Saturday, April 30, 2016

Leaving #London


Doesn't time fly! It hardly seems two minutes since I left home to head for London. Plans made, objectives set and great anticipation as I looked forward to sharing good news with the people of London. 

Realistically I know you cannot reach many people in a two week period. But telling people that they can be forgiven, their guilt can be removed, they can have peace with God is worthwhile whether you tell 20 people or 2,000 people. 


I enjoy the privilege of sharing the gospel. Despite the fact that many people don't want to know! Despite the fact that lots of people get very agitated and angry when I raise the issues of God, Jesus, life, sin, death, our accountability, the day of judgment etc. It raises temperatures and people get hot under the collar. They are often indignant that I have the audacity to talk about such personal and private issues. 


The question is - Are these issues totally private? Are they only for personal discussion? The answer is yes and no! At a very simple level Christians believe that it is essential to warn and help people when they are in danger. That's why Christians have started hospitals, changed laws, developed social improvements and worked for the good of society. 

Imagine if I had the only treatment for a disease and you had the disease but were unaware that you were ill. Would I be cruel or kind if I ignored you and didn't do the following - 1. Make you aware of your illness and 2. Offer you the treatment? Common sense says that even if I am intruding in your private world in the long run I'm trying to help you. 

Here's another example. I am walking away from a cliff edge. Fog has fallen. You are heading towards the cliff edge but you are blind and unaware of both the fog and the cliff edge. What am I going to do? Maintain my distance, ignore you and leave you alone or step across the privacy line and warn you of your potential danger. 

In both cases I think the answer is obvious!

The truth is I am addressing matters of eternal significance. Everything else only affects this life - these matters are enormous as decisions made in this life cannot be reversed when we cross the line of death. 

Personal and private matters often need input from others so that we make good decisions. For instance you consult others when making big decisions in life. Whether it's health, finances, career, relationships and so much more it is almost impossible to make good decisions on your own. We often need input and information from people who know more than us to make good choices. 

So as I close I leave you with probably the most well advertised verse in the Bible - John 3:16. 

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life".

If you get the truth of this verse it will literally change you forever. May it be so!


For lots of videos, podcasts, blogs and explanations of the gospel of the grace of God visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

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Friday, April 29, 2016

Boris Johnson - The Mayor of London


As some of you know I have been preaching the gospel in the city of London for the last two weeks. Along with my friend and fellow preacher, Jonathan Black, I have visited rough housing estates, respectable and middle class areas of Bexley Heath, preached in Trafalgar Square, Woolwich Town Centre and Bexley Heath Town Centre. Yesterday while preaching in Bexley Heath we happened to meet Boris Johnson, the current Mayor of London. I don't believe that this was a chance meeting! He, like all of us, needs his sins forgiven and to be saved by the grace of God. God ordered his circumstances so that we could give him a leaflet about the gospel of Jesus Christ and invite him to the final meeting in Bethany Gospel Hall, North Street, Bexley Heath. He was, as you would imagine, very pleasant and accepted our invitation graciously!


I believe that the gospel of Jesus Christ knows no boundaries. It reaches people in all sectors of society. There are no social barriers, no economic exclusions! Your level of education doesn't include you or exclude you. I am not interested in how poor you are or how rich. The gospel meets the need of every living soul because Jesus, the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. If you live on earth you qualify for we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God and need His forgiveness. 


The essential facts of the gospel are that we are all sinners and answerable to God - Romans 3:23, Acts 17:31, Romans 14:11,12.


God has provided salvation through the death, burial and resurrection of his Son, Jesus - John 3:16,17, 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, Romans 5.


If we confess our sins to God, repent and confess that the Jesus Christ is Lord we can benefit from salvation - 1 John 1:9, Acts 16:31.


As always you can access more information via www.seekthetruth.org.uk or www.findingthemissingpeace.blogspot.com 
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Thursday, April 28, 2016

London Transport

I've spent the last two weeks using the London Transport system. I'm very impressed! Things seem to work like clockwork most of the time. 


Any large city transport system like London Transport have to get things right – the stakes are too high! Oyster Cards, Underground, Overland, Buses all synchronised and working together. Much is done every day to ensure that everything goes smoothly.  Preparation and review takes place on an ongoing basis behind the scenes to ensure the public's safety and well being. 


Can I remind you of something else which was planned and organised for a long time before it took place. I am talking about the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you have read this so far and are about move on please bear with me. Read a little more before you decide what you think!


