Friday, January 24, 2014

CHRISTIANITY CHANGES PEOPLE (2)




TRUTH U CAN TRUST - DIRECT BIBLE QUOTATIONS - TITUS 3
Please read the bible quote and the comments at the end - thanks.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HOW READING THE BIBLE AND FAITH
IN JESUS CHRIST CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE PLEASE VISIT WWW.SEEKTHETRUTH.ORG.UK
OR CONTACT ME AT stepcar61@gmail.com.
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He's got the whole world in His hands!

Remember the song?  



It's a celebration of God's loving embrace of everyone in this big old world, and a good tune as well! I think it's a bit of an exaggeration though. God doesn't need both hands to hold the world, in fact the Bible states He is the One who has measured the waters ‘in the hollow of his hand’ (Isa 40 v 12), and that 'In his hand are the deep places of the earth' (Ps 95:4).

Also the lives and destinies of every man, woman and child that have ever lived are held in that mighty clasp. He's the God in whose hand is the 'soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind' Job 12 v 10. Daniel, an Old Testament Prophet, when talking to the most important man on the planet at the time spoke of 'the God in whose hand your breath is'.

But God has done more than create and maintain the universe we live in and all the people in it. He saw us, lost, hopeless and heading for judgement. He loved us, and gave His Son to die on our behalf. Then He raised Him from the dead demonstrating that death's grip had been broken. It took the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross to achieve this. It is significant that both of the Saviour’s hands are used as proof of His death and resurrection when one of His disciple’s, Thomas, is looking for evidence that He is alive from the dead.

So sure, ‘He's got the itty bitty baby in his hand’, and ‘He's got the whole wide world in His hand’. But in both of His hands, are the indelible marks of the suffering He went through to deliver us from death and Hell itself.


We come under God's protection by accepting that we are sinners, that Jesus ‘Christ died for our sins’ and that He rose from the dead to prove that death had been conquered. He says about those who believe on Him and who have trusted in Him to be their Good Shepherd  'I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand' (John 10:28). 

A terrified man once cried out saying, 'Lord, save me'.  And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him. The same strong, wounded hands stretch out to you today. 

Will you trust Him to be your Saviour?

Written by a guest blogger
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Thursday, January 16, 2014

Christianity Changes People!



TRUTH U CAN TRUST - DIRECT BIBLE QUOTATIONS - TITUS 2
Please read the bible quote and the comments at the end - thanks.

A quick reading of this passage from the bible will immediately create the impression that being a Christian changes your life. If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ I am praying that God will speak to you through His word. If you would like more information have a look at other posts on this blog or access some of the other information through www.seekthetruth.org.uk.

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Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Where can you hear about the bible? Here are some links for you to access this information.



I met a number of people today and had the privilege of chatting to them about Christianity and the need to consider what the bible has to say.

I believe that the biggest issues in life need to be addressed immediately for a number of reasons -

  • life is uncertain;
  • death is a guaranteed event in all of our lives;
  • everything we achieve in this life is only for this life;
  • our sin and wrong will catch up with us one day and the final one (there are many more);
  • the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ cannot be ignored. 
H G Wells, that famous English writer,  once said "I am an historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that this penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the very center of history. Jesus Christ is easily the most dominant figure in all history." Quite a statement and one that demands that we consider who Jesus was/is, what his claims are and the effect that ignoring what he said will have on our lives.

This is a reminder of where to find the bible podcasts, videos and blogs that I write and post on a regular basis.

Bible Podcasts (audio talks) - type www.seekthetruth.org.uk into the address bar on your internet search and listen to or download some of the audio messages.

Blogs (written articles) - you are reading one and can come back to read more at any time. Other blogs can found at http://liverpoolphotoblog.blogspot.co.uk/ or http://goodnews4liverpool.wordpress.com.

Radio Programmes - I record a 10 minute slot for internet radio every week. You can also listen to this on Mondays and Saturdays at 9 am and every three hours thereafter on www.vintageradio.org.uk. The program host is Ernie Hardwick and he kindly gives me a weekly slot on his program. Unfortunately I cannot tell where in the hour I will be slotted in so if you are interested you would need to stay tuned in for the hour.

YouTube (Video Bible Teaching and explanations of Christianity) - If you are interested in Bible Teaching you should look at the videos I have recorded on YouTube. You can access by going to www.seekthetruth.org.uk and then clicking on the YouTube icon on the left hand side of the page (the picture above is for illustrative purposes only).

Have a great day,

Stephen
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Thursday, January 09, 2014

Whose law?



At the commencement of a New Year people often make resolutions as to what they are going to do or not to do in the coming year. They take stock as to where their life is going and what changes are needed to provide a better quality of life. Many of these promises made to oneself are like piecrusts, they are made to be broken. Before January is out so are the resolutions. 

I did the same in January 1957, it was when God was working in my life convicting me of my sin, so I decided to stop drinking, stop swearing and stop gambling, and I thought that if I did reform, that God would have different thoughts about me. How wrong I was because though I tried hard to do it, after three days I was back in the card school and swearing again! The Apostle Paul had that problem too, he said in Romans 7:18, “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.  For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Paul discovered what we discover, that there is a law in our members, our flesh, that is dominated by sin, I will tell you later what he says in the next chapter, which is brilliant.

