The temptations we face

In 1st Corinthians 10 v 12 we read "If anyone thinks he stands let him take heed lest he fall". There is a real danger for us, as believers, to think that we are above temptation and will never fall and damage our reputation. However, if we have entertained such thoughts then we are already half-way towards letting the Lord down and irreparably ruining our testimony. What, then, are the main temptations we face? No, doubt there are many but I have chosen four:

1. Immorality.
The history of the Christian church is littered with people (including former pastors and evangelists) who were once so zealous, and who, at one time, enjoyed great blessing in their ministries, but fell into grievous sin by not being watchful over this temptation. This is one area where we can't be too careful. When Billy Graham was conducting large evangelistic meetings he oftened stayed at hotels and he would send assistants into his hotel room to check that no woman had been "planted" in order to cause a scandal. He also made it a rule never to travel alone with his secretary. One may not agree with every aspect of Dr Graham's theology but in this area he was an example to us all.

2. Greed.
How easy it is, in the affluent western nations, to have our heads turned by a desire for material things. No wonder the Bible states that "the love of money is the root of all evil" (1st Timothy 6 v 10). This, too, is an insidious temptation that can creep up on us when we least expect it. Moreover, great offence has been caused to the unsaved by the sight of wealthy Christians living in ease when there is so much suffering in the world. How much more could be done for the cause of the Gospel if Christians were to live for Christ instead of themselves.

3. Arrogance.
As Christians we know that the Bible is true and that the Gospel is the only message of salvation. However, do we have an arrogant attitude to the unsaved, as if we are better than them? Let us remember that we are believers because God opened our eyes and worked in us so that we would desire to repent and accept Christ. As Paul put it "I am what I am by the grace of God". 1st Corinthians 15 v 10. Also let us meditate upon the words of 1st Cor. 4 v 7 "who makes you to be different from others?". It was God who saved us, and not we ourselves.

4. Complacency.
When a person first starts out on the Christian pilgrimage he/she is full of a desire to please God and is watchful over conduct and looking for opportunities to serve. However, as time goes on there can be a tendancy to think that we have "arrived" and that we know all the main things there is to know about the Christian life, doctrine etc. Such an attitude can breed complacency. Moreover, an unhealthy emphasis on eternal security can be deadly. How often have we thought that if we are eternally secure and can never be lost we can afford to let things go and not be so careful about our conduct?

Let us ever remember that the Christian life is not a sprint but a marathon - and keep our eyes constantly upon our final destination.

The persecution of Ben and Sharon V.

In 1990 while taking a service in an Evangelical church I stated that the day would come when Christians would be prosecuted for stating Christian truth as it is offensive to Muslims. Afterwards a member of the congregation questioned this. One can understand the incredulity of this brother as it is seemed that such a thing could never happen in England, "the cradle of freedom". However, this statement came true recently when a Christian couple were arrested and charged after an animated debate with a Muslim lady.

Ben and Sharon Vogelenzang, hotel owners in Merseyside, were charged under public order offences. As a result of the adverse publicity they have lost 80% of their business takings and face ruin. Moreover, had they been convicted they could have faced a fine of £5,000. In the providence of God the district judge dismissed the case against them and they walked free from court. However, the question remains, how could such a thing happen in a country with a proud tradition of tolerance and respect for free speech rights? The answer is simple - the authorities (be they the Police, government, local councils or social services) have to show that they are committed to "equality and diversity". Because Evangelical Christians do not fit into this we are an easy target for harassment. We hold to the belief that Jesus is the only way to God which is deeply offensive to other religions; we also hold to the Biblical teaching on sexual ethics which means we fall foul of edicts promoting the equality of sodomites. This has led directly to a number of cases, highlighted in the national press, of Christians getting into serious trouble for expressing Biblical truth.

Of course, it is wrong to have a hateful attitude to Muslims, and our prayer is that they will find salvation through faith in Christ. However, we must remain vigilant, and stand up - not only for the Gospel per se - but also our rights as citizens to express our beliefs without the fear of plod knocking on the door. As far as I'm concerned PC facsists can get lost, they are ruining this country.

Finally, I would like to place on record my enormous respect and admiration for the Christian Institute. They not only put up a lawyer in the case of Ben and Sharon but they have featured in a number of situations where religious liberty has been under attack. In the meantime let us give thanks to God for the latest free speech victory.