The death of Jesus was to rid the universe of evil in every form. Jesus’ death was a full and final payment for evil to demonstrate that God is still holy and that we humans can be forgiven and be right before God. Are you still with me? 


Evil is in the world in a general sense but evil is also in the heart of the individual. You might agree with the former comment and disagree with the latter! The Bible says ‘the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it,’ Jeremiah 17:8. Please keep reading! You may be thinking – is it actually possible or realistic to rid the world of evil? This world has grappled with the problem of evil since the earliest days of planet earth. 


Evil did not evolve! The question is where did it come from and why is it so normal? The Bible explains! The reason why evil exists and has such a devastating effect on the world is given in Romans chapter five verse twelve -  ‘by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin so death has passed upon all men’. The first human being, Adam, was well warned! God had told him the rules and consequences of disobedience. ‘For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,’ Genesis 2:17. And so that's what happened. 


Evil is so normal we use a variety of words to describe it. Sin, imperfection, failure or shortcomings. Evil exists in every department of life. It affects the environment, the financial world, relationships, health, education, politics; indeed everything. 

Preparation has to be made on daily basis to avoid the effect of evil on London Transport. No way you say. 


Security systems are in place, barriers exist so that you only get through if you have paid the fare, staff undertake security checks, transport police are on standby to deal with any incidents as are paramedics who are ready to cope with illness, tragedy or any similar event. In fact much goes on behind the scenes to prevent disaster and tragedy because it's the only way to cope with the evil that is so normal in society. It has ever been so; this is not a modern phenomenon! 

                            
God’s plan of salvation was triggered when Christ died for our sins. The effect of what Christ has done can only be felt personally at the moment. Individuals can benefit from the blessing of forgiveness and be saved when they repent (turn from) their sin and ‘believe the gospel’, Mark 1:15. 


In the future (after the Lord Jesus returns to Earth as promised) God will deal with evil on a wider scale. God has appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness, Acts 17:31 but for now he is holding back his judgment and offering salvation to anyone who calls upon his name, Romans 10:13. 


Today in London there is a lot going on behind the scenes to ensure people’s safety and the smooth running of the transport system. So God is working behind the scenes to bring eternal blessing into your life. 


Will you entrust the salvation of your soul to Him?

For more information or to get in touch visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 



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Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Feeling rejected?



What does it feel like to be rejected? Most of us have been left out of a group or event at some stage or another. It doesn't feel nice. In fact it can feel quite horrible! There are times when we might feel justified to exclude someone. Not that I am suggesting that it's a good thing to do but if someone has been mean, unkind, thoughtless or just plain annoying you might be tempted to exclude them from your circle of friends. 


The Lord Jesus Christ was literally the best friend to have. Friends are special and good friends are rare! The Bible advises that if a person wants to have friends then they must 'show themselves friendly,' Proverbs 18:24. This same proverb also states 'there is a friend that sticks closer than a brother'. Personally I think that this is an indirect reference to Jesus Christ. If it's not speaking about him personally it definitely defines his character. Family relationships should be the closest of relationships. We say 'blood is thicker than water'. So this proverb is saying there is a person who can have an even closer relationship to you than a family one. The only person that I know that this is true about is the Lord Jesus Christ. 


When living on earth, the Bible describes the Lord Jesus as being the friend of publicans and sinners, Matthew 11:19. In the days in which Jesus lived on earth the term 'publicans and sinners' described the lowest of the low in society. Isn't it amazing that the Son of God, Jesus, was described as the friend of this group of people. That is so encouraging! If his interest extended to the lowest strata of society then his love and grace can reach all of mankind. I was visiting in two areas of London today. Abbey Wood and Bexley Heath. In one area the people think that they are the best of people; in the other, well, they know life is tough and times can be hard and they haven't had it great. But do you know God and his Son, make no distinctions - they love all people equally. 


One of the most famous verses in the Bible is John 3:16. It states 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life,' John 3:16.

Notice God loved - the world
Notice God love for His Son - he is the only begotten (meaning unique and unmatched)
Notice that God gave - His only begotten Son, that is to the death of the cross to pay for our sins.

How will you respond?

The options are: you (the word whosoever is used because no one is excluded) can entrust your eternal destiny to Jesus Christ.  Please do not ignore him but depend on him for salvation!

The consequences - salvation or damnation. 

There are only two destinations in the next life - Heaven or Hell.

You can either confess your sin to God and receive Christ as your Lord and Saviour and end up in heaven....

OR 

You can deny it or delay it and end up in hell. 



