H E B  R E W S 10  v25 

 

Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that his coming back again is drawing near.

From the first day after the resurrection Of Jesus from the dead, the first day of the week was the day set aside for believers to gather together to worship Him. to share in fellowship, sing praise to Him, to pray, and to have the Scriptures taught.

For many years, Sunday was known as the Lord’s day. Families would attend, father, mother, and child(ren) especially in middle class homes, and mother and children in other homes, the men viewed going to Church was a woman’s practice, and when they were obliged to attend for particular services such as baptism, so many appeared to be disorientated and uncomfortable. If anyone doubts this, just look at a service on television and count how many men are present as compared with women, notably when hymns are being sung.

In modern post war times, when successive governments turned their back in religion, the presence of sports and shopping replaced allegiance to Jesus.

To attend Church is something we should do with thanksgiving , as we remember that He freely gave His life to be the Savior, to pay the price for our sins, and all who recognize and accept this free gift, can earn salvation and a future heavenly place.

The Bible states, that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, and all wo believe in Him will be saved. God judges us by what our hearts reveal, and those who pretend to be believers are obtaining nothing by their hypocrisy.

We who live in the Western Hemisphere, have the opportunity to choose a Church which are in every part of the country, but those in the eastern part of the world, do not have that choice, for few, if any, in many countries. I know and admire from my connection with them. The devotion to Jesus, despite less teaching being available, and by the loss of Bibles because of the cost, and not being able to access from elsewhere. I know they long for Bibles in their own language, but no concessions are made from either a Bible Society or book store.

I was able to read in the past days of a woman named Helen Keller. Helen was born in Alabama,(America) and at an early child age of nineteen months, was made blind and deaf. She lived until the age of 87 and died in Connecticut in 1968. She had a gifted tutor named Anne Sullivan, and was able to learn, and qualified to enter Radcliffe College, from where she graduated.

Helen worshipped God and knew Jesus. That wonderful brave young woman, gave her life to Jesus, yet there many million people with perfect bodies who offer complaints for being denied trivial things, and mock any thought of going to Church.

If a girl overcomes such disabilities and turn to Jesus, it should shame all those who make any excuse for not giving thanks to God for their good health .

When you add what Jesus did for all people, those self-concerned people, would be outraged if they were asked to attend Church, or even thank God for all they were able to be blessed with.

Charles Studd was one of England’s greatest Cricket players with a grand future, but after reading the Bibe, stated that when he read what sacrifice Jesus made for him, there was nothing too great for him to do for Jesus. He dedicated his life to be a missionary in Africa, and forfeited all he could have achieved as a sportsman.

There are countless brilliant men and women, who made similar commitments. What people overlook, is that those who give their lives to serve God, get rewards much greater than money can offer. And before any smart Alec writes and ask me if I did, the answer is yes.

Jesus stated, ‘whoever loses his life for my sake will find it, for every man will be repaid by my Father.’.

Those who have been granted forgiveness of sins, will be placed in a state of no condemnation, because Christ paid the penalty and they are redeemed.

The Church is the Kingdom of Christ . We have been saved from the kingdom of darkness and placed in the kingdom of God. The Church is a place of divine truth. We worship in spirit and truth as Jesus called us to do.

The Church is the living body in the world, and we are called to speak in the truth of God. This means we do not preach false doctrine, and it is irresponsible for Church leaders who turn away from the Word of God and lead others to do the same, in order to placate those who advocate against the Church. If the Church wanders from the Word of God, there is no purpose for our existence. There is no excuse acceptable for false teaching, and those who do defect from their vows, should hold their heads in shame.

It is beyond understanding that men and women, can flagrantly reject the words of Scripture. And by so doing, disgrace the Church, leaving all those who are faithful to be shamed.

If anyone finds it too hard for them to keep to the Bible, they have the option to resign.

Jesus Christ said,’ I will build my Church’ it is not to be a sentimental notion about God. It is an assembly of people who meet to worship God. It is to proclaim the Gospel, the good news about Jesus Christ who is here to lead us to God. It is to bring believers to learn how to live in accordance with the teaching of Christ, who can comfort the soul, and to belp those who are suffering in any way, for Jesus said that for those who are burdened, He will give rest.

The Apostle John stated Sunday was the Lord’s Day, and it was so recognized. There were those who rejected it as a day to attend Church, and there will always be the same. But as we have just seen, there are many people who find it an inspiring factor. Christmas of course is an exceptional time, but if the Church should respond with enthusiasm, and displayed a desire to call on them to regular, attendance, showing an interest in their presence.

The key to bring people to join in attendance is unquestionably to have hymns with either well-known tunes or easy to follow, and to have the Bible at the heart of the service. There are many interesting stories which have a current meaning, which newcomers could be touched by, and many parables to maintain an interest.

There is a frustrating reluctance by preachers, to tell exactly what the Bible states for fear of complaint or cries of bigotry. If such happens, you either ignore because complainants are mostly reluctant to tell you before leaving the Church and send abusive emails, or you gently advise them why the Bible states so. There is nothing in the Bible which can give cause for complaint`

Coming to Church is a family occasion, and Jesus went with His parents. For adults it is an opportunity to approach God together and make your marriage stronger, and for children it is a solid foundation on which to build their lives.

Give thanks to God for His Holy Gospel may He be be ever Glorified

 

 

 

May God’s Holy Name be Ever Prai 

1 Corinthians 1 v18/25.

This morning I want to speak about the Cross. This passage is the Epistle for Sunday,  and we concentrate our thoughts on the supreme sacrifice made by Jesus.

The Church at Corinth was having problems, which caused Paul to write to them. Corinth was a cosmopolitan city, which has been described as the Soho of its day, full of corruption and immorality. It was a trading centre, and there was much wealth and a style of living, which did not match up to Christian standards. The Church, which had started with much power, was allowing some of the culture to invade the Church, and some members were influenced by the rhetoric of some preachers, who were deviating from the gospel, and this caused division and dissension within the Church.