Proof the Bible is infallible

Often when I am speaking with people about the truths of the Gospel, and their need of Christ, they will say to me - "how do you know the Bible is true?". That is a fair question; after all, if we are saying to people that they need to radically alter the direction of their lives and stake their eternal destiny upon the claims of a book, we need to produce evidence to back up what is being taught. I have outlined below five such evidences that the Bible is the infallible word of God.

1. The power of the Bible to change people's lives for the better. History records that there are multiplied thousands of people who have been delivered from the power of things like drug and drink addiction through the message of the Bible. Many have been saved from lives of crime through knowing Jesus as their personal Saviour. Others have been released from overwhelming feelings of guilt, again, through opening up to Jesus and letting Him into their hearts and lives.

2. Archaeological discoveries back up the Bible. Expeditions, particularly in what is now Iraq, have dug up numerous artifacts that back up the Bible's history. No archaeological discovery has ever disproved any Biblical fact. One can google such titles as "The Bible supported by archeology" and a list of helpful web sites will then be readily available for perusal. It is good to boost one's faith in the inerrant Word by undertaking such an exercise.

3. Prophecies made in the Old Testament being fulfilled in the New Testament. When one considers that the OT was completed hundreds of years before the NT was written this is a remarkable testimony to the Bible's claims to be God's word. The One who knows the end from the beginning ensured that prophecies made in the OT would be fulfilled at the right moment - "in the fullness of time".

4. The Bible has stood the test of time. No other book has been subjected to as many attempts to stamp it out as the Bible. Down through the centuries evil men have tried to eradicate it and governments have passed decrees banning it. Despite that, the Bible is today being translated in more languages than ever, it is still going out into "all the world" and still changing people's lives.

5. The Bible's unity is another proof of infallibility. Despite being written over many hundreds of years by over 40 different authors it has a remarkable unity. I have read it through many times and it has NO contradictions - despite the claims of godless atheists to the contrary.

Yes, we can stand firm against those who ridicule the Bible, and we can be absolutely sure that it is the infallible, inerrant word of God - we have the facts on our side.

"Why do the heathen rage....."

The above title comes from Psalm 2 and looks at the question why is it that some get so enraged against God. The Psalm then goes on to declare the sovereignty of God - that when puny man shakes his fist at God He simply laughs at them.

However, the question remains - why do people get so angry at God? There may be various reasons; perhaps they have had some bad experiences in life and feel bitter, which is understandable. The Psalmist, though, does not seem to be addressing this kind of situation but rather one where people are determined to show rebellion against God because they hate Him, and they hate His laws. This is particularly so with atheists - they write books and website blogs railing against God. If God doesn't exist why are they getting so angry at Him, why waste so much time and effort, and even money, opposing God? If He doesn't exist then they can simply put the subject out of their minds and carry on with their lives. I have even come across people who read the Bible for the sole purpose of rubbishing it and exposing it's alleged errors, (of course, there are no errors in the Bible, but we'll save that for the next blog!).

I would suggest 2 reasons for such irrational behaviour:

Firstly, because God has written His laws on their consciences and they know that they are sinners in His sight. Maybe this is why they get angry at Christians who simply offer them Gospel leaflets, or Bible posters that declare the truth of Psalm 14 v 1 (look it up).

Secondly, because God has written eternity on their hearts - and now we are getting to the real problem as far as they are concerned. Deep down they know that there is a coming judgement day when they will give account to God, and that everyone of us will spend eternity in Heaven or in Hell. Because they know they are not right with God, and that (unless they repent) they will end up in the Lake of Fire, they are seeking to convince themselves that there is no God. They are desperately trying to persuade their consciences, and whoever will listen, that there is nothing to worry about when they die.

What should be our response to this? Having been abused by atheists, both on the streets and on the Internet, I have come to the conclusion that our response should be threefold:

1) Declare the Gospel without any watering down. They say they don't believe the Bible but that is no excuse for us to hold back from declaring it's inerrant truths.

2) Answer their questions honestly, if you can get a word in edge ways!

3) Pray earnestly that God will be pleased to grant them repentance unto life and release them from their bondage to Satan.

I would close by encouraging you with the following words of the Saviour "All that the Father gives me will come to me, and the one who comes to me I will by no means cast out" John 6 v 37. If God is drawing an atheist ( or anybody for that matter) to a knowledge of Himself, then that person will come, he/she will repent and accept Jesus as their personal Saviour.

