The only One.

The story is told of a particular officer in the army of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was completely devoted to the emperor. One day, the officer was mortally wounded in battle. As he lay, dying, he called for Napoleon and, to his credit, the emperor quickly came to where the man was lying. 

The officer thought that someone as great as the emperor, and one to whom he had been so devoted, could somehow save his life. However, all that the emperor could do was shake his head, and leave. The story describes the tragic scene. As the dying man felt the cold, merciless, hand of death drawing him irresistibly to his eternal destiny behind the curtain of the unseen world, he was still heard to cry out: "Save me Napoleon! Save me!" In the hour of his death, the officer discovered that not even Napoleon could rescue him.

The story - which I am unable to confirm, but about which I have no particular doubt - is an analogy of the spiritual. When we seek deliverance from spiritual death, we find that no human being has the power to save - no minister of the Gospel, however faithful; no pastor or priest; not even one of those who may be classed as the great prayer warriors. Only in, and through, Jesus is there salvation for sinful mankind.

Preaching that first great sermon of the Christian era, on the day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter spoke these words: "... there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12). Jesus, Himself, said: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me." (Jn.14:6; emphasis added).

Not even the officer's devotion to his emperor was enough - and our best works are, likewise, insufficient. Paul wrote: "... by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God — not because of works, lest any man should boast." (Eph.2:8; emphasis added).

Have you asked the Lord Jesus to save you? If not, do it now! He always answers those who come to Him, in repentance and faith*, and put their trust in Him. Call on Him. He is the only One Who saves.

*These are two of the words dealt with in my first book; "Great Words of the Faith". Details for ordering it, and the others, in paperback or Kindle e-book formats, at the top of the page. Remember, I receive no financial benefit from the sale of my books. All royalties are sent, directly, to the bank account of Release International, in support of the persecuted church.

Freedom!

This video last for about six minutes - but be patient: it's worth the wait!

Okay - what did you just watch? Did you see nothing but a bird thinking about flying; eventually setting off; and then landing again? If that is the case, then you missed so much!

You see, the experience of that Great Condor is a picture of human beings. I believe that the bird was born in captivity; reached maturity in captivity; and was in bondage until someone set it free. However, it didn't immediately fully appreciate its freedom. It stepped around; it spread its wings; it seemed to think about launching forth - but then decided against it. However, it did, eventually, take off - and discovered that it was born to be free! It then soared up into the sky until it decided to land away from the humans who were capturing its every move on cameras.

You and I are born in the captivity of sin. The psalmist-king, David, may not have gained a medical degree from some prestigious university, but he knew that "... in sin did my mother conceive me." (Ps. 51:5). In other words, he knew that, from the moment of conception, every human being is a sinner. 

Worse than that - just like the bird, there is nothing that we, ourselves, can do about our sorry situation. My sin creates a great gulf between me and Father God - and I can never bridge that gap. Praise God, then, that He has already done for each one of us, what we could not do for ourselves - He has paid the penalty for your sin and mine when, in the Persona (not a typo - see the chapter on 'The Trinity' in my book Great Words of the Faith) of the Son, He hung on a cross and actually became sin (see II Cor.5:21) for us! Sin, in all of its blackness, and foulness, and vileness. 

When I accept that I am a sinner, and can do nothing in my own strength about my sin; and when I accept that Jesus has done all for me; then I may respond, through faith, to that truly amazing grace. I am released from the bondage of sin; I am no longer in captivity. However, it does take time for me to even begin to fully realise the freedom that is now mine. I step around; I tentatively spread my spiritual wings; and then - I experience the real joy of knowing that I am no longer under condemnation, because I am "in Christ" (Rom.8:1) and, even greater wonder, I have the Saviour in me (Col.1:27)!

This all means that my eternal destiny is secure. Oh, I will slip, and fall; I will make mistakes; I will even be rebellious at times. Being in this mortal body means that I shall never be sinless in this life - but, by His continuing grace, I may sin less! Then, the day will come when "... the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel's call, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air ; and so we shall always be with the Lord." (I Thess 4:16-17).