Paul wrote to give advice and admonishment to the people there, because of the way they were acting. He is showing us in this passage, how the Cross is so important for us as Christians, and how it is involved in human affairs and thinking.. We have a similar situation here, where there are men/women, occupying the most prominent position in the Church, openly accepting and even encouraging Christians, to adopt the morality of society, despite the fact that the Bible expressly condemns doing so, and demands the clergy to banish false doctrine.  When the Bible is rejected, for however little, especially from the leadership, the practice becomes a habit.

The passage opens, with Paul stating those who are perishing, the unbelievers ,who do not understand or realize the power of the Cross, to them it is just foolishness, for perishing means not being saved and no hope of going to heaven, for they have rejected Jesus, but to those of us who are saved and have accepted Jesus as Savior, the gospel is the power of God.

Just as the message was foolish by the world’s standards, so most of those in Corinth also thought the message was foolish by the world’s standards. Despite them being unimpressive, their boasting in ancestry and accomplishments, and having an affiliation with one of their chosen preachers, God had chosen them to be saved. The hostile opponents of Jesus kept demanding a miraculous sign to prove his claims, but they were just doing this to manipulate, but he had already given them sufficient so there was no excuse for their unbelief.

The Greeks were often classified as being wise, but were then seen as being antiquated, and more cultured people were interested in wisdom. A crucified Messiah was a stumbling stop for a Jew. God’s power to call forth his people, works through a deeper wisdom, that human beings can recognize unless God gives them faith. Paul writes that the gospel is preached to all, but God calls some effectively to salvation from among Jews and Greeks. Paul is speaking to those in the Church who claimed to be wise and proud of their wisdom, which they were using to divide the Church and to promote themselves by changing the message of the Cross to make it more acceptable. Paul is telling them it is worthless in the sight of God, and will only destroy the Church.

The cultured Greek and the pious Jew could not understand Christianity, but Paul pointed out human wisdom is bound to be of no purpose, and was to be exposed by God telling of human helplessness. The Jews demanded miraculous signs, and Greeks looked to wisdom. This was a stumbling block, which could not be overcome by Jews or Gentiles, but to those who do believe it is a message of power. The Jews demanded that what Paul was teaching should be proved by some miraculous sign. Jews could not ever accept that the Messiah would be crucified; it was totally contradictory to their belief. The Greeks placed so much influence on human wisdom and intellectual ability to be the means of salvation.

God chose a way which ordinary people could understand. Abraham Lincoln once stated, God must have loved ordinary people because He made so many of them. Paul gave them an ordinary and simple message, believe in Jesus Christ who gave His life to be crucified on the Cross, and you will have eternal life. If we had to be very wise and academic, millions of people would never have come to know the Lord. Heaven would be only for the clever people.

The gospel message is the opposite of worldly wisdom, and is hard for some to believe, but we do believe. But there are still people who want to see some proof for what we preach. The Bible states, by grace you shall be saved through faith’. If you have to see signs or other proof to believe, you don’t need faith. True faith means believing in what you cannot see. God said, ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate’.

The message of the world sees us as self-sufficient beings; there is no need of God. We have the ability to think and reason, which will prove sufficient to eventually solve all of our problems. Obviously, God doesn’t think so much of it.

Paul asks where is the wise man, where is the scholar, where is the philosopher of this age, has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world. Challenging them who think they can solve life’s problems. Just where has all the wisdom of the so-called wise brought us? How well have we done in solving the world’s problems? Have we eradicated poverty? Has all our research and expertise in the fields of science and medicine rid our world of disease? Have we found a cure for cancer? There is more suffering now than history records. With all the highly educated professional educators, how can we still have ignorant people wandering our streets, graduating from our schools and colleges, yet not knowing basic English?

Look at the enormous amount of hatred in the world, with many of the Arab countries wanting to wipe Israel off the face of the map. Paradoxically, hatred has been introduced into our society by legislation. The (inequitable) Equality and Diversity Bill has caused considerable distress. Consider the hate mail, and persecution experienced by Christians who do not wish to surrender their beliefs to society’s morality. The unfortunate reality is, that for all our so-called sophistication, we have not been able to solve the basic problems of society–– problems that have been around since the beginning. Certainly, we have been able to see great advances technologically. We have great new gadgets. But on the really important issues of life, we don’t even have temporary solutions.

But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God.

Each religious faith has its own symbol. Muslims have the crescent moon; the Jews have the Star of David, Buddhists have the lotus flower, but for Christians we have the Cross. The early Christians had the sign of a fish, which they inscribed on walls as indication of faith when the Romans were persecuting Christians. They would make the cry, ‘Jesus is Lord’, but would not refer so much to the cross, as it was a hateful thing. Some Churches have a Cross outside, and most also display the Cross inside. It is embossed upon our Bibles and prayer books, and ladies particularly wear a gold cross. Paul said he gloried in the Cross, and focused on the crucifixion of Jesus as the means of salvation. But it was the most horrific death ever devised by mankind. For many years it was never mentioned in polite company , and was only used to show when people were acting contrary to the power of the Cross. When writing to the Galatian Church, Paul stated ‘God forbid that I should boast about anything except the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’, to indicate how much he prioritized the Cross.

Paul was a clever man, he could have boasted about his own intellect, his mastery of languages; he could have boasted about the unique birth of Christ or the miracles performed, even the resurrection, but he didn’t, only the Cross.

It is not often that a sermon on the Cross is heard in Churches today, if at all; I cannot remember when I last heard one. Indeed, a lot of sermons have only a tenuous reference to the gospel. Paul ‘s preaching focused on the crucifixion of Jesus as the means of salvation. A man crucified had nails driven through arms and legs, and left hanging until he died, which could have lasted for days even.

