Posts

Showing posts from March, 2012

When Heaven was empty

What happened to those who died before Christ came? Romans 3:23 tells us ‘All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’. Psalm 14:6 confirms that ‘None is good, no not one’. Romans 14:12 tells us that ‘all of us will give an account of ourselves to God’. We are sinners because we have broken God’s law, the 10 commandments, therefore when we stand before God, we will be deemed guilty of breaking His law. Because of this we cannot be in the presence of God, nor have a relationship with Him, nor enter Heaven. On earth, justice tells us that if you break the law you are to be punished. This is correct, however the reason for God’s punishment goes much further than this. God is perfect and we are not. Hebrews 12:29 describes God as ‘a consuming Fire’. His very nature is that of fire. If we, a sinner were to come into God’s presence we would be burned to ash in an instant. It is literally impossible for somebody who is sinful to be in the presence of God, who is perfect. God can

God likes BBQ's

It's been BBQ weather lately. They've been on my mind. Leviticus 17:6 And the priest shall sprinkle the blood on the altar of the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting, and burn the fat for a sweet aroma to the Lord . - Proof that God likes BBQ's ;) -BACChristian

Dealing with sin

Every now and then, Christians find themselves susceptible to sin. Some set of circumstances will catch them unaware and render them incapable of withstanding temptation and using the armour of God to fend off the attack. Before they know it they become distant from God. It is very difficult to get yourself back on the track when you have fallen off. It is difficult on two fronts.  First, you yourself make it difficult. When you commit wrong you feel guilt. This feeling is God-given to show us when we have done wrong. Romans 1 tells us that the knowledge of the Lord is 'innate in our hearts'. However, God is merciful and will forgive you. 1 John 1:9 states " 9  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us   our   sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." As humans it is impossible to comprehend such love and forgiveness, therefore our guilt we feel can keeps us from God. It is harder to forgive ourselves than it is for God to forgive us. W

The sooner you start the farther you get

With the odd exception, it is common sense that the sooner you start on a journey the farther you will get. How I wish I could go back to my teenage years and begin living fully for Christ immediately from the word go. Where would I be now if I had realised what was important and stayed away from ungodly things. Kids today are at a great advantage, in that they can start living for Christ from an early age. In hindsight, what I'd give to do so. Unfortunately in this world, 'learning from your mistakes' and 'learning the hard way' seem to be the way people learn what is good and what is not.  Old people are naturally considered wise, presumably because of the vast amount of experience they have to draw from. I can not accept that this is God's way. God can use bad situations to bring about good and can teach us through correction. Indeed, this very correction is proof that God loves us, just as a loving Father would correct his own child. However, I cannot ac

To be Christ-like

A key problem with the church today, especially amongst the younger generations, the youth meetings and the outreach programs, is the misunderstanding of what it means to be Christ-like. Ephesians 2:23-24  ...be made new in the attitude of your minds;   24 and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. To be Christ-like does not mean to be like Christ. Claiming to be like Christ is blasphemy. To be Christ-like means that people can see Christ in you through everything you do. Being Christ-like means that people can see the love of Christ flowing through you. Being Christ like means that people know that you are willing to go the second mile when somebody asks you only to go one because of the love of Christ that is in you (Matthew 5:41). Too often, Churches and Christian events are known for the big personalities and the front men that run them. This is not how it should be. Church should not be a place to increase your ego. We are not reli

The end was declared at the beginning?

Image
There is copious amounts of material and theories on when the second coming of Christ will be. It is pointless to speculate.  Matthew 24:36 tells us, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only." Christ will come for his followers like a thief in the night (1 Thessalonians 5:2) , taking everybody by surprise. In Matthew 24 Jesus describes the day as ‘two men working in the field, one will be taken, the other will be left.’ Nobody will know the day or the hour, however this is talking about the rapture, not the end times. As Christians we should be able to discern when the end is near. There will be signs surrounding His coming. According to Matthew 24, there will be wars, rumours of wars, earthquakes and famines. These are the beginning signs of the end times. However, will it just be these signs that notify believers of his coming or has God provided something more? Contemplate the story of Noah give

Destruction of the cross

The saying 'there is nothing new under the sun' is true. What we class to be new today is usually a rehash of an old thing, given a more modern and appealing name. In 1834 the German poet Heinrich Heine highlighted the 'lust for war' by the German people.  He saw the cross as the only symbol that would stop Germany from fulfilling it's lust and feared the day if ever the cross were taken away. He stated: "Should the subduing talisman, the Cross, break, then will come roaring forth the wild madness of the old champioins, the insane Berserker rage of which the Northern poets sing. That talisman is brittle, and the day will come when it will pitifully break." Nearly 100 years exactly after this statement, Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933. During his successful attempt to temporarily transform the economy he went about a systematic removal of the Cross, replacing the cross of Christ with his own Nazi swastika. He removed the 'subduing talisman'

Persecution to come

The increasing marginalisation of Christians in Britain is evident. It is difficult to find a newspaper that does not include an article on a story of a Christian being told what he/she can or cannot do in the public sphere. The concern is such that a 'Clearing the Ground' Parliamentary inquiry into religious discrimination was held on 27th February 2012. The inquiry highlighted the seriousness of the issue. A woman who was told she could not wear a cross to work, numerous street preachers arrested for 'homophobic' remarks, an elderly couple who refused two homosexuals to share a bed in their B & B hotel, a man disciplined for his comments over 'equality gone too far' on facebook and the banning of prayers in council meetings are just a few of the cases highlighted by the inquiry. The case of Nadia Ewedia, a Christian fighting for her right to wear a cross at work, is due to be heard by the European Court of Human Rights in a joint appeal. The case has re

Jesus Christ and UK Contract Law

To have a contract under English law there must be 3 components in existence. Offer and acceptance Consideration Intention to create legal relations Without one of these components, the court will find that there is no contract in existence. The salvation of God satisfies the three components of a contract at UK law. A contract exists between God and His children. Offer and Acceptance Offer:  This one is easy. God loves us and wants us to have a personal relationship with Him, that we may worship Him and go to heaven when we die. This is the offer, God's forgiveness through Christ Jesus our Lord. God's gift of grace is the offer. Acceptance: Like with any offer, we must accept it before it has any effect. To accept His offer,  1 John 1:9 states: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us  our  sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Romans 10:13 states: For  “whoever calls on the name of the  Lord  shall be saved.” Once there has