In the 18th century, Augustus Montague Toplady wrote the well-know hymn "Rock of Ages". The last verse refers to that great event:

"While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyelids close in death,
When I soar through tracts unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee" (emphasis added)

The Gaither Vocal Band (the best-ever line-up!) also refer to that wonderful moment in the song below. May all who read this post be among to those who will, one day, "be learning to fly"!

Heaven and hell; and what we deserve!

I could still obtain them, but having read the provided synopsis, I don't think I want to do so!  

I'm referring to a couple of books that I was offered, online, earlier today.  

The first was:

Heaven and Hell, by Kenneth Zeigler, about which it is explained that "Chris and Serena Davis die in a crash — but while Chris enters Heaven, his wife is sentenced to Hell. Can Chris save his beloved?   A thought-provoking, intensely emotional Christian novel with over 200 five-star Amazon reviews!"

The second was:

Dancing with Jesus, by Linda Fitzpatrick, and the associated synopsis reads: "An enchanting work of biblical fiction: Abia is convinced that an accident has left her unfit to be loved. But one special person will renew her faith and show Abia just how deserving of happiness she is... "

Interesting titles; interesting subject matter.  The first book, with its "... over 200 five-star Amazon reviews!" would suggest that there is more interest in these concepts than would be expected by the constant barrage from secular humanists and atheists who insist that this life, itself the result of billions of years of random mutations and accidental meeting of sub-atomic particles, is less popular than they would have us believe, and would want to believe themselves!

However, both titles also display a lack of understanding of, at least, Christian theology as based on the written Word of God - the Bible.  Look at the first title and the little synopsis.  Can Chris, from the bliss of heaven, save his beloved wife Serena from the horror of hell?  Not according to the Bible!  It is in this life that we make the decisions that decide our eternal destiny.  If we have entered into a saving relationship with the Lord, Jesus the Christ. in this life then we will continue in that relationship after our mortal death.  If we have failed to enter that relationship here, then we have no further opportunity to do so!  In Hebrews 9:27 we read that "... it is appointed for man (generic - includes females!) to die once, and after that comes judgment,"  There is no "second chance" - through a loving spouse, or anyone else.  Paul reminds us, in Romans 2:6-8, that "He (Almighty God) will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury."

So what about the second book?  The words that made me raise my eyebrows were at the end of the synopsis: "... show Abia just how deserving of happiness she is."   The problem, here, is that none of us deserves anything but the wrath of Almighty God because of our constant sinning against Him!  His wrath is provoked when we rebel against His Word.  Of course, there are those who do not like to think on the wrath of God. They want a loving, fluffy, stuffed rabbit, kind of God who looks down benignly upon His erring creatures, and smiles understandingly at their faults and failures.  That, however, is not the God of the Bible.  Yes, He is Love - that is His essential Being.  But, as the totally sinless One, He cannot bear to look upon sin.  Sin must be punished. "... the soul that sins shall die." is His word through the prophet Ezekiel (18:4, 20).  Indeed, as a study of any good concordance will show, there are more references in the Bible to the anger, fury, and wrath of God, than there are to His love and tenderness!

That is a major problem for "Abia", for you, for me, and for every other member of the human race. That's why some of us seek to share the Gospel message as often as we can. Because that message is the answer - not an answer that any of us can provide, but one that is provided by that same Almighty God.  At its most simple, it says that the same Almighty God Who is sinless, and holy, and just, loves us so much that, in the Persona (not a typo - see my book: Great Words of the Faith; chapter on "Trinity") of the Son, He came among us, showed us His love and compassion, and then satisfied His justice by paying the penalty that we deserved to pay!  It is summed up in that well-known verse: "God loved the world so much that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in (places their trust in) Him, should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16). 

That involves, for us, the recognition that we are, indeed, sinners in the sight of God; that we can do nothing about our own debt of sin; that He has already done all in Jesus, and then accepting the salvation that is offered, so freely through Him.  The life we then lead is so totally different that we right speak of having been "born again".