Alyosha - the Baptist

During the dark days of communist rule, in what was then known as the Soviet Union, many people were put into labour/concentration camps simply for voicing opinions or beliefs that the regime didn't like. The vast majority of these victims of repression were unknown to us in the free west but a few were very well known indeed - perhaps the most renowned being Alexander Solzenhitsyn. He was a writer who had voiced unwelcome views and was sent to a labour camp. Afterwards he wrote of his experiences in the classic work - "The Gulag Archipelago". Due to it's size (it was 3 volumes long) I never attempted it but I did read his second most famous book "A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich" - which was much smaller!

This book outlined a typical day in one of these dreadful places. Of course, names had to be changed but it was a factual account of what conditions were like and so on. One of the characters mentioned was Alyosha - the Baptist. He had been put away for preaching the Gospel and he had managed to smuggle in a New Testament. He used to hide it in his bedding and would read it every day before the "wake up call" sounded out for the day to begin.

Had Alyosha been caught by the guards he would have been in trouble - big time, but he was willing to run the risk. The question is why? One would have thought that being incarcerated in such a place it would be wise and prudent to follow the rules and keep one's head down. Yet this man was willing to risk a severe penalty just to read a book! Again the question is asked - why?

The answer is simple - the Bible, of which the New testament is a part, is no ordinary book. The Bible is God's infallible word to us. All that He has to say to us is contained within it's pages. The Holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, the need for God's forgiveness, the sacrifice of Christ for our sins, the eternal penalty for the impenitent, and encouragements/directions for the believers are all there in this wonderful work. It is for this reason that Alyosha was willing to risk so much to read just a few pages of this precious word - it strengthened him for the rigours of the day ahead.

During the days of the Soviet Union many attempts were made by the communists to eradicate the Bible, these attempts failed. Despite 70 years of a deliberate policy to wipe out the Bible it remained, stood firm, caused many to believe in Jesus and today, it is still doing it's wonderful work - years after communism collapsed in Eastern Europe. This fact alone is proof that God is behind His word - but we'll save that for another blog article!

Free Speech Victory - Praise the Lord ! !

Readers of this blog will know that I have mentioned the issue of free speech a couple of times, with particular reference to the government's attempt to remove the "Free Speech clause" from the gay hate law. To put this in context I would remind readers that when the govt. passed the law forbidding the incitement of hatred against gays they allowed what became known as the "Waddington amendment". This basically stated that it was permissible under law to criticise homosexual behaviour. However in the current session of parliament the govt. has attempted to remove this protection thus making it easier for the Police to harass Evangelical Christians.

A great deal of lobbying was done by the Christian Institute and others to persuade parliament to defeat the govt. and this paid off today when the Justice Secretary - Jack Straw- finally came to his senses and accepted that the free speech clause was here to stay. This decision followed last night's defeat by the House of Lords on the matter.

This decision will come as a great relief to us and a wonderful answer to prayer. None of us wants the right to stir up hatred or violence against gays but we do insist upon our freedom to teach the truths of God's infallible word on all issues - this one being no exception. The Bible is crystal clear - homosexuality is an abomination, it is a perversion, and unrepentant homos will end up in Hell. However, the mercy and grace of God is such that if they truly repent of their vileness and accept Jesus as their personal Saviour then the "slate is wiped clean" and they will be saved. 1st Corinthians 6 v 9-11 is a good summary of the truth on this issue.

This victory is clearly of God who has manifested His power to preserve Gospel freedom. Several years ago when the govt. tried to make it illegal to criticise Islam they were defeated by one vote (the Prime Minister having gone home early because he thought that victory was "in the bag" but he reckoned without Divine intervention!). Today's victory has prompted me to remember the words of Psalm 126 v 3 "The Lord has done great things for us, whereof we are glad".

The invincible word

Just after writing my last post, which looked at the fact that some people try to suppress evangelism, my thoughts turned to the events of Acts chapter 12. As a brief recap this is what happened:

King Herod murdered James and put Peter in prison, no doubt intending to do the same to him. Here was a man who clearly had every intention of crushing evangelism and the spread of the Christian faith. However, he was thwarted - Peter was miraculously released, and Herod was struck down by God. Just after reading about his demise these words appear "....but the word of God grew and multiplied".