The Cross upon which Jesus died, was not only a place where he bore the sins of humanity, and paid the penalty for those sins, it is also a way for our lives by his power. It is saying that God became weak,, in order to save us. It says that when we surrender our lives, we truly find them. It is the very power of God, concealed from the so-called wise and sophisticated, and revealed to those who come as a child, in simple faith and trust.

For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.

Today the cross of Christ is still a cause of offence. The message of the cross of Christ is still foolishness to those who are perishing. To them the cross is the weakest link. In the Cross, we see the power of God displayed. God was powerful enough to become weak.

Having looked at the message of this passage, let us consider the implications for us to-day.

Paul always taught there are two distinct points of view, two black or white absolutes that can never be reconciled, because they produce two different responses to the gospel. We all have to decide now which we believe. We have a choice to make for our future when this life is over. Many people don’t want to think of that and dismiss it from their minds. Many more believe there is no need to worry, as long as one leads a ‘good’ life we are all going to heaven. Apart from the fact‘ good’ has not been defined, how would we know when he had done enough? I have taken hundreds of funeral services in the past years, and irrespective that the deceased never read a bible, attended church, and being totally unaware of belief, it was always thought the relatives of the deceased, the person was heaven bound.

Unless you accept the Cross and its meaning, you are not able to make an assessment of the future. The Cross is the pivotal point of Christianity. If you tell people that all their efforts and achievements will not put them right with God, and the only way is to believe the death of Christ on the Cross, and we can do nothing to earn our salvation, they will think it ridiculous.

The Cross strikes at the heart of human pride. Just as the Jews could never accept that a man hanging on a Cross could save the world, so today people mock the idea. Those who are blind to the truth of the gospel are said to be ‘perishing’, which means unsaved and are eternally lost. To them however, it is absurd, and they refuse to believe the Biblical teaching that states to achieve eternal salvation you have to believe that a man died on a Cross 2000 years ago, in a little country on the far side of the world, and did so that our sins may be forgiven.

The other reaction is, that the Cross is the power of God to those of us who have accepted Christ’s death on the Cross as our means of salvation. Why take a risk on your eternal future? If you were due to fly to America, and as you were boarding the plane you were told there was a 1% chance the plane would not make it across the Atlantic, would you still fly? Paul said he understood how foolish it sounds to those who are lost when they heard that Jesus died to save them, but God had said He would destroy all human plans of salvation no matter how wise they seem to be to men, even the most brilliant of them. He said ‘you come to me my way, or you do not come at all’. If you wear a Cross you should ask yourself, why you are wearing it, what does it mean to you? Most people just see it as an item of jewellery, such an idea would have been horrifying, bearing in mind the tortuous death it carried; it would be like wearing a model of the gallows around the neck. It was so crude a death it was never mentioned in polite company.

There is one underlying message running right through this passage. ‘There is only one way to heaven and that is through Jesus Christ’. God gave His only ,Son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. We do not earn our right to heaven by all the good things we do, being saved is a gift from God, if we could earn it would not be free. God accepts us when we believe in Christ.

We need to humble ourselves in complete surrender to God. The good news is that God has given us his power.

The world doesn’t like the Cross, even though it can be the answer to all divisions pointing out the difference between truth and error. The crucifixion of Jesus is a fact of history. He is the only means of salvation, and we need a Savior, meaning we follow God’s way or none. When Jesus died on that Cross, there were two men alongside him. One cried out to Jesus to save him and the other mocked. One of those men was saved, and the other died. We have to make a decision and do so whilst we are able, leaving it to a death bed may be too late.

The Bible states there are two alternatives in life, two roads, goats and sheep, tares and wheat, heaven and hell. Jesus spoke about heaven many times, but he also warned of the alternative, which many people try to forget.

May the Cross always remind you of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made for the salvation that can be yours. It is now the duty and responsibility of the Church to boldly proclaim this.

Paul ended the passage with a quotation from Jeremiah. It was only when we realize we can do nothing, and God can and will do everything ,that real religion begins . It is a fact of life that when people realize their own weakness, their own lack of wisdom, their helplessness and powerlessness, they become wise and strong. It is a fact of experience that the man who thinks he can take on life all by himself, will in the end make a mess of his life.

We have four things which Paul points out, and insists that Christ is for us. He is wisdom, It is only by following Christ that we walk aright, and only by listening to him we hear the truth. He is the expert in life.  He is righteousness. He has right relationship with God, we can never on our own have that. This comes through Jesus, when we realize it comes not from what we can do for God, but what God can do for us.

He is consecration., It is only in the presence of Christ that life can be what it should be. He is deliverance. Men go to see the optician and the dentist, but never to the one who can cure their souls.  Jesus Christ can deliver a man from past sin, from present helplessness and from future fear.

May God bless these words to our hearts and minds.

 

We give thanks to God for His Holy Gospel and Praise Christ our Lord and Savior

 

 

 EPHESIANS 4 V 1-16

 

The significance of this passage, is that it is not preached as much as it should..

There is too readiness to teach falsehoods, by saying many religions lead to eternal life; nor can we say there is more than one God. No other religion can save.

Paul is writing to the Church in Ephesus, on a subject that is uppermost in his life.

He had been made an Apostle by Jesus, a title he honored, for the purpose of taking the gospel to the Gentiles, and whilst he was doing this, he still felt deeply to his own people the Jews. He dealt with the situation by bringing the Gentiles and Jews into a united Church, based on a unity of the truths of the gospel.

In v1 he writes that he had been imprisoned just for the sake of preaching for the Lord. His words had power, for he saw a unified Church as essential. Christians had to live lives of holiness and unity.

