In office, but not in power.

In recent months the news has been dominated by the C-Virus with people having an almost ghoulish obsession with the daily announcements of deaths and the rate of infection.   Moreover, the daily round of press conferences  by govt, minsters, most notably the Health Secretary, (dubbed "Hancock's Half-Hour") convey no genuine information that give any comfort, or assurance that they really know what they are doing.

Indeed, it would not be unfair to say that, at present, the govt. are giving the clear impression that they are in office, but not in power.

This should not surprise us; after all, human beings are fallible.   We carry on with our daily lives quite merrily until something out of the ordinary happens,  and then we see just how ill-equipped we are to deal with such matters.

Have we ever felt, at times, as if we are being swept along by events, like being caught in a fast-flowing river and helpless to turn round? At times like that our only comfort is to know that there is One who is both in office and in power.  That is, of course, the Lord Jesus Christ.  

In Hebrews 1 v 3 we read that He upholds all things by "the word of His power".  He is in absolute control - governments come and go, so do Prime Ministers and Presidents, BUT the Lord Jesus is the same "yesterday, today and forever" - Hebrews 13 v 8.

If we are tempted to put our trust in the latest eagerly awaited press conference, or some official govt. announcement, then we will be disappointed time and again.  As the Bible says "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will remember the name of the Lord our God" - Psalm 20 v 7.  Moreover, Psalm 118 v 8 exhorts us to trust in the Lord rather than "to put confidence in man".

As the country continues to reel from one crisis to another, (and the worst is yet to come) let us not despair, as many around us are doing, but have complete confidence in the sovereignty of God; He knows what He is doing and will perform all His good intentions to the glory of His name and the good of everyone He has been pleased to call unto salvation (Romans 8 v 28).

Glaring examples of the nation's hypocrisy

No doubt, like millions of others you are well aware that the nation is in the grip of panic due to the effects of the coronavirus.  Every day the death toll grows and, with it, the call to "save lives" by staying at home.  Moreover, there have been demands for an increase in the testing programme in order to detect the virus, and "save even more lives".

While it is right for the govt. to co-ordinate efforts to stem the spread of the virus and get medical help to those in need, I cannot help wondering if those involved in these efforts realise the blatant hypocrisy that manifests itself.  This is so in two ways:

Firstly, for decades now, our young people have been indoctrinated with the lie of evolution.  We have, teachers say, evolved from lower life forms.  The basic premise of this teaching is the survival of the fittest.  Indeed, it was the central plank of Darwin's so-called discoveries.  (Incidentally, Darwin was a racist, he believed that white people had evolved into a more intelligent race - they don't teach that in schools!) If evolution is true, then why are we concerned about people dying? Surely, if evolutionists are consistent with their own teaching then they would firmly promote the view that nature should take its course, the fit will survive, and the weak will die.

I'm not an evolutionist, I believe God created man in His own image, and that every life is precious, and so I'm not being inconsistent in being deeply concerned about the suffering of others.  This worldview (that because God created us all human life is precious) is the correct one and is reflected in the annals of history, as it was the Christians who set up compassionate and caring programmes during the days of the early church, at a time when Roman society valued life so cheaply.

Secondly, when the daily death toll is announced there are, quite naturally, many gasps of shock across the country, but what about the hundreds of babies butchered in abortion clinics every day?  Since these murders were legalised, in the 1960s, millions have perished, in a holocaust every bit as wicked as Hitler's murder of 6 million Jews.

Moreover, when Christians raise their voice in protest against this barbarity they are silenced and even arrested.  Further evidence of a society "that calls the evil good, and good evil"- Isaiah 5 v 20.

The only hope for our benighted country is a great turning to God, and this is why we need to re-double our efforts to spread the Gospel.  Although evangelism is severely limited, at present, due to understandable govt. restrictions, the situation will not last forever.  When the crisis is over and many people have lost friends and relatives they may be more willing to listen to the call to repent of their sins, accept Christ as their personal Saviour, and submit to him as Lord.  May we be ready to take these opportunities as they present themselves.

In the meantime we can give ourselves to prayer, that God would be pleased to work in people and prepare their hearts for the revival that we so desperately need in our nation.

God is in control - we are not!

I note that, once again, the news is dominated by the effects of this virus that appears to be sweeping across the UK, and indeed, the world.   The whole country seems to be in the grip of fear as the death toll mounts - (but still only a very small fraction of the total population).

