Is it true?

 

Sometimes you wonder if the information you get is actually true, writes Bert Cargill of St Monans Gospel Hall. With the advent of AI, and the ease with which images can now be altered and manipulated, along with the deliberate spread ofmisinformation on social media, how can you be sure of the truth of a matter?

Some organisations like the BBC have “Verify” procedures which check their news
reports to give some reassurance. Against this there are online statements and
Twitter posts which carry the label “Truth”, but that name hides their intent and
content.

In court cases and public enquiries, evidence must be backed up and established by
two or three witnesses. This fundamental aspect of testimony was declared in the
Bible around 3500 years ago (Deuteronomy 19.15) and remains basic to the
administration of justice in civilised societies. False witnesses sometimes try to
bolster an unworthy cause, as happened when Jesus Christ was being tried by
Pontius Pilate. They failed, but the sentence was still a serious miscarriage of justice.

Letter from America

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

I remember listening as a teenager to my old transistor radio and being entranced by Alistair Cooke’s  “Letter from America “. It was a weekly 15-minute radio series broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and its predecessor, the Home Service and also to the whole world through the BBC World Service.  

Throughout its history, it was presented by Alistair Cooke, who would speak on a topical issue in the USA, tying together different strands of observation and anecdote and often ending on a poignant note. The series ran from 24 March 1946 to 20 February 2004, making it the longest-running speech radio programme hosted by one individual in history.

It got me thinking about the possible contents of a “Letter from Heaven”. Of course, we already have one written in the 66 books of the Bible, making it the longest-running letter put together by God from the beginning of time. It too, ties together different strands of observation and anecdote and often ends on a poignant note!    But what would an abridged letter contain?

A mega mind!

David Butler, who died in 2022, was in many ways a remarkable man.  He was often on television, especially at times of elections, and was blessed with mathematical skills.  As a young boy he spent a lot of time looking at cricket scores and working out batting averages and relished the dates, events and results of cricket matches.  

He came from an intellectually bright family.  His cousin was the well known politician Rab Butler who held many government offices, his father was a Latin professor and his maternal grandfather was the historian, A.F. Pollard.  David did well at school and eventually got a university degree from New College, Oxford.  His time at university was interrupted by the war and he became a tank commander with the Staffordshire Yeomanry and was part of the allied forces that crossed the River Rhine.

He certainly lived an interesting life but is best known for inventing a new science known as psephology.  This derived from the Greek word for ‘pebble’ and came from the ancient practice of the Greeks where pebbles were used to cast their votes. His science was essentially to analyse voting trends and to predict election results. This he did initially on the very first televised election broadcast by the BBC and he did that sort of work until 1979.

Children in Need

Photos courtesy of Unsplash 

What has Solomon from the Old Testament, the prophet Joel, again from the Old Testament, the late Sir Terry Wogan and Pudsey Bear got in common? Care for children, for ‘Children in Need’ to use the phrase from the BBC’s annual appeal as it raises millions of pounds to fund services for children. 

 

In Psalm 127, which is a song by Solomon for worship, we read that “Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord.” As a comprehensive school teacher, I have had the privilege of working with thousands of youngsters for over 25 years now and also had the privilege of helping out in Sunday school work and Youth work. Children have, and continue to be a very important part of my day-to-day life. 

Research your Family Tree

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

 

In recent years there has been a major increase in people’s interest in researching their family trees. As the interest in celebrities rises, so does the fascination with programs that explore their backgrounds and ancestors.

 

The BBC genealogy documentary series ‘Who Do You Think You Are?’ regularly attracts an audience of more than 6 million viewers. It is now in its 17^th series. ITV is running DNA Journey (2019 (1) and 2021 Series (3)), and so the list goes on.

 

While we dig into famous celebrities' ancestry, there is a lot of controversy about the origin of the most famous person in history – Jesus Christ. Christians believe that Jesus is God’s Son. In the New Testament, Jesus frequently referred to God as his “Father” (see John 5:17). In the next verse, we read that the Jews sought to kill him because they understood that he was claiming to be “equal with God”. In John 10:30, Jesus describes himself and his Father as being one in essence, that is, divine, and as a result, we read in verse 33 that the Jews once again try to stone him. 

Remembering Sir Nicholas Winton

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

Towards the end of 1938, a stock-broker, born to German-Jewish parents, travelled from England, which had become his home, to Prague, Czechoslovakia, knowing that upon arrival, he would find many people displaced from their homes. Some were living with relatives, others living rough or in camps with little food and trying their best to keep warm in the winter conditions. At the age of 29, he had so far lived a relatively comfortable life, but hearing about Jews who had lost their jobs and suffered other forms of persecution, he set out to see if there was anything he could do to help.