In v2, he mentions that there had to be humility, a word considered distasteful in that pagan world. The life of the Church was one in which there was gentleness. Patience, peace, and love, in every Christian life.

In v3 peace is to bring reconciliation and love, which create a bond and unites believers in Christ.

V4 refers to one Spirit. A human body has a spirit that makes all parts work together, and he Church is enlivened by the Holy Spirit, which enlivens Christians to eternal life. One hope means Christians do not have separate hopes, but are called together to eternal life and enjoy forever God in resurrection glory.

verse 5, one faith is the doctrinal truths which Christians confess are;  The Son of God is the Lord Jesus Christ,  other faiths deny God had a son, but not only is Jesus the Son of God, sinners can only be saved through Christ, who is the only way to God. People can only be saved from hell by the person and work of Christ. If Christ is rejected, there is no other way of salvation.

The Bible states one God, one Lord Jesus Christ,  one gospel, one means of escaping hell. The Bible also states, you shall not follow any claim, there are no other gods. To state otherwise will anger God, and come under His wrath. The doctrine of one Lord, one faith and one Spirit, one God, constitute a Trinitarian formula.

There is only one baptism. Christians have not all agreed about the mode of baptizing, but the term one baptism refers to the agreed belief of the baptisms of believers. This takes place when a sinner repents, makes a confession of faith publicly, and receives the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Verse 6 uses the term over- all and in all, telling God is omnipotent. Thus the Christian Church is one body, wherever its separate congregations may be found throughout the world.

I was once in a group of Christians in another country, which is the doorway to many other countries.  The city has a harbor, and as liners arrived from America and Europe, we would meet missionaries prior to them journeying away, and we could share faith and experiences with them, only because we were in the same heavenly family. No other  group or organization can compare with this.

verses 7/10, Paul describes the gifts from the ascended Christ .

In v7 There is mentioned grace. There are no levels of grace, but refers to an Office in the Church requires a calling, and serving in a responsible manner with personal respect.

In v8. The one who ascends is the triumphant Lord in His resurrection to be the head of the Church, and the gifts were given by Jesus which were obtained when He triumphed over captives.

V9 the lower regions are the earth. In the incarnation, Christ descended from the highest heavens to lowest of regions, where He was buried, but rose again to defeat death, and 40 days later was seated in the highest heaven at the right side of the Father.

V10 Christ is the supreme head of the Church who fills all things with His glory, power and the sovereign prerogative to dispense gifts to His people.

In verse 11/13 there is a picture of the organization and administration of the early Church, and there is a list of Office bearers.  There were three kinds; the ones where authority spread across the whole Church by the Apostles; another kind, the evangelists, were confined to one place, but were enabled to go wherever the Spirit moved them. There were prophets, who foretold the will of God, who wanted to give a message from the Holy Spirit. This caused them to go from Church to other Churches, proclaiming the Word of God, but before long they had vanished. As time passed, the local Church grew to have its own Minister. Local Ministers became the accepted practice.

V 14 we see immaturity in the truths of Chistian doctrine, makes the Church like gullible children tossed helplessly by the waves and wind of cunning deceitful false teaching.

V15. The truth must not be used to bludgeon people into acceptance and obedience, but must always be presented kindly. The truth leads people to maturity which is defined here as growing up to Christ, who as head leads, directs, and guides the body.

V16. Paul continues the body metaphor to describe the Church’s maturity. Every believer is viewed as a unit to play a crucial part in the growth, but there is no growth Paul states without love, and every act of love in the name of Christ is valued and remembered by him as each part is working properly

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n consideration of this message, we need to consider how close the Church comes to following to accepting the teaching. We find it soon departs from it.

There is the constant departure from the teaching of the Bible, which is becoming a common practice.

When someone is entering a fellowship or society, they are committing themselves to abide by the way of that gathering and the aims, Credit or discredit is the consequence of how they act. Paul sets down the kind of life that he expects from Church members.

The passage that you have just read, or heard, clearly reveals the view of Paul and we can imagine the horror he would suffer if he had to pass judgement on the Church in some Western countries.

A Church which is not built on a sure foundation, and/or is not governed according to the Word of God, the supreme authority of the Church, will be divided. There should be in every member’s mind, lay and ordained, especially by clergy in positions of leadership, a clear allegiance to Scripture.  Every effort has to be made to avoid division; all parts acting as one. This means no changing of biblical doctrine.

If drastic action is not taken soon, the Church in England will fall apart as Minsters will face two parts of their Church arguing against each other, causing the Minister  to upset those he has opposed. This is deeply frustrating, as a division has been caused when the bishops acted directly and unequivocally against the Bible, for no good purpose, but merely to appease society.  People and clergy are leaving the Church in consequence.   Paul states this is acting like gullible children.

Baptism is the gateway to the Church. In the early Church it was adult baptism after repentance and public confession of faith.  In time, the Church allowed children of practicing Christian parents to be baptized, but as in all cases when people deviate from a situation, it has become extended to all children irrespective of age, and with non-believing parents, who make vows and give promises which all now they have no intention of keeping.

In every Church there are people who need to be curtailed. Paul speaks of trickery by people, and uses a word meaning manipulates.  There are those who by clever arguments lure people away from true faith.  It is one of the characteristics of the age, that people talk about religion more than perhaps before the present day, and who are against God and the Church.  they interpret the Bible with fancy terms to justify immoral social behavior.

The only thing which can keep the individual Christian solid in the faith, is a faithful exposition of the Word of God leading to a close relationship with Jesus

The only way a person can gain salvation, is through Jesus who is the only way to God.

The Bible, as we have seen, has a factual history, and so contains the truth of the mind of  the one God, and records the death of Jesus on the Cross to enable us to be forgiven and made righteous; only Christianity offers forgiveness for sin.

