Matthew 13

Matthew 13 v24/44

I was told of a mural in a Church not far from my home in which is depicted a scene in which people are being driven to  hell. 

Shortly after hearing of this I had occasion to attend a clergy meeting at that Church.  The mural was pointed out to me and I said that I found it hard to distinguish what it meant, when a fellow clergyman said it had not received attention so had faded as we don’t tell people about going to hell now.  I replied, ‘I do’, and he looked at me completely astonished.  However I feel it should be me being astonished.

     When we who are being ordained into the Church of England appear before our Bishop at the Ordination service the Bishops asks, ‘are you persuaded that the holy Scriptures contain sufficiently all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ? And are you determined out of the said Scriptures to instruct the people committed to your charge and to teach nothing but that which you shall be persuaded may be proved and concluded by the Scriptures?’ We are then asked to affirm our acceptance .There is also the requirement to banish doctrines contrary to God’s Word.   So why do some not conform to Scripture and their affirmation?’

Hell is referred to 48 times in the Bible to my knowledge, and was frequently taught by our Lord Himself. 

The passage in Matthew 13 is a parable about a farmer who sows good seed in the ground but someone sows bad seed when he is not looking.  The bad seed is so like the good it is only discernible when fully grown.  At harvest the reapers sought the good from the bad and burn the bad.

This is not a farming discourse our Lord is giving but a warning of separation and judgement.  The good seed represents those who have chosen to accept and follow Christ, the bad seed that of the evil one (devil, Satan, or call him whatever you will).  Sometime a person may appear to be a good Christian when in fact he/she is not, but on the day of judgement will be sought out and separated. Conversely, a person not thought much of may be a very sincere and good person. We learn therefore not to exercise judgement.

This parable gives many preachers problems as they are unable to face the reality taught in the Bible.  One Vicar said it brought out the worst in some preachers and irreverently referred to those of us who accept our Lord’s strict teaching as ‘tub thumpers’.  This only goes to show there is no one as illiberal as a liberal.

Some people think that Jesus was just trying to frighten us, which raises the question is there something to be frightened of? 

One often finds speed warning signs along a stretch of road telling of speed camera being in operation, which infers there is a penalty for exceeding the limit.  Sometimes this is accompanied by signs telling of the numbers of people killed. Yes they are trying to frighten us, but also reminding us how close to death we can be, and any sensible person will heed the warnings. 

Jesus is here warning us of the consequences of what we face if we reject Him, at the same time showing His love and concern for us. 

Jesus always made it plain that this life is a preparation for eternity, and we face a choice now.  He taught there were two roads in life, a broad one on which there will be many people, and probably causing congestion, and which leads to destruction, and a narrow one where there will be far less travelling on, leading to eternal life.  In other words, two destinies, heaven or hell.  To suggest this to many people, including clergy, is an anathema and fewer preachers are now willing to proclaim it so. 

There are various view held on what finally happens to us when we die. Some believe that is all there is to life everything is finished; others believe everyone goes to heaven for a loving God would never send anyone to hell; ands that is true, the point is many choose to go by their manner of living. 

There is only one authoritative source, the Bible, all else is pure speculation.  There we find Jesus telling, as He does in this parable, of a literal hell.  In fact whenever He spoke of heaven He spoke of the alternative (hell)   Read the story of Lazarus in Luke 16; or. the parable of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25.

 Heaven must exist so that those who have served the Lord may have their eternal reward for the sufferings they have endured and to fulfil the promise God has made.  Hell must exist for those who have rejected the warnings and lived unworthy and evil lives.  It has been said for the unbeliever this life is the only heaven they will, know and for the believer this is the only hell they will know.  It has also been said the road to hell I s paved with good intentions whilst the road to heaven is paved with the blood of Christ  We each

Charles Wesley

Earlier this year I conducted a service in remembrance of Charles Wesley, in which we sang thirteen of his favourite hymns, including prayers and a bible reading.  It was a most satisfying and interesting experience.

     Most people consider John Wesley to be the founder of the Methodist Church whereas in fact it was Charles.  He was the founder of the Holy Club in Oxford from which the term Methodists was created.  John later joined and indeed proved a great influence, and together with his brother brought many people to faith, he by his preaching and Charles through the lovely words and the theology of his hymns.

