On awakening this morning I was met with the news that a terrorist bomb had gone off, last night, in Manchester, killing around 2 dozen people and injuring many more.
Of course, it was a terrible thing to happen and we should have natural sympathy for the bereaved and injured - they are in need of our prayers at this time.
There are, however, 2 very important lessons that we need to learn from this atrocity -
Firstly, as the Bible says, life is but a vapour, and can end at any time, without warning (see James 4 v 13-14).
In my work of street evangelism I frequently meet people who reject the Gospel. To be fair, most of them are polite about it, very few become abusive. That being said, they are still without Christ and, according to our Saviour, in John 8 v 24, if they continue in that state of unbelief they will die in their sins, then to face the due penalty of their rebellion against God.
This terrorist outrage should concentrate the minds of people to recognise that life is fragile; our hold on life is tenuous, at best, and can be broken at any time. Indeed, we are all just one heartbeat away from the immediate presence of God. One hopes that, having considered this fact, many will turn to Christ. Indeed, in the month after Princess Diana's sudden death, the mission that I'm involved with, had double the number of responses that it normally gets.
There is also, secondly, a lesson for Christian believers. We may give due consideration to the fact that our lives are "but a vapour" and give thanks to the Lord that we are ready to face Him in full confidence of eternal life. After all, we have accepted Christ as our personal Saviour and, due to His work of atonement on the cross, our sins are forgiven. We need have no fears of what eternity has in store for us. However, there is a lesson for us viz. in that we have a strong responsibility to get out there, and reach the unsaved with the only message that gives eternal life; the only way to Heaven is through faith in Christ the Son of God. The Bible makes it clear that people who don't so believe are under the wrath of God, and will be for all eternity.
If we really believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, and if we really believe that Jesus is the only way to Heaven we should stop making excuses for our lack of concern for the lost, and give ourselves unstintingly to spread the Gospel.
May the Lord forgive us for our laziness in not reaching out, and may He give us the desire to do so, and the courage to take the consequences from our opponents.
"A great door, and effectual, is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" - 1st Cor. 16 v 9.
Tuesday, 23 May 2017
Saturday, 13 May 2017
Science needs to catch up with the Bible!
Opponents of the Bible often delight to tell us that the Bible needs to catch up with science, that we are foolish to take this outdated book seriously, and that we need to live in the "real world" of science. However, the reverse is actually the case.
I append, below, four examples of how science has caught up with the Bible!
First of all, consider the fact that in Victorian England, one Herbert Spencer won accolades for discovering the 5 categories of science viz. Time, Force, Action, Space and Matter. However, if he had bothered to read Genesis 1 v 1 he would have found them there (maybe that's where he got them from!):
"In the beginning (Time), God (Force) created (Action) the Heaven (Space) and the Earth (Matter)"
Secondly, in the 2nd century AD, Ptolemy stated that he had counted the stars in the night sky and there were 1,055. Some 14 centuries later, Kepler also claimed to have counted them and came up with 1 more. However, when the telescope was invented and Galileo looked up he was astonished to note that there were so many they couldn't be counted. What does the Bible say?
In Jeremiah 33 v 22 we read "...the host of Heaven cannot be numbered..."
Thirdly, for centuries scientists stated that the Earth was flat and, that if you sailed to the end you would fall off! Eventually it was discovered that the Earth was round, much to the relief of sailors!
What does the Bible say?
In Isaiah 40 v 22 we read that the Earth is a circle.
Finally, Scientists used to believe that the world was held up on the shoulders of Atlas. Eventually, it was found that that was not the case but, rather, it was suspended on nothing. What does the Bible say?
Job 26 v 7 tells us that God "...hangs the Earth upon nothing"
Thankfully, scientists have had the good sense to make these discoveries and, it is hoped, will continue to make more discoveries that benefit mankind. While they are doing so let us continue to have absolute confidence in the Bible and, while we wait for the scientists to catch up with God's Word, let us read it, study it, digest it and live by it because it is, as it claims to be, the Word of God "that lives and abides forever" - 1st Peter 1 v 23.
I append, below, four examples of how science has caught up with the Bible!
First of all, consider the fact that in Victorian England, one Herbert Spencer won accolades for discovering the 5 categories of science viz. Time, Force, Action, Space and Matter. However, if he had bothered to read Genesis 1 v 1 he would have found them there (maybe that's where he got them from!):
"In the beginning (Time), God (Force) created (Action) the Heaven (Space) and the Earth (Matter)"
Secondly, in the 2nd century AD, Ptolemy stated that he had counted the stars in the night sky and there were 1,055. Some 14 centuries later, Kepler also claimed to have counted them and came up with 1 more. However, when the telescope was invented and Galileo looked up he was astonished to note that there were so many they couldn't be counted. What does the Bible say?
In Jeremiah 33 v 22 we read "...the host of Heaven cannot be numbered..."
