Yesterday there were 3 terrorist attacks inspired by Islamic Fundamentalism. In Kuwait a suicide bomber killed many people, in Tunisia a gunman killed over 30 people before being shot by police, and in France a man chopped off his boss's head before being captured alive.
The Frenchman who carried out the killing was one Yassine Salhi, a delivery driver, and I'm very pleased that he was not killed for one very simple reason - he now has the opportunity to hear the Gospel and get saved. It is, indeed, sad that the Tunisian terrorist wasn't captured alive then he would have had a chance to hear the Gospel.
No doubt many millions of people across Europe are pouring out hatred and invective against M. Salhi but I don't hate him - I pray for him. This poor man has been brainwashed by a cult into carrying out a wrong act. Indeed, many Islamists who kill sincerely believe they are getting a ticket to paradise by so doing. They are misguided and they need to be enlightened by the One who said "I am the light of the world" (John 8 v 12) ; they have been enslaved and they need to be set free by the One who said "You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free" (John 8 v 32).
I truly and sincerely hope that, while M. Salhi is in prison, someone will give him a New Testament or even a copy of John's Gospel and that this will be the means of him coming to repentance and faith in Christ as his personal Saviour. If such a miracle were to occur then M. Salhi's slate will be wiped clean and he will have a definite and certain assurance of eternal life in Heaven.
There is a precedence for former terrorists getting saved. A "loyalist" from N Ireland got saved in prison and is now a Baptist preacher; and there are others, both "loyalist" and "republican" who, having heard that Jesus loves them and died for their sins have been wonderfully converted.
In the meantime, rather than being full of hate for M. Salhi, let all Christians pray for him - that he would come to know the Saviour, for whom to know is life eternal.
Saturday, 27 June 2015
Tuesday, 16 June 2015
The cruellest deception of all.
If I were to ask "What is the worst way one person can deceive another?" I wonder what people would say. By the worst way I mean that which causes the most hurt and distress to the victims. Perhaps the most common answer I receive would be on the following lines: "Con-men who encourage elderly people to sink their life savings on some bogus investment" - this would, indeed, cause huge distress and there have been many examples of this over the years. When such people are caught they are often sent to prison, and rightly so.
As far as I'm concerned, and as far as the Bible is concerned, the worst deception is that which has eternal consequences.
This week, in Broadstairs, is the Dickens Festival and I've been going down to the sea-front to pass out tracts and tell people about Jesus. Yesterday, I got talking to a minister and his wife. They were a very pleasant couple who assured me that they were Christians and knew they were going to Heaven. However, as the conversation progressed it became clear that they believed everyone goes to Heaven, and that there is no Hell. There reasoning being that, because Christ died for all mankind that automatically means all people are booked for Heaven. They further insisted that we are all God's children.
Of course, Christ did die for all mankind but He has to be received as Lord and Saviour in order to obtain eternal life; moreover, only those who receive Christ are God's children (see John 1 v 11-13). The pardon is offered by God but has to be accepted to take effect.
I told them that they were doing the devil's work by leading people astray, and that people would end up in Hell by following what they were teaching. How many, I wonder, have sincerely believed they were going to Heaven, even though they had never accepted Christ, only to find that, upon their death, they have woken up in Hell.
Given that the greatest deception is that which has the most distressing consequences, it follows that telling people they are going to Heaven, when they are going to Hell, is clearly the worst and vilest deception of all.
In the Bible we read of false prophets who refused to call people to repentance but rather told them that God was pleased with them (when He wasn't). The Bible records a strong condemnation of such people for their wickedness.
As a street evangelist I am aware of the awesome responsibility I have to be honest with people with regards to their eternal destiny. I endeavour to be straight with those I meet and to make it clear that repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only and exclusive way to eternal life; moreover, I make it abundantly clear that the alternative to Heaven is Hell.
In Ezekiel 33 we are warned that if the watchman does not "sound the trumpet" when danger threatens. then the blood of those who perish is on the watchman's hands. I truly hope that, if those I speak to end up in Hell, it is not because I have given them a false Gospel.
As far as I'm concerned, and as far as the Bible is concerned, the worst deception is that which has eternal consequences.
This week, in Broadstairs, is the Dickens Festival and I've been going down to the sea-front to pass out tracts and tell people about Jesus. Yesterday, I got talking to a minister and his wife. They were a very pleasant couple who assured me that they were Christians and knew they were going to Heaven. However, as the conversation progressed it became clear that they believed everyone goes to Heaven, and that there is no Hell. There reasoning being that, because Christ died for all mankind that automatically means all people are booked for Heaven. They further insisted that we are all God's children.
Of course, Christ did die for all mankind but He has to be received as Lord and Saviour in order to obtain eternal life; moreover, only those who receive Christ are God's children (see John 1 v 11-13). The pardon is offered by God but has to be accepted to take effect.
