If ever anyone wished to establish a case against women being appointed as bishops, the writing of The Rev Dr Miranda Threlfall-Holmes, interim principal of Durham University's Ustinov College in a recent blog would be sufficient.
Following protests from opponents of women bishops the House of Bishops decided latterly to allow an amendment which would provide for those parishes which did oppose to have oversight by an alternative (male) Bishop. This has upset the feminist lobby of which Miranda Holmes (I find it hard to accept the vain affectation of double barrelled names) is a leading campaigner.

In consequence she has accused the Church of England of being an "abusive institution" and questioned whether women should stay or flee.

She wrote in a blog post: "The question for women priests today is: do we stay with this abusive institution?
One of the reasons women's ordination is important is because women's current exclusion from the church hierarchy justifies and entrenches sexist attitudes which have very serious consequences for women around the world.
"Rape, sexual abuse, violence against women and women's political and economic subjugation are repeatedly justified on the basis that it is 'natural' and 'God-given' that women should be below men on some divine hierarchy."

To refer to rape and sexual abuse as being related to a decision of the Church of England to allow for those who object to the appointment of women as bishops to have alternative oversight, suggests not only intolerance so typical of those with liberal beliefs, but an imbalanced mind. If this woman teaches theology it is an horrendous thought. It is hard to conceive how anyone of supposed intelligence could make such an absurd remark.

The Church is poised to approve the appointment of women as bishops and many clergy and lay people are against this legislation. They do this on theological basis and are supported in the Orthodox Churches of Russia and Greece and the worldwide Roman Catholic Church all of which will break relations with the Anglican Church if this goes ahead. Some wiser minds see this more than anything as a reason not to support the legislation, and abuse of women would never enter their more sober minds. Perhaps supporters will announce the theological grounds for their support, in addition of course to the fact of ‘equality’.

If people like Miranda Holmes are convinced of their cause why object to others having a different view for which provision can be made, so as to accommodate both sides. Or is it a case I want my own way totally.

Acts 2; post Pentecost
Pentecost was a unique and wonderful experience for all present, but it was never to be repeated. The response of those early Christians is something we can study and hope to emulate. The Church has a responsibility to bring the gospel as therein outlined.

These are dark days for the Church in this country. We live in a post-Christian age, an age where there is no common Christian consensus. At one time there was a more common understanding of Christian teaching. Today, there is a combination of ignorance and indifference, even hostility to all things Christian.

We live in a society which largely rejects God, and regards Church and Christianity as totally irrelevant to their lives. The world sees the Church standing for values it no longer considers acceptable. In addition, we are faced with anti-Christian legislation and a judiciary which appears determined to curb the expression of Christian beliefs however firmly held. Under the guise of equality and human rights, such legislation has only made for the inequitable, in that Christians have been deprived of their human rights, and a situation created which is ripe for entrapment of Christians.

We are told minority groups have to be protected, but this does not apply to the minority group that is called Christian. What these misguided people fail to recognise, is that if they displace Christianity they create a spiritual vacuum which will surely be filled by something else, and the certainty is that it will be something quite unpleasant

So let us look at the model of a Christian Church, as seen in Scripture in that first Christian Church, which was able to attract so many followers, and see how it differs from the Church of the present time, and see also if we can learn from that Church how to make our message more acceptable in a hostile climate.

First it was a Bible based Church.
They were devoted to the Apostles teaching, it captivated them. Those early Christians listened to the Apostles, who in turn had been taught by our Lord. They heard all that the Lord had given and laid down, as the faith should be lived out. It was about Jesus, who He was, the whole Christian faith.

Notice when it says ‘devoted’ themselves, this means they were committed, no half heartedness. The wonderful thing is that we too can follow that same Apostolic teaching, it is written down for us in the New Testament, and it is God’s way of providing for His people to be trained.

They met for fellowship.
Secondly they were devoted to each other in this church,or,as verse 42 puts it, they were devoted to the fellowship. They knew that when they committed themselves to Jesus, they also committed themselves to Jesus’ people. God put us with a variety of people we may not ordinarily like, but God expects us to grow together. We are to care for one another.We need to meet regularly to grow spiritually together from Bible readings and sermons, praising God as we sing together and sharing in the taking of bread and wine in Holy Communion.