Thirdly, for centuries scientists stated that the Earth was flat and, that if you sailed to the end you would fall off! Eventually it was discovered that the Earth was round, much to the relief of sailors!
What does the Bible say?
In Isaiah 40 v 22 we read that the Earth is a circle.
Finally, Scientists used to believe that the world was held up on the shoulders of Atlas. Eventually, it was found that that was not the case but, rather, it was suspended on nothing. What does the Bible say?
Job 26 v 7 tells us that God "...hangs the Earth upon nothing"
Thankfully, scientists have had the good sense to make these discoveries and, it is hoped, will continue to make more discoveries that benefit mankind. While they are doing so let us continue to have absolute confidence in the Bible and, while we wait for the scientists to catch up with God's Word, let us read it, study it, digest it and live by it because it is, as it claims to be, the Word of God "that lives and abides forever" - 1st Peter 1 v 23.
Friday, 5 May 2017
We "know", not merely "believe".
As readers of this blog will be aware, I regularly go on to the streets of East Kent with Gospel tracts and seek to offer people the chance to get saved. Over the years I've had the privilege of pointing hundreds of people to Christ and urging upon them the necessity of getting right with God, through faith in Christ.
A number of people will make comments as they go past in a kind of "hit and run" manner. They will say something disparaging about the Bible, in general, or the Gospel, in particular, and then scurry off like frightened rabbits. They clearly don't want to get into a situation where they may be challenged to come to repentance.
My response is to such people is to make make no response, as it would be a classic case of casting "pearls before swine" (see Matthew 7 v 6).
One such comment that I've heard more than once goes something like this - "you believe but you don't know!". The inference being that faith in Christ is just that, faith and nothing more. Such a comment is intriguing and worthy of consideration. Do we simply "believe" or do we "know"; i.e. are we absolutely certain that the Bible is true, and that Heaven awaits us when we die due to our having faith in Christ's finished work on the cross.
Well, whenever we are faced with a question, on any matter, about any issue, the first thought that goes through our mind should simply be this "What does the Bible say?". This question is no exception.
The Bible gives us clear answers concerning this vital question so let's look at some references -
In John 17 Jesus speaks to His Father about His people "knowing" Him. Moreover, in 1st John we have a string of verses which use the very words "we know". If one obtains a good concordance and traces the words "we know" one can see that this is the case. Just 4 examples will suffice for our purposes here:
1. 1st John 3 v 2 tells us that we know we will see God as He is. A clear reference to the glories that await all believers in Christ.
2. In the same chapter (in verse 5) we are told that Jesus was manifested "to take away our sins", a clear reference to the absolute certainty that Christ paid for our sins on the cross.
3. 1st John 4 v 2 tells us how we know what is of the Spirit of God - all those who confess Jesus as the Christ..
4. The same chapter, and verse 16, tells us that we know the love God has for us.
We could go on and on - it is sufficient to state that we need never be intimidated when people try to tell us that we cannot "know" that we are saved and going to Heaven. We can, and do, "know" because we can, and do, know that the Bible is the very Word of God and absolutely trustworthy.
A number of people will make comments as they go past in a kind of "hit and run" manner. They will say something disparaging about the Bible, in general, or the Gospel, in particular, and then scurry off like frightened rabbits. They clearly don't want to get into a situation where they may be challenged to come to repentance.
My response is to such people is to make make no response, as it would be a classic case of casting "pearls before swine" (see Matthew 7 v 6).
One such comment that I've heard more than once goes something like this - "you believe but you don't know!". The inference being that faith in Christ is just that, faith and nothing more. Such a comment is intriguing and worthy of consideration. Do we simply "believe" or do we "know"; i.e. are we absolutely certain that the Bible is true, and that Heaven awaits us when we die due to our having faith in Christ's finished work on the cross.
Well, whenever we are faced with a question, on any matter, about any issue, the first thought that goes through our mind should simply be this "What does the Bible say?". This question is no exception.
The Bible gives us clear answers concerning this vital question so let's look at some references -
In John 17 Jesus speaks to His Father about His people "knowing" Him. Moreover, in 1st John we have a string of verses which use the very words "we know". If one obtains a good concordance and traces the words "we know" one can see that this is the case. Just 4 examples will suffice for our purposes here:
1. 1st John 3 v 2 tells us that we know we will see God as He is. A clear reference to the glories that await all believers in Christ.
2. In the same chapter (in verse 5) we are told that Jesus was manifested "to take away our sins", a clear reference to the absolute certainty that Christ paid for our sins on the cross.
3. 1st John 4 v 2 tells us how we know what is of the Spirit of God - all those who confess Jesus as the Christ..
4. The same chapter, and verse 16, tells us that we know the love God has for us.
We could go on and on - it is sufficient to state that we need never be intimidated when people try to tell us that we cannot "know" that we are saved and going to Heaven. We can, and do, "know" because we can, and do, know that the Bible is the very Word of God and absolutely trustworthy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)