For Sinners only!

We live in a world of bad news! Recent weeks have seen a succession of severe storms coming across the Atlantic Ocean. The Covid-19 "Coronavirus" is now said to be active in about fifty countries worldwide. There are renewed attacks by Muslim militants (aka terrorists) in a number of African countries. The Stock Markets have experienced an unusual drop in their indices. It's just one thing after another!

However, there is one piece of Good News that we must never forget! Praise God, that He has never withdrawn His offer of forgiveness of sin! This is, surely, Good News for sinners such as you and me. Sadly, however, there are those who simply don't recognise that they re sinners in need of salvation. Rather, they make excuses for themselves such as:

• My good deeds outweigh my bad ones;
• I'm not as bad as other people;
• Most of the time, I'm a very good person.

Their personal "shortcomings", they feel, don't jeopardise their standing before Almighty God (assuming that they believe that they are answerable to Him in the first instance!).

What a fallacy! Imagine if you will, being charged, and tried, for the crime of theft. You set forward your defense: "Don't forget, Your Honour, that my good deeds outweigh my bad ones. I'm not as bad as a murderer or a rapist. Indeed, there are many other people who are much worse than I!" No judge is going to acquit you on such grounds. The offender must be judged according to the offence, not according to other good deeds, or the deeds of other people! If justice is to be done, then the offender must pay the penalty for his crime.

Or must he?! In one of my books (ALL Royalties go directly to Release International, to support the persecuted church), I recount the following:

"When the well-known American evangelist, Billy Graham, was driving through a small southern town, he was stopped by a policeman and charged with speeding. Dr.Graham admitted his guilt, but was told by the officer that he would have to appear in court. The judge asked, "Guilty, or not guilty?" When the preacher pleaded guilty, the judge replied, "That’ll be ten dollars – a dollar for every mile you went over the limit."

Then, suddenly the judge recognized the famous evangelist. "You have violated the law," he said. "The fine must be paid – but I am going to pay it for you." He took a ten-dollar bill from his own wallet, attached it to the ticket, and then took Graham out and bought him a steak dinner! "That," said Billy Graham, when he recounted the story, "is how God treats repentant sinners!" And that is grace." (Great Words of the Faith, chap.8).

That story also describes what Almighty God, in the Persona (not a typo - see the chapter on The Trinity, in the same book!) of the Son, did for sinners! And we are all sinners! "... for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." (Rom.23:23).

Has false reasoning kept you away from the One Who died, and rose again; the One Who opened the way into the presence of the Father; the One Who "paid the ticket" for your sins, and for mine?

If so, He is waiting for you, now, to confess your sins, admit your need, and put your trust in Him. May you do so - for your own eternal good, and for His glory.

Four Gospel records.

It was quite recently that I saw the question: "Why are there four Gospels?" My first response to that question is that there are not "four Gospels", but four accounts of the one Gospel - the Good News about Jesus, the Christ. However, the question is still a valid one: "Why are there four Gospel records?"

The simplest answer comes from the world of policing, where officers will endeavour to obtain as many witnesses as possible to any crime, or incident. Doing so ensures that they have as complete a picture as possible of what happened. Each witness will provide evidence that comes from a slightly different perspective than that of other witnesses.

Chronologically, Mark was the first to write the Gospel record, followed by Matthew, and then Luke. In these three records, known as the Synoptics, the emphasis is on the human nature of the Lord Jesus; in John, the last to be written, the emphasis is on His deity. However, we then discover that each was written for a different "audience"! Matthew wrote especially for Jews; Mark for Romans; Luke for Greeks; and John for disciples of Jesus. All four wrote for the whole world.

In Mark, the Lord Jesus is depicted as the Servant of God; in John as the Son of God (God the Son). In Matthew, He is portrayed as the Ruler of men; in Luke, as unique among men. Matthew and Mark provide the record of His official glories; Luke and John show His personal glories, as Son of Man and Son of God. The 19th century French philospher, historian, and writer, Ernest Rénan, described Matthew's account of the Gospel as "the most important boook ever written", and Luke's account as "the most beautiful book ever written." (although I would certainly not subscribe to many of Rénan's other views!)

Marks record may well be described as "the most concise book ever written"; while John's record surely deserves the description of "the most heavenly book ever written."!

I came across this, anonymous, poetic piece in one of my reference books:

"Matthew - Messiah, Israel's King, sets forth, by Israel slain;

but God decreed that Israel's loss should be the Gentiles' gain.

Mark tells us how, in patient love, this earth has once been trod

by one Who, in a Servant's form, wasyet the Son of God.