Thirdly, they were a committed Church.
They met regularly. There are those for whom the Church is a second choice. There are times in all our lives when personal situations arise which call for our attention, but for some Church will take second place in their list of priorities, something which Jesus Himself condemned.

The church is not optional. Jesus established the church. The New Testament assumes that people who are believers are connected to a local church where they live out that faith. Individual and independent Christianity is no where to be found on the pages of Scripture. So the church is not man’s invention, but God’s. Because Christ instituted the church, we should know what it is and how we should function in it.

It can be so easy to go with the flow and give up, which is why the Bible urges Christians to be together. Each year hundreds of people give up worship. There many reasons, pressures of the world, ridicule from friends, family trouble, a bad experience at a church all of which are expressly good reasons for going to church.

Then in verse 47. “The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” They were an evangelising Church.Having seen how that early Church responded under apostolic teaching, we need to consider how the Church now in this critical time responds with its teaching of the Scriptures.

It is a matter of concern that some preachers are ready to stray from Biblical teaching and consider we should re-interpret the Bible to meet modern ideas of morality. This suggests that God has got it wrong and He should be prepared to adjust to the age. They are spreading a false gospel and send out a wrong message. God set out in Scripture in clear terms what is expected of us.

For years, first the Labour party and then the Conservatives, spent years in the political wilderness because they sent out mixed messages and no one knew for certain what they really stood for. The Church by not adhering to Scripture is doing the same, leaving people confused as to what we really believe and offer.

There is a reluctance by clergy to speak out for fear of being labelled as a bigot or being discriminatory. It is true to say Christian preachers tend to modify teaching of traditional values to appeal to contemporary thinking, and for fear of offending one of the many discrimination laws promoted equally vigorously by vociferous minorities, so falling foul of the law, which is not enforced against other faiths with the same enthusiasm as against Christian preachers.

All this causes a problem for parish priests, and especially for visiting preachers. We face a problem and none more so than those of us who want to be true to Scripture, when not everyone is prepared to accept what is written. I heard one Vicar preach that she didn’t think the Bible should be taken too literally. Have you ever heard a Muslim cleric deny or challenge any words in the Koran? Is it any wonder people fail to respond?

It is hard to quote the Bible without someone saying ‘Oh you shouldn’t say that.’ The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no other name under heaven except Jesus Christ’.
The Bible states’ Jesus said no one can come to the Father except through me’, yet many preachers are dodging quoting this. If we avoid telling these verses how are people ever to come to know the gospel.

This tells us our faith is not like other faiths which someone has made up, but rather comes from God. Furthermore, it was given with the understanding that nothing needs to be added, amended or subtracted from. Anyone who does so is a false teacher. God will not ignore false teaching, and will pass judgement on such people

Whilst I have always admired Charles Wesley, I have recently had to study the life of Charles extensively in order to conduct a service in his honour, and that admiration has grown. If he were alive today he would have much to say at the way the Church has failed to proclaim the message he left; that salvation was through Christ alone; the value of a person’s life was measured by their faith; and the doctrine of heaven and hell. How often have you heard a sermon on those subjects?

Today, no less than in any other age, it is intense biblical integrity that is needed. Fearless courage and conviction, to stand for the truth --that Jesus Christ is the only name that saves.

In effect there are three options open to preachers. One is to avoid all contentious issues.
2 To go with the flow.
3 To be true to Scripture.
We all want to please and satisfy our audience, I can’t imagine anyone wanting to cause offence. But if preachers are to be true to their calling, and preach with integrity and honour, there are times when I suppose some people may be upset. If, sadly, that happens, there must be doubt in the mind about the way they are living.

We now have, for instance, changed our outlook on morals and ethics to adopt that of society. We have gone along with the incredulous acceptance that marriage, (that is m/w) is no longer the bedrock of society, but is no more acceptable than any other relationships.

If ever the Word of God was needed it is never more so than now. It calls for people to turn back to God who is ready and able to meet the needs of everyone who turns to Him. The message we have for the world is centred upon the person of Jesus Christ and provides for a stable and well balanced society.

I accept that Ministers have the primary duty of contending for the truth, but the Bible states that every Christian should contend for the faith. We must all be ready to stand up and be counted. This can be done by showing an example in the way we live, doing so worthily of our Lord.

