No one is perfect!

Every Tuesday and Friday I am part of a small team of people who run a street meeting in Liverpool City Centre telling people about the message that God is still communicating to the people of the world in the Bible.


Yesterday I had quite a chat with a really nice guy, he was interested to find out more about God and life after death, why I believed it, how you can be sure etc..


One of the things we agreed on was that no one is perfect. I thing you would agree with this statement as well. It has almost become a strap line and possibly an excuse on occasions when we know we have done wrong but don't feel that we could have behaved any better. I know that it is not a popular way of putting it but the Bible simply calls it sin. That is not making the grade, not reaching the target or not being perfect.


Who sets the standard? Why do we feel imperfect? Are we just conditioned by our parents? I don't think so and the Bible definitely doesn't teach it that way. The Bible says that God is the law giver and he sets the standard. Interestingly enough the Bible actually states that God has imprinted His law (standards of right and wrong) in our hearts (Romans.2.15). That is whatever the culture or the time period human beings are aware of right and wrong and have strong views about it. What is different is the fact that from time to time people harden their hearts and sear their conscience so that their sensitivity to right and wrong is reduced. But amazingly enough when are a person is confronted with their wrongdoing their conscience is reignited and they feel guilty.


All degrees of sin are wrong but the punishment is scaled according to the severity of the disobedience - Revelation.20.12. Sin first raised its ugly head in our world through a simple act of rebellion by the first man, Adam. God tested him and he failed (Romans.5.12).


The reason for my blog is share with you the good news that God is not finished with us. He is not currently in the business of condemning us (John.3.17) but he wants to rescue us and save us. The Bible states that, Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners (1.Timothy.1.15). Essentially the wrong that we have done by disobeying our creator and the punishment attached to it is greater than we can deal with. So God sent His Son, Jesus to this world. He alone (as everyone else had sinned and were personally guilty) was qualified to take our punishment and satisfy the legal demands of heaven. Jesus did this when he died on the cross. The Bible teaches 'Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures' (1.Corinthians.15.3,4) and as a believer I know this to be true. One day I turned from my sins, admitted to God I was guilty, confessed that he was right and I was wrong and accepted the gift of God which is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans.6.23).


You could do that today and I am praying that you will. If I can help further please e-mail at stepcar61@gmail.com or listen to my podcast at www.seekthetruth.org.uk.


May you allow God to bless you today, Stephen   

Fire from heaven!

It is reported that Hurricane Irene spawned as a tropical storm in the Caribbean, developed into a full blown hurricane as it travelled north through the Bahamas to the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, causing billions of dollars of damage.

In the early hours of Monday 22^nd August as the storm passed over Necker, lightening allegedly struck Richard Branson’s luxury home and the palm-roofed Grand House was burnt to the ground. Fire from Heaven completely destroyed the building but fortunately none of the twenty people in the house were hurt. It is said that ‘Lightening does not strike twice’ but I guess that the re-build house will have a non-flammable roof, and maybe a lightening conductor? One newspaper said that the only thing that survived the fire was a statue of Buddha. Interesting!

According to Wikipedia there are 16 million lightening storms in the world every year, each strike can travel around 140,000 mph.

My wife and I saw an amazing sight one night in Anguilla. Fork Lightening was playing across the sea as we looked out towards St.Bartholomew, producing a fantastic display of illuminating power. At times like that one realises one’s own frail humanity and wonders at the majesty of our great creator God.

The Bible records occasions when fire fell from Heaven. The first is in Genesis ch.19 when God poured out His wrath against the wicked people of Sodom and Gomorrah, verse 22 says, “Haste thee, escape thither; for I cannot do any thing till thou be come thither. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven.” God saw the wickedness of man in those cities the same as He did in the days of Noah when it was a flood and not fire that brought judgement to the ungodly.

The flood was universal, the fire from Heaven was local but then it was upon the nation of Egypt. Exodus 9:23 reads, “And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.” Pharaoh’s bitter opposition against Israel and defiance against God brought retribution upon him and his nation. It says in scripture “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” The corruption and perversion of National leaders can be the downfall of that nation.