As I listen to news reports I'm tending to wonder what is worse - the illness itself, or the panic and mass hysteria that accompanies it.  It is my view that the reason for this state of extreme anxiety (that's putting it mildly!) is that people are beginning to realise, perhaps for the first time in their lives, that they are not masters of their own destiny.  We are not in control - God is.  He is in charge, He calls the shots, He ordains everything that comes to pass.  The Bible states that God "works all things after the counsel of His own will" - Ephesians 1 v 11.

This fact of God's sovereign control over everything that comes to pass is a great comfort to believers in Christ.  We know that, whatever happens, we are kept by His power and this gives us an enormous sense of peace, at a time when millions of people are undergoing the stress that comes with an increasing feeling of helplessness.  As Jesus put it "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you....Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" - John 14 v 27.  The unsaved do not have the privilege of taking on  board this truth.

In the light of the above I find myself feeling deeply sorry for the people who do not know the Lord.  They are like people caught in a river with a strong current, being swept along not knowing where they are going, or what will happen to them.  Perhaps it may be that, being in this state, they will recognise their need of Christ, and that He will be pleased to draw them to repentance and faith in Him as their personal Saviour and Lord.

In the meantime, let us, who know the Lord, keep our confidence in Him remembering the words of Psalm 91 v 4-7 "He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.  Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand shall fall by thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."

Open theism? Open Muppetry!

Imagine the following scenario - two friends, we'll call them James and John, often met together to discuss their hopes and aspirations for the future.   One day, James proudly announced that he had bought a plot of land and was "going to build a house".   "I've ordered all the materials and hope to start next week", he said.  "That's interesting", came the reply,  "let's have a look at your building plans".    James looked incredulous -  "plans", he said "I've got no plans, I'll just put one brick on top of another, and see what emerges.  Don't you think that's a good idea?".   "No" said John "I think you're mad!!"

In a nutshell, that would be the builders' equivalent of Open Theism.

Open theism is a theological line of thought that states that God is not in control, and He doesn't even know the future.   His actions are entirely dependant upon what we do, and He has no actual plan that is being infallibly carried out in accordance with His "unthwartable"  will.  (Unthwartable is not a proper word - it's a bobism, I made it up, see Job 42 v 2 in the ESV).

To suggest that God does not have a plan that is being carried out is to deny the truth of Genesis 50 v 20.  This is where Joseph acknowledges that the evil perpetrated against him by his brothers, in selling him into slavery, was ordained by God to bring about a greater good. Throughout the Bible we see instances of God ordaining events in accordance with His sovereign will for a specific purpose.  Moreover, we read, in Ephesians 1 v 11, that God works all things in accordance with "the counsel of His own will"; and who can forget the famous Romans 8 v 28 where we read that "all things work together for good.....".  In fact, in the New American Standard Version it states that"God causes all things to work together for good...."

As far as knowing the future is concerned, God is outside of time, having created it in the first place.  To suggest that He doesn't know the future is a form of blasphemy!

In short, if God is not in control of all things then, put simply, He is not God.  Open theism then becomes A-theism!

As Christians we can have complete confidence that God is in control of all things, that He does ordain everything in conformity with His sovereign will, and that His plans will be infallibly carried out with no hindrance from mere man.

The ultimate conundrum.

As we approach the general election many people are wondering who to vote for, and some may be tempted not to vote at all, while expressing the view that "they are all as bad as each other".

Personally, I believe that it is a citizens duty to vote; after all, huge numbers of people gave their lives in two world wars to give us the freedoms we have today, and that includes the freedom to choose the government at the ballot box.

According to God's infallible word, "the powers that be are ordained of God" (Romans 13 v 1).  Put in simple terms it means that God appoints those who are in authority.  If God appoints the government why should we bother to vote?  Some Christians try to get round this by saying that God merely allows those in authority to be there, but we make the decision to put them there!  However, that will not do - Romans 13 is explicitly beyond question, God actually appoints the govt.

Herein lies the conundrum - if God appoints the govt. how is it that we have the free-will to choose who to vote for?  The answer is that both statements are true.  It is not for us to try and work out the secret counsels of the Most High; God is sovereign, and He has a way of ensuring that His will is done, while at the same time, we have the power of choice at election times.  If we could understand all God's workings He wouldn't be God!  There has to be some element of mystery.

That brings me to the ultimate conundrum.  It is one thing to discuss this matter when it comes to the question of who will be Prime Minister on December 13th, but what about the most important issue of all - how do we get right with God and be assured that Heaven is our destination?

Of course, the Bible is clear "believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" - Acts 16 v 31; but why is it that, in terms of the percentage of the whole human race, few people believe while most refuse the call of the Gospel?