     Charles himself was a talented preacher and two of the themes he preached strongly on were salvation through Christ alone, and the doctrine of heaven and hell. These will actually be my next writings.

     I fear if Charles is aware of the some of the beliefs and preaching in the Church generally today, he will be very disturbed.

     As I was first a Methodist preacher who changed to become an Anglican priest, Charles was an Anglican priest who changed to become a Methodist.  However he never wished to separate from the Church of England and on his deathbed sent for the local Vicar and asked to be buried in the local Anglican Church graveyard, saying, ‘Sir whatever the world may say of me, I lived and died a member of the Church of England. Please bury me in your Churchyard’.

     Some of his hymns portray a distinct High Church doctrine, and he differed from John in that he saw the importance of an ordained ministry.  In fact, he expressed strong views on the use of lay preachers, which makes one wonder how he would have dealt with the situation today where there are almost as many lay preachers as ordained.    

     Charles was one who wrote as he thought and he saw the importance of conversion and a personal relationship to Jesus Christ.   He became vividly convinced of the message of salvation, and saw clearer than ever before how faith in Jesus Christ could change a person’s life.  This was the message he would take to as many people as he could, particularly to the poorer classes.  He preached that the value of a person’s life was to be measured by their faith.

The home

    THE HOME

Perhaps the greatest tragedy for the welfare and good of this nation is the fact that marriage has been downgraded and the need for a stable family virtually ridiculed.  The well established principle of a family being a man (father) and woman (mother) being joined in holy matrimony and bring up children together has been cavalierly dismissed as old-fashioned.  We see so clearly the consequences.

     We constantly read and hear reports of young people

between the ages of 7 and teenage years terrifying whole neighbourhoods.  They abuse, assault, vandalise and rob at will, and if anyone should remonstrate with them that person runs the risk of stabbing or serious injury. On several occasions men with families have been killed whilst defending their property.  Whole gangs roam the streets seeking confrontation with other gangs and their members, which have cost the lives of substantial number of young men, sometimes innocent victims. 

     On so many occasions, broken homes have been a cause of such behaviour, with a mother unable to control or showing an utterly irresponsible line.  One 12 years old boy terrified an estate and his mother said he was ‘her little Satan, but wasn’t really evil’. An unwitting contradiction in terms, but added he just needs understanding.  He certainly needs something, but more severe than understanding. Yet again an absent father.

      In the Old Testament, Joshua a great leader of the Jewish people, addressed the nation and said, ‘as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord’

     ‘A nation is only as strong as its homes’, said Abraham Lincoln, and today our homes are reflecting the state of the our nation, which is in the deteriorating state of moral and social decay, which should make us fear for the future of our children and grandchildren.

       The first home was instituted by God before Church, schools, or government. God made man, and then woman to be his wife, to live together and have children. It was meant to be where father, mother and children lived as a family. It was a place where children first heard about God as parents told them about Jesus

     The home now doesn’t mean as much today as it used to do, and to so many people the idea of two people being married as the ideal is old fashioned and rather stupid.  .  Marriage was built on the foundations of the Bible.  It has been said that in 100 years from now, marriage will have ceased to exist, and if some poitcians had their way it would be in a lot less time.

     There are indeed powerful forces within the government and liberal establishment who are determined to destroy the traditional and biblical image of the home, marriage, and family.  One senior politician is waging a one woman war against it, and is quoted as having said categorically that there is no such thing as the ideal family.  The same silly woman who campaigns vigorously for equality, stating that there should be a woman wherever a man has a place.     Is it not ironic that the same woman who stated two men cannot be trusted to run anything and need a woman, yet she considers two men are capable of bringing up children through adoption.

     God has laid down clearly what He expects, and we ignore to our peril. Homes are the foundation and bedrock of society, and they are being destroyed.  If evil forces win the battle for the home there is nothing left worth fighting for.  We have to restore the home as the basic unit of society.

     An indication of how our judiciary thinks and views the Christian faith was displayed in the High Court when it was said, ‘marriage is not generally regarded as a sacrament and divorce is a statistical commonplace’.

      The Bible teaches that marriage is holy and sacred in the sight of God. I'm afraid that some enter into it like it's all a big joke. Others go into marriage for luck and they break up and there's trouble and there's disappointment.  That is wrong. Marriage should be preceded by the most careful thought.

