The 3 Ws of sin, and the remedy.

In my daily Quiet Times I'm currently reading through Leviticus and today read about the bullock for a sin offering in chapter 8 v 14-17.  In verse 17 we read that the bullock's hide, flesh and dung were burnt outside the camp.

This speaks clearly of the three aspects of sin that is so prevalent in all of us if we are not careful.

1.  The hide speaks of The Winsomeness of Sin.

The hide is, of course, the skin.  When people say that a person is attractive to them, they often make reference to the outside form, i.e. the skin.  So it is with sin - it is attractive to the senses and draws us to it.  We think of Eve, in the garden of Eden, how she saw that the forbidden fruit was "pleasant to the eyes" (Genesis 3 v 6).  Sin has an attraction BUT, there is a payback, both in this life and for eternity.

2. The flesh speaks of The Willfulness of Sin.

The flesh speaks of that which is wilful. While it is possible for a person to sin in ignorance, for the most part people commit sin deliberately.  They do what they know to be wrong, and oppose the Bible as it teaches them wherein they have erred (hence one reason why Christians are persecuted).  In Eccles. 7 v 29 we read that God made man upright, "but they have sought out many inventions".

3. The dung speaks of the Wastefulness of Sin.

People seem so concerned about not wasting their lives and wanting to achieve so much (a so-called "bucket list") but what about their souls?  In Mark 8 v 36-37 we read of the Saviour teaching that the value of a soul is worth more than all the wealth of the world.  Conversely, people who live without Christ have wasted their lives and their souls.

So much for the 3 Ws of sin, but what is the remedy?  In this verse (Lev 8 v 17) we read of how the various items (hide, flesh and dung) were burned "outside the camp".  What does that remind us of?

Turn to Hebrews 13 v 10-12 and we read that the burning of animals outside the camp is a picture of Christ and how he suffered "outside the gate" in order to be a sacrifice for our sins.

When reading through the Old Testament we are apt to think that so much of it is not relevant to us - but it is!  Particularly is this so when we read these wonderful pictures of Christ and His work for us on the cross.

May the Lord be pleased to open our eyes to find these pictures and appreciate the Saviour more. 

Revival or revolution

I recently watched a dramatised documentary on the French Revolution and, while, I can understand the deep resentment caused by the dire poverty of the 1700s (the Aristocracy living in opulent splendour) it became apparent as time went on that this cataclysmic event was inspired, not by a genuine attempt to right social wrongs, but by a strong humanistic motive.  The leaders were godless men who had no time for the teachings of the Bible and harped on about the "Rights of Man".  After having killed the king and his wife, they then instituted a great terror which meant that anyone who was suspected of having any sympathies for the "old order" lost their heads, quite literally!

This terrible time then culminated in the leaders turning on one another in an orgy of blood-letting.  As this madness was creeping into England, God, in His mercy, brought a revival and, instead of many thousands being butchered on the guillotine, as in France, the same number were being saved from their sins through faith in Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

As the 1800s progressed the effects of those two events (revolution in France and revival in England) became clear - France had a century of huge instability coupled with political upheaval and heavy military defeats; England had a time of economic growth and saw an expansion of a world-wide empire.  While not everything about the British Empire was good, it did facilitate the spread of the Gospel as missionary endeavour increased exponentially.

Fast forward to the present time and what do we see?  The residual benefits of the 18th century revival have lone gone; a largely godless Parliament has, over the last 50 years, passed a string of anti-Christian laws which show a blatant disregard for the teachings of God's infallible word.  The effects of this are obvious for all to see - a government in perpetual crisis, rampant wickedness and immorality, unnatural perversions being openly promoted and encouraged, the persecution of evangelical Christians, a rapidly rising crime rate and, while people are being openly butchered on the streets in broad daylight, a Police "service" that is more concerned with soothing the hurt-feelings of perverts than going after the real criminals.

As we approach 2019 it appears that the situation, despite the best intentions of well meaning "do-gooders", is going to get worse.  The only hope, as it was in the 1700s is revival - the politicians, police and liberal church leaders have all failed.  Only God can save this country now.

One hopes that, despite the fact we have treated Him so badly, He will yet have mercy on this land, there is no other way the country can be saved - "....in wrath, remember mercy" (Habakkuk 3 v 2)

The Gospel 3 The Devil 0

Last weekend saw the event known as "Lancashire Festival of Hope" with Franklin Graham preaching over 3 nights and people getting saved.  There is nothing unusual in that, you may think; after all, Billy Graham, Franklin's dad, often took Gospel meetings in the UK.  However, what struck many people about this event was the sheer volume of opposition.

After Franklin spoke at his Father's funeral and made it clear that there is only one way to Heaven, there was a wave of hatred unleashed against him by the secular media, liberal "Christians", the Muslim Council of Britain and others who had a grudge against the clear teaching of John 14 v 6.

When Billy Graham was preaching, Britain had a reasonable respect for the Bible and the Christian faith, and so Billy's message didn't appear "extreme".  However, with the advent of strong political correctness the Gospel message that he preached is now regarded as "offensive", and Franklin hasn't enjoyed the same degree of respect his father had, despite preaching the same message.

