Part 1: context From a simple cell to the expanse of the universe everything is governed by rules: cells cannot exist without a membrane, rain can’t fall from a cloudless sky, motion requires force, and nothing is created of itself. Without rules there is confusion. Out of rules comes stability and harmony. Paul wrote: for God is not of confusion, but of peace; (1Cor 14:33) thus the Word of God brings forth fidelity, wisdom...
Part 2: obligation and possession The Holy Bible is a record of God’s interaction with men; the Old Testament of foundation, hope and promise, which points to the Christ. The New is the fulfilment of that promise through God made flesh, and the reconciliation of sin through the Blood of Remission. It is a story of love and concern under the mantle of Mercy and Grace. When people are asked why Jesus...
Part 3: the curse removed Now, we need to confirm our Redeemer. By whose blood was purchase made and now the owner of the debt? We find the answer in much of Scripture, also the Psalms, where the circumstances are described; and in Isaiah where we first meet the LORD and His Christ. I, I am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour. (Isaiah 43:11) And all flesh shall...
Part One: Preface One of my younger brethren had a fairly difficult time coming to grips with the Scriptures; an often testing journey towards the truth of Christ and the Word of God; he now has a good understanding of what spiritual and personal tribulation actually means. The LORD put this young brother through the fires of hell to teach and correct, out of which has come a hardened steel and refined faith,...
Part Two: Historical The abuse of God’s Word comes in many forms; directly tampering with it, altering context, using it in vulgarity or arrogance; but when it comes to total disregard Ancient Israel was top of the class. There are countless examples of the LORD warning Israel of what would befall them if they stayed on that path. When the LORD’S patience finally ran out they were banished from the land, taken into...
Part Three: the Way, Truth and Life As the Church of Rome and daughter churches of the Reformation have obviously touched God’s Word through errant doctrine, where do we find dependable teaching and the truth of Christ Jesus in all this confusion? With so many claiming the truth, with all manner of theological answers on offer, the task can appear daunting. Yet, Paul cuts through the rhetoric in six simple words. One...
And there was delivered to Him the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written: the Spirit of the LORD is upon me because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set them at liberty them...
We are inherently linear beings; and while our actions progress from one to the next like words on a page, we think and visualize differently. It is not sequential like walking or reading, rather an internal subliminal conversation we have every waking moment. Within this background chatter we also reason and analyse; when a subject comes to the fore it becomes an aware process removed from the noise where deliberation and decision takes place....
And this I speak for your own profit, not that I may cast a snare on you, but for that which is right, and that you may attend on the Lord without distraction. (1 Cor 7:35) While Paul was addressing the unmarried and widowed at the time, we have another issue where this Scripture could be equally applied in light of a world gone more than a little mad; odd agendas, conflicts and...
That the Creator of all things seen and unseen (John 1:1-3) would come to us in physical form, walk among us, teach us His ways and build a discipleship to carry His message through the ages is beyond understanding. That He would go as far to purchase the curse of sin with His blood goes further than we can possibly know. What then drove Him to give His life, to suffer and die in...
After the Great Command: the LORD our God is one Lord: (Mark 12:29) the next in importance is we love one another. They should be uppermost in our mind and engraved upon our heart. But sadly in today’s world, we see little acceptance of these instructions from God. A Military industrial complex (MIC) is sustained by the idea of an existential threat. The only way to acknowledge such threats is to have an...
It’s odd how often we fail to see what’s right in front of us. How many times have we turned the house upside down looking for the car keys to find them in our pocket? Or used a saying not knowing where it came from like ‘a little bird told me’ which is not Mr. Shakespeare, it’s from King Solomon. But, this is not why we’re looking at this topic; it’s about the truly...
But know this, that in the last days grievous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, haughty, railers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, implacable, slanderers, without self-control, fierce, no lovers of good, traitors, headstrong, puffed up, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God: (2Tim 3:1-5) If there is one thing from the Bible that describes the world we live in, this is it. We are...
Along with the numerous statements of great, indeed fundamental theological importance, the Holy Bible also contains a truism of great value: By their fruits you shall you know them. (Matt 7:20) Given during the Great Sermon, it is a standard we can use to discern, decode or measure beliefs and opinions to determine their worth, intent and morality. It is a concise and practical tool given by Jesus, which anyone can use...
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship has righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2Cor 6:14) When I looked again at how the churches use this Scripture, it is mainly applied to marriage; most noticeable in the Catholic Church, which forbade marriage between Catholics and Protestants unless there was a conversion to the Catholic faith. And while they are more relaxed today, so-called mixed marriages...