Here is the verse again - 'For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life,' John 3:16.


I started by asking if you had ever been rejected or knew what it felt like. My reason for asking is that Jesus Christ was despised and rejected of men. They accused him falsely, executed him illegally nailing him to a tree. I thank God that he 'once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God,' 1 Peter 3:18. 

He is the friend that sticks closer than a brother!
He is the one who died for us even when we were his enemies.


Will you trust him for the salvation of your soul?

If you have further questions please get in touch via www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 



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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Abbey Wood, London


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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Eternal Youth!


Many people are seeking for eternal youth. They try various beauty products, fitness regimes, healthy eating plans and therapy but never quite reach their goal. 

The promise of eternal youth is an illusion which creates a lot of business opportunities; makes a lot of people feel better about themselves but never quite delivers what it promises. It's what we all want but can't really have. 



Please stop for a moment! I have good news for you. You cannot have eternal youth BUT YOU CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!

This is not a scam! It's true! There are no catches! It's the real deal! So listen carefully!

2016 years ago a series of amazing events took place! These events changed world history and are still revolutionising people's lives. I'm talking about the birth of Jesus Christ and 33 years later his death and subsequent resurrection. Nearly 4,000 years before his birth a prediction had been made (in the Bible, Genesis 3:15) that a man would born of a woman without a man being involved in the conception. Christians call this 'the virgin birth'; it might actually be more accurate to call it a 'virgin conception'. 

Furthermore, the way that Jesus would died was was not unexpected and was predicted precisely. The mode of his death was not a normal form of capital punishment at the time the predictions were made. In Psalm 22:16, written 1,000 years before the time of Christ, it stated 'they pierced my hands and my feet'. This is an overt reference to death by crucifixion. You may argue that Psalm 22 was written after the event - try telling that to a Jewish Rabbi!

You may argue that people manipulated events to fulfil scripture. I think an honest look at the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus clearly makes that suggestion improbable. But the story gets more intriguing - three days after his crucifixion it was reported that his tomb was empty and that he was seen alive. Finally it is reported that Jesus returned to heaven 40 days after his resurrection. 

Books have been written by a variety of intelligent and legal minds checking out these claims. Here are some authors you might want to check out. Frank Morison, Lawyer, Journalist & Author (his real name was Albert Henry Ross but he wrote under a pseudonym), Professor Simon Greenleaf, American lawyer & Harvard Royal Professor of Law, Josh McDowell, Lawyer and Lee Strobel, Lawyer and Journalist to name a few. 

The evidence that there is more to this than meets the eye goes on and on? Ignoring it won't change the truth but it will leave you exposed to the fact that God intervened in history, that he sent a message and you refused to listen. 

I see a simple summary of the life of Christ in the words of scripture "the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world," 1 John 4:14. 

For more information or to get in touch with Stephen visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk

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Saturday, April 23, 2016

The 3 step plan to Salvation


I do love the simplicity of the Bible. It's not that the message is simplistic as in stupid or not thoroughly thought out but it is simple. 

The blog I posted yesterday had a lot of detail about the gospel, the authenticity of the message and provided some examples of people who made it their aim to verify and/or discredit the Bible and Christianity. Today's blog will be different. 

All I want to do is restate how a person becomes a Christian and can be sure of the safety that is guaranteed in the word of God, the Bible. 


Please read the verse above carefully.

It is plucked out of Acts chapter two in the Bible. The Apostle Peter is the preacher. He is explaining events that had just taken place in Jerusalem. People in the city had assumed that the disciples of Jesus were drunk (see verse 15) because they had been given, by God, the ability to talk languages that they had never studied or learned (see verse 6). 

Peter announced that this amazing phenomena was the fulfilment of an ancient prediction. The prophet Joel had prophesied that this would happen, Joel 2:28-32. It was a prediction that some day in the future God would 'pour out His Spirit upon all flesh' and that young and old would speak God's message to the society around about them. The day of it's fulfilment had arrived and the people of Jerusalem were witnessing it first hand. These were extremely significant and momentous days. 

But what was the point of this miraculous outpouring of God's Spirit on men and women in Jerusalem. Was it just a spectacular event or would there be a long term effect on people. Peter gives us the answer in this verse!


The purpose was to catch people's attention! God was speaking and he wanted people to listen. Often when God speaks most of us ignore Him. Sometimes God has to shake us up a bit to get our attention! Maybe he has done that in your life. Could it be that it took illness to catch your attention! Or relationship problems! Or financial difficulties! Whatever it takes God will not be ignored, the matter of your soul and your eternal destiny is far too important! You may drift along but at some stage in life God requires you to listen to his voice. It's for your eternal blessing and well being. 