Examples of the opposition he encountered, when it was announced that he intended to come to England, are as follows: MPs asking the Home Secretary to ban him from the country (that plea, thankfully, fell on deaf ears), anti-Christian bigots asking Blackpool council to ban him from preaching at the Winter Gardens venue (which is council owned), this, too, failed.  However, these bigots had more success when demanding that Blackpool Transport ban adverts for the meetings from the side of their buses - the ads. were duly banned BUT this spectacularly backfired when it simply gave more publicity to the meetings and ensured a huge number turning up; so many, in fact, that an overflow room had to be used.  Moreover, there were tens of thousands tuning in on Live Stream to hear the Gospel preached.

Over the 3 nights of the mission (Sept 21,22 and 23) Franklin faithfully preached the Gospel with fearless courage and urged people to repent of their sins, many did, praise the Lord!

The devil tried to ban this event, but he failed, and failed and failed again - truly it was a clear case of The Gospel 3 The Devil 0 !!

The hypocrisy of anti-Christian bigots.

My last article  centred on the hypocrisy of an atheist (scroll down for details) and this one is about the hypocrisy of anti-Christian bigots who claim to believe in free speech but, when that freedom is exercised by Christians who disagree with them, then the goalposts move!

Yesterday, news came through that the Home Sec. (Sajid Javid) has, quite rightly, ruled against imposing a ban on peaceful anti-holocaust demonstrations outside the murder clinics where these atrocities are taking place.   I don't, personally, get involved in pro-life activities as my calling is direct evangelism, but I do believe that people who peacefully protest against this ongoing wickedness are absolutely right, and should be commended for their courage.  Attempts have been made to ban such protests even though there is no evidence of violent conduct being perpetrated by the protesters.

Indeed, the council at Ealing has shamefully imposed a ban on free speech by criminalising such protests, and that wicked action is being challenged in the courts.  Not content with that, the anti-Christian bigots are seeking to make it easier to ban such protests  all over the country but, as already mentioned, the Home Sec. has declined to endorse such a move.

The howls of protests against the Mr Javid's sensible decision do not surprise me - they resemble spoilt children throwing  tantrums and stamping their feet, poor dears!  However, it is a serious matter for a number of reasons:

Firstly, human life is precious.  As Psalm 139 clearly states, human life begins in the womb and has been created by God.  Destroying such life is a wicked crime against a defenceless baby,

Secondly, free speech is precious.  The bigots who oppose the anti-holocaust movement would be the first to complain if someone told them they had to shut their big mouths!

Thirdly, because standing up for the defenceless babies has a clear Biblical warrant (Proverbs 31 v 8-9, particularly the King James Version) it is obvious that these pro-killing people are being motivated by Satan.  I truly hope they come to repentance before they die as they will face an awful judgement.

The sentiments outlined in that 3rd point underline my deep concern, not only for the unjust treatment meted out to peaceful Christians who oppose killing babies, and not only for the babies, themselves; but also for the souls of these poor creatures who are allowing themselves to be used as tools of the devil in promoting the ongoing holocaust, and denying the right of peaceful protest by right minded people such as the pro-life movement.

May the Lord be pleased to inspire more people to stand up against this modern day holocaust, and may He be pleased to convert the apologists for this abomination from the error of their ways.

The blatant hypocrisy of an atheist.

One of the most prominent atheists of our day is, of course, Richard Dawkins.  His infamous "God Delusion" is one of many books which pour scorn on the Christian faith, in general, and the Bible in particular.  His zeal and vigour in promoting anti-Christian rhetoric is probably without parallel in modern times (with the possible exception of Stephen Fry's pathetic "God is a capricious monster" interview).

Moreover, Dawkins is also a coward - when he had a chance to engage in a moderated public debate with William Lane Craig, (in his own back yard, to boot) he chickened out.  Not to be outdone the organisers went ahead with the event at the Sheldonian Theatre and even left a chair out for our absent friend  - but, just like the "Missing Three Quarter", he done a bunk.  To be fair, one should have sympathy with Geoffrey Staunton's motive (do your research) but certainly not with Dawkins.

Atheism and cowardice are bad enough, but what really takes the biscuit is hypocrisy and our old adversary (yes I know I called him a friend just now, but I was being sarcastic!) has come up with the goods once again.

The devil loves to mirror Christian theology with his own wicked counterfeits and this is no exception.  Why do I say this?  The answer is absurdly, but tragically simple, compare the two -
we have a glorious trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit; Satan's alternative appears  to be Atheism, Cowardice and Hypocrisy, and Dawkins fits the bill perfectly.  (The real Unholy Trinity is, of course, The Devil, The Beast and the False Prophet but I'm writing tongue-in-cheek!).

His folly as an atheist is well known to everybody (unless you live on Mars!) and also his abject cowardice when challenged by someone who can face him down, but hypocrisy?  How can we call him out on this?