I told them that they were doing the devil's work by leading people astray, and that people would end up in Hell by following what they were teaching. How many, I wonder, have sincerely believed they were going to Heaven, even though they had never accepted Christ, only to find that, upon their death, they have woken up in Hell.
Given that the greatest deception is that which has the most distressing consequences, it follows that telling people they are going to Heaven, when they are going to Hell, is clearly the worst and vilest deception of all.
In the Bible we read of false prophets who refused to call people to repentance but rather told them that God was pleased with them (when He wasn't). The Bible records a strong condemnation of such people for their wickedness.
As a street evangelist I am aware of the awesome responsibility I have to be honest with people with regards to their eternal destiny. I endeavour to be straight with those I meet and to make it clear that repentance towards God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is the only and exclusive way to eternal life; moreover, I make it abundantly clear that the alternative to Heaven is Hell.
In Ezekiel 33 we are warned that if the watchman does not "sound the trumpet" when danger threatens. then the blood of those who perish is on the watchman's hands. I truly hope that, if those I speak to end up in Hell, it is not because I have given them a false Gospel.
Wednesday, 3 June 2015
If only he had turned to Christ for deliverance.
I was so sorry to hear, yesterday, of the death of Charles Kennedy. As politicians go I don't tend to have much regard for them, but Mr Kennedy was an exception. He seemed to have a sense of decency about him, and his principled stand against the Iraq war won him many friends and much respect.
However, he had a serious drink addiction which, no doubt, caused him grave health problems and may, ultimately, have led to his early death.
It is sad, indeed, when people have addictions that control them and ruin their lives. No matter how hard they try they cannot seem to shake off that to which they are enslaved. In a sense, they can't help it, they have been taken over by these addictions and seem to have no power, in themselves, to break free. There are millions of human beings, precious in the sight of God who would dearly love to be set free but they are helplessly entangled.
This is where the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour comes into it's own - Jesus can set them free. No matter what it is that controls them alcohol, drugs, homosexuality, satanism or whatever the devil is using to control and enslave them, they can be set free through the power of Jesus and His precious blood.
In John 8 v 32 we read "you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free". As Jesus Christ is the truth anyone can be set free from their "demons" and set free to serve Christ. We read in 1st Thessalonians 1 v 9 that the people there had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
A wonderful example of this is the powerful testimony of Doreen Irvine as told in her book "From witchcraft to Christ". The devil truly had a hold on her but she was able to break free through the power of the Gospel. Incidentally, in her book she relates an incident that occurred when she was involved in witchcraft - she and a colleague attempted to put a curse upon a Christian evangelist but they found that he seemed to be protected by a power that was stronger than the devil. After she got saved she realised that the power protecting that evangelist was, of course, the blood of Christ which is able to break the chains of sin and addictions that keep people enslaved to the enemy of their souls.
It is so sad to come across so many people who are struggling to be set free but are looking in the wrong places - what these poor people need is not therapy but Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
May God be pleased, as the Gospel goes out on the streets of this dark nation, to draw precious souls to Himself in repentance and faith - then they will know true freedom.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new - 2nd Corinthians 5 v 17.
However, he had a serious drink addiction which, no doubt, caused him grave health problems and may, ultimately, have led to his early death.
It is sad, indeed, when people have addictions that control them and ruin their lives. No matter how hard they try they cannot seem to shake off that to which they are enslaved. In a sense, they can't help it, they have been taken over by these addictions and seem to have no power, in themselves, to break free. There are millions of human beings, precious in the sight of God who would dearly love to be set free but they are helplessly entangled.
This is where the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour comes into it's own - Jesus can set them free. No matter what it is that controls them alcohol, drugs, homosexuality, satanism or whatever the devil is using to control and enslave them, they can be set free through the power of Jesus and His precious blood.
In John 8 v 32 we read "you shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free". As Jesus Christ is the truth anyone can be set free from their "demons" and set free to serve Christ. We read in 1st Thessalonians 1 v 9 that the people there had turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.
A wonderful example of this is the powerful testimony of Doreen Irvine as told in her book "From witchcraft to Christ". The devil truly had a hold on her but she was able to break free through the power of the Gospel. Incidentally, in her book she relates an incident that occurred when she was involved in witchcraft - she and a colleague attempted to put a curse upon a Christian evangelist but they found that he seemed to be protected by a power that was stronger than the devil. After she got saved she realised that the power protecting that evangelist was, of course, the blood of Christ which is able to break the chains of sin and addictions that keep people enslaved to the enemy of their souls.
It is so sad to come across so many people who are struggling to be set free but are looking in the wrong places - what these poor people need is not therapy but Christ as their Lord and Saviour.
May God be pleased, as the Gospel goes out on the streets of this dark nation, to draw precious souls to Himself in repentance and faith - then they will know true freedom.
If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new - 2nd Corinthians 5 v 17.