In God’s plan the people who have been touched by the gospel have a role in influencing the world. The world in its creative state is a wonderful world, but in reality is also a place of evil and suffering.

We are the moral disinfectant. We have to stand up for Biblical ideals. We should support the work of Christian Institutions which fight to defend Christians, lobby Members of Parliament, even if like my experience they just ignore you if you ask or say something they don’t agree with. We have to remind them that there is more than one agenda to be considered.

Above all, we have to show by the way we live our lives that we are distinctive, standing apart from foul talk, gossip and conduct unbecoming. Jesus is the light of the world and we should reflect that light in our lives.

One of the biggest problems the Church faces is apathy, which is why Christianity has fallen to such low level and why morality is so poor. It is so easy in the times we live in to opt out, saying, ‘there is no point in fighting them.’ Can you imagine what would have happened if Winston Churchill had have said in 1940, ‘there is no use in us fighting, the enemy is too powerful.’ We must stand firm by the Cross.

Let us remember there are Christians being persecuted in non Christian lands with violence, arson, and yes even murder. Hundreds have been killed in the last few months in Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria. Whole villages ransacked, yet they valiantly fight on for their Lord and Saviour. How pathetic if we let some vociferous secularists silence us.

Rather than contend for the gospel we can deny our Lord by denying we are Christians to avoid being mocked, or to avoid embarrassment. How many are prepared even admit to their friends they attend Church.

The country is in spiritual death throes and in need of intensive care. This is why we must contend for the faith. How God must weep when He sees the Church singing His praise, pretending to be holy, whilst countenancing and failing to speak out on moral issues and totally ignoring His written Word.

Idealistic people say we just have to do our own thing, God will provide and look after His Church. God will indeed provide and care for His Church, but He requires His people to do their part. As a popular saying goes, ‘every little helps.’

My friends, it is the duty of the Church to teach the gospel and not to budge from it. We are not to be blown by every new spiritual wind so that we drift from our moorings. We are not to be superficial believers. Hold fast to the gospel once given by the Apostles who were taught by the Master Himself. Today people are being drawn away from the doctrines of the Bible as judgement is becoming a censored word.

You and I are called to contend for the truth. Do not let anyone tell you that you do not count. You count tremendously, so glory in what God has called you to do and be faithful to His command. Let us all be part of taking the fire of God’s love to the nation.

Be in Church on Sundays and God bless you.

A sermon on Acts 1 v1-9.

The passage you have heard read is one that is often glossed over yet has profound teaching which we can now consider.

Jesus had been crucified and had risen, and then appeared to His Apostles in the Upper Room where He greeted them with the words, ‘peace be with you, receive the Holy Spirit’. Whilst Jesus had breathed on them imparting the Holy Spirit, they were not then able to use it.

Some years ago this country was changed from the use of coal gas to natural gas and preparations were made by installing the necessary pipes across the nation so that we would be ready to receive the new gas in due course, but the power was not in place for use until the authorities turned on. Thus the Apostles had the Holy Spirit but not the power of the Spirit.

Jesus continued to spend six weeks teaching them and giving guidance for them to continue His work after He had left them. Now we come to the stage in our reading when He is about to ascend to His Father in heaven and give the Apostles His final instructions.

The Apostles were told to stay in Jerusalem and wait. Jesus pointed out they would have to wait for God to give them the gift that had always been promised. John had baptised with water but the time would come when they would be baptised with the Holy Spirit, but it was a case of waiting, this gift could not be accessed by them. They had to wait for they couldn’t act effectively to accomplish what Jesus had wanted them to do without this work of the Holy Spirit within them. All they could do was pray, which we later read they did.

They could however wait with confidence for this gift had been promised for Jesus in His ministry said they would be baptised with the Spirit. The power the Apostles needed would come as a result of that baptism which would be a special event in all history.

Throughout His ministry Jesus laboured under a great disadvantage. The heart of His message was the Kingdom of God, but those to whom He preached had a different understanding to what Jesus had. The Jews were always conscious of the fact that they were God’s chosen people, which in their minds meant world domination. But being a small country much like the size of Wales, they were overrun by several nations before Rome occupied their land.