      One of the nations’ favourite television programmes has been featuring two people, who are neighbours, conniving at having an affair as a major story line  People are so captivated by television stories they think they have to emulate them in real life.  I dread seeing weddings or funerals on television as I know some of the ridiculous actions will be asked for in the following weeks.

      You can’t have a relationship with God and be in an adulterous relationship. In the Old Testament it was considered so serious it was a capital offence punishable by death.  God wanted to show the world how serious was the marriage vow

     We have so much unhappiness and trouble in the home today because we've got away from God's laws, rules, and regulations governing marriage, When God performed the first marriage, He laid down the rules, and He said if you want to have a happy home, obey these rules. If you want to have trouble, disobey them.

     Having children means more than conceiving and bearing them. Raising children is a vitally responsible and important task.  It is more than being a novelty for some celebrity or as a passport to the top of the housing list for a young woman.  A whole future life is in the hands of parents, yet we hear of multiple children of a woman from multiple fathers who have no interest in the poor children.

     It is reckoned that in the majority of homes no biblical knowledge or teaching is being given to children, probably as much due to the fact the parents have none.

     Each generation claims things are worse than in their time, but I can never recall a time when children were allowed to terrorise whole neighbourhoods and cause such fear vandalising, abusing and stealing knowing they are virtually immune from any punishment.  They are fully aware of the law which protects them, and little help is offered in most cases by police.  It is hard to comprehend how the police allow such behaviour to develop, they certainly wouldn’t when it was known as ‘the Police Force’ rather than what is now little more than a social service.   Society must decide what sort of a future we want as far as children are concerned.

     The Bible says listen to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching.   We can learn so much from Jewish parenthood.  Father’s teaching to his children of the Ten Commandments, one for each of the ten fingers, and the history of the Jewish people from the Old Testament, and the mother controlling behaviour.  I have never known nor heard of a Jewish child being involved in violent disorder or crime.  When I have sought an answer, I have been told it is because of the Jewish Mama in the home.

     Mothers can indeed have a great effect on children.  I was often required to be away from the home for long hours, and it is a great tribute to my wife that two of my sons became ordained, and have proved to be very wonderful and successful Ministers.

     Far too many children are left to their own devices.  How can teenagers roam the streets drunk and threatening people, stabbing other teenagers, and forming life threatening other gangs, without the parents knowing of it?  So why don’t they do something about it.  Yet again, in the days of an interested and efficient Police Force, action would have been taken under the Children’s Act for failing to control their children.

      Some feminist thinkers have said that motherhood will have to go in a new social order and find a new way of raising children.  You may have seen women being asked on television what their occupation was, and sometimes you hear the reply, ‘just a housewife’   No apology is needed.  A housewife and mother is as great a calling as any in the world.  Like God they are a very present help in times of trouble.  My sons have all held their mother in the highest esteem and my son who died called Mum as his last word.

     Christian standards have gone from many homes. Everywhere people search for happiness from the wrong things and wrong places.  Many criminals have come from homes where there has been no peace, no discipline nor Christian values or teaching. The biggest cause of young criminals is due to marital breakdown and separation

     Children take up home values. When a father dodges working, a son will invariably copy.  God ordered us to work and there would be less poverty if more people were working.

     It is a matter of great regret that government is forcing councils, some of which don’t need that much encouragement, to foster and send for adoption children to two people of the same sex.  A child needs a father and a mother, both of whom are essential to a child’s moral and social development and welfare.  It is therefore irresponsible to make such enactment and reveals contempt for God’s decree.

     The Bible says we have to have discipline in the home. It is a sign of the times that discipline has become non existent in many homes, schools, and society in general and has become a word considered vulgar. Children have a natural bias to do wrong; you never have to teach a child to say no.

     If Britain is to defend its values successfully, it must rediscover the Christian faith in which those values are ultimately rooted.  Marriage and the home are firmly part of those roots. When the founding principles are eroded, and the morality and biblical fundamentals are taken away, there is no foundation for society, which is a dangerous thing and we are seeing some of the consequences developing

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Foundations

Many of us to-day grew up in a totally different culture.  We may not have had all the wonderful technological aids and comforts that now are available, but we benefited in other ways. We were taught about the Bible at home and went to Sunday school as youngsters, learning the stories about Jesus, which gave us standards and values, and a good foundation for life.  We had morning assemblies in all schools, now largely avoided in (state) schools. Children are now denied these foundations and are growing up without knowing the country’s religious faith and heritage. 

