Everything Everywhere

Dont you just hate it when companies change their name? My husbands pension company has changed hands so many times we have lost track! Orange phones is no longer. Not happy just to change colour they are now EE. EE stands for Everything Everywhere. I was thinking if God was marketed 21st century style EE would be a cool logo. The writer of Hebrews declares "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." The theological name is 'Omnipresent.' My grand-mother told me aged five "God sees everything" it certainly put a healthy fear of the Creator in me from an early age. The awesome thing is even though He can see us warts and all he wasn't willing to write any of us off. And that my friends is what Christmas is all about. "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners" 1Tim1:15. "One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all" Ephesians 4:6. Believers who are trusting in Christ alone for their salvation have this blessed assurance. To them Jesus truly is everything, everywhere.

2012 Olympic Closure

I found myself weeping in the opening ceremony when "Jerusalem" and "Bread of heaven" was sang in the first few minutes. However the closing ceremony had a profound closure about it. George Michael sang his new song "White light." The lyrics reflect his near death experience last year.
"Something divine, oh divine, brought me back to you," "So I just Kept breathing my friends. Was it music that saved me ? Or the way that you prayed for me ? Cause either way I thank you I'm alive."
Entering the stage singing freedom, wearing a diamante encrusted scull on his belt and a crucifix around his neck one wonders whether he is closer to the truth than he realises. "The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is everlasting life in Christ Jesus" Romans 6:23.

Dead  people were prominent. John Lennon sang from a large video screen accompanied by a choir of children singing a line of the lyric "Imagine there is no hell" and Freddie Mercury lead the 80,000 capacity crowd on four giant video screens posthumously from his famous gig in Rio. Ed Sheridan sang Pink Floyds "Wish you were here" "So you think you can tell heaven from hell" a lament for a dead friend. Eric Idle ex-member of 'Monty Python' & amp; 'Life of Brian' controversy sang "Forget about your sin," "always look on the bright side of life."

 The 2012 opening and closing ceremonies prove we are much more than physical beings. We have a spiritual side which is expressed through our songs and our music. The Olympics is seen as the showcase for human achievement, however whatever one achieves in life, the shadow of death is ever present. The doctrines of sin, death and hell were featured, not preached from any pulpit but declared as truth by a rebellious and unbelieving nation. As the lights fade and the stages are taken down many will go back to living their Godless lives. The living church must continue to point them, in which ever way they can, to salvation from sin, death and hell to the one and only Saviour of the world, The Lord Jesus Christ. The cauldron may have been extinguished last night but His light remains forever.

There are only two kinds of people in the world...those who are connected to God and thoses who are dis-connected. Do you know you were created by God? "You formed my inward parts; You did knit me together in my mother’s womb" Psalm 139:13;  “Before I created you in the womb I knew you" Jeremiah 1:5. Do you know you where created with value and worth? "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him won’t perish but will have eternal life" John 3:16. "The thief enters only to steal, kill, and destroy. I came so that they could have life—indeed, so that they could live life to the fullest" John 10:10. What stops us connecting with God? In a word...sin! "All have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory" Romans 3:23. Sin separates us from a Holy God. "Your misdeeds have separated you from your God. Your sins have hidden his face from you so that you aren’t heard" Isaiah 59:2. Tragically sin eventually leads to death and eternal punishment in Gods holding place called Hell. To be reconnected to our creator sin must be dealt with. Sadly there is nothing we can do in ourselves to deal with the sin problem. "All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags" Isaiah 64:6. Whenever we try and cover our sin, guilt, and shame, God sees that covering as a filthy worthless unacceptable rag. Its Gods way or its no way! Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" John 14:6.  "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us" Romans 5:8. So get connected today. Repent, change your mind about living your life without God, and believe Jesus paid the price for your sin upon the cross at Calvary. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved" Acts 4:12.

