"What is the purpose of the church?"
This Sunday is the first day of the New Year, a time when we all think of what lies ahead for us. There will be mixtures of anticipation or fear, joy or sorrow, hope or dread. There will be many resolutions made, some of which will last a day, some a little longer.

But what for the Church? Some of us however much goodwill we have, despair for we can already visualise more problems. Such will continue until all involved accept that the Church is here because God gave us it for a purpose. In addition, He gave us a manual as to how we must believe and act, which He inspired 40 men to write over hundreds of years, men from varied occupations using their own characters; it is called the Bible.

Why did God create the Church?
The church is a creation of God. Jesus Christ said, ‘I will build My church’. We need to follow His purpose for the church and His mission for it. In Acts 2, v42 we read, they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. The passage then goes on to state, ‘and the Lord added to their number daily’. From this we can reasonably believe that when the Church teaches that which the Apostles taught, God will continue to make that Church grow. We can also reasonably deduce that when it fails to give the teaching of the Apostles, it will not grow. Let us bear in the front of our minds that the Apostles were taught by the Supreme Teacher, our Lord Himself.

The church is to teach biblical doctrine and proclaim how God intends us to live, to know what is true and make us realize what is wrong in life. We preach that such perfection of life can only be obtained by people turning to Jesus Christ, who alone can bring us close to God, for there is salvation through no one else, Jesus is the only way to the Father. This is the teaching of the Bible, the complete manual for Christian living.

The Church is failing in many places by placing the teaching on peripheral issues, and in doing so is turning people away. If, like many of us did, vote to leave the European Union, at least three Cathedral Deans called us racists, and countless Bishops expressed their disapproval. Such was not only unwise, it was positively stupid, clergy should realize when they take open political sides they will inevitably alienate people who think differently; there was nothing remotely racist, many of those so voting are fully desirable of being friendly with European countries, we just don’t want them to rule us.

A favourite topic of preachers is climate change; this not an issue which merits itself as a subject for a main Sunday service. It is reported that such was a topic at a Remembrance day service, which upset some veterans who allegedly left the Church.

Whilst social issues are part of the Church’s mission, these are for attention at times out of the Sunday sermons, which is for spiritual teaching. The Bible states when the Apostles met after Pentecost they stated they would put others in charge of the social matters, ‘so they could spend their time in prayer, preaching and teaching’. This was also at a time when there were not the social services we have today.

It is good and commendable we can play a part, but I fear some Churches are providing such to alleviate the need of biblical preaching. A Church is to fill people’s spiritual need; they can go the appropriate place for all other needs. We have something special to offer, which only the Church can, and if not given there is no purpose in our existence.

A second purpose for the Church is to provide fellowship where believers can share and build each other up. Just as a father loves to have his children visit him, so our heavenly Father loves His (spiritual) children to visit Him, and we show our commitment by regularly attending worship. There will of course be times when we are genuinely unable to attend, but as a general rule we should aim to be in Church on Sundays.

According to our passage the church is to be a place where believers can observe the (Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, Eucharist) the service of breaking bread in remembrance of our Lord’s sacrifice for us.

If we are to halt the falling away of members from the Church we must concentrate on teaching how to know and love Christ, and demonstrate that we represent Him and His values accurately, and vividly to the world.

At present there is too great an obsession on the subject of sexuality. God has given us all free will, and each person is allowed to choose how he/she exercises their sexual desires. We do not need to get involved in name calling; that is not for us to do. What we do need to do is tell faithfully what the Bible teaches on this subject. It is not a question as to what I or any other clergyman(woman) believe, we are here to say what God believes, and He has spelled it out clearly in Scripture.

The Church of England is behaving dismally and unworthily on same sex (so named) marriage. This is wrong biblically, and no amount of obfuscation or verbal athletics can refute or deny what is written. It is appalling that bishops are pleading for the Church to drop the ban on clergy so engaging in such unions, when as a matter of integrity and honour, they should be exercising discipline on those clergy who have ignored the Church ruling and entered into same sex ceremonies.

I read the Bishop of Liverpool is supportive of same sex partnerships and appointed two women bishops from America, (surely a theological oxymoron) who support same sex (marriages?).

The church’s mission is to present Jesus Christ to the world and the Bible exhorts pastors to be strong in the grace of Christ and pass on to faithful men who will be able to teach others. We are also called to shepherd the flock of God, exercising oversight according to the will of God; by example.