This may not have been widely followed up in life, but the basics had been laid and our lives were directed by Christian values. We didn’t have the highest abortion rate in Europe, or the highest number of teenage pregnancies, we were not known as the most violent and drunken nation either.

We had firm views on morality, honesty, integrity, and expected to live in a well-ordered society and peaceful.  These were the foundations on which lives were built and expected.

This brings me to turn to Psalm 11 which states, ‘if the foundations  be destroyed, what can the righteous do?’ 

     What then are the ‘foundations? ’   

The foundations that are spoken of are the foundations of justice and order that support a society and prevent it from crumbling, the social, moral, ethical, political and religious foundations.  Without much effort we can see those foundations are slowly falling apart

    

From a social point of view, If we consider the state of things in this country, I suggest one would really have to be living in a fools paradise not to recognize there is a general breakdown in society

    

If you should be brave, or foolhardy enough, to walk the towns and cities you will notice a complete breakdown of law and order.  Soft on crime, soft on the causes of crime is the order of the day, with the police either unable, or indeed unwilling, to act. Every kind of vice is open to view and revelled in, there doesn’t seem to be any sense of shame.

We have  witnessed the most horrendous behaviour on the nation’s streets; massive disorder highly organised, not confined to young hooligans, but including men and women of all ages and class; illegal occupations of land; and political protests with the intention of the organisers to bring the government down, all of which reveals the sort of society we have become. 

Morally, the moral boundaries have been swept away to such an extent that there are now no absolutes, all is relative and you just do your own thing and make up your own standards.  This is being taught in our schools and universities, and in intellectual circles the Bible is seen as some form of hate literature.  People believe they can do without God. 

Marriage (which is defined as being between a man and a woman) and the family are the bedrock of society, yet according to government, is of no more worth than any other form of relationship, and a father is not considered necessary in the family. This edict is now enshrined in law. 

Now we have a Prime Minister who wants to make marriage to mean two people of the same sex and considers it a matter of urgent priority so as to make Britain the leader of the world in this matter.  Few people are calling for this as civil unions have met the needs of society.

Politically, our governments once exercised their role with Christian values in mind, but recent successive governments have shown little, if any, concern for Christian standards.  Two of our three main party leaders are confessed atheists, and the third claims to ‘have Christian principles’, yet shows no practical evidence.

Legislation has been introduced which offends and contradicts Christian teaching and belief.  In addition, we have restrictions placed on the expression of our beliefs, which can lead to penalties being imposed, something which does not happen in relation to other faiths    

We now see politicians rushing to condemn the moral condition of the nation, a condition which most of them legislated to create and encourage, and which they now realise is a moral monstrosity

In our politically correct society it seems the power of evil is so great that decent people are afraid, even in danger, if they voice criticism.  They are accused of bigotry and all kinds of phobia     Dark clouds are descending on our culture.  Our children and grandchildren are growing up in a world so very different from the previous generations.  We all know this to be true yet we feel powerless to stop the slide into the abyss.

 Christianity has been the faith of this country for over 1500 years which  has brought and kept this nation as one, Christianity is being wrecked and the ensuing collapse of Christian values has led to an unstable society in which family life is being destroyed, and a moral and spiritual vacuum has been created. Now Christianity is being phased out of public life by politically motivated people, ideologues in the government and civil service who betray the culture which nurtured them.  

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What then shall the righteous do? How should the Church respond?

The righteous can do their duty.  Because the foundations are crumbling and the social order is deteriorating, it does not mean we can stand by and just express regret.  We must do all we can to rebuild the foundations.  We can do what that little band of men did who met in the Upper Room 2000 years ago and turned the world upside down

The Bishop Nazir-Ali, who has been the one Christian leader prepared to speak out on these issues, stated, ‘if Britain is to defend its values successfully, it must rediscover the Christian faith in which those values are ultimately rooted.’    

We should be concerned about the way our faith is being undermined. It is not just any faith, but one which lies at the heart of our heritage.  If you reject Christianity you reject all our values and history. 