As I reflected on this I was brought to a wonderful realisation that, no matter how much the servants of the devil seek to stop evangelism God always has a way of getting His word out. What is sobering, however, is that God will bring down those who attempt to stop the spreading of that word. I have read about so many situations where those who have sought to do the devil's work by hindering Christian witness have been removed and God's word has gone out. I will give just one example. Some Christians went to a hotel in order to ask permission to leave Bibles for guests to read, "over my dead body!" said the manager; no way was he allowing Bibles in his hotel. A short while later one of the Christians had a phone call from the deputy manager begging him to come to the hotel and leave Bibles as the manager had had a heart attack! One acknowledges that even devout and godly Christians may have heart attacks but this incident was surely not just a random event. Needless to say the Bibles were taken along and God's word got through!

To be fair most non-Christians are tolerant people and will not seek to persecute Christians or hinder Christian witness. However, there seems to be an increasing number of unbelievers who will attempt to do both; their militancy can be intimidating. Despite this we need not fear - God is sovereign. As Psalm 68 v 1 says "Let God arise......His enemies be scattered". We are on the victory side, God will ensure that His word is spread, obstacles removed and His enemies are dealt with. One hopes that God, in His mercy, will deal with opponents by granting them repentance unto life and saving them like, eg, Saul who became Paul. However, it is a sobering thought that those who dare to stand in the way of evangelism are putting themselves against the Almighty and "it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God". Hebrews 10 v 31.

Whither free speech?

Last Thursday the BBC allowed the leader of the British National Party - Nick Griffin - to appear on "Question Time". This decision provoked a massive debate about the limits, if any, that should be placed upon free speech. Should Mr Griffin have been permitted to air his views on prime time TV, or should he have been banned? It appears that a strong majority of people (approx. 75% at the last count) believe the BBC was right, in the interests of free expression to invite Mr Griffin onto the programme. Free speech rights, it seemed, had triumphed, and those of us who feared we were heading towards a society where it was illegal to offend breathed a sigh of relief. (Incidentally, I am a-political and do not support the BNP).

However, this sense of relief was dealt a severe blow at the weekend with the news of the Pauline Howe affair. Mrs Howe, the wife of a Baptist minister, wrote to Norwich City Council complaining about gay parades and expressing the Biblical teaching on Homosexuality. She was subsequently visited by two Police Officers who advised her that she was being investigated for an alleged "hate crime". After some discussion the officers left and no further action was taken. Notwithstanding this a huge furore has broken out in the media over the implications for free speech. Many columnists have expressed outrage at the over-reaction of the Police in what appears to be a blatant attempt to silence someone who simply expressed a Christian belief. Even the director of Stonewall, a gay rights group, accused the Police of acting in a "disproportionate" manner.

Moreover, as if to add insult to injury, the government are determined to press ahead with the removal of the "free speech clause" from the gay hate law. This action will further encourage the Police in their attempts to harass and intimidate Evangelical Christians, What should be our response to all this? Well, the early believers were also told not to spread Christian truth. In Acts 4 v 17-18 Peter and John were told not to preach about the Lord and were threatened. Their response was to pray for boldness and they carried on as before - that should be ours also. We should not be provoked into deliberately seeking confrontation, neither should we be intimidated into silence. As Paul said "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8 v 31). Down through the centuries the Christian faith has been on the receiving end of many attempts at suppression but it has survived and continues to be preached. My hope and prayer is that, should real and lasting persecution come to this country, we would not hold back from declaring the "whole counsel of God" (including the unpopular bits!).

".......should be a castaway"

As we go through life there is a tendency to look back at situations and events; some of these memories will be pleasant ones, some not so. Indeed, as we reminisce on old times there will be those unpleasant recollections of news items that shocked and troubled us, the memories of which are still painful years later. For me the most troubling news I have heard, and still do from time to time, is that of people who were once so zealous for Christ having fallen away. The Apostle Paul recognised this danger in his own life as he penned the words of 1st Corinthians 9 v 27 - "..I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway".

As I reflected upon this subject my thoughts turned to the sad case of Charles Templeton. He was born in Canada in 1915 and, by the time of his 20s, became a dedicated evangelist, being often in the company of Billy Graham. Many souls were won to Christ through his faithful preaching. However, in the second half of his life he turned so completely away from the Lord that he even wrote a book attacking the Christian faith and the truths of the Bible. He died in 2001 at the age of 85. There was no external evidence that he ever repented of his rebellion and returned to his earlier faith. There is always the possibility that he did so privately in his final days - we can only hope so. A story such as this is deeply depressing but, rather than simply shaking our heads in bewilderment that such a thing can happen, the onus is on every professed believer to learn from the errors of others. A biblical example of such being that of Demas. His name is mentioned three times in the New Testament. In both Colossians 4 v 14 and Philemon verse 24 he is mentioned in a positive light - in the latter being described as a "fellow-labourer". However, when Paul is penning his last recorded words we read the sad news that Demas had "departed....having loved this present world". (2nd Timothy 4 v 10).