When I was ordained, as with every other priest in the Church of England, I had to kneel before my Bishop and affirm that I was persuaded that holy Scriptures contained all doctrine required of necessity for eternal salvation and I would instruct and teach nothing but that which may be proved by the Scriptures; that I would also banish and drive away all erroneous and strange doctrines contrary to God’s Word. Why then, it may be asked, is this not being faithfully adhered to in general?

There can be no clearer example of the value of faithful and bold bible preaching than that of Billy Graham, the most successful preacher of all time. For forty years he preached in 185 countries to over 220 million people. He told them exactly what the Bible said, and told them they were all sinners who needed to repent, for there were two destinations when this life was over, heaven or hell and a choice had to be made in this life, and they still flocked in their tens of thousands to listen to him.

Today in this generation of preachers there is marked reluctance to speak of hell; or be faithful to scripture on controversial issues for fear of being called a bigot or accused of having a phobia if you disagree in the smallest way with some vociferous minority. They are not flocking to the Churches in any sizeable numbers now.

A modern parable?

Christmas Message
I watched an American news broadcast which reported on how the American Civil Liberties Union were going around posting anti-Christmas messages, calling for all references to Christmas to be removed from public display, and objecting to Nativity scenes. What happened to the land of the free?

Here in Britain we have something of the same, when jumped up public officials rejoice to be offended on behalf of other faiths and none, and object to Christian messages and expression, thinking their efforts will earn them some praise for political correctness and a few moments of fame; councillors who have never contributed much to public life other than to benefit themselves, objecting to prayers before Council meetings, replacing the word Christmas for winter festival or other ridiculous terms.

What is it about these people? Why does Christianity strike such fear in their tiny minds? Why do they not have the courage to attack other faiths? Does a guilty conscience come into play when they consider the sort of lives they live? Why is it that they have no reluctance to join in all the festivities which only take place because Christmas is an essentially Christian celebration?

The vociferous secularists and humanists, whose publicity is out of all proportion to their tiny numbers, see any religious ceremony as a threat to their unworthy cause. Is it not amazing that when an American evangelist came over here and offered to enter into debate with them, they all went into hibernation refusing to take part.

In a few days time Christians will be attending Christmas services. Some will be attending Midnight Mass, a glorious inspiring service of praise, as we herald in Christmas Day and celebrate the birth of our Lord. Others will prefer to go to Church on Christmas morning, but at whichever service we will be thinking of God’s love in sending Jesus here, born of a young Jewish girl by the power of the Holy Spirit, in which we all glory. I know that there will be difficulty for some in accepting the doctrine of the Virgin birth, which means of course they must explain how Jesus entered the world and then they could be on dangerous grounds.

We remember the lowly circumstances of His birth and the reason He came, namely to grow into manhood and be our Saviour.

It is a matter of great sadness that now in the 21st century the mass of people have forsaken the Christian commitment of previous years and chosen to ignore the religious significance of Christmas. Some reject all religious belief with undisguised contempt, and just see it as an excuse for an orgy of drink and pleasure.

I look in amazement as I see trolleys in supermarkets overflowing with food and drink, especially drink, and then hear and read of how protests are made regarding cuts by the government and how people are finding it hard to exist, and certainly cannot afford to pay more for their gold plated pensions.

I accept everyone is entitled to have enjoyment, especially at this time of year, but let us keep it in proportion. There will be many who just now see Christmas as a secular time for enjoyment.

But let us remember with much compassion those for whom Christmas is a time of great sadness, namely those who have just lost a married partner, a child, parent or loved family member. This will be a very lonely time for them and we should remember them in prayers and intercessions.

I wish all who read this posting a very happy and blessed Christmas. May God bless you

The gospel reading this week is about John the Baptist who is incarcerated in a dungeon and is awaiting death, and comes from the 11th Chapter of Matthew. The place where he is held is one of the hottest places on earth and he is there because he has criticised Herod for his immoral lifestyle.

John is a sad and disillusioned man as he realises his ministry is over, Jesus is now predominant, and whilst John has always preached about Jesus, he finds Jesus appears to be doing nothing to help him. Consequently John begins to have doubts about his faith, as most thinking people will have. He had believed the coming of the Messiah would bring blessing on all who repented and judgement on those who did not. He was wondering why Jesus had not sorted Herod out. One day Jesus will make judgement.

