The lonely hearts club - I know someone who is interested in you!

There are a lot of people about who are very private and keep themselves to themselves. They would not trouble anyone with their problems and would not presume that anyone else is interested. Well I have news for anyone who is reading this who thinks like that. I know someone who is interested in you; His name is the Jesus. He is recorded as saying in the Gospel of John - 'I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly'. The Bible also states that God 'is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance'.

Driven & Contented!

One major feature of modern life seems to be people's constant ability to complain. If it's too hot we moan, if it's too cold we complain and so on. The bible encourages us to be 'be content'.  In fact in 1 Timothy 6.8 it states that if we have clothes on our back and food in our stomach we should be content with that. Many in the world do not enjoy these simple blessings and therefore those who do should be grateful for the blessings they enjoy. The same passage of scripture warns against the driving passion for wealth. The bible is often misquoted, probably no passage is more misquoted than this one. People often say 'money is the root of all evil' however the bible actually says 'the love of money is the root of all evil'. The driving desire for wealth is the problem, not money in itself.

Headship - Christ - The Church's Head

Days portion for reading Ephesians 1:1-23

Christ the head over all things to the Church – Ephesians 1:22

When reading the letter to the Ephesians one never ceases to be amazed at the unbelievable truths that we are presented with. In chapter one we wallow in the wonder of being accepted with God, of being forgiven, of unlimited divine wisdom being available to the believer, of learning about the good pleasure of God’s purposes and of discovering that God is in control of everything. More exciting and thrilling truths keep overwhelming us with the majesty of the divine dealings of our God. In addition to this we discover that we have an integral part in the things that He is doing.

Last Days

Over 30 years ago a young couple and their family had a little time free, before going to Brazil as missionaries, to help me in Cornwall do some personal evangelism. We went to a popular beach at Bude and positioned ourselves in the car park and gave gospel leaflets to people passing by. One holiday maker saw us and approached us saying, “Are we in the last days then?” to which I replied “It depends which last days you are thinking about”. He engaged in conversation with us and told us that for the past five years he had been associating with Jehovah Witnesses in Derbyshire. We spoke about the Bible and the Person of Christ. He surprised us by saying, “I am fast coming to the realization that the Jehovah of the Old Testament in the Jesus of the New”. I replied “That’s great! You are half way there”. What did I mean by that? He had come to understand that Jesus is not only the Son of God but also God the Son. What he needed to do was to acknowledge that he was a sinner for whom Christ died and to ask His forgiveness and receive Him as his Lord and Saviour. How lovely it would be if he went all the way!

Does It Matter Who Jesus Is?

Is Jesus Christ the Son of God? 

Why are Christians are so convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and why is it deemed to be so important? It’s an excellent question! Christian belief is laid on a very solid foundation. First of all we believe that God has revealed information, to the prophets who wrote the Bible, to point us in the right direction. Our beliefs are not just based on human research or discovery. 

In other areas of life when we want to learn about something outside of our sphere of experience we seek information from a trustworthy source. So if you are researching space travel for the first time you would go to NASA or some other space agency to ask them questions. It is wise practice to go a reliable source. 

Headship in the Church - 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

Suggested Scripture Reading 1 Corinthians 11:1-16

As was stated in the introductory article to this series there are seven mentions of the truth of 'Headship" in the New Testament - 1 in 1st Corinthians, 3 in Ephesians and 3 in Colossians. We are going to look at each mention in that order.

Christ and Headship defined – 1 Corinthians 11:3

The teaching about Christ as ‘Head’ is first brought to the attention of believers in Paul’s First letter to the Corinthians. The term 'Headship' describes an orderly structure that God has designed for the good of home life and church life. It should be the norm in all of society but sadly it isn’t – thus society is often in chaos and disarray. The reason - 'Headship' was lost at ‘the fall’, when Adam sinned.

Introduction to the subject of Headship

Christ the Head

 

Most of us understand the term, ‘The Head’. If we were at school we would use it to describe the most senior person in the school. In large businesses it is used to describe the “chief executive” or “chairman” of the organization. If we say someone is “heading up” something we would usually understand that this means that they are leading and directing and ultimately responsible for the way things are done.

Psalm 143 - Getting what you don't deserve!

David is not asking for what he deserves in this Psalm, he is asking for mercy from God. He is reminding God of His excellent character and saying that it would be out of character for Him not to show mercy, kindness etc. David is not ignoring the fact that God is holy but he has learned that no one will ever live up to the holy standard of God (v2) and therefore everyone needs mercy.

Jesus is alive! - The Resurrection - Fact or Fantasy - Episode 1

Today's Scripture - Ephesians 1:19-21

19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,

20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:

Did Jesus really come back to life - this is the key question of the Christian faith!!

Easter and the Cross - Verified and Proven Accurate

Why are Christians are so convinced that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and why is it deemed to be so important? It's an excellent question!

Christian belief is laid on a very solid foundation. First of all we believe that God has revealed information, to the prophets who wrote the Bible, to point us in the right direction. Our beliefs are not just based on human research or discovery. In other areas of life when we want to learn about something outside of our sphere of experience we seek information from a trustworthy source. So if you are researching space travel for the first time you would go to NASA or some other space agency to ask them questions. It is wise practice to go a reliable source.

Jesus Christ - Risen from the dead!

Matthew 27:57 - 28:20

Jesus Is Buried

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the entrance of the tomb and went away. And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.

How will you see the love of God this Easter?

The following anecdotal stories came to my attention many years ago. They remind me of the immense need in the world for people to know that they are loved. The New Testament scriptures state 'But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,' Romans 5:8. 

Psalm 102 - A Psalm of Agony and Ecstasy.

This is a Psalm of extremes. We initially read the words of a person in deep distress, verses 1-11. Then there is a sudden change. We are confronted with the eternal, unchanging God and hope is stirred in the writer’s heart, verses 12-28. How can the same person be so different? It can only be the result of the Psalmist lifting his eyes from his problems and fixing them on God. God is greater than our problems and helps us put life into perspective.

Five words that explain Easter

The message of Easter is summarised in five words -  "Christ died for our sins". 

The message is clear!

The person who died was Jesus Christ. His death took place roughly 1984 years ago outside the ancient city of Jerusalem. 

As we approach Easter I wonder if you have ever stopped to think about this. Why did he die? Was it a miscarriage of justice? Was it just the result of an unfortunate turn of events?

Easter - Notoriety

The Oxford English Dictionary gives the meaning of notoriety as ‘Famous for some bad quality or deed’. In April 2015 Andreas Lubitz committed an act of notoriety! Downing the Germanwings plane in the French Alps put him among a tragic group of men. Perhaps he does not equal Hitler’s henchmen in notoriety by murdering millions of Jews and other nationalities in their deliberate plan to conquer the world. But that is no consolation to the 150 families who mourn their loved one’s death caused by this futile criminal act.

Psalm 38 - The effects of sin in a believer's life

 King David, despite his periods of failure was a man who was really in touch with God. He is called ‘a man after God’s own heart’ in 1 Samuel chapter 13 verse 14 and in Acts chapter 13 verse 22. It appears that he knew the way that God thought and was happy to talk honestly with him. The question is, am I, are you?