The event we are readng about today was the day that the Church was formed. Christians call it the birthday of the church. The Bible calls it the 'Feast of Pentecost,' Leviticus 23:15,16 & Acts 2:1, which was an ancient Jewish festival that took place at the end of a harvest period -  it was also known as the 'Feast of Ingathering,' Exodus 23:16 & Exodus 34:22. It is a wonderful picture of the fact that God is gathering out of the world people who are prepared to repent (turn from) their sins and trust His Son for salvation. Three thousand people were saved on the day that the Church was formed and another five thousand men were saved a few days later. It was definitely a Feast of Ingathering. People were accepting God's forgiveness through trusting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. 

The verse, Acts 2:21, states salvation and forgiveness of sins is available to:

1. Everyone 
2. Everyone who calls (asks)
3. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord

It's so simple! 

Key points

A. You need to ask God for forgiveness for Him to save you. 

You need to realise and admit you need salvation before you will do that! In other words if you don't realise you have sinned against God then you won't ask. Sin is every wrong thing you do, think and say. It is arge and small offences. It can take the form of lies, selfish behaviour, unbelief, stealing in any shape or form, anger and sexual sin any shape or form. This is just a very short sample list, ultimately sin is to fall short of the glory of God; that is God's standards which are glorious and for our blessing. 

B. You need to realise that the Lord Jesus is the only one who can save you! If you don't 'get it' about who Jesus is you won't accept that He alone can save you. He was not just human; he was God who became a man. He demonstrated by miracles that he was God visiting earth. He is perfect and never sinned or did wrong. It is his perfection that qualified him to take the punishment for our sins. This is why he is the only one who can save.....because no one else is without sin. 

C. Finally, you need to accept that Jesus came back from the dead. Read my blog posting of the 22nd April 2016 to get more info re this. It is a key ingredient of the gospel message - 1 Corinthians 15 & Romans 4:25. If Jesus is still dead the Christian gospel is a farce. 

My prayer is that you will come to God by faith in Jesus and know the joy of salvation and peace with God. 

Please get in touch through my web-page www.seekthetruth.org.uk. 



  


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Friday, April 22, 2016

Are you wasting your money on gym membership?



The Key to Eternal Life

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," John 14:6 (the Bible). 

Many people are seeking for eternal youth. They try various beauty products, fitness regimes, healthy eating plans and therapy but never quite reach their goal. 

The promise of eternal youth is an illusion which creates a lot of business opportunities; makes a lot of people feel better about themselves (in the short term) but never quite delivers what it promises. 

For some reason we are all happy to go along with the scam! It's a bit like the story about Emperor's clothes. They knew the truth but nobody wanted to speak up. 

The truth is that we all know we are going to die but nobody wants to talk about it. Maybe if we ignore it, it might go away! Let's ignore the inevitable and pretend that it will never happen! Is this the way you think?

Please stop for a moment! I have good news for you. You cannot have eternal youth BUT YOU CAN HAVE ETERNAL LIFE!

This is not a scam! It's true! There are no catches! It's the real deal! So listen carefully!

2016 years ago an amazing event took place! Then 33 years later (so 1983 years ago) an even more incredible event took place. These events changed world history and are still revolutionising people's lives. 

What am I referring to? I'm referring to the birth of Jesus Christ and 33 years later his death and subsequent resurrection. His birth was a predicted event. Nearly 4,000 years before his birth a prediction had been made that a man would born of a woman (that's normal you say) but without a man being involved in the conception. That prediction is found in the Bible, Genesis 3:15. That's what Christians call 'the virgin birth'; it might actually be more accurate to call it a 'virgin conception'. 