Monday, 1 June 2015
The tragedy of Steve Chalke
I recently wrote an article stating that one of the reasons we know the Bible is true is that Christ's prophecy, regarding apostasy among professed Christians, is coming to pass with alarming regularity (see Matthew 24 v 12-13). We have witnessed, and continue to witness, many professing Christians falling into serious sins and not repenting of them. There are many professing Christian men who have left their wives for another woman (or a man!) and there are many professing Christian women who have, likewise, left their husbands for someone else.
However, apostasy is not confined to moral behaviour; it can also be shown in doctrinal heresy. Consider the following tragic tale of Steve Chalke, a Baptist "minister" in London:
In the late 1970s, not long after I got saved, Chalke used to preach, from time to time, at the church I attended. His ministry was excellent and I learned much from him. He was thoroughly Bible based and a joy to listen to. Moreover, he ran the youth group at a church in South Ashford and a group of us lads would travel over there some Friday nights to hear him when he conducted the youth meetings. Again, this ministry was based upon the Bible and was extremely uplifting.
However, after he went to Bible college and began to become a leading light in the Baptist Union (which is, in itself, deeply liberal) he began to go downhill theologically. In the early part of the last decade he ridiculed a literal interpretation of Genesis. It wasn't just that he refused to believe in the 6-day creation but he dismissed it as "rubbish". When I read that I thought to myself "that man is heading for a fall" and so it proved.
A few years later he dismissed the Christian teaching that Jesus was punished by His Father on the cross, labelling it "cosmic child-abuse". This was a clear departure from the Gospel, but more was to come - a couple of years ago he proudly announced that he was "blessing" unions based upon unnatural perversions, in clear violation of Biblical truth (see Romans 1 v 26-27)
As a further evidence of his continuing downgrade he gave an interview last year in which he stated that the Bible contains mistakes and just last week he "tweeted" his strong support for the "Yes" vote in Ireland which gave legal status to the unnatural perversions that he started blessing 2 years ago. I accept that people involved in such activities should be treated lovingly, and gently urged to come back to Bible, and I don't approve of homophobia, but, nonetheless, God's word is still crystal clear in this matter.
What should be our response when we read about someone falling away in this manner?
Firstly, we should pray for them, that God would be pleased to draw them back into the fold of truth. However, it should be said that very few apostates do so repent.
Secondly, we should be on our guard lest it happens to us, as the Bible says - "If anyone thinks he stands, let him take head lest he fall" 1st Corinthians 10 v 12.
Thirdly, we should recognise that this is a clear fulfilment of Christ's prophecy mentioned at the start of this article and resolve not to follow the crowd, but to stand firm for the truths of God's infallible word.
It is, indeed, hard to stand firm for truth in an age of apostasy but Christ rewards those who do so - as the Bible says: "He who endures to the end will be saved" - Matthew 10 v 22.
However, apostasy is not confined to moral behaviour; it can also be shown in doctrinal heresy. Consider the following tragic tale of Steve Chalke, a Baptist "minister" in London:
In the late 1970s, not long after I got saved, Chalke used to preach, from time to time, at the church I attended. His ministry was excellent and I learned much from him. He was thoroughly Bible based and a joy to listen to. Moreover, he ran the youth group at a church in South Ashford and a group of us lads would travel over there some Friday nights to hear him when he conducted the youth meetings. Again, this ministry was based upon the Bible and was extremely uplifting.
However, after he went to Bible college and began to become a leading light in the Baptist Union (which is, in itself, deeply liberal) he began to go downhill theologically. In the early part of the last decade he ridiculed a literal interpretation of Genesis. It wasn't just that he refused to believe in the 6-day creation but he dismissed it as "rubbish". When I read that I thought to myself "that man is heading for a fall" and so it proved.
A few years later he dismissed the Christian teaching that Jesus was punished by His Father on the cross, labelling it "cosmic child-abuse". This was a clear departure from the Gospel, but more was to come - a couple of years ago he proudly announced that he was "blessing" unions based upon unnatural perversions, in clear violation of Biblical truth (see Romans 1 v 26-27)
As a further evidence of his continuing downgrade he gave an interview last year in which he stated that the Bible contains mistakes and just last week he "tweeted" his strong support for the "Yes" vote in Ireland which gave legal status to the unnatural perversions that he started blessing 2 years ago. I accept that people involved in such activities should be treated lovingly, and gently urged to come back to Bible, and I don't approve of homophobia, but, nonetheless, God's word is still crystal clear in this matter.
What should be our response when we read about someone falling away in this manner?
Firstly, we should pray for them, that God would be pleased to draw them back into the fold of truth. However, it should be said that very few apostates do so repent.
Secondly, we should be on our guard lest it happens to us, as the Bible says - "If anyone thinks he stands, let him take head lest he fall" 1st Corinthians 10 v 12.
Thirdly, we should recognise that this is a clear fulfilment of Christ's prophecy mentioned at the start of this article and resolve not to follow the crowd, but to stand firm for the truths of God's infallible word.
It is, indeed, hard to stand firm for truth in an age of apostasy but Christ rewards those who do so - as the Bible says: "He who endures to the end will be saved" - Matthew 10 v 22.
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