The Apostles saw Jesus as a means of getting rid of the Roman occupation forces and so restore the kingdom to Israel, forcing Jesus to tell them they had the wrong priorities. He told them they would be baptised with the Spirit, which would enable them to be His witnesses first in Jerusalem and then Judea, Samaria and ultimately the whole world.

Jesus then ascended into heaven and left them, but they did not just wait mindlessly doing nothing, they met in prayer and preparation for receiving what Jesus had promised.
Imagine how the apostles felt as they waited. For three years they had been following the most unique person in all history. They had witnessed miracles and heard wonderful teaching from the greatest of teachers. They had suffered the sorrow of seeing Him die but had been re-vitalised by His return. This powerful figure around whom their lives had been built for so long was now gone and they were alone.

He had told them to go to Jerusalem and to wait. But would they be able to cope without Him by their side. Eventually after ten days the day dawned. What happened at Pentecost was a transforming event. On that day God came down in power and changed the lives of them and so many others They were overwhelmed because God had taken over. The Church carried on the life of Christ and we see it was empowered to do so by the work of the Holy Spirit.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Let us apply the situation to ourselves.

How would we react if we were one of the Apostles? Waiting is against our culture. We all have credit cards so that we can obtain things instantly for we view waiting as a nuisance. Those of us in the older generation know the rewards of waiting, the saving up to get married, and looking forward to being able to buy what we wanted, which gave us a sense of achievement and joy. Waiting however can be hard at times; waiting for the result of an examination; for the result of an operation; for news of a loved one.

We have now no need however to wait for the Holy Spirit, it is freely available to all who choose to follow Jesus and make Him Lord of our lives. We receive the Holy Spirit when our faith comes alive, but there may be a period before we have the power of the Spirit. If God makes us wait there must be a reason, so giving us time to meditate and seek His will for us. Just as the Apostles had to realise their dependence on Jesus, so we Christians need to realise we too need His power.

The Apostles received the Holy Spirit in the Upper Room, but they had to wait a further two months before the power came when they were baptised by the Spirit.

Following on from the events recorded in Acts, we find a confession of faith and the gift of the Holy Spirit happen together. Nowhere in the Bible is there a separation. I believe this means that within Churches we need to have a deeper understanding of baptism and confirmation. Whilst I have often preached on baptism, I have never been at a service when this has been preached upon by others.

Looking at the events recorded in Acts, the normal pattern to becoming a Christian is that someone ‘repents, believes, is baptized, and then receives the Holy Spirit’. This, however, is not a chronological order. These are the essential components to becoming a Christian, but God can change the order in which they happen as was the case with Cornelius and the Ephesian believers.

It is because Acts and the New Testament do not give a chronology that has lead the overwhelming majority of Christians over the Church’s history to feel that it is right to baptize the children of Christian parents. However, it is the fact that, in Acts, it is the normal order that has also led some equally sincere and committed Christians to refuse to baptize anyone not old enough to decide for themselves.

Whilst it may have been the intention that infants being brought for baptism should be of Christian parents, in practice it is now accepted that the infant of any parents irrespective of belief (or none) is accepted.

Baptism has always been a problem for me. I have read, listened and pondered hard, but cannot bring myself to accept the case for baptising infants indiscriminately. I find myself compelled to sympathise with those who believe baptism should be for those who can make a decision for themselves. I do however respect the view of those who are in favour of infant baptism, and hope they will respect mine.

As an Anglican priest I was morally required to do so, but felt distinctly uncomfortable in doing so. It still distresses me when I see people coming to a Baptism service showing no respect for the place they are entering, and only being concerned to have their cameras and camcorders ready, without taking an interest in the whole service. Fortunately for me all that is now over, I can choose which services I take.

I believe when the Church first decided to baptise infants it was intended to be for the parents of worshipping members. This can be deduced by the fact that the Canon relating to the subject states, parents and godparents must fulfil their responsibility to bring up the child within the Church, and by their own example.

Whatever the practice was in past years, it is now the common practice to accept anyone who requests, without any requirement other than being told to attend on the relevant date.