In order to resolve his fears he sends his disciples to ask Jesus to confirm He is the Messiah, and Jesus responds by telling them to return to John and acquaint John with what Jesus is saying and performing, namely restoring sight, healing the lame, raising the dead and preaching good news. He also mildly rebukes John by saying, ‘blessed is the on who is not offended by me’.

Jesus also points out all things happen in God’s appointed time. The people generally expected Jesus to lead them in a political campaign against the Roman power, but Jesus was not One who would command military action. Jesus knew people would be disappointed and fall away once their expectations were not fulfilled, and the same thing happens today. At the same time Church members can be very cruel and their conduct can cause havoc in a Church.

God answers prayers in His time so we have to bear the wiat patiently

I had a lady in one Church where I was acting in an honorary capacity who worked so hard and demonstrated her faith in a very practical way. She was one might call a perfect Christian in action. If a person became ill she would be the first to see what help she could offer in a practical way, shopping cleaning or just visiting and offering comfort. She was a PCC Secretary, a lay reader, and generally active in all Church social events. Sadly a new Vicar was appointed whose wife who would have been more suited to a prison guard. She was jealous that any other woman could even have a say never mind being so popular, which led to my friend’s life becoming unbearable there, and at the wife’s behest caused her to leave the Church. She drifted away from Church, which lost a valuable servant at a crucial time as both the Vicar and his wife left soon after. There should never be any animosity within a Church family.

If you feel disappointed or downcast, if you feel no one cares for you and you feel you have laboured in vain, remember there is some One above who is watching over you and will recognise your efforts. He records all we do and sees the goodness in us. One day he will say ‘come ye blessed of my Father and receive the Kingdom prepared for you’.

We do face times of personal weakness in which doubt enters all our lives, and if it has not happened to you (yet), then perhaps you are not thinking things through.

The devil is always active and can influence our thin mind, especially in times of personal sadness and worry, and then like John we begin to wonder if we have got it right. Jesus understood John’s thinking and praised him publicly as the greatest man born of woman, yet he did not have the experience which each one of us can have of knowing the Holy Spirit come into our lives.

So what is the message for us from this passage.

Millions of people have religious belief and consider themselves Christian, without any real entitlement. Religion can be an obstacle to true faith. True they are Christian supporters, but there is no commitment. Many people feel inspired by the ceremony often performed and enacted in the Church of England, in which ritual take the place of real faith and belief. I have served in Churches where ceremony was a feature and which was very meaningful, and added much to worship, rather than the basic services, but it should be an aid to remind us we have been in the presence of an Almighty God and nothing more.

The message people always need to remember, is that we are worshipping the Jesus who died on the Cross for the forgiveness of all our sins, and as the Bible emphatically states, no can come to God the Father except through Him… He alone is the means of our salvation.

There are a lot of politicians, and other trouble makers, who want to airbrush our faith right out of existence and we are letting them get on with it. They are pathetic cowards who would not dare to say or do the things to Islam that we allow, and to the credit of Islam they stand up these cowards.

If you have trusted God for some purpose and feel like John let down; if your faith becomes weak, be like John and tell God to speak to you. Listen or read the great hymns of Charles Wesley who wrote in one hymn ‘my faith looks up to thee, O Lamb of Calvary’.

Above all, never let anyone cause you to doubt or lead you to spiritual rejection so that you drift away from Church. You may think it could never happen, but it could and will if you are not careful.

May God bless you and be at Church each Sunday.

As Mark's Gospel opens, John the Baptist is there to prepare the way so that the people would be ready to receive Jesus. He was a voice crying in the wilderness. This is where God sent him to preach and many went out to hear him. They went because of the message
which was being preached which had a significant effect on them.

John spoke in a way that touched their hearts. Within all of us there is a conscience which is often dulled and needs reawakening.

In their hearts people know they are sinners and it weighs on their minds.

What is sad is that in today’s world no one is supposed to be made to feel guilty. There is a distinct lack in the preaching of the Church to point out the consequences of sin lest we upset people. We have got to a stage where there are no absolutes, as long as one feels something is right, that is all that matters.

As a result, many in our day fix the blame on someone else for their behaviour. Now, while there may have been someone else involved, the fact remains that you are still responsible before God.

So whilst the Church now is reluctant to speak of sin lest it upsets people, John proved the opposite effect is true. People went miles just to hear him tell them words that would enable him to touch something in their hearts and minds. They were able to confess and have peace of mind.