There cannot be justification for multi-faith worship, for other faiths do not recognize the divinity of Jesus, and specify that they believe God had no son. Churches have been sharing services with Muslim believers, and we must respect their right to worship as they believe, and in some respect they have a strict moral code, which is superior to other faiths. Islamic clergy have criticized the saying of /…Muslim prayers in Christian Churches, and it is wrong for clergy trying to make some form of attention. It is unwelcome for both Churches to join in worship as we worship through Christ, and Islam has every right to pursue its own way.  

We see in these verses, how the Church is deviating from the true gospel. There is one baptism, but the Church allows a second baptism when a person transitions from one sex and claims to be a new person when there is the same body given by God,  Despite prominent clergy suggesting otherwise, God does not get things

Wrong.

This is the message of the Letter. There is one God-the Father; one Lord-Jesus Christ-; one body-the Church; one true faith-Christianity; one Savior-Jesus  Christ; one gospel-the Bible; one Spirit-the Holy Spirit; one baptism, one hope-of eternal life.

 

May God bless His Word to our hearts. And we to His service.

A C T S  O F  T H E   A P OS T L ES , 9 V 1-32

 

This passage tells the story of the greatest conversion in Christian history

The writer of this story was the friend of Paul Luke, by profession s a doctor who travelled with Paul, and wrote his own Gospel.

The passage begins with Paul, once a Pharisee, asking the Chief Priest for authority to travel to Damascus to kill followers of Christ. Paul believed that he was serving God by persecuting Christians, and had been arresting followers of the Lord to kill or detain.

He began the journey on the road to Damascus when he was struck by a flash of lightning which blinded him and caused him to fall to the ground,  He heard a voice saying why are you persecuting me Paul?  He answered, who are you Lord? The answer was,  Jesus, the One you are persecuting, Now get up and Go into the city and you will be told what to do.

There was a believer in Damascus named Ananias,  The Lord spoke to him in a vision telling him to go to Straight Street , where he would meet Paul who was praying to Jesus at this time,  Ananias was shocked to hear what Jesus was asking him to do, for everybody knew and feared Paul, The Lord told Ananias, that Paul had been chosen to take the message to the Gentiles as well as the people of Israel, and would suffer for doing so. Ananias did as he was bid and met Paul.  The eyes of Paul were opened allowing him to gain his sight, and was given some food. Paul stayed with the believers in Damascus for a few days and started to preach about Jesus in the Synagogues, saying Jesus was the Son of God

The people who heard him where amazed and wondered how this man who devastated followers in Jerusalem, and led the priests away in chains

Paul’s preaching became more powerful telling that Jesus was the Messiah.  When he went to Jerusalem, all were afraid of him. Then Barnabas took Paul to meet the other Apostles, telling them how the Lord had acted in the conversion

Paul stayed preaching powerfully about the Lord, but some Greek Jews tried to murder Paul.  In view of this, the believers sent Paul away to his own town in Caesarea, and he preached in Galilee.  Filled with the Holy Spirit, the numbers of those who accepted him grew, and he began to heal.

Paul went on to become one of the greatest missionaries of fall time, writing eleven Letters I the New Testament, which are as relevant today as they were when written.  His Letter to the Romans has been called by distinguished men of God the highest rated writing of Theology.

Paul was a dedicated Apostle for Jesus Christ  In all the chances and change of life, Paul had one concern, to show himself a sincere and profitable Minister of Jesus Christ.

One of his glorious efforts was to be an ambassador for Christ, for the work of the Church.  He sought to bring to people the offer and conditions  of God, by which they can become citizens of the Kingdom of God, and members of God’s family.  Such was the responsibility of an ambassador.

An ambassador speaks for his country, and when he does so, it is the voice of his country, speaking the message and decision and policy which he conveys.

A Christian, speaks for Christian, the decisions and policy, and counsels of the world; he must be the voice which brings the message and the word of Christ to the human situation.

There is honor in the ambassadors hands, and his voice is listened to, and his deeds watched.  He has the responsibility of the ambassador to commend his country to the men to whom he is sent.  By his every word, and action, will he portray more or less the Church he represents.

We should note Paul’s message.  Be reconciled to God.  The Bible never speaks of God being reconciled to men.  The whole process of salvation takes its beginnings from God.  It was because God so loved the world He sent His Son.  It is not that God was ever estranged form men, but that men were estranged from God. God does not create barriers.

 

We give thanks to God for His Holy Hospel and Praise The Lord Jesus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 JOHN, 8 v 31-36

These verses contain a continuation of the previous sermon  and stress the importance of steady perseverance of Christ.  There were many in His days who professed themselves to be followers of Christ who expected to becoming disciples.  There was nothing to show their faith or beliefs were sincere.

There are people today who desire to be clergy or lay, without having had any training, without any display of firm belief, but are anxious to have a recognized position within the Church.  As an example, think back to the Billy Graham meetings when thousands of people flocked to his services, inevitably inspired by the preaching and the musical accompaniment, had a sincere if misguided urge to even join the Church.  However, on returning to their parishes, some of the glamour faded and solid Bible teaching did not appear to be so attractive, and the return to the former way of life was resumed.  When true Christian followers and not just onlookers, we should remember it is easy to begin with, but can be testing when forced to face normal living.

A great problem is, that people in the majority do not attend Church, yet if you asked them to say why they claim to be Christians, they would claim to being honest, helping people, all of which atheists and other faiths could equally claim, and be good citizens, but not Christians.

The Church has to accept, that to some reasonable degree are responsible for this mistake.  We do not keep strictly to the Bible, nor reject false doctrine, we do not preach about confessions and repentance, we accept agree to baptize anyone who asks; in our liturgy we state that the deceased is going to heaven when there is nothing known about the person’s belief, which is like telling a blind person to cross the road when they wish.  The desire to please all people may give pleasure, but it is not what we are sworn to do.  The essential  purpose of the Church is to lead people to accept Jesus Christ into their life.