There are currently in the UK, opposing views being made public by two Law-Court Judges. Sir James Munby is a British judge and President of the Family Division of the High Court of England and Wales. He said in a speech, reported by Guardian newspaper columnist Andrew Brown, ‘Judges no longer concerned themselves with the promotion of virtue and the discouragement of immorality – and nor should they: Britain is now a secular society, he said, and religion has no special privilege beyond what it is granted by human rights.’ This judge is stamping his secularist views on his office and pronouncing rebuke on any judge who holds the opposite view that Law has a responsibility to determine what is right and what is wrong, therefore making a moral judgement.

The judge that Munby has censored is High Court Judge Sir Paul Coleridge. The Christian Institute’s website carries this piece. ‘Sir Paul, speaking about same-sex marriage, told The Times in 2012: “So much energy and time has been put into this debate for 0.1 per cent of the population, when we have a crisis of family breakdown….. Stability is the name of the game and comparatively speaking that means marriage.” He supports The Marriage Foundation and was rebuffed by Munby for his pro-marriage stance. Coleridge said, “I strongly disagree with the overall conclusion of the JCIO, which underlies this announcement that my occasional comments on the huge social problem of family breakdown or my public support for the Marriage Foundation amounts to misconduct or brings the judiciary into disrepute. Indeed I think the contrary is true.”

These two Judges views illustrate the moral slide of society, Judge Munby’s superior official position and atheistic attitude shout down people like Judge Coleridge who maintain the moral law, that “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach of all people.”    
      
The religious bigot, Saul of Tarsus, struggled in his conscience about the law of sin and death that was working in his life. He held the coats of those who stoned Stephen to death; he had letters in his pocket when he traveled to Damascus authorizing the imprisonment and sometimes death of Christians. The Lord Jesus halted that murderous journey when He spoke to Saul from Heaven, and Saul was converted to Christ. His life was changed; his name was changed to Paul. He wrote in Romans 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh.”

Saul of Tarsus discovered in reality, the liberty of another law, not now according to man’s corrupt thinking, but an unshakable, unchanging Law from God, the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. The joy in my heart as I write these words wants me to shout out loud, “FOR THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS HAS MADE ME FREE FROM THE LAW OF SIN AND DEATH.”


Saul of Tarsus needed Christ to save him, and so does everyone who is clutching to the law of sin and death. People hold on to the ‘live as you like, do as you please’ attitude, thinking that they are accountable to no one, but the fact remains that everyone will give account of their life to God. To stand before Him in the loathsomeness of sin and an unbelieving heart is the height of folly. God sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh. 

When Christ was on the cross at Calvary, God laid on Him the sin of the world, your sin and my sin, but do you believe that?  He died in your place bearing all the guilt of your sin, because He loved you? 

It will be a Happy New Year if you do.
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Friday, January 03, 2014

CHRISTmas TRADING


During the Christmas season, vast amounts of money pass through the high street banks. This world is all about money. Making it, keeping it and spending it. And in order to get it, you usually have to work.

Shortly before His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection, the Lord Jesus talked to His disciples about trading in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 25.14-30). He compared Himself to a businessman who gave varying amounts of money to people to look after while He was away. He wanted them to use the money to do business i.e. to trade. The word trade actually means to 'work or toil'. The Lord gave His servants resources to work with and He expected a 100% growth rate! The servant given five talents made five more, and the servant given two talents made two more. The Lord commended them for their faithfulness and gave them proportionate responsibility in His heavenly kingdom.
But there was a third servant who the Lord draws our attention to. He dug a hole and put his talent into the ground and on the Lord's return, presented it back to Him, untouched. His excuse was that the Lord was hard, austere and oppressive. That lazy servant got a stern rebuke and was cast out into outer darkness. At the very least he should have put the money in the bank to gain interest, let alone worked with it to make it multiply to full advantage. So, the Lord took the money given to the lazy servant and gave it instead, to the servant who had worked the hardest. He knew that it would then be used to full effect.

Serving the Lord begins when a person gets saved, when a person is born again and is filled with His Spirit (Eph. 1.13). An account is instantly opened in the ‘Bank of Heaven’ and the Christian starts the work of investing in heaven’s currency. It is hard work and the rewards are not measured in the currency of this world - money and material things. Instead the Lord Jesus expects us to make full use of the gifts and resources He gives us to show to others His love, like He showed God's love to us. That involves getting to know God as your Father, and behaving in this world like the Lord Jesus did. He did not seek high status even though He is the King of Kings (Rev. 19.6). Instead, in humility and godly fear, He served others, ministering to their needs and in purity of thought and action, demonstrating the principles of God's heavenly Kingdom. It is not possible to be made redundant from that job, or to be underpaid. And the rewards far surpass anything that can be accumulated in this world and are eternal (not left behind at the gates of death as the treasures of this world are). God promises to call all those who are born again His Sons (Rom. 8.15), not just his servants. He gives them eternal life immediately and promises the splendour of heaven in the future. In addition He rewards their faithful service with 'crowns of righteousness' (2 Tim. 4.8) and positions of authority in His future worldwide administration.  It is not possible to serve two masters; it is either the true God or the god of this world i.e. the devil (Matthew 6.24).


Why not make 2014 the time when you choose to serve the Lord and invest in wealth that lasts forever?

Written for FTMP by a guest blogger. 

For more information, videos, podcast visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk 
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