Luke, the  physician, writes of a more skilled Physician still, 

Who gave Himself, as Son of Man, to save us from all ill.

John, the beloved of Jesus, sees in Him the Father's Son,

the everlasting Word, made flesh, yet with the Father One."

Why are there four Gospel records? So that the fullest possible picture might be provided of the One Who came that you and I might have - if we choose to accept it - eternal life. Not "pie in the sky when you die", but the very life of the Creator of all that is, in you, here and now!

So the really important question is: "With all of that information, have you accepted His wonderful gift of salvation from sin, and a life so new that it is described as being "born again"? 

And, if not, why not?!

The best-laid plans ...!

The heading is, of course, from the poem by Rabbie Burns - To a Mouse, (1786). It tells of how he, while ploughing a field, upturned a mouse's nest. The resulting poem is an apology to the mouse, and the heading continues: "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men gang aft a-gley, [often go awry].  An' lea'e us nought but grief an' pain, for promised joy."

Those are words that have been much on my mind in recent days.  As I type (and, as an aside, I downloaded a 'secure' programme, a couple of evenings ago, in order to be able to open up a file sent by a fellow clergyman - and ended up with a totally unresponsive laptop.  I have spent a lot of the time since in refreshing the machine; downloading software available on the internet; and wishing that I had access to the software discs that are in the flat in Wishaw, while I am in the static in S.W.France!) we (my wife and I) are going through a difficult time with regards to the Lord's guidance.  Indeed, this has been the case for some months. 

The original 'plan' (ours!) was that the house in Motherwell would be sold by June 2014.  In a difficult housing market, this was to be the ultimate sign that we were in the Lord's will regarding our move to France.  That plan went well "a-gley"!  As many are aware, the house didn't sell until November - and we didn't have access to the funds until the latter half of January!   Of course, that was another part of the 'plan' that went "a-gley".  We received some £30k less than we had expected - and £45k less than the valuation!   The knock-on effect is, of course, a reduced number of euros available for a purchase here - even with the improved exchange rate!   That, in turn, means that we are experiencing some difficulty finding a suitable property in the greater Bergerac area, at a price that we can currently afford.  Indeed, we are already looking further afield, while still keeping an eye out for possibilities within that greater Bergerac area.

It's all to do with guidance.  I have been known, often, to say that what I want is a postcard delivered to me each morning.  That postcard would be postmarked "Heaven"; signed "Father God"; and would have a list of 'bullet-points' providing me with my 'guidance' for the day!   Regretfully, in His own wisdom and economy, Father God doesn't work like that!

So, how does He work?  I would suggest that He does so in a number of different, but complementary, ways.  What I wish to do must be in accordance with His written Word - the Bible.  In other words, I cannot say that I believe that the Lord is guiding me to rob a bank.  This is the same Lord Who, as we noted a few posts back, prohibits the taking of that which is not my own.  Secondly, it must be in line with the gifting with which He has provided me.  By that I mean that there it would be stupid of me to arrive at the A&E Department of a large hospital and inform them that the Lord had guided me to assist with emergency admissions!   Mind you, even if qualified, I would hope that proper checks would be made before I was allowed near to a patient!  Thirdly, I should take into account the counsel of trusted Christian friends, who know me, and who will pray the situation through with me.  Finally, I must take account of my personal circumstances.  By that, I mean that I would be foolish to think that the Lord was calling me to Japan.  My fluency in the French language may still leave a lot to be desired - but even basic knowledge of Japanese is totally foreign to me (no pun intended!).

Where does this leave us?   Well, we know that Father Good has a plan for our lives - individually, and as a couple.  We know that He is Sovereign over all that He has created.  Therefore we may trust Him to take us to where He wants us to be; in order that we may do what He wants us to do; at the time that He wants us to do it!   We are assured of His love, and His care.  Therefore, "we do not lose heart" (I Cor.4:1).

Perhaps you are going through a similar situation, in which all of your carefully-laid plans appear to be unravelling!  May I commend to you the same Father God?  Place your trust in Him to guide you through this present circumstance, and throughout your whole life.  That starts with the admission that you are, in His sight, a sinner; that there is nothing that, alone, you can do about that; that you deserve nothing but His wrath and punishment.  That, one might say, is the 'bad news'!  The Good News is that He has already, in the Persona (remember, that is not a typo!) of the Son, paid the penalty.  That means that His perfect justice is satisfied, by an act of His perfect love.  It means that you, and I, may accept that wonderful sacrifice, and we may go free!   Oh, and because that is God's plan, it never goes "a-gley"!

Back again!

