Friday, May 31, 2013

What next?





The barbaric beheading of Lee Rigby an off-duty soldier on Wednesday 22nd May in London was reported in the Daily Mirror, ‘Horrified witnesses told last night how the off-duty soldier beheaded by two Islamic terrorists yesterday was hacked at “like a piece of meat”. The unnamed serviceman, wearing a Help for Heroes T-shirt, was brutally butchered with knives and meat cleavers after a car mounted the pavement and ploughed into him. The barbaric killing that has shocked the nation happened at 2.20pm on a busy main road just 50 yards from a primary school and 200 yards from Woolwich Barracks in South East London.’ I cannot recall a beheading in the UK In my lifetime, it could have happened but if it did it escapes my memory.

Wikipedia gives a comprehensive list of beheadings which was a mode of execution in the UK during the 14th. to 16th. Centuries. Henry V111 used it and Hitler guillotined many who opposed him, one says, ‘Franz Jägerstätter (1943) – Guillotined in Berlin as a conscientious objector.’

Murder is one thing but Lee Rigby’s death was an execution carried out in the name of Allah! I have asked myself which of the countries in the world today practice beheading? It is more than brutal, it is barbaric. So if the streets of London have been bloodied by the wilful decapitation of a random target, WHAT NEXT?

The same question could be asked in relation to other immoral excesses, of that which goes beyond the bounds of decency and righteousness. The first same sex marriage in France, a few days ago, attracted thousands of protesters who believe that a same sex union is in God’s eyes, an abomination. 

Leviticus18:22 reads  “Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination,” and ch.20:13  “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.”  

Many countries have legalized same sex marriage and pose the question ‘WHAT NEXT’? The door is opened for these unions to be acceptable for adopting children and surrogate parenting with third parties. There are many children that have HIV from heterosexual parents, my wife and I met and support such children. How many more children are going to be brought into the world to die of Aids from Sodomite unions?

One fears that as it was in Hitler’s regime, that there will be no room for conscientious objectors to declare their unwillingness to officiate at such marriages, and will lose their employment and livelihood.

John the Baptist is a typical example of what happens when a stand is made against immoral unions. He proclaimed that Herod’s marriage to Herodias was an adulterous union, because he had taken his brother Philip’s wife. She schemed John’s death and Herod sent soldiers to behead him in prison. Her daughter Salome demanded the head to be brought to her on a charger, and she gave it to her mother.
On another occasion, tradition says that Herod had James the brother of the apostle John beheaded and later in Rome tradition states that Paul also was beheaded.

In the program of God the next event to take place is the coming of Christ to the air to take His Church to Heaven. Every born-again person from the day of Pentecost to the rapture (the Church caught-up to meet the Lord in the air) will be present. The dead in Christ will rise first and then all living Christians will be changed and given bodies suitable to live in Heaven. When the Church is safely home with her Lord there will be events in Heaven and simultaneously judgments will take place on earth. Matthew ch’s 24 and 25 tell us of happenings during the Tribulation, a seven year period of unparalleled happenings, particularly during the second half, depicted as forty-two months and twelve hundred and sixty days, or in Daniel’s language, ‘time, times and half a time’. During this period God will raise up and send out 144,000 Jewish evangelists to go through all the earth and preach the gospel of the Kingdom. They are the genuine Jehovah Witnesses, 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes of Israel. Both Jews and Gentiles will believe their message and own Christ as the coming King to reign over all the earth from Jerusalem. Some will seal their faith with their blood. Revelation 20:10 says, “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

One might be tempted to say, ‘Is confessing Christ as Lord worth it?’ let Paul tell you his thoughts, “For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

If you receive Christ today you will never see the troublous times on earth, you will be safe in Heaven, far away from the axe man.

Are you saved? WHAT NEXT?  May God help you to trust His Word and receive the Saviour.  God bless.


Written by Stan Burditt for FTMP May 2013
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Saturday, May 25, 2013

My week in Liverpool


Last Saturday after spending some time preaching on the streets of Liverpool we did the tourist thing! We toured Liverpool on an open top bus. We had a friend staying with us from Canada and so we took the opportunity to do the tour. You can see one of the pictures of the docks above. 