The Church of England liturgy in Baptismal services asks the parents and godparents if they turn to Christ as Saviour and submit to Christ as Lord, and are allowed to affirm without question. Similarly they vow to bring up the child in the life and worship of the Church, but the falsity of this is shown by the fact that Church congregations do not reflect these promises. Further, to state ‘this child who has been born again’ is theological nonsense.

Even however in the case of parents who are Church members, I feel it is stretching Scripture’s teaching. I cannot trace any instance in the Bible where the baptising of infants can be proved, but at least it shows some respect for the service.

Baptism is a most sacred act. Within Scriptural terms a person is baptised when he/she realises their life can be different and better if Jesus Christ is part of it; they therefore repent of past failures; believe that by His death on the Cross, Jesus Christ became their Saviour, and they promise to follow His teaching for their future life. How such can be fulfilled by people who never have any intention to attend worship, never read a Bible, never contribute anything in effort or finance to the Church, or really seek to know the Lord, I have yet to understand.

I know it is often said to be a means of outreach, but apart from it being wishful thinking, it hardly justifies departing from the true purpose. If all who have made the promises of the Baptism service and adopted the words used, we would need to build more Churches as they all joined us on Sundays.

Where we can agree, I think, is that we ALL should have repented of our sins, believed in Jesus, been baptized AND received the Holy Spirit.

Most of us, I think, can agree on the first three components of the Acts formula, but how many of us feel comfortable in saying that we, personally, have received the Spirit? Received, that is, in a way that we know it to be true.

God comes to us in different ways as we seek to serve Jesus. There is the infilling of the Spirit, which is for all believers. There is the anointing of the Spirit, which is given to those who will fulfil a certain task, such as is given by the Bishop to a priest, and then the power of the Holy Spirit, which is for us to minister for the Lord.

For some people there is indeed a dramatic experience such as Paul had on the Damascus Road, whilst for others there is a growing in grace.
Charles and John Wesley, who are in our minds at this time, experienced the Holy Spirit in special ways, too. Both were ordained into the Church and ministered as such for some years, yet both had deep spiritual experiences which changed their lives in May 1738, and went on to do greater things as a result. Charles wrote his most loved and famous hymns afterwards. Charles experienced a "strange palpitation of heart," and just a few days later John felt his heart "strangely warmed." From that time on, the Wesleys were used powerfully by God to spread the news of salvation.

We may take as an analogy two situations from life. A man and woman may meet at a social occasion and such is the chemistry between them they fall in immediate love and marry soon after, which may or may not last. Another couple may meet, find they enjoy being with each other, and gradually become totally dependent upon each other and spend the rest of their life together. (They may even have a diamond wedding)

Thousands attended the great Billy Graham Crusades in the 1960s/80s and were immediately affected by the atmosphere of massed choirs leading joyous praise with so many people, and hearing the preaching of the most successful preacher in all Church history. They rushed forward to the altar call, committing their lives to the Lord, but on returning to their local parish Church found 1662 Matins with chants of canticles and indifferent preaching were disillusioned. Others just grow in grace to love the Lord. We each come as the Lord calls us, but should know when there was that moment we understood what the gospel was all about. For me, it was being at a Pentecostal meeting in Mombasa in Kenya when also I first heard one of the lovely hymns you are about to sing.

Jesus told the Apostles they were to be His witnesses and that duty has now been passed down to His Church and all its members. The Church can be His witness by faithful preaching of Scripture, as all its Ministers vow to do at their ordination, and offer people a credible and united teaching. Individual members can do so by their manner of living, reflecting the image of Christ rather than the ungracious kind we too often see.

When Pentecost came it was a transforming happening when God took over and filled all gathered with His power. God came down in power and the lives of all present were for ever changed. Our lives will be changed when we have that same power.

I discovered last week that the Baptist Times was no longer in print but was now published on the internet. This was a pleasant surprise as I felt I could now read it, but the surprise turned when I did so. I had always imagined the Baptists to be more evangelical and committed than other denominations but one story disillusioned me.

The Crematorium in Bath (England) replaced a window which contained a Cross with one of plain glass and no Cross. The local Council were approached and came out with the usual nonsense we expect these days from public officials that it was to avoid offending other faiths. (These people need to be constantly reminded we are a Christian country) Other faiths however stated they had not objection which reveals how ridiculous the Council was.