Well, it's been a while.  I have discovered that PCs are like cars - great while they are working!  Sadly, just before my last trip to France, I lost my wi-fi connection and, as my ethernet cables are all safely packed away (!), I was depending on borrowed cables, and my wife's laptop.  On my return, I took it to PC World (under an extended warranty) but, when I got it back, I discovered that they had replaced the Hard Drive.  No problem re data - all backed up.  However, it has taken me forever (almost!) to reinstall software - and to re-upgrade to Win.8.1!

Okay, that's my reason (excuse) for not having posted for so long - but I'm back on track as of now!

Of course, my difficulty, now, is in deciding a topic on which to post!  So much has been in the news since my last offering.  The ongoing advance of the so-called "Islamic State" in Iraq; the move of another Conservative MP to the UK Independence Party; the revelation that police failed to check valuable CCTV evidence in their investigation into the disappearance of teenager, Alice Gross.

So I am simply going to comment on something that I certainly haven't noticed in the national newspapers - or any other news medium, for that matter!

In the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus, we find these amazing words: "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and for ever." (13:8).  In a world that seems to be forever in a state of flux, those are words that must surely appeal to our innate desire for constancy.  The fancy, theological, word is 'immutability', and what it assures us is that the Lord Jesus is unchangeable.  He is One on Whom we may depend, regardless of our situation, or our circumstances.  He is not one thing today; and something totally different tomorrow.  He is not fickle, or vacillating, abandoning, today, the plan that He made yesterday.

That, then, means that the salvation that He offers to all who place their trust in Him - confessing their sinfulness and sins, and claiming His blood and righteousness as the already-paid penalty - is not just for a time, but is for all of eternity!  (To learn more about eternity, may I recommend my book, "Great Words of the Faith" - see the top of the page).

So much of the news that we read in the newspapers, or see and hear on TV and radio, is bad news.  But the Gospel of Jesus Christ is Good News - indeed, it is the best news that any mortal can hear!  It is the news of sin forgiven, and a new life that is possible in, and through, that same Lord Jesus.

If you want to know more, please check out the "Do you need God?" link on the right-hand-side of the page, near the bottom.  Then go to the link above it (New Christian UK).  Alternatively, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top.  I will be delighted to offer what help I can. :-)

Time, and Eternity (3)

This is the third, and final, part of the last point in a message on Biblical Veils that I brought to the Café Church, Bergerac, France (http://www.christiansindordogne.com/cafechurch.html) in April of this year.   It should, therefore, be read in conjunction with the two previous posts. 

Sa'id Musa, a Christian employee of the Red Cross in Afghanistan, was arrested in late May, 2010 after footage of Afghan Christians being baptised was shown on national television.  Musa, a father of six, and an amputee with a prosthetic leg, was beaten, forcefully deprived of sleep, and sexually abused.  Thankfully, he was released in Feb., 2011 and granted asylum in a European country.

But on Dec 11^th 2010 he wrote, from his prison cell, that he rejoices in the Lord amidst his suffering.  “I saw a vision, during my sleep one night, of the heaven opened, and a Person – His clothes like snow, His face in dazzling light – came to me, and put His hand on my shoulder, and said to me ‘Please be happy.  I am always with you in this jail.  I chose you, and you should announce my Good News to the people of Afghanistan and all over the world.’  At that moment, I was shaking and trembling with fear.  I fell down and could not stand.  He took my hands, and I woke up.”

So what had this dear brother experienced?  Was it all just the result of indigestion?  Was he beginning to lose his mind?  Or did that veil – that fine, fine, curtain that separates time from eternity – did it part slightly to give him that glimpse of the exalted Saviour, strengthening him in his suffering, his torment, his anguish?   I know what I believe!

It’s a veil through which each of us must ultimately pass.   The only question concerns what we find on the other side.  For it's only for those who, having recognised their sinfulness, have come to the Saviour in repentance and faith, and accepted the salvation that He won on the cross of Calvary, that the veil leads to the heavenly places.  For all others, it leads to a lost eternity, without hope, because it is without Jesus.

May each one of us hear what God would say to us, as individuals, that others may see something of His nature in us; that we may see more of His glory in the face of the Lord Jesus; that we may spend much time within the veil, in His presence, seeking His will, receiving His blessing, that we might fulfil His purpose; that when our time comes, we might take that final step, through the veil, into His nearer Presence, to hear those wonderful words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.  Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Hi-tech!

Whilst seeking to "pray at all times, in the Spirit" (Eph.6:18) as the House of Lords debate the Marriage (same-sex couples) Bill, I have been attending to that rare chore - tidying up my study!  As usual in doing so, I have come across items about which I had forgotten.

