Today we were visiting Abbey Wood which is an area of South London. It is quite a deprived area of the city and the housing stock is of a very poor quality. I cannot imagine what it must be like for a mum to bring up her children or for a family to keep their teenagers on 'the straight and narrow' but I am sure that many manage to do it. Proverbs 22:6, in the Bible, says 'Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it'. Some of the mums we met are doing an amazing job at bringing up their children. Despite the difficult circumstances they live in their children are well dressed, clean and have good manners.
Like many areas of our cities some of the residents go to church and are believers in the Lord Jesus. They were delighted that we were there to tell people about the Lord Jesus Christ. But most people just want to live life their own way! The scriptures say that 'there is a way that seems right to a man but its end is the way of death,' Proverbs 14:12. We think we know best but we are on the wrong path - again the word of God, the Bible, states 'broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat,' Matthew 7:13. By the way, this attitude is worldwide and cross cultural! It exists in every strata of society; it is not limited to socially deprived areas. I say that in case you are reading this and feel that this message doesn't apply to you - it does!
Our aim is to not to highlight people's problems but to point them to the one person who can meet their greatest need. Our greatest problem is not social, financial, medical or environmental - our greatest need is spiritual!
Sin is the cause of all the other problems we have - 'Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,' Romans 5:12. The wonderful solution to our sin is found in the person of Jesus Christ. 'Christ died for our sins,' 1 Corinthians 15:3 and as a result 'God commends his love to towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,' Romans 5:8. The final and important piece in the jigsaw of the message of the gospel is that Christ rose from the dead on the third day. As a result we are confident that we have a living Saviour who will save those who repent of their sin and trust him for salvation. Hebrews 7:25 states 'Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them'.
If I can help your further please contact me, Stephen, at www.seekthetruth.org,uk
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