When the Baptist people contacted the Council, it is alleged they spoke to the local Bishop who did not object (no surprise there then). But what amazed me was the Baptist people discussed the matter and half are said to have felt it right that other faiths should be considered and the other half did not think it worth fighting.

I mentioned my surprise at their attitude and it was pointed out to me that I have been seeing Baptists in the image of the (American)Southern Baptists and not all Baptists are quite as strong, especially in Britain. Whilst it is true I do tend to wander to such American sites, I am still amazed that any Christians would adopt such a negative attitude.

______________________________________________

Strange how some silly people walk right into trouble.

A religious blogger displayed an advertisement in support of keeping marriage in its traditional meaning and some homosexual activists objected to the Advertising Standards Authority who sent a most objectionable letter demanding answers. The blogger was not one to be bullied and answered them in his own inimitable way virtually telling them what they could do with their letter. This attracted media attention causing the Authority to shamefacedly back down and give out ‘I didn’t mean it that way’ sort of excuses.

What was displayed was the attitude of the so-called ‘gay lobby’ and officialdom that it is all right for them to shout their message but traditionalists must keep silent.

Once again we see how much ‘free speech’ in Britain means.

I want to turn with you to words of Peter,. For we have not followed cleverly invented myths when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

As we reflect on the life of the Church we think of the numbers of people who have passed through doors over the years. There was a time when the church stood as a beacon of light in a dark world; a place where hope, inspiration and encouragement were given. Sadly to-day’s world thinks it can provide such things for themselves without any help from the Almighty.

These are dark days for the Church in this country. We live in a society which largely rejects God, and regards Church and Christianity as totally irrelevant to their lives.

Many of us here grew up when it was the natural thing as a child to be sent to Sunday school, sing in the church choir, and accompany parents to Church. People may not have known the Bible thoroughly, but they knew the main stories and understood what the major festivals meant. The Church was held in general respect, and the Vicar was a prominent member of the community. Politicians were supportive of the Church and were Christian in belief.
Now that has all changed. Generations have grown up without having had any religious education and know nothing about the Church or the faith.

Politicians have enacted legislation which is offensive to Christian belief and teaching, and which is supported by all parties. The judiciary seems intent on suppressing every expression of Christian faith by word or symbol.
What people fail to realise is that if Christianity is erased from public life it will create a vacuum which will be filled by something else less pleasant.

Our faith is mocked as being fairy tale stuff, fantasy, pie in the sky, and these are just the polite epithets.
But we do not follow myths of any kind. One day people will regret such attitudes. Jesus came into the world to save and we as His disciples must try to do His work for Him now.

I have taken services in many villages over the last few years, and see the same small congregations, which is so sad. Residents have so much to be thankful for; beautiful homes in idyllic surroundings, without any of the social ills of the towns and cities. We seem to have lost Middle England. Yet when I journey home this morning I will pass a Church where they have to put on two services each Sunday because there is not enough room to accommodate at one. So things can happen if we are doing what is right by God.

We must all examine our witness and consider how we can get our message across.The greatest revival of Christianity in this country came during the ministry of John/Charles Wesley If they were alive today they would have much to say at the way the Church has failed to proclaim the message they left, that salvation was through Christ alone, the value of a person’s life was measured by their faith, and the doctrine of heaven and hell.

For many preachers these are forbidden subjects fearing they may upset people, yet they are essential biblical doctrine and were not forbidden by our Lord. Today people are being drawn away from the doctrines of the Bible as judgement is becoming a censored word.

Jesus made it patently clear that there will come a day of judgement, and in parable after parable warned that we face one of two destinies, one He called heaven and the other hell. He spoke of two roads, two gates. People say God would never send anyone to hell, and that is right; but people may choose for themselves by their lives.

The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no other name under heaven except Jesus Christ’. It is hard to quote the Bible without someone saying ‘Oh you shouldn’t say that. The Bible states’ Jesus said no one can come to the Father except through me’, yet many preachers are dodging quoting this. If we avoid telling these verses how are people ever to come to know the gospel.