It is my hope and prayer that in my own life I would remain faithful to the end remembering the words of Jesus that "he who endures unto the end shall be saved". Matt. 10 v 22.

A Double LIfe

We've heard of Robert Louis Stephenson's book about Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. Written in the 19th century it told the story of how the respectable Dr Jekyll took a drug and this turned him into the evil Mr Hyde. A clear case of a double life if there ever was one. However, I wonder how many people know that the inspiration for the book may well have come from a true story Stephenson was told as a child about a certain William Brodie. Brodie lived in the previous century and was a cabinet maker, an Edinburgh city councillor and one of the most respected men in the city. He often went into the homes of the most eminent people of the day in order to make their furniture. However, while doing this he would take impressions of the house keys, have a set made up and then burgle the house at night. He was living a double life, a respected, law abiding citizen out in the open before people, but a villain on the quiet. Eventually he was caught and hanged.

We often hear of people who were highly respected politicians, or bishops, or some other pillars of society, being caught out in some "indiscretion" and, upon further investigation, it transpires that they were living this double life for many years. Why do they do this? I would suggest that they think they are never going to be exposed. They think they can take their guilty secrets to the grave and die venerated as highly respected people. It is quite likely that for everyone who is caught out there are many who never get discovered, they have got away with it - but have they? What such people often forget is that there is a God in Heaven who sees everything. Hebrews 4 v 13 says: "...all things are exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account." This is bad news for one simple reason, we are all sinners, we have all fallen short. Everyone of us have broken God's laws and, in consequence, deserve the punishment of eternal damnation.

The only hope we have is to repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our personal Saviour; He paid the price of sin and rose from the dead. By His resurrection he proved that He was who He said he was - the Son of God.

All of us need to constantly bear in mind the fact that God sees everything, knows everything, and will one day bring us all to account. A double life will be exposed, if not in this life then certainly on the judgement day.

The Incomparable Christ

In the annals of human history there is one person who towers above all others - the Lord Jesus Christ. Indeed, even non-Christians will acknowledge something of His greatness and the impact He has made down through the ages. I have outlined below 6 points about the Lord Jesus that mark Him out as different from anyone else who has ever lived.

1. His birth was unique. Matthew 1 v 23 says: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated 'God with us' "

2. His teachings were unsurpassed. In John chapter 7 we read of officers being sent to arrest Jesus, they came back empty-handed saying "No-one ever spoke like this man" - verse 46.

3. His life was undefiled. The apostle Peter said of Jesus "He did no sin, neither was guile found in His lips". 1st Peter 2 v 22.

4. His death was undeserved. At Jesus' "trial" the governor Pilate said: "I find no fault in this man". Luke 23 v 4. His death was a sacrifice for the sins of the world.

5. His resurrection was unexplained. A Roman guard was put around His tomb to stop anyone nicking the body and yet after 3 days the body had gone, why? ""He is not here but is risen!" Luke 24 v 6.

6. His return is unavoidable. In 2nd Thessalonians 1 v 7-8 we read: ".....when the Lord Jesus is revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ".

It is all very well acknowledging the uniqueness of Christ, but this is not enough. We must respond to the above facts by repenting of our sins and accepting Him as our Lord and personal Saviour. For those who do there is the assurance of an eternal Heaven; however, for those who don't there is the certainty of eternal damnation.

Charlie not so peaceful

One of the most notorious criminals in Victorian England was Charlie Peace. It would be unedifying to list all this man's crimes. Suffice to say that he went to prison several times for burglary but even after his release continued his lawbreaking to the point where he murdered two people (that we know of!) and attempted to murder others. Eventually he was caught and, after a fair trial, was hanged at Armley jail in Leeds.

You may well ask what that brief outline of a criminal's activities is doing on a Christian blog. The answer is simple: when Charlie was being led to the gallows a Chaplain walked alongside him reading extracts from the Bible. Charlie turned to him and said "Do you believe that? If I had believed that was true I would have crawled across England on broken glass to tell people it was so".

Think of the implications of that statement - if the Gospel is really true, if Jesus really died to save us from our sins and cause us to have a place in Heaven, surely this message should be spread at great sacrifice and cost to the believer. Indeed, to spread the Gospel, by word of mouth or the printed page (or both!) should be the most important work of our lives.