We tell people that God loves all people, and wants to save them,  so he sent His Son, Jesus Christ into the world to make them righteous and to be forgiven from the sins we commit in our lives. Jesus gave His Life to die on a Cross after cruel beatings, and in so doing paid the penalty for our sins, for we cannot otherwise be forgiven.  Only those who accept Jesus was their Savior will be able to go to heaven when this life is over, for God is a just God who can not accept those who reject the Son He sent.

The Church in places, is failing to preach the Bible, and indeed is even preaching that which the Bible condemns.  This is why it is necessary for new Christians to attend a Bible based Church. Once the Bible is overlooked in one small matter, it becomes easier to keep on sinning and seeking to make the Bible less meaningful

The verses of this passage spell  out the nature of true liberty as they carry the

Words of Jesus.  In one comprehensive sentence, He told the Jewish leaders, if  the Son of Man shall make you true, you are true indeed,

The church in the United Kingdom, and I fear in other Western nations, had high temporal  blessings, free from the influence and with religious liberty.  How many countries could enjoy such fortune?  To a certain degree, we may now be so but we are under some restriction.  Our faith has been handed down from the days of our Lord, all verified down the ages. 

We worship the God who created this world and gave us His Holy Book.  We can be made free from the stain of sin by the Crucifixion of Jesus; we are free to all  who will turn and with us follow Jesus now

Remember the message of this passage

 if  the Son of Man shall make you free, you are true indeed,

                                                               

Thank God for His Holy Gospel, and Praise the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior

 

John 2 v.1/11

 

The Gospel passage for Sunday, is the story of the first miracle of Jesus at a wedding, and we see God’s intention for mankind.

This story takes place in a village Cana, which is situated near Nazareth, and is the story of a wedding.  An Eastern wedding was a very special occasion, different from a Western one, where the bride is the main figure. Here, she enters a Church in all her glory to the playing of organ music, and the congregation standing to greet and admire her. In the East the groom is the main one and he pays for it, the bride just turns up.

It was Jewish law, that a virgin got married on a Wednesday, with the ceremony in the late evening after a feast, and the festivities would go on for days, often with relatives of both families joining in the celebrations. After the ceremony, the bridal couple would be conducted to their new home, through the village streets by the light of flaming torches, with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a route as possible so as many people as possible could wish them well.

In a land where there was so much poverty and constant hard work, this week of festivity and joy was a significant occasion, and it was this that Jesus came to share in. An added problem was he brought with him five Apostles, which meant more people to wine and dine.

For a Jewish wedding wine was an essential, but there would be no drunkenness for that would be seen as a disgrace, and the wine would be two or even three parts water.  In the East, hospitality was a sacred duty, so failure to provide would have ,meant humiliation.

Mary heard of the problem and told her Son, and Jesus answered her by what seems rudeness, ‘woman what have you to do with me, my hour has not yet come.’ Jesus was kindly stressing that she must not see him only as her son, for when he will suffer, the more she will suffer. She must the see him as her Lord.

Standing there were six large jars each holding about two or three measures, that is about twenty gallons of water, making a total of over a hundred gallons of water intended for purifying or cleansing. The roads were dusty, and as the men wore sandals the men’s feet needed washing, but Jews also washed hands before each course of food.

Jesus sorted out what normally would take hours in preparation, by cutting out the normal procedure of crushing and fermenting, and turned the water into wine. This is included in the story to emphasize the greatness of the Lord’s gift. The head waiter then praised the quality of the wine produced.

These verses tell of a miracle with special meaning for all true Christians.  It should be noted that Christ did not touch the water pots, He just commanded and willed the change.

The ceremony was a time for happiness and joy, but also a time for reverence, and there is a place for both.

  We see Mary’s faith in Jesus. She turned to him when a problem arose, and even when he answered her sharply, she told the waiter to do what he asked, giving us a message to trust Jesus even when we do not understand is happening.  In every life, there comes period of  darkness when we despair and wonder what the outcome, happy are those who still trust.

Every Bible story has a meaning and a lesson for all the Lord’s followers, including this story. We see Jesus ready to share in all our celebrations.

This was the first of the Lord’s miracles, and it took place at a marriage of a man and a woman, which has a significant meaning, and it tells us how honorable and important marriage was in the eyes of Jesus, it having been ordained by God for society’s benefit when he made a man and a woman. There is no more wonderful and beautiful union than a man and a woman, and that it is why God created us so. God told us He gave woman to be an essential part of a man’s life, and men have found what a great blessing He gave.

God created marriage as the first institution before all others, with two distinct people of different bodies, to have children and create a human family. Other relationships are condemned in Scripture.

Two people of the same sex cannot produce children, and so extend the human race. God knew what He was doing, giving them different personalities and bodies, with different genes and chromosomes, which cannot be medically changed, to fulfil His purpose for the world.

Since the creation of the world, thousands of years past, marriage has taken place in every country in the world, being recognized as a stabling factor in society, In the last twenty years, it has been attacked by secular activists, liberal politicians seeking votes, and shamefully by bishops and other Church leaders, who have actually called for the Bible teaching to be abandoned. We have reached a stage where marriage has no significance in public life, and now can even be ended without stated reason.

This has caused much distress and poverty, principally to women, and social study has established that children’s lives greatly affected. How ironic that Western nations where there are more material benefits, there is less marriage success than poorer Eastern nations where marriage is more honored.

What any two people decide they wish to do, is a matter for themselves to pursue without interference; God is capable of forming His judgement and any action He sees necessary. For the Church to formally give approval is to violate God’s teaching and our Lord’s commands.