Among them are a number of OHTs (that's OverHead Transparencies, for those of more tender years!).  It doesn't seem so very long ago that they were considered to be quite "hi-tech".  Whether in classroom, or in church building, they were the overwhelming evidence that one was 'moving with the times'!  The problem, of course, is that the times move increasingly quickly!  As I looked at those old transparencies - most of them hand-written; some with drawings (often line drawings from the Good News version of the Bible!); a few of them in colour - I realised how primitive they would look beside a modern PowerPoint presentation, in full technicolour; with words appearing in any of a multitude of ways; with moving graphics.

It made me think about computer memory!  Our first, brand-new, desktop machine had a whopping 1 Gb of storage on the Hard Drive.  I was the envy of most of my colleagues, who were still working with 650 Mb (1 Gb = 1012 Mb!).  Nowadays, I have memory sticks that are less than 2" (5cm) long, but that hold 32Gb of data - and I could have twice that capacity on a memory stick of the same physical dimensions!

Change, change, and more change.  It seems, almost, to be the watchword of our contemporary world - at least in the so-called 'developed' world.  Mobile 'phones; cameras; audio and video equipment (I still have some reel tapes that were such an advance on vinyl records, not so very long ago!).  Sometimes, I wonder if technology doesn't move just a little too quickly.

In such a fast-changing world, it is good to have something (or Someone) to be a fixed point of reference - a rock in a fast-moving stream.  Well, it won't surprise any regular visitor to this blog that I am happy to point everyone to such a Constant.  The inspired writer of the Letter to Hebrew disciples of Jesus wrote that, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, and today, and for ever." (13:8).  He is the unchanging Refuge for all who call upon Him in faith, repenting of sin, and seeking, with His help, to follow Him faithfully throughout their lives.

It was Helen Shapiro (of course I've met her!), best-known to many for her 1963 hit song Walking back to Happiness who, as a Messianic Jew (a Jew who has accepted Yeshua/Jesus as Messiah), recorded a great song entitled I go to the Rock.  Have you gone to that same Rock - Jesus, the Christ?  In an ever-changing, and increasingly turbulent, world, He's the only One worth going to!

Finding the Way!

Well, I've finally joined the club!  After many years of total dependence, when travelling, on my "wife-nav" (i.e. my wife with a good old-fashioned road map on her lap), I have purchased a proper SatNav!  It was the experience of driving home last year, without aforementioned wife, from the eastern side of France, that finally convinced me that I should "take the plunge".  Having said that, we have already decided that we will have the old-fashioned back-up with us as well.  We've heard too many tales of people ending up in narrow country roads, unable to make a turn - not the sort of situation in which we want to find ourselves, in the middle of France, with twenty-seven feet of caravan hitched to the tow-bar!

So far, however, I am quite pleased with "Charmaine" (it's a female voice, and the make is Garmin, which rhymes with "charmin'", leading to the now designated name!!!).  We do, we have discovered, have to keep an eye on her.  She seems to be programmed to avoid motorways - and in the UK we use them a lot!  We are assuming that, when we download the manual, and read it through, we will be able to make the necessary changes!

The first thing that I am asked, when I have switched the power on is my destination. That seems, to me, to be an eminently sensible request.  A SatNav, or a map, is useless unless you first know where you are, and then, where you're going.  Okay, so the SatNav is a wee bit cleverer, and quickly informs me as to my current location!  

Life is often likened to a journey.  Sadly, it would appear, many people don't know where they are, or where they're going!  They're just drifting through life on the river of routine; wasting their lives on that which is, ultimately, worthless; existing, rather than enjoying a life that is positively full.  However, there is one thing that is certain, and that is  that we are, each o us, going to go somewhere in the end - even if we just casually canter along life's pathway.  It begs the questions: "Where are you going; and how will you get there?"

The message of the Christian Gospel (the Good News) is, of course, that Almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of all that is, has a plan for each one of us.  His desire is that every individual spend eternity (and that is not endless time, but timelessness!) in His presence in that dimension that we usually refer to as 'heaven'.  However, He loves us so much that He has given us the freedom to choose our own destiny - to be with Him, or to be without Him.  That's a choice that we must make in this life - it's too late to make it after that experience that we call physical death.

Wherever you are on life's journey, I would encourage you to consider Jesus (God the Son) and the life He offers you - life "... in all its fulness" (John 10:10; NEB).  If you come to Him, confessing your own sinfulness, He has promised that He will forgive you, and take loving control of your life - giving you a brand new start along life's road.

You will then be on a journey that has a purpose, and that will last for eternity.  Now that's Good News!