Let's spend a moment in reflection. For those of us who know Jesus as our personal Saviour it is good to look back to the point when we first heard the Gospel. Some may have been raised in a Christian home and first heard from their parents or siblings. Others may have been told of Christ by a schoolfriend or work colleague. Still others may have been given a piece of literature on a street or other public place. Each of us have come to Christ in different ways but always, always, because someone cared enough about our souls to share Christ.

Perhaps when we were first saved we wanted to tell everyone about Jesus, a change had taken place in our lives and we were on fire for God. Then as the years have gone by and we have got settled in life, maybe that fire has dimmed; the spark is still there, or perhaps the embers, but maybe we don't have that same burning desire to make Christ known that we experienced at the first. Maybe the apathy of the unsaved has got to us and we can't motivate ourselves anymore. It is so easy to become discouraged as we forget that the work of conversion is God's doing, our part is simply to share Jesus. It can happen to the best of us, such is the impact of soft, modern, Western Evangelicalism (or perhaps, "evanjellyism"). Maybe we are content just to drift through the Christian life, sing a few hymns and patiently wait until God calls us home, little caring for the multitudes around who are dead in sin and heading for Hell.

If we have reached that stage may I suggest thinking through that statement from the lips of Charlie Peace. Are we prepared to "crawl across England on broken glass to tell people it is so"? If not, why not?

Proof that God exists.

As Christians, we are often told that God does not exist, or even if He does we cannot prove it. Well I have found irrefutable evidence that He does exist. The following is a true story:

Jim was a highly successful salesman with staff under him and, on the surface, it seemed that everything was going well. However, the reality was different - his life was falling apart. He was simply forcing himself to go on living and working. One day two ladies at his work said that they knew things were not right and they were praying for him. A short while later one of those ladies invited him to her church. He went to the service but didn't really pay any attention as he was pre-occupied with his problems. However, he did remember the Pastor saying the following words "The peace of God which surpasses all understanding will keep your minds and hearts through Christ Jesus". He thought that was a nice statement but after the service he left intending never to bother going back.

Some while later he went on a 2-3 week business tour, visiting sales reps and staying in a number of hotels along the way. The words spoken by that Pastor kept going through his mind, and he figured that they must be from the Bible, but he didn't know whereabouts in the Bible. In fact, his knowledge of the Bible was so poor he didn't even know there were two testaments. However, he decided on his last visit of the tour to look in the hotel for a Bible and see if he could find the verse.

After checking in he went to the room allocated to him and went to the bedside locker to look for the Gideon's Bible that he felt sure should be there. As he opened the draw, sure enough, the Bible was there. It was opened out and a part had been highlighted, it was Philippians 4 v 6-7. As he looked at those highlighted verses, to his utter amazement, he read the same words the Pastor had spoken in that church. Jim realised at that point that God was speaking to Him. The possibility of a co-incidence was simply not believable. The statistical chance of such a thing happening would be 1 in a million, or even a billion. He contacted the lady mentioned earlier and asked her to take him to that church, he was soundly converted, went on to marry that lady and went into the ministry. He has now been in the ministry for 15 years.

Atheists often like to say that we are deluded for believing a "fairy story". I would suggest that holding to the view that the above was a co-incidence takes a lot more faith. God is real, and He has proved His existence in the above, and in many other true accounts of "God's-incidences" not co-incidences.

"...........and see what emerges"

Mark was a pleasant enough bloke, and people warmed to him as soon as they met him. Indeed, no-one had a bad word to say about him but he did have a problem - he tended to be full of big ideas that were not properly thought through. One day he met his best friend John.

"Hello Mark, how are you?" asked John, "You're looking pleased with yourself".

"Yes" came the reply, "I'm going to build a house, I've bought a plot of land and ordered the materials. I'm going to start Monday."

"That's good" said John, "let's see your plans".

"Oh, I haven't got any plans, I'll just put one brick on top of the other......and see what emerges! Don't you think that is a good idea".

"No, Mark, I think you're a nutter!"

Whoever heard of a builder with no plans. Everyone building a house must work with a set of plans so that he knows what he is doing and where he is going. Jesus said "I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it" - Matthew 16 v 18.

When we spread the Gospel , through the printed page or the spoken word, there may be a tendency to "see what emerges". However, that is the wrong attitude as it implies that God is leaving the matter to chance and has no plan. Just as a builder has a plan so does the master builder Jesus.