Opening And Closing Doors

Imagine the scene in this picture. For 120 years God warned the people of the Old World they could not continue as they where and escape judgement. All around was a spirit of indifference, unconcern and apathy. Jesus said people were just carrying on as normal, eating, drinking and marrying. Despite this he offered a means of escape to a man named Noah, along with his family. Everday as Noah was building the ark passers by scoffed and ridiculed him. But Noah stood strong. You see he trusted God. He knew if God said it, it would come to pass. When the time had fully come God invited Noah and his family into the ark through the only way in. It was God who shut the door, but not until everyone he was saving had entered in safely. God knows to secure understanding humans need messages to be repeated. In the New World he sent his Son the new ark, a new a living way. Jesus said "I am the door, if any man enters in by me he shall be saved" John 10:9. What a glorious and great Salvation Jesus secures for all those who will eventually trust in him.

Signs From God?

A pastor told me yesterday how a Lutheran Church voted to allow homosexual leaders at the same time as lightning hit the church cross and knocked it clear off the roof! Apparently many inside said it wasn't to be taken on board! I suppose there's a balance here. There is a danger of seeing everything as a sign from God or of seeing nothing as a sign. However Jesus made it clear that God does use signs to warn.

The extraordinary picture of the clock split in two belonging to the bell tower in northern Italy was interesting. Only one person has ever split history into two and our Lord Jesus Christ. I also remember the New Zealand earthquake in which the Christ church Cathedral with stook tremendous damage to its main tower. Jesus taught that any effort to reach God in the heavens through man made means would eventually fail. 

The Chilean miners trapped underground in the blackest hell as the world watched with baited breath hoping that that one of the four drills would eventually secure their salvation. Eventually they were all lifted up to safety through a tight space. Jesus said narrow is the way to life and few will find it. 

Who could forget the 1992 Windsor Castle fire which began in the Queens private chapel

shortly after she attended her first multi-faith service. The fire began when a curtain ignited on the eleventh hour of the eleventh month. Jesus said his servants must not become lazy thinking he will not return. He warned he might come quickly when they least expect it at the eleventh hour.

Sometimes the signs are loud and clear, other times more subtle.  Whichever may you view the world, God is a living God who wishes to communicate with his people. It is his will that no-one should perish but come to repentance and a saving knowledge of him. Let he who has eyes to see, see and he who has ears to hear, hear.

Pictures

Someone said a picture paints a thousand words and they were right. Sometimes God speaks to people through pictures. He probally is the greatest picture maker of all time...move over Warner Brothers! He certainly speaks to me in pictures. He famously spoke to William Booth founder of the Salvation Army on one of his many train journeys. He called it the vision of the lost. In it lost people are drowning in the sea sorrounding an island in which saved people were engaged in various activities, none evangelical! The central message of the vision was God saves people to save people. 

Last night while counting sheep I saw a great sea with many ships on it, ships of all shapes and sizes, close by was a safe harbour. Coming out from the safe harbour was a radio call for all ships to return. All the ships received the message but the majority looked around, saw the calm sea, the blue sky and decided to ignore it. A few decided to take head of the warning and enter the safe harbour. The safe harbour is of course Our Lord Jesus Christ, the boats unsaved people and the radio call the Gospel Message. That unfortunatly has been my experience...the majority ignore it. Heres another picture that got me...Its a qoute from a Rabbi.."If a man shot an arrow how far would it travel? One or two feilds? However repentance is so powerful when released it reaches the very throne of God." I can picture the arrow flying through the sky. Release yours and see how far it will travel. You might be suprised!