This tells us our faith is not like other faiths which someone has made up, but rather comes from God.
This is a startling declaration! It says that there is no other who can fulfill the place of being the cornerstone of authority in the world. No other name! None of the religious leaders, none of the political leaders of all time could possibly do this work. You take all the religious names of history -- Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, whoever and whatever. The most that can be said of these men and women is that they are moral teachers. The best we can say of them is that they taught what is right. Many of them did.

Christians are often accused of being bigoted, of being intolerant of other faiths. There is a sense in which that accusation is perfectly just. We are intolerant of other faiths, in the final analysis. But this does not mean that Christians do not recognize that there is much truth in other religions. Other great religious leaders have uttered fine moral teachings and precepts which have helped people. But there is one thing they could not do: They could tell us what was right; but they could not enable us to do it. That is the difference between Jesus of Nazareth and any other name that can be named in this world. That is why we can never consent to considering any other name to be equal with that of Jesus of Nazareth. No other has solved the problem of death. There is no other name by which we can be saved.

The life of Jesus Christ is never against government; but it is against oppressive government such as we have recently seen. It is the foundation of Christian liberties, everywhere. There has never been a force more powerful and more vital to assure the liberation of men and women from oppression and immorality than this dramatic power of the resurrection. This is why it is hated by the political forces of the day, wherever they may be.

Everywhere God is inviting men and women to become a part of it, by sharing in the risen life of Jesus Christ, and experiencing now the glory of a life of peace and joy and rest and strength and adequacy and power and meaning and fullness -- now. This is what the resurrection means.


If ever the Word of God was needed it is never more so than now. It calls for people to turn back to God who is ready and able to meet the needs of everyone who turns to Him. The message we have for the world is centred upon the person of Jesus Christ and provides for a stable and well balanced society.

The world’s greatest need is to hear about Jesus Christ. All Christians, not simply all ministers, are commanded in Scripture to share their faith We put a lot of energy into fairs, fetes and garden parties, but treat them as just that without trying to reach out to the people who attend
We have parish magazines and newsletters, which mostly tell what HAS happened, and contains articles about gardening or other hobbies, pieces about where people have been, or of memories. There needs to be also a stimulating, provocative writing on a biblical theme. For 17 years I edited a parish magazine, which always included bible teaching, and I know it was read and appreciated, even when views differed.

The country is in spiritual death throes and in need of intensive care. This is why we must contend for the faith. How God must weep when He sees the Church singing His praise, pretending to be holy, whilst countenancing and failing to speak out on moral issues which totally ignore His written Word.
My friends, we are not to be blown by every new spiritual wind so that we drift from our moorings. We are not to be superficial believers. Hold fast to the gospel once given by the Apostles who were taught by the Master Himself.

It is so easy in the times we live in to opt out, saying, ‘there is no point in fighting them.’ Can you imagine what would have happened if Winston Churchill had have said in 1940, ‘there is no use in us fighting, the enemy is too powerful.’ We must stand firm by the Cross.
Let us remember there are Christians being persecuted in non Christian lands with violence, arson, and yes even murder. Hundreds have been killed in the last few months in Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria. Whole villages ransacked, yet they valiantly fight on for their Lord and Saviour. We must show the same spirit.

Today, no less than in any other age, it is intense biblical integrity that is needed. Fearless courage and conviction, to stand for the truth --that Jesus Christ is the only name that saves.