There is a heaven, and there is a hell.  You and I deserve nothing but hell.  Praise God for His love and mercy that provide us with the opportunity to spend the timelessness of eternity, in heaven, with Him.

Hopelessly in debt!

During my years as a teacher of Religious and Moral Education, I had to teach about belief-systems other than the Christian Faith.  One of those was Islam - and I think that I can claim to know a wee bit more about that religion than does the average westerner!

One of the teachings of Islam has to do with a final judgment.  It is claimed that each Muslim has an angel on each shoulder (the Kiraman Katibin).  The angel on the right shoulder keeps a record of every good thing that the person does; the other angel keeps a record of every bad thing that the person does.  At the judgment, the records are added up and, if there are more good things than bad, the person goes to paradise; if it is the other way around, the person goes to hell.

This is not, of course, the kind of teaching in the Christian Faith.  However, some people determine to try something similar.  One man, intent on recording his experiences with God, decided to keep a daily "balance sheet"!  On one side, he listed all that he did for God; on the other side, all that the Lord did for him.  If some small need was met by His gracious hand, it was noted.  All favours and mercies were thus recorded.  However, after just a few weeks of this book-keeping, he gave up."It's no use", he said, I can never get ahead.  I am always hopelessly in debt"!

If we are ever tempted to add up the instances of God's goodness in our lives, we must not forget that the heavenly Father can cause even adversity to be an asset. Someone has said: "I willingly bear witness to the fact that I owe more to the fire, the hammer, and the file, than to anything else in my Lord's workshop.  I sometimes question whether I have ever learned anything except through the rod. My trials have often brought me my richest blessings."

It would be an interesting exercise to take time, for just one day, to note the benefits of God's favour upon us.  Actually, it would be an impossible task - but it would be profitable in sharpening our spiritual perception!  I suspect that we would quickly find that we are the recipients of abundant treasures - some clearly defined; some well disguised! Even if we were to spend every remaining second of our earthly lives in dedicated service to Him, we would never be able to show our full gratitude for his wonderful provision.  Considering all that He has done for, and given to, us we can only acknowledge that we are hopelessly in debt to Him.

We can never earn our eternal salvation; it cannot be bought.  It is a gift of grace from the One Who loves us so much that, in the Persona (not a typo!) of the Son, He gave Himself to pay the penalty for your sin, and for mine.  As the Graham Kendrick song reminds, and encourages, us: "The price is paid!  Come let us enter in to all that Jesus died to make our own.  For every sin, more than enough He gave; and bought our freedom from each guilty stain".

Have you accepted that salvation - freely offered, yet purchased at such great cost? It is there, available to you right now.  Do something about it - for the sake of your eternal destiny, and that glory may be given to His Name.                                                                

Taking offence!

My standard "joke" on the topic is that I never take offence unless I can find a matching gate (you may have to read that aloud to get it!)!  However, I really am amazed at the number of people who take offence at the slightest thing.  A recent newspaper report informed of one woman who was offended by the colour that was named on a can of paint in either Lidl or Aldi.  The name was "Rape Yellow"! Having passed fields of flowering rape on our way to a Praise Evening, earlier this evening. I can quite understand the name.  A veritable sea of waving yellow flowers that will, in due course, be harvested for their seeds in order that the pin might be extracted to produce - yes, you got it: "rape-seed oil"!  I wondered if that particular woman refuses to use such a product in her kitchen.  Now, it is true that she claims to have been the victim of a sexual assault when she was younger and, if that claim is true, then I have a great deal of sympathy for her.  But to be 'offended' by the word on a can of paint!  She presumably never reads a newspaper, or listens to the radio, or watches television.  In all three, the word recurs with saddening regularity!

In the realm of the religious world, it is no better.  Sometimes, indeed, it is often the case that officials decide that a particular group will take offence, and decide that their will be no reference to, e.g., CHRISTmas, but that Winterfest will be celebrated instead!   Even among those who claim to be disciples of Jesus, there are those who are very quick to take offence, whether such offence was intended, or not.

