Time to get real, Chris

Christopher Hitchens is a well known writer who consistently rails against God and the Christian faith. Indeed, any form of religion is fair game for this man's rantings. I won't give him credence by detailing the kind of drivel that he has come up with - suffice to say that he has a huge amount to answer for when he finally meets the God he has insulted.

I recently heard that he has been diagnosed with cancer. What is my first thought on receiving this news? One of deep and intense pity. No-one should gloat when an enemy is stricken with such a dreadful illness. I have had good Christian friends who have died of cancer, and I would not wish it on anyone - not even Hitchens (or Dawkins for that matter!). Moreover I do sincerely wish that he will recover and go on to live for many years to come.

However, I also find myself hoping that this experience will cause Hitchens to seriously consider his need of Jesus as his Lord and Saviour. Sometimes God allows calamities into the lives of unbelievers in order to bring their attention to eternal matters. There are many people in Heaven now who were brought to repentance and faith in Christ after realising how fickle life is following an illness. The good news of the Gospel is that even this man, despite his "God hating" history, can be saved. If he will only open his heart to Jesus and call upon Him for mercy - then Jesus stands ready to show such mercy and forgive him all his past wickedness. However, if Hitchens continues to be in rebellion against God then he will have all eternity to bitterly regret his folly.

Some years ago, a Times journalist - John Diamond - died of cancer. During his period of treatment he wrote articles outlining his treatment and the struggles he faced trying to cope with his illness. He even wrote an article stating that many Christians were sending him tracts and booklets in the hope "of bringing me round before the big day". I don't know if he repented and accepted Christ before passing into eternity - but I do hope that Christians will do the same for Hitchens. I certainly will be praying for him, that he will face the reality of his situation and turn to the Lord before it is too late.

The Spirit of Rebellion

We are all, no doubt, aware of recent events in the North East of England when a gunman by the name of Moat killed one man, wounded his ex-girlfriend and blinded a copper. Eventually he was cornered by a riverside and killed himself. His death was followed by a huge outpouring of sympathy for him on the internet which led to condemnation by the Prime Minister who called Moat "a callous murderer". However, the actions of those who lionised Moat are nothing new - in the 1920s Bonnie and Clyde roamed the southern states of the US robbing banks and killing anyone in their way. They were eventually shot in a Police ambush and afterwards referred to as heroes for the way they evaded capture for so long. Then in the 1970s a french gangster - Jacques Mesrine - was similarly killed in a Police ambush after years of murderous activities. His death was followed by sympathetic comments from "admirers".

The question remains - why do so many people heap so much praise upon those who have done wrong? The answer is simple - it is the spirit of rebellion against authority. This is why Diana was well liked and mourned so hysterically when she died. She was seen as a rebellious figure who would not "toe the line" by fitting in with royal convention. We can all point to examples of such people. This spirit of rebellion is most exhibited when it comes to Divine authority; not only do we read of this throughout the pages of God's infallible Word, the Bible, but also in our own lives. Have we not, all of us, shown such a spirit when doing things the Bible specifically prohibits? Do we not witness this when offering people the Gospel and they reject it, often with contempt? In our natural state our hearts are hardened against God and unless He works upon us we will continue in our sin and rebellion and pay the eternal penalty when we die.

Those of us who are believers in the Lord Jesus should be thankful to God for opening our eyes and implanting the gift of faith while at the same time re-doubling our efforts to bring the truths of the Gospel to Hell-bound sinners. For any unbelievers reading this the warnings of the Bible are clear - you must repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, to refuse to do so is to manifest a spirit of rebellion.

"We should obey God rather than men"

The above quote comes from the New Testament, Acts 5 v 29, and was made by the Apostle Peter after he was told that the authorities had forbidden him to preach the Gospel. The early Christians were often put into the position of having to choose between obeying the law of the land or obeying God.

The Bible teaches that God's people should be law-abiding and, indeed, Christians should set a golden example of being good citizens in this respect. We should ensure that we keep the speed limits, pay our taxes and fill in our tax returns correctly. As far as the general law of the land is concerned we should be above reproach. However, what happens when we are put into a position of having to choose between obeying the law or living out the Christian life? Of course, in a free and democratic country like ours such a position does not arise.........or does it? In recent years a number of anti-Christian laws, particularly in relation to gay perversion, have been passed that have brought us into direct conflict with the authorities. Examples are as follows: in 2005 the govt. passed a law that enabled sodomites to have civil partnerships - this has led to Christian registrars being hounded out of their jobs because they won't compromise by officiating at such "ceremonies". More recently an equality law has led directly to Christian guest house owners being sued because they won't allow homosexual acts under their own roof.

Now, yet another assault on Christian liberty is being prepared with the full knowledge and consent of the Prime Minister (shame on him). The govt. is preparing to allow gay ceremonies to take place in churches. Given the hostility of the gay rights movement to the teachings of God's infallible word it is only a matter of time before they sue evangelical ministers for refusing to carry out gay weddings and give their blessing to what God has clearly condemned.

Moreover, an increasing number of local councils have sought to prevent street evangelists from handing out tracts and some have even been arrested when they have obeyed the great commission.

When faced with these situations we have a stark choice - obey the law or obey God. In these cases we are not only permitted to disobey the law we are commanded to do so in God's Word.

May the Lord give us strength and courage to stand firm for Him and not allow ourselves to compromise the truth.