Be in Church on Sunday and God bless you

JOHN 15 The gospel reading for Sunday is taken from John’s gospel, Chapter 15. It is the last night before His death and Jesus is giving instructions to stress the absolute necessity of a close relationship between Him and us. To do this He uses the illustration of a vine and its branches. Jesus often used scenes which were from Jewish heritage. Israel is pictured as the vineyard, and one of the glories of the Temple was the great golden vine with clusters of grapes placed in front of the Holy place. This is taken from the story of Moses receiving clusters of grapes from spies he had sent out to view the land of Canaan. Jesus said He was the true vine and it did not mean that because they were Jews they were a branch of the vine. It had to be understood He was the vine not the land of Israel, for only He could offer salvation and the only means of having that was to have a belief in Him. Only a personal relationship with Jesus can make a person right with God. The vine grew wildly but needed much attention if the best was to be obtained from it. The vine needed much pruning and so was cut drastically for without that the vine would not produce good fruit. Jesus knew His followers were like that. Some were fruit bearing, but others were like the dead branches. In His teaching Jesus saw the Jews as the branches of the vine as did all the prophets, but the people would not accept Jesus. He could also foretell that one day people claiming to be Christians would hear His teaching, profess to follow Him, but in practice would not. The bond between vine and its branches is strong, it is in fact the means by which the branch gets it’s strength and fertility, and apart from that the branch has no life of its own. Sap flows from the stem to give power to the leaves and blossoms the fruit, and if cut off would die. The bond between Jesus and the believer has to be just as close and real for we have no spiritual life, all the power comes from Him, we draw our strength from the Lord. We are assured of our salvation and our place in heaven when we remained joined to Him, for in Him we have our growth. The non believer may scorn and mock us for resting our faith from stories in an old Jewish book written many years ago but will one day regret such ridicule and envy our place. It has to be accepted as fact that there are many men and women professing to be Christians who are not what they claim to be. They are like branches of the vine which bear no fruit. In every Church there are people whose relationship is more make believe than real. They have been baptised, confirmed and even hold office within the Church, even are clergy ranging from the highest clerical positions to people in the pews. They may make much profession, and as we are regularly reading and hearing do not accept the authority of Scripture. We even find Bishops increasingly tolerant of immoral behaviour which contradicts the Bible, and who prefer to adopt the philosophy of society and say things have changed now we are in the 21st century. God was not just a God of the first century, His Word endures for all times. Well has it been said that the spirit of the age has invaded the Church, and infected it. If people wish to reject the contents of the Bible that is their choice, but will one day regret such decision. To have a casual relationship with Jesus is like being a non fruit bearing branch of the vine, you produce nothing and give nothing. There are many instances of a young person who leaves home and falls into bad ways, because he/she has separated from the family. As long as they are with the family they are strong and cared for but when they break away they fall. Having a relationship with Jesus provides the strength to meet the problems of life and prevents one from falling into the ways of the unjust. And you need constant attachment just like the branches of the vine. This passage shows the offer Jesus makes to help them become more worthy and better Christians. If we abide in Him and His teaching we can ask and seek an answer. Be therefore in close communion with Jesus, lean on Him, and keep His words in your mind so that they will be the guide of your life. And be in Church on Sunday.

The Church Do you ever feel depressed at the failure of the Church to make an impression on society? Do you further feel frustrated when you see where opposition comes from? There are numerous factors which can affect people’s attitude to the Church; some come from outside the Church, but the most damaging come from within. Just as people are reluctant to vote for a political party when it is divided and cannot state positively what it believes and stands for, so the same analogy applies to the Church. Much discussion is in progress at the current time regarding the government’s determination to legalise same sex unions as marriage. The Roman Catholic Church is resolute in its opposition, and is supported by Muslims, Sikhs, Jews, and some Protestant Churches, but with only qualified support from the Church of England. In fact a vociferous group of clergy are calling for the legislation to go ahead, and an appalling situation has developed in the notoriously liberal Diocese of Southwark. A lay reader of many years experience, holder of a degree and teacher of theology, has been suspended because he spoke against legalisation and invited the congregation of a Church to support the petition upholding marriage. Two women and a retired bishop complained and the archdeacon suspended the man. Yet, the two women who went on to speak in support of ‘gay marriage’ had no action taken. This Diocese prides itself on its ‘inclusivity’, with the Dean pompously proclaiming this. The senior appointments by the Bishop have excluded evangelicals. (Such is its practice of inclusivity). An article in the Daily Telegraph recently contained a thinly veiled attack on the Archbishop of York by two retired Bishops opposing his chances of being appointed Archbishop of Canterbury, purely on the grounds of his conservative belief and his views on sexuality, in other words he opposes gay marriage. Neither would allow themselves to be identified which shows how disgusting and cowardly they are. In a letter to another national newspaper, the Deans of St.Albans, Norwich, Portsmouth and Guildford, together with the Bishop of Buckingham, all rejoiced at the prospect of such legislation. When you add the constant campaigning of the Archbishop of Wales and the Bishop of Salisbury, you can see how disloyal to the Archbishops of Canterbury and York, and faithless to the Bible, prominent figures in the Church are. When the Church is striving to get the gospel message to an increasingly sceptic society, who needs to fear the devil?