Then there's the death of Jesus. Again the way he died was predicted precisely and was not unexpected. The amazing thing is that the mode of his death was not a normal form of capital punishment at the time the predictions were made (see note at the end of this blog). In Psalm 22:16, written 1,000 years before the time of Christ, it stated in the context of suffering and death, 'they pierced my hands and my feet'. This is an overt reference to death by crucifixion. This passage has been cross referenced to the death of Jesus not just to identity the mode of his death but, incredibly, to identify a raft of things that happened on the occasion of the crucifixion. For instance verse 1 pre quotes some of the words that Jesus would say while suffering on the cross (see Matthew 27:46). Verses 7 & 8 pre quote what the leaders of the Jews would say to Jesus while he suffered on the cross (see Matthew 27:43). Verse 18 specifically describes how the squad of Roman soldiers would divide some of Jesus' clothes between them but gamble for his seamless garment so that only one of them walked away with it. It's not the fact that they took the victims clothes (that was normal) it's the detail of how they divided one and gambled for the other (see John 19:23,24) that's important in this passage. The last words of Jesus on the cross are pre recorded in verse 31. In Hebrew the words, translated in English, that 'he hath done this' or 'that he has performed it' are the same ones we find in John 19:30 that are translated into English as 'it is finished'. 

You may argue that Psalm 22 was written after the event - try telling that to a Jewish Rabbi. Most of them don't even accept that the passage is speaking about Jesus. 

You may argue that people manipulated events to fulfil scripture. I think an honest look at the circumstances surrounding the death of Jesus clearly makes that suggestion impossible. 

So what are we left with. We are left with everything pointing to the fact that the Bible is the word of God. Only a supernatural being, such as God, is able to predict the future accurately. That's only one aspect of what God can do but it's absolutely true!

To be honest the references that I have given to you only scratch the surface of the evidence that the Bible is the word of God and that Jesus is the Son of God. 

But let me take you back to considering Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. I mean to say was Jesus no more than a humble rural preacher? He only operated in the land of Palestine with a couple of rare excursions outside if it's borders. He was extremely popular but somehow ended up being crucified by the Roman authorities (despite the Roman court records saying that he was innocent of any charges against him). The story gets more intriguing - three days after his crucifixion it was reported that his tomb was empty and that he was seen alive. Check your historical sources and you will find sufficient eye witness evidence to this fact to persuade any court of law. Books have been written establishing the fact of his resurrection by a variety of intelligent and legal minds. Here are some authors you might want to check out.  Gilbert West, English Poet, Frank Morison (his real name was Albert Henry Ross. He was Lawyer, Journalist & Author but wrote under a pseudonym), Professor Simon Greenleaf, American lawyer & Harvard Royal Professor of Law, Josh McDowell, Lawyer and Lee Strobel, Lawyer and Journalist to name a few (see the end of the blog for more details). Finally to complete the life of Christ on eart It is reported that he returned to heaven from Earth some 40 days after his resurrection. 

Be honest with me - what do you make of this story. Crazy, impossible, legend!!

It sounds like it but why then would men die for this believe? Why do Christians believe that the death of Jesus somehow atoned for sin and evil? How have criminals been transformed through faith in Jesus? How is it possible that true Christianity has genuinely transformed societies? 

The evidence that there is more to this than meets the eye goes on and on? Ignoring it won't change the truth but it will leave you exposed to the fact that God intervened in history, that he sent a message and you refused to listen. 

It is obvious that all is not right with the world! Evil exists! We have a moral conscious and an awareness of right and wrong! Spontaneous creation is impossible! There must be a creator! There is and he has communicated to us through his word, the Bible and through His Son, Jesus. 

It is vital that we know the truth and the truth will make us free. This is too big an issue to ignore. 

Please listen once again to the statements of scripture. 

"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me," John 14:6 (the Bible). 

Christ is the Saviour of sinners. He died to make full payment for our sins. He rose from the dead to demonstrate that he has paid the price in full, conquered death and offers eternal life to each person who repents (turns from their sin) and trusts Him to save them. 

If you really want to know the truth visit www.seekthetruth.org.uk and browse the various items. 



Note re Crucifixion

Britannica reports that the first historical record of Crucifixion was about 519 BC when "Darius I, king of Persia, crucified 3,000 political opponents in Babylon" (Encyclopaedia Britannica, crucifixion)

Some further detail is given in "The Eerdman's Bible Dictionary", Rev. Ed., 1975: CROSS... Crucifixion is first attested among the Persians (cf. Herodotus, Hist. i.128.2; iii.132.2, 159.1), perhaps derived from the Assyrian impalement. It was later employed by the Greeks, especially Alexander the Great, and by the Carthaginians, from whom the Romans adapted the practice as a punishment for slaves and non-citizens, and occasionaly for citizens guilty of treason. Although in the Old Testament the corpses of blasphemers or idolaters punished by stoning might be handged "on a tree" as further humiliation (Deut. 21:23), actual crucifixion was not introduced in Palestine until Hellenistic times. The Seleucid Antiochus IV Epiphanes crucified those Jews who would not accept hellenization (Josephus Ant.xii.240-41; cf 1 Macc. 1:44-50).

