Radicalised Christians!

In recent times we have all become familiar with a rather sinister word - radicalisation. After an act of terrorism, investigations will begin to determine how the terrorists were radicalised. A person is considered radicalised when they take the words of their prophet and their holy book literally.

I was wondering what a radicalized Christian would look like, someone who takes the words of Christ literally.

Would people in shopping malls or concert halls or school classrooms have anything to fear from radicalized Christians?

Radicalised Christians will love their families, their neighbours, and their enemies.

They will seek to save life, not to destroy it.
They will forgive those who wrong them, and bless those who hate them.
They will pray for their government and pay their taxes.
They will give honour to whom honour is due.
They will live sacrificial lives for the blessing and relief of others.
They will comfort those who mourn.
They will hunger after righteousness, show mercy, seek to be pure, make peace, will not kill, will not commit adultery, will turn the other cheek to those who smite them.
They will live their lives for the glory of God and for the welfare of their fellow men.
They will be thankful, kind, honest, faithful, pure and forgiving.
They will travel enormous distances and make huge sacrifices to share the gospel with others.
Their great motivation in life will firstly be love for God, and secondly love for their neighbour.

Do you know any radicalized Christians?

Written for Seek the Truth Bible Media by John Parkinson of Ballymena

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

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All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

What value would you put on this item?

A Priceless Masterpiece

I’d like to draw your attention to a man called Harold St. John. Harold St. John lived from 1876 to 1957. He preferred to have his name pronounced “sin-jun”, feeling that the title of "saint" was too superior sounding. But if anyone wanted an example of saintliness, they could have pointed in Harold St. John's direction.

He was a banker and would be pretty well known amongst Christians in certain circles but today he has been pretty much lost from sight.

Harold St. John was a man who travelled a lot in business and was called to preach the Gospel and to teach the Word of God, which he did on a worldwide basis. He had a tremendous ability to get alongside people and to talk to them about the Lord Jesus.

Let me relate to you a story from his life that is very interesting. One day he was in a private chapel at Keble College in Oxford. He was standing lost in contemplation looking at Holman Hunt’s masterpiece “The Light of the World”. A chattering group of tourists approached and the guide announced, in a strident voice, that the original of this sold for £5000. Without a moment of hesitation Mr. St. John step forward, “Ladies and Gentlemen” he said, “May I add that the true original of this picture was sold for 30 pieces of silver”. A hush fell on the crowd and they left the chapel in silence. Here was a man who was not only interested in great masterpieces of art but he was interested in the subject of this particular piece of art. “The Light of the World” was Holman Hunt’s masterpiece, in which Christ stands waiting for men and women to open the door of their heart to Him. Incidentally the things have not changed since then, the Lord Jesus still waits for men and women to receive Him. To do this you have to accept you are sinful, confess your guilt before God and receive Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord (see the Gospel of John 1:12).

The curator spoke very confidently about the fact that the picture was sold for £5000, not a lot in today’s currency but a lot then. Mr. St. John understood the greater value of the picture. It pictured the Son of God, Jesus Christ. It pictured one who gave Himself, sold for thirty pieces of silver, that He might become the one final sacrifice for sin. His objective was that men and women might be saved. I wonder how much you value Jesus Christ today? He is indeed a masterpiece, He makes wrong things right, He cleanses dirty hearts, He brings peace with God. He saves those who call upon His name. This is all true because of His death upon the cross. Trust Him and He’ll never let you down.

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

The Global Gospel - Acts 18

Acts 18Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

18 After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth; 2 and found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them. 3 And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers. 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

5 And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. 6 And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

7 And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue. 8 And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized. 9 Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace: 10 for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city. 11 And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

God is not a racist - Acts 17 - Part 2

 

In this passage we come across people who worship anything but the true and living God; that's a bit like people in our society. These are also people who like new ideas and philosophies. They loved to debate about something new. So how do you talk to people with this outlook on life. 