Has the State of Israel become a stumbling stone for Christians? It’s not hard to imagine that recent events will have many wondering if modern Israel is the intention of God; are the Jews meant to be there at all. Was it correct and accurate prophesies, which brought it about or is the Zionist State the creation of men? If the latter, what are the ramifications for the Christian Church? In asking such...
The plan for a Jewish homeland was not Jewish, but Christian; an idea, which came with considerable appeal for those pushing for a more open and secular Jewry though with much in-house opposition. Rabbis held sacrosanct the Jews were in exile by God, only to be united through divine intervention. Until then, they remain cast into the nations due to their sin; any thought of dominion or statehood deemed an abomination in God’s eyes....
Early in the morning of the 7th October 2023, Hamas launched numerous rockets aimed at the State of Israel, many managed to evade their defences causing damage and loss of life. More have followed with similar results. Needless to say Israel responded; not immediately and not in kind, but with a mindset to wipe everyone in Gaza from the face of the earth. So it came as no surprise to learn Christian churches around...
… Then the Devil comes and takes the Word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. (Luke 8:12) It was Charles Baudelaire who wrote the devil’s finest trick is to persuade you that he does not exist, and when we look at the state of the world today it’s clear he’s done a pretty good job. Since the Industrial Revolution we live in a world of science, evolution and...
Woe to them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter. (Isaiah 5:20) On June 12, 2023, at the conclusion of the annual gathering of Germany’s Lutheran pastors, the words were uttered: “God is Queer.” The assembled church leaders responded with enthusiasm, though not mirrored by others in attendance. The backlash was swift, direct and vigorous,...
In general, Western culture is American culture. It slipped into western consciousness and practise its roots firmly planted in the Second World War. It came by way of movies and television, literature and music; progressed with clothing, food, and beverage brands, American franchises now govern the market, and American sayings are now commonly heard around the world. We see similar in the Americanisation of Christianity; turning the Gospel into a profit centre. The...
And God said this is a token of the covenant which I make between me and you, and every living creature with you for everlasting generations: I set my rainbow in the cloud. And it shall be a token of a covenant between me and the earth. (Genesis 9:12-13) So, June is rainbow month. I saw a wonderful rainbow recently, which sat in the sky for several hours its intensity of colour a...
The most recent list from Open Doors International (ODI) shows the persecution of Christians continues to rise, most notable in non-Christian countries. The country cited as the current worst offender is Nigeria, slightly ahead of Afghanistan and India. Iran is also mentioned but not Israel, where harassment of local Christian communities by more militant zealots is growing. Of course none of this is new; Christians have been persecuted for their faith since the...
There are several women who spring to mind when we think of the New Testament; the mother of Jesus, her cousin Elizabeth, the sisters Mary and Martha and Mary Magdalene. Mary, the mother of Mark was the sister of Barnabas. And there were others not so fondly disposed; Herodias and her daughter named Salome by Josephus, who sought the head of John the Baptist in order to kill his testimony; and another possessed of...
And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (Matt 16:19) It can be said with certainty; Pentecost was a defining moment for Christianity. Not only did we see the coming of the Holy Spirit and the emergence of First Fruits, we were also given...
In 1971, English composer, Gavin Bryars was given a tape of a destitute homeless man singing the same words over and over, his recollection of the chorus to a hymn he once knew. He was recorded along with others living rough in parts of London. Bryars found the length of the recording fitted neatly into 13 bars, and he made a repeating loop lasting several minutes. The door to his studio opened onto...
But you, when you pray, enter into your room. And shutting the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father who sees in secret shall reward you openly. But when you pray, do not babble vain words … for your Father knows what you have need of before you ask. (Matthew 6:6-8) These are some of the things Jesus told His disciples when He taught us how to pray. The prayer...
There is a lot of talk of digital currencies, ID cards, facial recognition and smart technology looking to record our every move. While we are right to be concerned by these things, they are not the Mark of the Beast as some imagine, and cannot diminish the Salvation of JESUS in us. Yet they will likely have us examine our faith. So to better understand the Mark of the Beast, it is helpful to...
Like a lot of things today Christians appear in short supply; Church turnout at its lowest ebb since attendance records began. Since the 1950s those professing Christianity has dropped by almost half in much of the western world. In Europe at an all time low, albeit 90% of people surveyed in the last five years, claim to have been baptised. Survey results for all mainstream churches show disaffection and a steady fall since the...
More to the point, what’s up with American Evangelism and their skewed opinion on Russia, the East and the Jewish State? Evangelicals have a strange mindset Moscow is the Biblical enemy of Israel and the West, which is of course nonsense. Along with other spurious items their ‘evidence’ is selected Bible verses used to lobby the Administration and with some success when it comes to Israel. Still, where would we be without imaginary foes...
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