Note re people who investigated the resurrection

Gilbert West (1703-1756)

Gilbert West was included in Samuel Johnson’s 
Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets. As a student at Oxford, West set out to debunk the Bible’s account of Christ’s resurrection. Instead, having proved to himself that Christ did rise from the dead, he was converted. West published his conclusions in the book Observations on the History and Evidences of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ (1747). On the fly-leaf he had the following printed: “Blame not before thou hast examined the truth.”

Albert Henry Ross (Frank Morison) (1881-1950)

Albert Ross was a lawyer, journalist, and novelist who grew up in Stratford-on-Avon, England. He was deeply affected by the skepticism of the times, particularly the attacks on the Bible by theological liberalism and Darwinism. After becoming a lawyer, he set out to write a book to disprove the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Instead, he was converted and wrote a book in defense of the resurrection entitled 
WHO MOVED THE STONE? -- which is still in print today. He wrote the book under the name of Frank Morison.

Simon Greenleaf (1783-1853)

Simon Greenleaf, Royal Professor of Law at Harvard University, was one of the most celebrated legal minds in American history. His 
Treatise on the Law of Evidence “is still considered the greatest single authority on evidence in the entire literature of legal procedure.” 

As a law professor, he determined to expose the “myth” of the resurrection of Christ once and for all, but his thorough examination forced him to conclude, instead, that Jesus did rise from the dead. In 1846 he published 
An Examination of the Testimony of the Four Evangelists by the Rules of Evidence Administered in the Courts of Justice

Thus, one of the most celebrated minds in the legal profession of the past two centuries took the resurrection of Christ to trial, diligently examined the evidence, and judged it to be an established fact of history! And this was in spite of the fact that he began his investigation as a skeptic. 

One of Greenleaf’s points is that nothing but the resurrection itself can explain the dramatic change in Christ’s disciples and their willingness to suffer and die for their testimony. 

JOSH MCDOWELL

Josh McDowell, the author of 
Evidence That Demands a Verdict, was a skeptic when he entered university to pursue a law degree. There he met some Christians who challenged him to examine the evidence for the Bible and Jesus Christ. 

Lee Strobel

Lee Strobel has a law degree from Yale University and worked as an investigative reporter for one of America’s largest newspapers, the 
Chicago Tribune. He was an atheist. After his wife became a Christian in 1979, he was upset at her decision and determined to prove that the Bible is not true and that Jesus Christ is not the Son God. For two years he pursued this objective, using all of his legal and journalistic skills, but in the end he had proved to himself that the Bible is the Word of God and Jesus rose from the dead. He became a Christian in 1981 and has since written many books defending the Christian faith.

“It wasn’t a phone call from an informant that prompted me to reexamine the case for Christ. It was my wife. Leslie stunned me in the autumn of 1979 by announcing that she had become a Christian. I rolled my eyes and braced for the worst, feeling like the victim of a bait-and-switch scam. I had married one Leslie--the fun Leslie, the carefree Leslie, the risk-taking Leslie--and now I feared she was going to turn into some sort of sexually repressed prude who would trade our upwardly mobile lifestyle for all-night prayer vigils and volunteer work in grimy soup kitchens.

“Instead I was pleasantly surprised--even fascinated--by the fundamental changes in her character, her integrity, and her personal confidence. Eventually I wanted to get to the bottom of what was prompting these subtle but significant shifts in my wife’s attitudes, so I launched an all-out investigation into the facts surrounding the case for Christianity. 

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Thursday, April 21, 2016

Trafalgar Square, London



We were privileged to be preaching the Gospel in the City of London today. Trafalgar Square was constantly full of people moving from one place to another. People have so little time to stop and think. As we preached and offered leaflets many refused to consider their need of salvation. When questions such as 'Would you like to hear about how you can have peace with God' were asked people were reluctant to take leaflets. 



The old hymn says "Room for business, room for pleasure, but for Christ the crucified, not a place that he can enter, in the heart for which he died". 



God is 'long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance,' (2 Peter 3:9 - the Bible) but you wonder how long God will hold back his judgment on a society that overtly rejects him and promotes sinful beliefs and behaviour. 



I am so glad that 'God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us,' Romans 5:8 (the Bible). 



If you don't know peace with God please read the selected scriptures quoted above (you can find them on line via https://www.biblegateway.com). 



For further information contact me (Stephen) via www.seekthetruth.org.uk


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