Paul, the Apostle starts with a 'Back to Basics' approach. Look at some of the key points that are made:

God made the world

He gave us life, 

He maintains our existence, 

We are ultimately dependant on Him,

We all come from the same stock therefore there should be no racism, 

God has defined the boundaries of life and it's times and seasons,

God has so arranged life so that we can seek him if we so desire and realise the importance of knowing God in this life,

God has overlooked much of human history, the despicable behaviour of mankind but he now commands us all to repent - there needs to be a change, we need to turn from our sin to God,

God will judge the world on a future set date. He will be fair and all sin and evil will be dealt with and punished justly. The judge has already been appointed - he is the Lord Jesus Christ. The death, burial and resurrection of Jesus confirm that fact that He, Jesus, is the only person appropriate to judge the world,

Some people accepted the message then but some people mocked,

Nothing has changed - the response is still the same today. 

Acts 17:15-34

15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

16 Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he saw the city wholly given to idolatry.

17 Therefore disputed he in the synagogue with the Jews, and with the devout persons, and in the market daily with them that met with him.

18 Then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoicks, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say? other some, He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods: because he preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection.

19 And they took him, and brought him unto Areopagus, saying, May we know what this new doctrine, whereof thou speakest, is?

20 For thou bringest certain strange things to our ears: we would know therefore what these things mean.

21 (For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing.)

22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.

23 For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;

25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;

26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;

27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:

28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.

29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device.

30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

32 And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked: and others said, We will hear thee again of this matter.

33 So Paul departed from among them.

34 Howbeit certain men clave unto him, and believed: among the which was Dionysius the Areopagite, and a woman named Damaris, and others with them.

King James Version (KJV)

Public Domain

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.

Truth Seekers - Acts 17

Are you a truth seeker? 

Are you always asking questions? 

Do you believe that there are absolute answers to the big questions of life? 

If so read on. 

The Bible claims to have all the answers to the big questions of life. 

Things such as origins, how we came to be, why we exist, why there is suffering, why evil exists, is the any hope, is there life after death and so on.

As Christians we admit that Holy Scripture is the basis of our beliefs. The Bible has stood the test of time. It has been verified many times over to be the word of God and it actually does what it says on the tin. 

Listen to these claims from the Bible; many people I know testify to the fact that this is the truth:

'Salvation is of the Lord', 

God saves everyone who comes to him by faith. 

He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him. 

That's what was happening in New Testament times. The word of God was preached, people checked it out, when they believed what God said and came his way they were saved. 

The crux of the matter is that God's message of salvation is based around the suffering, death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Most people don't like that fact - it's too simplistic that a man dying on a cross can be the basis of their salvation and the security of your eternal future.But that's the truth and God stated in 1 Corinthians chapter one that people would think it was a crazy message. 

The fact is that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah promised in scripture. To get saved you need be searching for the truth, to be ready to listen and accept that which is really truth. You need to be serious about it and prepared to believe and trust in what you find i.e. that Jesus Christ is Lord. May God bless you in your search!

Acts 17Authorized (King James) Version (AKJV)

17 Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews: 2 and Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, 3 opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ. 4 And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.

5 But the Jews which believed not, moved with envy, took unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sort, and gathered a company, and set all the city on an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and sought to bring them out to the people. 6 And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, These that have turned the world upside down are come hither also; 7 whom Jason hath received: and these all do contrary to the decrees of Cæsar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus. 8 And they troubled the people and the rulers of the city, when they heard these things. 9 And when they had taken security of Jason, and of the other, they let them go.

10 And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.12 Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few. 13 But when the Jews of Thessalonica had knowledge that the word of God was preached of Paul at Berea, they came thither also, and stirred up the people. 14 And then immediately the brethren sent away Paul to go as it were to the sea: but Silas and Timotheus abode there still. 15 And they that conducted Paul brought him unto Athens: and receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all speed, they departed.

Uncertainty v Certainty

Uncertainty v Certainty

English Football

The dismal performance of England’s footballers against Iceland, at the European Championship Competition in France, resulting in their exit from the tournament caused uncertainty for the players and the national coach. Immediately, speculation regarding the future selection of some of the players was called into question, and similarly the coach resigned and caused speculation as to who would be the next England manager. It is evident that the millions of TV pounds that are swilling around in the Premier League are not producing players that can perform like a national team should do.