The Exaltation Of Whitney Houston

As another big name in the world unexpectedly dies I couldn't help but notice the publics need to deify celebrities. Heather small from the 80s band the M People said on the Jeremy Vine show "Whitney was the Messiah." Kevin Costner co-star in the film The Bodyguard said in his funeral address that she was being taken to heaven by hundreds of angels. It reminds me of the words of Jesus in Matthew 26:53 "Do you think I cannot call on my Father and he will at once put at my disposal 12 legions of angels?" So Whitney gets hundreds coming to her side just like Jesus! Sarcasm aside it is clear when looking at Whitney's life she was a troubled human being. She was a recognised drug addict from her late teens. A newspaper heading reads "Just another dead drug addict.'' Sad but true. What unsettled me greatly was the 'performance' at her 'going home' party. I say performance because 'God fearing' funeral service it was not. If Whitney was trusting in Christ then she was not a good advert for Christianity or the power of the cross. Can a drug addict become a Christian? A resounding yes! But they wont be able to stay that way. If they do they are denying the power of the cross and the shed blood of Christ to overcome the power of sin. It my well be that Whitney began as a gospel singer in her church choir but we know that going into a bakery does not make you a baker neither does attending 'church' make you a Christian. What we heard from the leaders of the church she once attended was nothing less than good old fashioned 'rhetoric.' It sounded good but was lacking any real biblical substance of truth.

Salvation is a free gift which is found through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ. It cannot be won by good works which includes singing in a church choir. A friend told me about the time she attended a funeral service for a known 'Spiritualist' in a Anglican church (Yes you read correctly). She said she expected the deceased to jump up from the coffin at any moment because of the pure fancy of the things being said. I wonder if Whitney would have felt the same?

Win Some Loose Some

Yesterday was a day of interest for all UK Christians. My friend Michael Overd was found not guilty of causing intentional harassment, alarm or distress to two homosexual passers-by as he preached from 1Corinthians 6:9-10. I was there when it turned nasty and was a witness for the defence. Stephen Green from Christian Voice came to support and has a very good article about the case on his web-site. Michaels defence lawyer Paul Diamond was a pleasure to watch. In his closing comments he talked about free speech and the right of every Christian to proselytize all people groups including homosexuals. The truth of the matter is the two homosexuals who made the complaint did not like what the Bible said about them and wished to silence Mike Overd and mistakingly thought they could use the law to do it. On the back of this two guesthouse owners lost their appeal against a ruling and fine for only letting married couples rent a double room and Bideford Town Council were told in another hearing that holding prayers before a meeting was in fact illegal. The next round will be David Camerons attempt to redifine marriage and allow homosexuals to marry in church. Out of the three cases heard yesterday I believe God was showing his priority and his continued blessing for the preaching of the gospel in the UK. God is interested in the salvation of souls. It is the sacrificial death of Christ upon the cross for the redeeming of lost sinners which is the greatest message for mankind. This is what God wants Christians to proclaim and concentrate on. When we do, His Son is gloryfied and so is He, and His righteousness shines forth. Perhaps if the established Church had not lossed this focus the other two cases would never have arisen.

Examining Thoughts

I was thinking yesterday about my thought life. Thoughts are important because they are powerful. They begin as small sparks but can go on to start huge forest fires. Thoughts in themselves are not necessarly wrong but a wrong thought 'exercised' can lead to sin. The greatest freedom comes when we realise or can identify the source of a thought. Some thoughts originate with us and some are fired at us from Satan and his hordes. Others are God ordained and are designed to steer us in the right direction similar to how a small rudder moves a great ship. Its the seemingly insignifiant thought which can sometimes have the greatest impact. Why am I here? What is life about? Can kickstart the quest for God and meaning in life. Other thoughts if harboured can lead to jelousy, hatred, revenge even murder. A circumstance comes along and the hordes of hell will play it for all its worth. They will bombard with feiry darts to bring the reeling soul into bondage. If recognised early they can be fought off but its a life long battle. King Davids fall began with a wrong thought about another mans wife. Time and time again in the gospels Jesus is recognised as knowing the thoughts of men. Jesus knew what men dwelt upon and the thoughts 'exercised' that shaped them. Wouldn't it be interesting to actually calculate the types of thought we have in just one day. How many would be acceptable to God? How many did we dwell on that we should have flung out right at the start? Practically when a wrong thought comes we can call it as such and reject it. On the other hand when a good thought comes we can meditate opon it and yeld a harvest for the Lord. Paul uderstood the battle is in the mind and gave believers this excellent advice "Take every thought captive to make it (the mind) obedient to Christ"2Corinthians 10:5. Not always easy but a must if we are to make true progress with God and those around us.