The answer, again, is simple - Dawkins has gone on record as saying that it's a form of child abuse to teach children the Bible and the Christian faith.  He seems to think it is damaging to the child, but he has now produced a book on atheism that specifically aims at targeting .....children.

Not content with maligning the Christian faith and falsely accusing Christian parents of child abuse, he now wants to poison the minds of children with a doctrine which has been responsible for an incalculable level of suffering, both in this world and that to come.

If children read this wickedness and, as a result, turn away from God and end up in Hell, Dawkins will have their blood on his hands.  It is bad enough to reject God and His word for oneself, but to turn others the same way is just about the most evil thing a person can do.

What should be our response to all this?

Firstly, while it is right to have antipathy towards Dawkins' activities we should, indeed, be full of compassion for him, as a person.  As one who has been blinded by Satan his plight should arouse our pity rather than our contempt, he is a poor creature of the first order.

Secondly, our concern for his eternal destiny should move us to be much in prayer - that God, in His mercy, may be pleased to open his blind eyes and set him free from Satan's snare as we read in 2nd Timothy 2 v 24-26.

Thirdly, we should be confident that, as the Gospel goes out, to children and adults, then God will overrule the schemes of Diabolus and draw precious souls to Himself; indeed, we know from John 6 v 37 that every single one of those given to Christ will come to Him - not even Dawkins can stop that!

Anti-Christian bias from the BBC (quelle surprise!)

News has come through, today, that Cliff Richard has been awarded substantial damages against the BBC because of the appalling way they handled unjust allegations against him back in 2014.

It appears that, when Cliff was facing an investigation for alleged crimes (which have since been proved baseless), the BBC filmed a Police raid on his home in Berkshire.  (How did they know the raid was taking place? Were they tipped off by an anti-Christian copper?).

No-one is disputing that broadcasters have a duty to report news but it is clear that, in this case, the "reporting" was well over the top and constituted a form of harassment.

Why do I say that this shows a bias against the Christian faith? Simply because Cliff was accused of a sex-crime that was supposed to have taken place at a Billy Graham rally in the 1980s.

I've felt for a long time that the BBC have a bias, bordering on hatred, against Evangelical Christianity, but this case proves that beyond all reasonable doubt.  Indeed, any rational, fair-minded person looking at the record of this supposedly, impartial, broadcaster would have to conclude that when it comes to being neutral and unbiased, the BBC are woefully short of their remit.

This latest scandal is one of a long line of outrages perpetrated by the media against the followers of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ; but should we really be surprised?  After all, didn't Jesus say, in John 15 v 18-20, that the world would hate us because we are His?

What should be our response to today's news?

Firstly, we should be pleased that, at long last, a judge has seen fit to make a judgement that, for once, has not been anti-Christian;

Secondly, we should continue to live for the Lord and spread His Gospel, knowing that,as we do so, souls are being saved, and Christ's kingdom extended;

Thirdly, we should pray for our detractors - remember the hatred that Saul had for the believers, but God was merciful to him in saving his soul (Acts 9).  May He be pleased to convert opponents of the Gospel.

Finally, in September, if the Lord wills, Franklin Graham will be coming to England to preach the Gospel.  Be prepared for a huge amount of bias when the BBC report this event unless, of course, they've learnt their lesson from, today's judgement (stranger things have happened!).

The New Testament is to be a criminal offence.

In 1st Cor. 6 v 9-10 Paul states that people who engage in certain practises "will not inherit the kingdom of God".  He then follows this up with verse 11 that states "such were some of you.....".

In these 3 verses we see the power of God to transform people, including those involved in the most vile and unnatural perversions.  Indeed, the glorious history of the Christian church includes many who can testify to the saving power of God in changing their lives and renewing their minds (Romans 12 v 1-3).

However, the Government have announced that what they call "gay conversion therapy" is to be outlawed.  I'm not sure I agree with therapy, but I do believe in the Holy Spirit's power to change people's inclinations, habits and lifestyles, thus enabling them to live their lives in accordance with God's infallible word.

Once this new law goes through it will be illegal to quote the New Testament passage above and we, as Christians, will have a choice to make - do we obey God's word or the law of the land?

Romans chapter 13 and 1st Peter 2 v 13 make it clear that we are to be law-abiding people and not seek to break the law of the land (sadly, though, many professing Christians flagrantly break the speed limits - shame on them!).

However, when there is a clash between the law of the land and the Word of God, then our first allegiance is to the latter, even if we fall foul of the former, and face persecution for so doing.

Given that many professing Christians are seeking the "best of both worlds" and seem comfortable to make this world their home (are they true Christians, I wonder?) I suspect that many will seek, once again, an accommodation with this wicked culture in which we live rather than be willing to make a stand for truth.

As I conclude this article 2 verses of scripture come to mind - Acts 5 v 29 has Peter stating that we should obey God, rather than man, and  the Saviour's words in Matthew 10 v 33 where He warns that people who do not stand for Him, and thus deny Him, will be denied before His Father who is in Heaven - what side are we on, God's word , or the word of man?