A great difficulty arises within the Church.  At present we have those who are theologically conservative trying to be faithful to Scripture, whilst those of liberal persuasion, want to rewrite those parts of Scripture which do not conform to modern morality and social custom.  It is fatuous and irrational to suppose biblical injunctions, which do not conform to modern attitudes, can be reinterpreted to suit to-day’s requirements. 

This can only cause confusion in people’s mind.     If Christians lose the shared beliefs that have held us together, we will begin to fall apart and disintegrate. 

Today, whilst the Church in the West may be losing followers, in stark contrast Churches in Africa, Asia, and South America, the Churches have memberships of thousands.  The reason these Churches are so strong is because of the strong biblical foundation, and they have not been tearing the Bible away as we have in the West.  They still believe it and boldly proclaim it.   

The Church is beginning to look more influenced by the world rather than the other way round.  The more we try to be relevant, the more irrelevant to our purpose we become.  We should not be blown away by every whim of public opinion, but let our anchor hold in the storms of life.

Let us stand for the old standards the way Christians once did not matter how difficult that might become and not go with the trend of the times

We need to be more positive, even aggressive, in giving people a clear vision of what it means to be a Christian and to have a Christian based society.   We now have to proclaim it boldly and challenge those who try to put us down.   There is a spiritual and moral vacuum, and if we do not fill it some other philosophy will which will be much inferior.

So, what for the future of the Church?  There is hope and confidence if all who believe in the Christian faith are loyal and support the Church and be shown to be doing so.  We must all  realize there is no hope if people are content to sit back and say ethereally, ‘God will provide’.   Christ did say ‘I will build my Church’, but He expects a little help from His friends.

The most important thing is to make sure our services are ell put together with tuneful hymns and simple messages which people can readily understand rather than abstract theology, showing how life can be improved and enjoyed through living the Christian way.

In addition, we must be welcoming when new people come and indeed to encourage our friends to join us.  All Christians and not just clergy have a duty to seek to enlarge God’s Kingdom.

In consideration that there is little positive teaching from national level, each individual Church has to try and be true to the gospel, as written in Scripture, and when it finds statements being made, which it finds unacceptable, to say so and dissociate itself from them.  

If the Churches and people of this great nation do not return to the Biblical foundations and the God who has cared for us, and if our government and judicial system do not stop legislating on anti-Christian principles, we will continue to see the foundations eroding.

Introduction with Acts 2

During the past 37 years of Christian ministry I have met many people and made friends from Churches in the Chester Diocese and numerous Churches around Bedford.

For 17 years I edited a Church magazine in which I reflected on local and national issues and included a Bible study.  After having preached at Churches, I have on occasions been asked for a copy of the sermon but been unable to give as they were mostly handwritten.  Now that the opportunity for preaching has largely ceased, I am taking advantage of modern technology and using this blog with the hope I can maintain some contact with those friends and perhaps make some new ones.

I watched a programme on the BBC News channel which talked about the ‘exodus from the Church’.  Comment was made that the Roman Catholic Church had lost half of its membership because of the priests’ scandals and was still falling and Churches right across Europe were losing thousands of people.  People were said to have little belief I God and there was no place in their lives for the Church.  In other words it was a typical piece of biased reporting which we can expect of the BBC.

It is true of course that many people have left the Roman Church but it could have pointed out many thousands still attend and there is no other man or woman on the planet who can attract such crowds as the Pope.

People are also falling away from the Churches and one can understand in many cases why this is so.  But let us be fair there are many Churches which are full of people.  Near my home a Church has had to include an extra service on Sundays because they could not accommodate the numbers attending. This inevitably suggests that in some Churches something is being done which is not in others.  I have to confess I have been to services and come away wondering why would anyone want to attend.

Turn with me to Acts Chapter 2 and verses 42/47

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 condition that might be described as rank ignorance.

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.

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,

  what He came to do,

    how to obey Him and

      about His second coming  to judge the world. 

In other words, 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. We share a relationship to God and to each other, based on a common spiritual life. 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, and when others need encouragement and support, we are to give it. 

     This is why we need to come, to

learn the Bible from readings and sermons

  Praying together for our needs and the world’s

     Praising God as we sing together

        Sharing the bread and wine in Holy Communion

as we remember what God has done for us in Jesus Christ. 

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. He did not merely establish individual Christian living, he established corporate faith.

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 and all should be proclaiming the same message.    

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 between man and woman) 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.

 In my next writing I will look further at the need for Christian response.