Whilst a number of organisations were working away, things were getting tougher. He was concerned with rescuing children, but amongst other challenges, was the problem of transporting unaccompanied children across Europe into Britain. Nicholas used his political connections to put certain things in order and his mother went to the ‘Home Office’ to make his rescue plan possible.

BBC Children in Need @BBCCiN #CiN

Do you appreciate your children? Do the stories of disadvantaged and ill children that you see tonight pull at your heartstrings because you think ‘that could be my child’? You picture your child in the situation and think about what that child is going through and how you would cope. We should be truly grateful for how well off we are! It’s another reason why we all need to play our part in Children in Need. They do fantastic things for an amazing cause to raise a lot of money.  

BBC Children in Need (@BBCCiN, #CiN) is an annual but amazing event. It happens every year because the need in our world never seems to diminish. I hope that you give generously and the money is well used. 

The question that it raises in my mind is why? Why is there cruelty? Why are there disadvantaged children? How can people be so cruel? What is the cause of the problem? It's one thing to give money to change people's lives its another to consider why the situation exists in the first place? It's just life I hear you say! These things happen? 

The Bible tells us why - it is because of sin. The Bible states that sin, evil, abuse and pain exist because we were born into a fallen race. The first man, Adam, brought 'sin into the world and death by sin'. 
We also are all in the habit of sinning and the Bible states 'sin, when it is finished brings forth death'. We all sin (fail, hurt, lie, disobey etc) and therefore the moral and physical result is death.
But the good news is things can be different! I do not believe that we can reform the whole world as a result of a political solution. The Bible promises ultimately a reformed world when Jesus returns to earth and establishes His righteous rule. Until then change is made on a case by cases basis. This is why the Bible teaches conversion and it's why Christians are keen to see people saved and converted to Jesus Christ (not conversion to the religion of Christianity but to total allegiance to the person of Jesus Christ). This is why Jesus said 'I am come that they might have life'. 
This is actually only possible because 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'. The Bible puts it like this 'The Father (God) sent the Son (Jesus) to be the Saviour of the world'.
Amazing as it is God has intervened to solve the human tragedy of sin, death and all the negative spin-offs of abuse, cruelty etc. God's only course of action, legally, was either to punish the offenders (us) for someone else to die in our place. The only person who qualified to die for us was Jesus. This is because he was, and is, sinless and pure. His death was voluntary because death is as the result of sin and as He could not sin death had no claim on him. So the reality is that He chose willingly to make payment for our guilt and sin. Therefore, the  Lord Jesus willingly died to save us from eternal death in hell and the lake of fire.
Children in Need is tragic but sadly children in need grow up to be adults in need. Adults are responsible for their actions, children are not! I believe children up until the age of understanding (don't ask me to define what age that is - I think it's different for each individual) automatically go to heaven if they die whereas adults have a choice to make. 

Don't only give to Children in Need tonight but give some thought to your need of forgiveness and salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Thanks for reading my blog.

Stephen

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.

#GBBO - Can you follow a recipe?

Can you follow a recipe?

I am not much of a baker even though that is my surname. Tonight, I watched the final of the Great British Bake Off with my wife. The pressure that the finalists, Andrew Smyth, Candice Brown and Jane Beedle were under was incredible. Congratulations to all three of them for reaching the final and special congratulations to Candice for winning. 

For me one of the scariest moments was imagining what it was like to bake a cake without instructions. Now for these three this probably was not a problem as they all seem to be expert bakers but for most of us instructions are essential! 

Having said that we are not always good at following instructions, are we! Some people are worse than others! I don’t know about you, but one of the most maddening things that I find about people is that they don’t listen and don’t follow instructions. We all know that happens so often in everyday life. We know that people are told things and they don’t even listen. It could be to do with our health or our money but we often ignore the advice that we are given. Or sometimes people are given guidelines but they ignore them and just do it their own way. This is ok, up to a point, if you are baking a cake; unless of course you are in the Great British Bake Off!

I am writing to point people to what God says in the Bible. But God wants them to listen and to follow His instructions for life. For instance Jesus said one day, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14.6 – the Bible). If you follow that instruction you will become a Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.

If you come to understand that Jesus is the Son of God you’ll believe what he said. He said I am the way to God, you can’t come to God any other way. Why then do people go to religion? Why do people try all sorts of different things?

Peter (one of the early preachers) he said, “Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men where by we must be saved” (Acts 4.12 – the Bible). Peter doesn’t give you a choice or alternatives. He says on the authority of what God has said in the Bible there is no salvation any other way.

We need to be rescued, we need forgiveness, we need to be brought to God and there’s only one route because God decided it and it’s through faith in Jesus Christ.

Would you rest on the work Jesus did when He died on the cross. I wonder if today you would simply hear the voice of God and refuse to harden your heart and do what He says:

·      Turn from your sin

·      Obey the gospel

·      Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ.

    God says if you follow my instructions you’ll be saved. I trust that God will richly bless you today.

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.