King Ahab of Israel was a corrupt leader he had been corrupted by his wife Jezebel who was a Zidonian and worshipped the god Baal. God raised up a prophet named Elijah to speak and act against the prophets of Baal. There was a contest on Mount Carmel. Four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal agreed with Elijah that the deity that answered by fire to consume their sacrifice, that he would be God. The false prophets prepared their altar and sacrifice and called upon Baal, but there was no fire. 1Kings 18:36 says, And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that thou art God in Israel, and that I am thy servant, and that I have done all these things at thy word. Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that thou art the LORD God, and that thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the LORD fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God; the LORD, he is the God.

After Ahab’s death, his son Ahaziah reigned over Israel but he was just as evil as his Father. He had an accident and was sick. God told Elijah to send a message and tell Ahaziah that he would not recover. Ahaziah was angry with Elijah and sent fifty soldiers with their captain to capture Elijah. “And there came down fire from heaven, and consumed him and his fifty.” He sent another fifty and fire fell from Heaven and consumed them. He sent another fifty but their captain fell on his knees and pleaded with Elijah that their lives might be spared. If the King did not believe the captain certainly did!

There are some people today who do not believe in God, and they would ridicule and mock anyone that does believe and have committed their trust to Him for salvation. Who is right?

The word ‘Fire’ appears twenty five times in the Book of Revelation, over half of them are in the section from ch. 8 to 19 that deals with the period called ‘The Great Tribulation’. Ch.8:5 to 8 says, “And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound. The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up. And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood.”

Chapter 19 tells us of Christ returning to earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords to reign for a thousand years, but even after a Millennia of righteousness reigning, a final rebellion will take place led by the armies of Gog and Magog. Ch.20:9 reads, “And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” You have got to believe it, this is the truth. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ now and be saved. God bless.

Written by Stan Burditt

Rioting - should we be surprised

I watched an interview on Sky news yesterday where four young men described what they had done, when out rioting and looting. Their body language seemed to show some sense of guilt but their attitude and conversation indicated no remorse or regret.   I was wondering if the current lack of teaching of morals in society has played a big part in this way of thinking. Should we be surprised that that the rioters do not think that they did anything wrong? I believe that everyone is responsible for their own actions but there is a sense in which we have set people up for this crazy way of thinking. We spend years teaching amoral principles in our schools, colleges and universities. Things such as - there is no absolute moral code, we are free agents to believe what we want and right and wrong depends on circumstances! Most people would defend our right to believe whatever we want i.e. we create our own framework which is flexible depending on our persuasions in life. But this approach does not work in business, on the street or in money matters to name just a few examples. We all know in our hearts that we need structures, rules and parameters to maintain a civilised society.  The outcome of the current philosophy is that everyone does what is right in their own eyes. This ends in anarchy, social disorder and chaos!  I know that a high percentage of society are decent people trying their best and they are disgusted at what they have seen recently. The truth is that most of the rioters are either young people or from a sector of society where behavioural boundaries are non existent or very weak.    We need to get back to recognising that at the very least the principles of the biblical moral code are good for our society. No other structure has been discovered that works. 

 I believe that at an individual level the only hope we can give society is the change that comes through the power of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  The change to better our lives and improve society starts within individuals. Look at the effect of christianity on societies over the centuries; the results are seen in hospitals, healthcare provision, schools, social care and many more benefits to any given society. As stated already nothing else effectively and permanently changes people for their good and the good of society. Biblical christianity recognises the flawed nature of humanity and offers the death of Jesus Christ as the power of God for salvation (the Bible - Romans 1.16). The change is firstly internal but if it is real (and there have been many false claims in the name of Christianity) it must manifest itself in behaviours and activity in society.   I appeal with our civic leaders and the general public to consider this message as it is the only hope that we have to offer. External reforming of society, improved conditions and better economic conditions all have a part to play but these will never reform the moral state of society. If individuals do not come to know the reforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ then there is no hope. In periods of economic depression and social upheaval (which we all know are unavoidable due to the cyclical nature of world affairs and the greed of the human heart) we will always end up with social disorder but things can be different. The choice lies in the hands of the individual. We have been warned once again by these recent events!