The Brexit Vote The Brexit vote in the UK’s Referendum has caused a lot of uncertainty, politically, economically and socially. Prime Minister, David Cameron announced his resignation which opened up further speculation as to who the next Tory leader/P.M. would be. Some thought that the Brexit frontrunner, Boris Johnson would automatically step into Cameron’s shoes, but not so! It soon became known that he didn't have the backing of fellow Brexit MP’s and he withdrew interest in running for the top job in British politics. The UK now has a woman Prime Minister, Theresa May. The Labour Party is passing through equally uncertain times with a bitter struggle as to who will be their leader.

The UK Economy
 Pound sterling has dropped in value on the money markets causing the Governor of the Bank of England to put in place contingency plans to avoid the economy going into recession as previously experienced.

The Housing Market has wobbled into an uncertain period, investors are playing the waiting game to see which way the economy moves.

Some major investors such as Richard Branson have said publicly that they are putting projects on hold which would possibly employ thousands of workers. Other industrialists who wanted to leave the EU see bigger international markets open to them. There is a lot of uncertainty in many quarters, businessmen not knowing what the future holds.

Social Unrest In the U.S.A.  there is uncertainty in some States over Law Enforcement, following the killing of two black people by the police, and later, a revenge killing of six policemen by an ex-military sniper. President Obama has personally intervened to try to quell the racial unrest and violence. Violence still persists in the Middle East causing great concern and uncertainty in the area to thousands of people fleeing their country to try to find a place where a more secure future is assured. Turkey has imploded with a failed military coupe and the arrest of over 50,000 people who are a potential threat to the current government. 

The answer from the Bible Someone has said that there is only one certainty in life and that is death, which is partly correct but not wholly so. Death is a certainty, the Bible says in Heb 9:27 “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” 

Paul added this thought when he wrote to Timothy in 1st Timothy 6:7 “For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.” This relates to the physical aspect of birth and death. People generally do not like to think that they are accountable to God for the life that they have lived. But the Day of Judgment is certain and no one will survive it by trying to balance the good they have done against the bad. It does not work like that; the only certain way of safety is to have the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour when you meet your Maker.

The Apostle John was absolutely certain that Jesus is God and that all things were made by Him, he tells us that in the first few verses of his Gospel. Some of you reading this probably do not believe what John believed as you have swallowed the lie of evolution. Other truths that John wrote about were the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John also tells us in chapter 14 that after the cross Jesus would go back to Heaven. Jesus made the promise, “I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”  Every believer on the Lord Jesus Christ has a certain hope of the imminent return of the Lord to take His Church to Heaven. Christendom is full of confusion and uncertainty because of erroneous doctrine, but the Bible presents truth concerning the future. When Christ returns to the air He will call all believers that have died out of their graves and simultaneously change the body of all living Christians to prepare them for Heaven.

When the Church has gone to Heaven, God will take up His dealings again with Israel He will fulfill all the covenants that He made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David concerning the Land of Israel and the Throne in Jerusalem, where He will rule the world for a thousand years. Unbelievers will not see that Kingdom, Jesus said to Nicodemas, in John ch.3, “Except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” One thing is absolutely certain, only believers will enjoy the answer to the prayer, “Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”

All the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus, we have an anchor within the veil both sure and steadfast that will never fail, salvation is secured by the cross of Christ, His death and resurrection.

1 Corinthians chapter 15 says that “He must reign” and He will reign universally. In that day the earth will be released from the curse which started when Adam sinned against God. When Jesus comes again the earth will yield bountifully and eliminate starvation, there will be no third world nations, and Christ’s rule will be equitable. Nations that are presently jockeying for world supremacy will find themselves subjugated to the rule of Christ. Israel will be born again in one day. 

It is time to choose Christ, to trust Him for salvation and be certain of a wonderful future.

Written by a Guest Blogger

For more information text the word INFO to 07747 101352 

To access podcasts and videos explaining the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

This site will give you access to Bible Teaching Audio's and Video's as well.

All posts have the aim of pointing people to Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour or to aid Christian growth and development.