For Jesus a home was special, no family abuse such as we see in so many homes.  A great loss in our time, is that Jesus has no place in the majority of homes in this country. The bedrock of our society was once a family home of a man and woman in a happy marriage, raising children with a Christian faith. Now, such a situation is mocked as old fashioned, but we never had so many teenage pregnancies, child abuse, and a divorce rate of more than 1 in 3 marriages. So many children do not know love, security and fellowship of a loving home. A lot of children don’t even know who their father is, and have brothers and sisters of different parents.

Jesus showed his glorious powers, and bestowed his blessing on marriage at a village girl’s wedding, and his Apostles accepted him as God’s Son.

This wedding took place probably in a village hall, no need for fancy mansions and plush hotels with large number of guests; Jesus is ready to take part in the ordinary things of our lives. 

Today the Church is almost performing a miracle in reverse, turning wine into water by diluting marriage into something having no greater significance than any other relationship.

Don’t be discouraged. When we let God and Jesus into our lives, all ordinary activities receive new power, so don’t close the door of your life on the Lord, for if you do you reveal your lack of faith and trust. Give God a chance to do want you cannot do.

Jesus said I have come that you may have life in all abundance; be prepared to accept and believe him.

One day a great marriage feast will be held, at which Jesus will be the bridegroom and his believers will be the bride.

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It is the first miracle our Lord Jesus performed, and reveals the importance which the  Lord places on the honorable act of marriage.  This is the state ordained by God, and is a lesson for all the leaders of Churches, should especially take note. Marriage should never be treated with levity nor be disrespected or altered, thereby abusing God, for this is here signifying the mystical union between Christ and HIS Church. Society is never in a healthy state, nor is true religion when marriage is not properly esteemed. To blatantly change and ignore Christ in order to please society, is offending the mind of Christ, and should never be taken inadvisably, but reverently in the fear of God.    

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Prayer.

Thank you Father for letting us share in this special wedding in Galilee.

We thank you for creating that relationship between a man and a woman, which transcends all other human relationships. We pray for those young couples who will be starting a new life together that may share the joy and happiness which you alone can give.

 

We pray that God’s Holy Name be Praised and may God be Glorified.

 

 

Be at Church on Sunday; making sure it is a Bible believing Church.

 Luke 2, v.22/40

The story in this passage begins just after the shepherds who had visited the baby Jesus left. It is essentially a Jewish story telling of three ancient Jewish ceremonies, and this relates to emphasise the close relationship we have  with Israel in the Judeo-Christian tradition.
The mother and father are Jews, so the baby is Jewish. We worship the same God, the God Israel, we have a holy book written by Jews, and worship a Jewish Savior.

Like every Jewish boy, Jesus was circumcised on his eighth day after a Jewish tradition carried out over thousands of years. This was a sign of a covenant God made with Abraham,+ that every male child must have that operation or be rejected as a Jew, and in return God promised to care for Israel. If Jesus had not had that ceremony he would not have been accepted.

God commanded that the child would be called Jesus, which means Savior, and he would be the One to deliver the world from sin and evil. The fact that he went through the ceremony when he was the Son of God, should encourage us to make sacrifices and readily perform tasks in the service of God.

Jesus being the first-born son, made him sacred to God as every first son was as such. According to Jewish tradition, the parents could buy back their son for five shekels, which had to be paid to the priest within 31 days after birth. This ritual was to remind the Jews of the night when the Israelites were in Egypt, and all the Egyptian first sons were slain, and the Jewish children were spared. It also helps us all to remember God has the right to the first things in our lives.

There followed another ritual, which meant Mary and Joseph going to Jerusalem to fulfil a duty, the rite of purification and the offering of a sacrifice. Until this was done, Mary could not worship in a Synagogue.
When a woman bore a child, she had to wait a period of 40 days if the child was a boy, and 80 days if a girl, before being allowed to join in worship. When she returned, she was obliged to take to the Temple a lamb, or a pair of turtles. If a woman was poor, two pigeons were allowed. The fact that Mary took the poorer offer, suggests the home in which Jesus was brought up in was not a luxurious one. This dispels the belief that religion was not for poor people.

On arrival at the Temple they did not try to buy Jesus back, they just said they gave Jesus to God, who had chosen an ordinary Jewish village girl to be the mother of his Son.

For a period of 450 years in Jewish history, God did not speak to his people. God had promised the prophet Malachi, that he would come into the world by a Messiah, who would bring salvation and judgment, and would be preceded by a messenger who would prepare the way for him. For all those years, people of God waited for the promised Messiah who would destroy God’s enemies, and fulfil their dream and belief of a rightful place in the world as supreme, and this would be seen as a king who would be like David to obtain world supremacy.
We move on to meet two older people. The first is a man named Simeon, who is described as a devout man with the Holy Spirit upon him, but otherwise we know nothing about him. He didn’t have the same kind of guidance as others had, but he had the Holy Spirit in his hear, indicating the powerful anointing and manifest presence of the Holy Spirit. All who have Jesus in their hearts, Jews or Gentiles, will receive the same kind of guidance, which will guide them to Jesus Christ.

Simeon was in the Temple when Mary and Joseph took Jesus there, and he took the child in his arms, and said the words which have been used in every Anglican Church Evening service since its inception, known as the Nunc- Dimmitt us.

Simeon believed things had to be left in the hands of God, who had given him assurance that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah, God’s appointed one. There was therefore excitement in Simeon’s voice when he heard that he would actually see this great coming. He knew that whilst others had waited years, wondering when how and when, he knew then that the promise had come true.

When he saw Jesus, he knew the time had come and was ready to die in peace, and foresaw Jesus to be the light of the world. He prayed from his heart when he saw the little boy. This is faith, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen by the great names of old like Abraham, Moses, Elijah who all played a part in this story but never lived to see.