The Sky's the limit

Wikipedia’s opening paragraph on ‘Sky’ says, ‘The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight.^[1][2][3][4] The sky is sometimes defined as the denser gaseous zone of a planet's atmosphere. At night the sky has the appearance of a black surface or region scattered with stars.’

Putting the word ‘Sky’ into Google’s search engine shows the first dozen or so sites belonging to the Sky media group that has been into the news recently. Rupert Murdoch’s News International wanted to take over BskyB corporation but with the alledged phone hacking by the News of the World and subsequent arrests brought about a Parliamentary inquiry. Murdoch with others were summoned to appear before a committee of M.P.’s and questioned about their involvement with that unlawful practice.

Channel 4 Television had a program called ‘Murdoch’ on the 27^th. July. It was a documentary investigating the involvement of News International and police officers in the London Metropolitan Police. One N.I. ex-journalist said he had handed £30,000 in two Sainsbury’s Supermarket bags, to a policeman for leads to a story. He inferred that although this was the largest sum that he had given, it was the practice to pay bribes to police officers for information.

The questions that the appointed judge Lord Justice Brian Leveson will present to all that appear before him over the next 12 months will reveal how and who are implicated in these accusations of unlawful conduct. C.E.O.’s from media companies, Police chiefs, and Government Officers will take the stand, we are told that no one will be excluded, and no one will be able to withhold evidence. As the old adage says, ‘The skies the limit’!

I am always interested when a word or a phrase appears seven times in the Bible, Yes, you have guessed, the word ‘Sky’ is one of those words, and there are many such sevens in scripture.

Sky is first mentioned in Deut.33:26, “There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky.” Jeshurun is an alternative name for Israel but the attention in the verse is on God, it is He that rides upon the Heavens and his excellency is seen in the sky. The majesty and glory of God is there for all to see. Psalm 19:1 concurs, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.” The second mention is Job 37:18 and reads, “Hast thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong, and as a molten looking glass?” The other five are in the New Testament, Matthew 16:2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.

Matthew 16:3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?

Luke 12:56 Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that you do not discern this time?

Hebrews 11:12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. This final one describes the seed of Abraham as prolific, like the stars of the sky for number.

The other four recorded by Matthew and Luke gives us the teaching of Christ in relation to discerning the weather by the redness of the sky.

In 1965 Geoffrey Bull wrote a book called, ‘The Sky is Red’. Earlier he was a Missionary to China and Tibet and was imprisoned for three years in Tibet. At that time the Western World were cautiously watching the Russian brand of Communism whereas brother Bull was experiencing the Chinese brand first-hand. Was he before his time in reading the sign of the times?

The first mention of ‘sky’ in Matt.16:3 Jesus caused people of that day and us today to recognize a red sunset or a red sunrise. From our front room we often have seen some beautiful sunsets. A couple of evenings ago as the sun was setting it shone up to the clouds causing the sky to have a fluffy candy-floss pink appearance, we commented that the next day would be fine and sunny, and so it was. People all over the world can identify with those situations. The second mention is a challenge by the Son of God to his hearers that they had witnessed on two occasions His feeding five thousand and four thousand with a few loaves and fishes, yet they failed to recognize Him as their Saviour. Albeit on the first occasion they came to Him and wanted to take Him by force and make Him their king. Could they not read the sign of the times? The King and the kingdom was among them but they would receive neither but later hounded Him to the cross.

The scripture says in John 1:11, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”

They did not read the signs of the times then and generally speaking people are not reading the signs of the times today. The Lord is coming soon to set up His Millennial Kingdom on earth. ‘Our Lord is now rejected, and by the world disowned; By the many still neglected, And by the few enthroned. But soon He'll come in glory; The hour is drawing nigh For the crowning-day that's coming by-and-by……The heavens shall glow with splendor; But brighter far than they The saints shall shine in glory, As Christ shall them array: The beauty of the Saviour Shall dazzle every eye, In the crowning-day that's coming by-and-by!!’

BskyB will not have the monopoly on that event, “Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him,” God bless.

Written by Stan Burditt of Northampton