As we spread the Gospel then Jesus is building His church, not brick by brick, but person by person. In the book of Acts we can see this plan in action. In Acts 1 v 8 we read that the disciples would be His witnesses in "Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the uttermost part of the Earth". We see this as the book unfolds, the Gospel starting in Jerusalem then spreading further and further like ripples in a pond when a stone is dropped in. One key verse for me is Acts 2 v 47 where we read "....the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved". As the Gospel was being preached it was the Lord doing the work of building His church.

So then, Christian friends, be encouraged - carry on spreading the Word knowing that Jesus is building His church, and the wise master builder will complete the work.

Freethinking - daring to be different.

In the Old Testament book of Daniel (chapter 3) we read of King Nebuchadnezzar's act of setting up a large golden image which he commanded people to worship, or be cast into a fiery furnace. All complied with this except 3 men - Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. They refused to fall in line with the overwhelming majority and stood up for what they believed in despite the consequences. They were thrown into the furnace but God miraculously delivered them. They refused to bend, budge or burn! They stood for truth when it was unpopular to do so. They were the freethinkers of their day.

Fast forward to 2009 and ask the question - who are the freethinkers of today?

In an age when militant atheism is becoming popular and, indeed, "fashionable" it is freethinkers who, daring to be different, boldly declare their belief in God.

In an age when the Bible is considered to be a book of fairy stories it is freethinkers who, daring to be different, state their absolute confidence in it's infallibility, historical accuracy and the final authority in all matters of faith and conduct.

In an age when evolution is accepted as the "conventional wisdom" (despite the lack of scientific evidence) it is the freethinkers who, daring to be different, unashamedly state their belief in the truth of Biblical creationism.

In an age of rampant immorality and perversion it is the freethinkers who, daring to be different, make a decisive stand for purity - despite being labelled as puritanical and homophobic.

Who are these modern day freethinkers, these bold custodians of truth, who willingly "stick their heads above the parapet" knowing it will lead to opposition and, indeed, even persecution?

Answer: the Evangelical Christians. We are the ones who are daring to be different and swim against the stream. We are the ones who will not be deterred from spreading the truths of the Christian Gospel - that Christ died for our sins and rose again, that He is the only way to Heaven, and that the alternative is eternal damnation in Hell.

Down through the ages there have been those brave souls who refused to follow the crowd but, with faces set like flint, stood for truth when it was hugely unpopular to do so. It is the true Christians - the Evangelicals, (call us fundamentalists if you will) who are now bearing the torch of truth in an age of error, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus "Beware when all men speak well of you" - Luke 6 v 26.

The Tragedy of Jacob Eames

Some years ago I read an excellent book "To the Golden Shore" by Courtney Anderson which focused on the life of Adoniram Judson, a missionary to Burma in the early 1800s. This book covered his entire life and not just his missionary activity. One particular incident in his youth was to impact him for the rest of his life, and I thought it good to share this.

Despite being raised in a Christian home he began to have doubts about the faith when he reached his mid-teens. Heading off to college at 16 he soon fell into the company of one Jacob Eames, a year older, and a Deist. (Deists believe that there is a God but reject many of the teachings of the Gospel, particularly the divinity of Christ and the infallibility of the Bible).

Eames was everything Judson admired - exceptionally clever, witty, full of arrogance and self-assurance - and it was not long before he took on board Eames' beliefs, or rather lack of belief. Eventually, they both left college and went their separate ways, but the damage was done - Judson was a confirmed Deist and he knew that, sooner or later, his family would discover this and there would be a row.....big time. Eventually the showdown occurred and Judson left home to go his own way. Some months later, he found himself in need of a bed for the night and went into an inn. The owner said that there was a room available but it was next door to a sick man and there may be some noise. Judson was so tired he accepted the room and, despite the groaning from next door, he fell asleep.

The next morning dawned bright and sunny, a glorious September day. Judson went downstairs to have breakfast and settle his bill. He asked the owner how the man in the next room had fared. The owner related the sad news that he had died. "Oh, I'm sorry to hear that, what was his name?". The reply hit him like a thunderbolt - "Jacob Eames". In the words of the book "Judson didn't know how he got through the next few hours". He made his way home and, to cut a long story short, eventually became a Christian and a missionary to Burma.