Of course, those of us who "offend" others are in very good company.  Matthew records that, when Jesus had preached in His "home" synagogue, those who had known Him as a boy and young man were astonished at His wisdom. "'Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter's Son? Is not His mother called Mary? And are not His brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? And are not all His sisters with us? Where then did this Man get all this?'  And they took offense at Him." (Matt 13:54-57; emphasis added).

David Robertson, the current Moderator of the General Assembly of the Free Church of Scotland, is a personal friend.   Those who think that I am a "plain speaker" had better not read any of what he says! He is regularly castigated for what he publishes in his blog: "The wee flea".  (That name, I should explain, is a play on the name of his particular denomination, popularly referred to, in Scotland, as "the Wee Frees". Think of the school boy 'jokes' about "flied lice", and you begin to get the picture.  A real flea, of course, also bites - and David's publications certainly do that!). However, all that he actually does is to tell the truth - and that is all that I seek to do myself!  When I post on the controversial topic of abortion, I don't "make things up".  I simply tell it as it is - the deliberate destruction of a human being who just happens to be at a very early stage of its development,but that is undeniably alive, and undeniably human.  That, I will continue to maintain, is murder.  However, that statement offends some who prefer to think of the unborn child as nothing more than a lump of tissue in the maternal womb!

Even the apostle to the Gentiles, Paul, didn't see any need to 'pull punches'.  Read Galatians 2:11ff. Paul publicly rebukes his fellow apostle, Peter, and then relates the incident in a letter that was sent to all of the Christian fellowships in Galatia! However, we don't read of Peter making a fuss about it. You see, Paul's record was accurate.

Perhaps this is yet another area in which the world has been allowed to infiltrate the church - when it is the church that is called to infiltrate the world!   Yet God's Word provides clear guidelines for those occasions on which we are 'offended' by the words, or actions, of another.  Matthew 18:15ff is the relevant passage.

Of course, the greatest offence is the rejection of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, as the one and only Way to Father God.  For, as Peter pointed out, "... there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).  That offends many who prefer to think that they may, by their own good works, earn/purchase/deserve entry to the Kingdom of God.  However, much more seriously, it offends Father God Himself.  He loves you, and me, so much that, in the Persona (not a typo!) of the Son, He allowed Himself to be nailed to a Cross, becoming sin (see II Cor.5:21) that we might become righteous in His sight.

Have you availed yourself of that great offer of salvation?  It is so close to you, right now, as you read these words.  As always, if I may be of any personal assistance, please feel free to contact me using the e-mail address at the top of the page.  I don't check that account on the most regular of bases but, as soon as I find your message, I will happily respond.   By the way, for some reason unknown to me, I have not been able to access any comments for more than a year.  However, if any wishes to comment, they are welcome to use the same e-mail address.   I should also add that this post is not intended to offend anyone but, if it does, please look in the mirror before complaining!  Nothing in it is untrue!

Whatever you do, please be aware that it is your own eternal destiny that is at risk. Please do not let some perceived "offense" be the cause of you spending eternity cut off from Almighty God.

Life - to death - to life!

A caterpillar appears to live a life of perfect contentment - provided it doesn't become a quick snack for a passing bird!     However, the life it leads is totally mundane when compared to the life that is to come as a butterfly.  This video clip shows the metamorphosis that takes place as one creature changes into another.

Wasn't that amazing?  It is also, of course, an illustration of what happens to the disciple of Jesus when (s)he reaches the end of this mortal life - either through physical death, or at the rapture.   John writes: "Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when He appears we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is." (I John 3:2); while Paul writes: "So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power.  It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body." (I Cor 15:42-44)
 

The true disciple of Jesus has an eternal destiny in which (s)he will have a glorious, spiritual, body that is yet 'connected' to the physical body in which they lived out their mortal lives.  The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is amazing - indeed, beyond comprehension.  The transformation of the believer into a heavenly being, is a trillion times more wonderful!   But although all will live through eternity, only those who have acknowledged the Lordship of Jesus in their lives, will live with Him.  For those who reject, or even neglect, Him, there is only the prospect of eternity without Him.

Have you made your choice?