The answer is simple, it is those who are ordained to eternal life who believe (Acts 13 v 48).  None of us will get saved unless we are given the gift of faith (see John 6 v 65, note the word "can", this speaks of ability).

Now we get to the real question of the ultimate conundrum - the Bible teaches that we are all responsible to turn to Christ in response to the call of the Gospel, and that it is our own fault if we don't get saved.  However, only those "ordained to eternal life" will believe.  How is it that God appoints His elect to eternal life and still holds accountable the ones who don't believe?

Paul deals with this in Romans chapter 9; anticipating this question he answers with characteristic bluntness and simplicity "Who are you, o man, to answer back to God" (v20); and that is the answer to the ultimate conundrum - God is God and we are not, He calls the shots, He is in charge and we must submit to Him in all His decrees.  As Nebuchadnezzar  put it "He does according to His will in the army of Heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand or say unto Him 'What are you doing?'"  Daniel 4 v 35.

Innate or learned?

In my work of street evangelism I sometimes have conversations with people who reject the Biblical teaching that we are born with a sinful nature.  Their assertion goes something like this - "we are not born with a sinful nature at all, people do wrong things to others because they are simply copying behaviour that they see".  Is this correct?

To an extent, it is true that often people are following the bad examples of others; we see this when a youth "gets into a bad crowd" and starts doing stupid things, like acts of vandalism, or violence.  Indeed , the book of proverbs warns us against being enticed into evil by other people - Proverbs 1 v 10.

However, if wrong deeds are purely carried out because of following bad examples how do the Bible deniers cope with the following example?

In the mid-1980s my eldest son, who was 3 at the time, had a playmate called Rachel.  One day, while playing together, he accidentally broke a cup, took it into the kitchen and said "Rachel done it!".

We had never taught him to lie, but he did so - why?  No doubt he thought he might get into some kind of trouble and was lying his way out of it; but if wrong is only done because the perpetrator is simply following another person's example, why did my son lie when he had never witnessed others do so? 

The answer is found in the Bible.  In Psalm 51 v 5 we read that David was in sin even when in his mother's womb.   When the Bible says that sin is in our nature it is absolutely correct, despite the protestations to the contrary from humanistic atheists who attempt to brush aside the clear teaching of God's infallible word.

Having proved, once again, that the Bible is true, I now come to the question  "what is the answer to our sin problem?"  - the glorious Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  His atoning death on the cross and subsequent resurrection present to us the only way we can get right with God and have a new nature, as the Bible says: "If any one be in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold all things are become new"  2nd Cor.. 5 v 17.

We should never be intimidated by opponents of the Bible, as we have all the evidence on our side! 

Let us declare the truth of God's perfect word, and trust the Holy Spirit to draw people to Himself, as it pleases Him to do so.

Evolutionary teaching is to blame for youth crime

Every time we put on the news or read the papers we see further evidence of a crime wave among young people with a huge increase in violence, particularly using knives.

While politicians and social workers wring their hands in despair and attempt all sorts of unconvincing explanations, none of them seem to have realised the answer is staring them in the face - the teaching of evolution in schools.

At one time, children were taught that we were made in the image of God and, as such, we should value all people and treat them with consideration and respect.  However, once children started to get indoctrinated with the teaching of evolution the truths of the Bible were sidelined.  This has been going on for several generations, now, and we are seeing how, as one generation passes and another comes along, so crime has increased.  Not only has crime increased but the level of spite and aggression has increased with it, so that violent crime is now much more vicious than before.

No doubt, enemies of the Bible will say this is all nonsense. However, they need to consider one simple fact, when you teach children that they were descended from animals then they will behave like animals. We have seen evidence of this, so often, and will see more of it as  the country becomes increasingly wicked.

Indeed, the whole framework of evolutionary teaching has one aim in mind - to "prove" that we not created by special design, but evolved by accident.  This immediately rules out the need for a belief in a creator with all the constraints that come with such a belief.  Consequently, if people do not believe in a God who sees everything, then they have no motive to treat others well, but rather to look after their own interests, even if that means using intimidation and violence to achieve those ends.

Politicians of all parties come up with various suggestions to stem this endless orgy of violence but there is only one answer - a turning back to God, and the teaching of His infallible word, the Bible.

History has proved, time and again, that only when there is a revival of turning back to God, through faith in Christ as Lord and Saviour, is there a corresponding decrease in crime and anti-social behaviour.  Instead of coming up with new policies, the leaders of our country should be turning to Christ, and then urging the nation to do the same.

"Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord" - Psalm 33 v 12