What lessons can we learn from such an account as this? I believe there are two points that stand out very clearly:

1. The arrogant proud will be brought down. In my work of street evangelism I often see people who boast of their own self-sufficiency and have no need of God (so they think). The Bible is dismissed as rubbish, and the purpose of life is....and they reel off a list of sinful activities that give them temporary, passing pleasure. However, a day of reckoning will come. "Each of us will give account of himself to God" - Romans 14 v 12. For Jacob Eames that reckoning came earlier than he expected; one can only hope he repented and accepted Christ before that divine appointment.

2. God is sovereign. In all-knowing, over-ruling providence He arranged the circumstances of that incident in Judson's life and it was to play a major part in his conversion. If God, in His mercy, has someone "in His sights" for conversion then that lost sheep will be sought by the good shepherd until he is found. As Jesus put it "All that the Father gives me, will come to me....." John 6 v 37. What an encouragement that should be in our evangelism.

So, persevere, fellow Christians, in sowing the good seed of the Gospel - God will be glorified as He draws precious souls to Himself.

A Higher Power

Even those taking just a passing interest in the news cannot fail to have noticed that al Megrahi, (not his full name!) the man convicted of the Lockerbie bombing, has been returned to Libya on compassionate grounds due to his terminal cancer. This has caused a great deal of outrage to relatives of the victims who feel cheated of justice. What is perhaps not so well known is that when the Scottish justice secretary announced the decision he spoke of Mr Megrahi's illness as being a sentence imposed by a "Higher Power", the inference being that he has not got away with his crime (assuming, of course, that he was guilty) because God has judged him.

In an increasingly secular age it is very rare for a politician to make such a statement - especially when making a highly sensitive announcement. However, this episode caused me to ponder just how much God-consciousness there is inside each of us, even for those who make no pretence of being committed Christians. The Bible teaches that we are made in God's image; though that has been tarnished by sin we still have the capacity to make moral choices, and God's law is still written on our consciences. Indeed, the Bible teaches that God has put eternity into our hearts (see Eccles. 3 v 11). Deep down we know that there is a God, there is a judgement day, and there is an eternity to face - in Heaven or Hell.

All this, of course, has implications. If people really do have this knowledge within them why do so many reject the Gospel and refuse to humble themselves before God in repentance and faith? Again the Bible gives the answer, this time in Romans Chapter 1. We are told there that man is without excuse because the evidence for God is all around but instead of believing in Him they "supress the truth" - verse 18. What does this mean? As a boy I once owned a "Jack in the Box" - a simple toy consisting of a puppet on the end of a spring that could be pressed down into a box and the lid fastened on top. Once the catch was released the puppet sprang up. In a similar way people press down the knowledge of God and His truth into the inner recesses of their hearts, when a Christian speaks of Christ or they see a Bible text the "catch is released" and the truth springs back to the surface - with all it's uncomfortable implications.

Perhaps this could explain why atheists get so angry when Christians preach the Gospel and seek to evangelise - we are, effectively "releasing the catch" and causing these people to lose their self-assurance. Instead of supressing what they know in their hearts to be true, unbelievers should repent, and plead with Christ to have mercy on their souls. Once they do this then they can have that true peace which, at present, seems to elude them.

I have just started my own web log, known as a blog!

On this I intend to outline the truth of the Christian Gospel and issues that concern Evangelical Christians today.

One of the big concerns for us in this politically correct age is that of free speech. At one time a Christian could preach the truths of the Bible and, although opposition may well have come from hecklers and humanist types, the law couldn't touch him even if the views stated were offensive.

All that has changed; as this country has been getting spiritually darker so opponents of the Gospel have been using the law to try and silence us. This was apparent several years ago when the government tried to pass a law which would have made it illegal for a Christian to label Islam a false religion, and teach that Christ is the only way to God. In the providence of God the government was defeated on a House of Lord's amendment and Gospel freedom was preserved.

Now the government are trying again. Last year they passed a "gay hate" law which made it an offence to incite hatred against gays. Of course, no true Christian wants to do anything of the kind, but simply teaching that homosexuality is sinful should not be a criminal offence. Consequently, the House of Lords passed a free speech clause which, after attempts to overturn, the government accepted. Now they are trying to repeal the free speech clause. The Lord's defeated them recently but, due to their vindictiveness against Evangelicals, goverment ministers have stated that they intend again to repeal this vital legislation that protects free speech.

Incidentally, the most vocal gay rights campaigner, Peter Tatchell, has actually said that he supports free speech even going so far as to speak up for a Christian's right to disagree with homosexuality - let's give him credit for that.

Anyway, we must pray that this latest attempt by a spiritually bankrupt, and corrupt government to silence free speech will be defeated - watch this space.