon of Cyrene said:

I’ll bear His Cross.

Matthew 27:32

Paul the Apostle said:

I’ll share His Cross. I am crucified with Christ…..

Galatians 2:20

Paul the Apostle goes further and says:

I’ll declare His Cross. We preach Christ crucified.

1 Corinthians 1:23

Today the Pope and millions of others say:

I’ll wear His Cross.

Ignoring the fact that the Cross has to do with:

  • FAITH, not FASHION.
  • DEATH, not DECORATION.
  • PAIN, not PLEASURE

We live in a world where millions upon millions want nothing to do with Jesus Christ and who live as though He does not exist and yet they use His Holy name as an expletive in everyday conversation. Children are some of the worst offenders when it comes to blasphemy, having learned how to swear and curse from their parents and adults in general. What shall I do? What will you do? Sadly, the day is fast approaching when those who have ignored the message of the Cross, will have to face the consequences of disregarding its significance.

May God help all of us to realise that what we do with Jesus in time, will determine what He does with us in eternity.

SERVING THE LORD

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SERVING THE LORD

Now therefore fear the Lord, and serve Him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the Lord.
And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.Continue reading →