The next day (Sunday) we were helping give out leaflets to the football fans who were going to the last match of the season. It was amazing to see how many leaflets went out (over 2500) as we put into people's hands the truth about how to survive, not the last match of the season, but the last breath of life and all that comes with it. It is wonderful as a Christian to know that death is not the end and that we are ready to meet God. In fact the bible commands  us 'prepare to meet your God'. This is only possible because 'Christ died for our sins, he was buried and he rose again the third day'.  We can be safe on the other side of death because the message of hope is that through this man is preached the forgiveness of sins. What a message for anyone, never mind a football fan. 

Monday evening was as a busy as ever on the radio show (the Living Hope Show). Listen on Mondays at 1900 on www.radiohope.co.uk. In case you try this Monday (27th May 2013) we are off the air for the Bank Holiday in the UK. 

The rest of the week ran according to the normal plan, I'll not bore you with the details but it was pretty busy. 

I hope you had a good week but most of all I hope you know my good and excellent Saviour. 
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This weekend the city of Liverpool remembers the Battle of the Atlantic. Memories will be painful for some but even the painful memories must be balanced against the fact that many died so that we could live peaceful and free lives. This reminds me of the fact that God's Son, Jesus Christ died to give us our freedom. Not freedom from the evil dominance of a man who sought to rule the world but freedom from sin and evil. The Bible says - 'the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world'. The men and women who sailed the Atlantic and kept the sea routes open for trade gave us life and freedom. We salute them and honour them. Let us see that we also honour Jesus for His death to purchase our freedom and to give us eternal life. 
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Wednesday, May 22, 2013

St Nicks.

St Nicks, The Strand, Liverpool.



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

Location:The Strand, Liverpool

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Back home from NI

Over the weekend I was visiting a local church in Northern Ireland to speak at their conference and to spend some time with them encouraging them from the word of God.

It is a wonderful thing to see how God still speaks today through the Bible.

Many people have difficult lives but God meets their needs through his word.

This is available to everyone but the starting point is when an individual comes into a living relationship with Him.

If you are interested in finding out more read some of my previous blogs; they will point you in the right direction.



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

Location:Dinas Lane,Huyton-with-Roby,United Kingdom

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Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Tuesday Night Football in Anfield






Hear is a great group of lads playing football in Anfield tonight. Really good to be with them and to tell them something of God's love for them. I can't play footy to save myself, they have piles of energy. I have a God who loves them and sent His Son to die for them.
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Collecting wood for a bonfire in July!

Ballyduff, Northern Ireland - Preparing for the 12th
I have just come back from speaking in a local church in Ballyduff in Ulster. To most of us that means Northern Ireland or just Ireland but to the people who live in that part of the province it's Ulster. Look at the picture that I took. They are preparing and collecting tyres and wood for their annual bonfire on the 12th of July. What commitment! I could hardly take it in! 

Most of us find it hard to understand the mindset of people who hold on to their traditions with such veracity. Nothing seems to divert them from the task of celebrating an event that took place hundreds of years ago. 

If you follow this blog you might be asking what has this got to do with Liverpool? A good question!

Here is the reason. When I was in Ballyduff I met a lot of people who love Liverpool - I can't blame them; it's a great place. Their love however was for one of the city's famous football teams. I am not letting out which one it was, you can guess. The devotion for their favourite team equalled their commitment to their preparations for their annual bonfire. 

My question to you is this? Is there anything that you would show that amount of commitment to? What would you risk everything to preserve or uphold? In my view none of the things that I have talked about in this blog rank high enough in my list of priorities to give them that level of commitment. I do however have one thing that is at the top of my list - my faith in Jesus Christ. One of the early Christians said about the Lord Jesus that he is 'the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me' (Paul the Apostle). One of the great missionaries from England of a past generation said this 'If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him (C.T.Studd).

What are you living for?
What would you die for?
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Wednesday, May 01, 2013

Keys Court, Liverpool One and The Tree of Knowledge


I saw this tree in Liverpool City Centre in Keys Court, Liverpool One. It is a place where you can leave books for others to read or pick up a book.

It reminded me of the tree of the knowledge in the bible and of the tree of life.

The Bible says about the 'Tree of Life' - "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie". (Revelation 22:14, 15 KJV)




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