The Birdcage Story

You may have heard this one, but it's worth sharing again.

A man was on the side of the road with a large birdcage. A boy noticed that the cage was full of birds of many kinds. "Where did you get those birds?" he asked.

"Oh, all over the place," the man replied. "I lure them with crumbs, pretend I'm their friend then when they are close, I net them and shove them into my cage."

"And what are you going to do with them now?"

The man grinned, "I'm going to prod them with sticks, and get them really mad so they fight and kill each other. Those that survive, I will kill. None will escape."

The boy looked steadily at the man. What made him do such things? He looked into the cruel, hard eyes. Then he looked at the birds, defenseless, without hope.

"Can I buy those birds?" the boy asked.

The man hid a smile, aware that he could be on to a good thing if he played his cards right. "Well," he said hesitantly, "The cage is pretty expensive, and I spent a lot of time collecting these birds, I'll tell you what I'll do, I'll let you have the lot, birds, cage and all for ten pounds and that jacket you're wearing."

The boy paused, ten pounds was all he had, and the jacket was new and very special, in fact it was his prized possession. Slowly, he took out the ten pounds and handed it over, then even more slowly he took off his jacket, gave it one last look then handed that over too.

And then (well, you've guessed it) he opened the door and let the birds go free.

The Enemy of the world, Satan, was on the side of life's road with a very large cage. The man coming towards him noticed that it was crammed full of people of every kind, young, old, from every race and nation. "Where did you get these people?" the man asked.

"Oh, from all over the world," Satan replied. "I lure them with drink, drugs, lust, lies, anger, hate, love of money and all manner of things. I pretend I'm their friend, out to give them a good time, then when I've hooked them, into the cage they go."

"And what are you going to do with them now?" asked the man.

Satan grinned. "I'm going to prod them, provoke them, get them to hate and destroy each other; I'll stir up racial hatred, defiance of law and order; I'll make people bored, lonely, dissatisfied, confused and restless. It's easy. People will always listen to what I offer them and (what's better) blame God for the outcome!"

"And then what?" the man asked.

"Those who do not destroy themselves, I will destroy. None will escape me."

The man stepped forward. "Can I buy these people from you?" he asked.

Satan snarled, "Yes, but it will cost you your life."

So Jesus Christ, the Son of God, paid for your release, your freedom from Satan's trap, with His own life, on the cross at Calvary. The door is open, and anyone, whom Satan has deceived and caged, can be set free.

A new year - you can make it a new life, by coming to Him in repentance and faith.  You see, the story isn't quite complete.  Each bird had to choose whether or not to accept the opportunity of release, or just stay in the cage!  You and I have the same choice - but it's a choice that effects our eternal destiny.  

Choose wisely; choose Jesus!

Anniversary!

Today, my dear wife and I celebrated our 41st wedding anniversary!  Quite an achievement (for her, at any rate!).  Sadly, there appears to a large number of couples who, whether having entered into a formal marital relationship, or not, don't even manage to spend 10 years together, let alone four times that period.

However, even if a marriage lasts only a relatively short time, it is still the cultural norm in any society, past or present, of which I am aware, that it will be between a man and a woman.  Within a Biblical context, it is a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all others, for life.  And that, it has been shown over and over again, is the best environment for the raising of children.  I don't have any statistics (and don't know if they even exist) as to the number of the rioters and robbers in the recent disturbances in London, and some other English cities, who are the product of so-called "single parents", but it would not surprise me to discover that many of them were.  Indeed, there could well have been a significant number who are second-generation "one-parent" children!  I am not, of course, referring to those who, through the death of their spouse, have been left to raise a family on their own.  In such cases, my experience is that they are excellent parents, and do all that they can to make up for the missing one.

People may scoff at "the good book" (aka The Bible) with its ideas, and precepts, that they consider to be old-fashioned, and not appropriate for modern 'western' society.  But that Book, given by the Creator, is the best possible guide to life and living.  Indeed, it is the only book that deals, not just with living out our mortal existences, but with how we may be assured of our eternal destiny. 

We disregard it at our peril - and the peril of society as a whole!