The kingdom brought by this baby is not just for Israel, but for the whole world. God was unveiling a plan of salvation for the world without distinction. This will be the true glory of Israel, the nation in and from whom came the Savior and ruler of the world.

Now Simeon is ready to die, and his face changes from gladness to sadness. He tells the parents that Jesus would cause division, as some would accept him but others would reject him, and it has been so and still is.

Whenever Jesus is mentioned people either rise or fall, but many stay the same. Simeone knew a sword would pierce Mary’s heart, for there was a shadow of the Cross, and 33 years later Mary would see her son die on that Cross in a cruel and horrifying death.

We see in Simeon a devoted believer. He gave the world wide Church a song, which has been sung at every Evensong service of the Anglican Church, which shows believers can be delivered from the fear of death. Only strong faith can avoid fear. Which is a gift from God.

We see in this good man, speaking of the baby Jesus as the salvation promised by God.

In an age of early deaths, there came a woman on the scene, a woman of 84, who had been married for only 7 years; her name was Anna, which means grace. She spent much of her time in the Temple worshipping and praying night and day, and when she saw the holy family, at that very moment she gave thanks to God who reveals His secret purposes in history to humble servants who continually live in His presence.  Anna spoke to all about he child, who many were looking forward to be the redemption of Jerusalem.

The world was in darkness, but Jesus would be a light for the world. He would be the One to make many people in Israel to rise again. He and His people, were to be a city on a hill shining on the world.  But Jesus would also be a stumbling block for the self-righteous Jews.

Luke shows us there is a plan for everyone in God’s Kingdom, older people able to wait on the Lord; a young woman having a baby to dedicate to God; a husband going to Church with his wife, (that not seen often) all having a role to play. How wonderful it is when men put aside their macho image and go with their wives to Church.

All Christians should be comforted by the fact God never leaves the world without a witness. Where there is a hard core of believers, God will be with them to support them who are faithful, and grace can flourish even when men and women in the Church, who have been given the privilege of serving God in His Church, become betrayers and traitors to the One they vowed to serve. We witness them instituting, endorsing and accepting false doctrine and trying to force it on those in their charge.

The words of Simeon in which he saw the light of Jesus, will one day shine bright on our nation if those who love the Lord work and pray. Christ has spoken and had many darts aimed at him; he has been despised and rejected, but has proved to be the Savior of many who at one time forsook him.

Simeon and Anna were aged saints who kept the faith and run the course. Will we be able to say the same; can we say Lord dismiss our servant in peace for my eyes have seen your salvation? Is there any doubt, scepticism, or are you truly godly in believing and trusting?

The passage closes telling that Jesus grew and became strong, filled with wisdom the favor of God.  He experienced physical and intellectual growth as any child would, but He also experienced the favor, of God in an unusual  and increasing way.

 

 

Let us thank God for giving us Jesus, And may God be glorified

 

 

 MATTHEW 3  v 13-17

   

 Then Jesus went from Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. ¹⁴ But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”

¹⁵ But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.^[f]” So John agreed to baptize him.

¹⁶ After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened^[g] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my

 dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.”

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These verses are the Gospel reading for Sunday, and tell the story of the Baptism of Jesus. John the Baptist did not want to baptize Jesus for he considered it was not necessary.

He began to prepare the baptism,  but we do not know the exact location, other than in the Jordan river.  Various places have been suggested, but without conclusion.  The baptism was to be made as prophesied in the Old Testament,  witch  authenticates the human side of Jesus, and the Holy Spirit anoints Jesus as King of Israel A voice from heaven was said to be heard  saying the voice of one crying in the wilderness,  prepare the way of the Lord.

John was dressed only in a coat made of camel hairs. When a group of Sadducees  and Pharisees came to see the baptism on the banks of the river. John rebuked them  Jesus, guided by the Holy Spirit with John still feeling it was wrong for him to baptize Jesus, but Jesus insisted and was baptized with a voice from heaven stating ‘this is my beloved son

We have the account of our Lord Jesus’s  baptism, the first step in His Ministry. When the Jewish leaders took their first step in their ministry, they were washed with water.   The verses spell out that the sacrament of baptism should be performed with care; it is an ordinance which Jesus Himself performed.

There are few subjects in Christianity in which are treated casually as baptism.  Looking at that, we    need such caution, we find young mothers anxious to have their babies quickly baptized, as relatives  frighten her that the child will die if not baptized.  Water has no charm or danger.

We dishonor what it is, when baptism is not understood, and clergy so often just arrange a date and time for a baptism.  It should be told every time a baptism is requested, to point out that it is a sacred act admitting a child or person into the Christian Church and faith. When Jesus Himself  treated it so sacred, He expected that such should always be treated in the manner of Himself. We have people who never appear in or near a Church, making promises which it is known they will not honor.   A sacrament ordained by Jesus should never be treated in the way it is.  We should never take any action which can dishonor the sacrament of baptism

The admission of every member of the Church, young or old, is an event which should encourage the people involved to have a positive interest in the Christian faith.  The more we commend that baptism and grace are inseparable, the more we should pray for those baptized.  The baptism of Jesus was attended in an unusual solemnity , and reverence should prevail at every baptism, rather than the hilarity we so often see.

The baptism of Jesus involved the God head Trinity; God the Son in the flesh; God the Holy Spirit flying down like a dove; God the Father spoke from heaven  Surely we can should see the need for reverence, given the whole Trinity to been present at the baptism of the Lord.

For all Who have committed their souls to the Lord Jesus Christ, may you find peace,  comfort and  rejoice that in this sinful world, yet in God’s sight you are counted as righteous,  God will regard you as members of His beloved Son, who for His sake is well pleased.

 

Give thanks to God for His Holy Gospel, and praise The Lord Jesus our Savior