When Billy Graham first came to England, many pompous clergy were derisive before they had even heard him speak. Whilst they were preaching to small numbers of people in sweet soporific tones, Billy was speaking before crowds of many thousands ranging from 20 to 60 thousands, with overflow meetings in theatres and church halls. He was never reluctant to tell them they were sinners and needed to turn to Christ. When people think of great evangelists, Billy Graham is often the name which comes to mind.
Just as did John there was a conviction of sin combined with a message of hope which offered relief. If the Church is content in observing state law assiduously and declining to speak of judgement, which determines heaven or hell, then it becomes little more than a social club with a spiritual flavour. We need to have more biblically based teaching rather than that identical to some social based magazine.

Then John called them to publicly acknowledge their repentance by baptism. Baptism at that time symbolised the washing away of the past and the beginning of a new life. This was performed when someone confirmed their faith repented and promised to lead a new life. It was not the frivolous act performed in too many churches where it is mainly children being baptised, which is in fact just the prelude to a party, and where the parents of children are not required to make any commitment other than just say the words on the service sheet.

John was the forerunner for Christ pointing to Jesus as the Messiah, the One who would come and baptise with the Holy Spirit, but his message can mean as much to today’s generation as it did to the people of his day.

Matthew 24
Today is Advent Sunday and for many Churches it is the start of the Church’s year. For all Christians it is a time when we think about the return of our Lord, although for so many people, they have not recognised His first coming. This is a very serious and important subject and should not be treated lightly. The teachings of the Bible are not acceptable to many folk within the Church, but they are quite clear. Let us look at them together this morning.

The Bible tells us that God will one day bring an end to this world. 380 times in the New Testament the return of Jesus is mentioned, and the whole Bible promises His return.
We are called to live by the teachings of Jesus, and are warned there will be people who mock the faith. They will do so in order to justify the sinful way in which they live.

People also scoff at any talk of Jesus returning or the suggestion of judgement, stating God will not intervene and asking why He hasn’t done so. They forget that one day to us is like a thousand years to God, who is giving time for more people to be saved.

They forget too, if they ever knew, that God did once destroy the earth and is saving up fire for when judgement comes. This will be without warning, leaving no place or time for hiding. The Bible calls for Christians to live pure and holy lives to avoid punishment that awaits the ungodly.

When we turn to the gospel passage we find Jesus had been talking to His Apostles on the Mount of Olives, who asked Him what the signs are of His coming back at the end of the age. Jesus answered there would be wars and rumours of wars, nations would fight nations--- there would be famines, ----earthquakes----Christians would be persecuted ----people would turn away from the faith. ----there would be false teaching---evil--wickedness.

You don’t hear much preaching on this subject, the Church tends to avoid it. The Church is remarkably quiet about anything which is likely to upset people’s tranquillity; there is reluctance in a politically correct obsessed society to suggest judgement or guilt.

But we are thinking here about the climax of world history, a point where any national psychopathic leader could, by pressing a button, unleash nuclear destruction on an unimaginable scale. So we may be nearer to the end than many think or want to believe.
It is true that such signs have been prevalent in each generation but they increase in their likelihood as time goes by. If you look at present world events, there are grounds for concern. Wars and terrorism are occurring all over our world.

A situation of utmost gravity exists in the Middle East where Iran wants to wipe Israel off the map, and world leaders seem to be deluded into thinking they can trust Iran, whereas Israel is more ready to face reality. They in turn are ready to attack Iran, and bearing in mind that the Bible prophesises the world will end in Jerusalem, we should all be concerned. The Bible states God will protect His ancient chosen people.

We see famines in Africa, earthquakes and typhoons of unprecedented strength, with one island which rarely has rain having had large parts destroyed by storms. False teaching aplenty is given in our Churches, to justify and make acceptable modern moral behaviour. Christians are being forced out of Middle Eastern lands, where arson and murder reign against them, and they are treated barbarically.

Jesus says all these kinds of things will happen in the last days, that is before His return.

In v.36, which opens our reading, Jesus states that only God knows when that time will be. He then compares life in the days of Noah to those relating to what will be happening when He returns to earth.

You remember the story of Noah. A lot of people laugh and scoff at it, but archaeologists say there is plenty of evidence that a flood did exist at one time over a certain portion of the world, the portion that Noah lived in. The Bible says that God looked upon civilization, and He saw the wickedness of men. Jesus said as it was then, so it will be in the day of the coming of the Son of man.

There are several things said about that day. First, it was a world in which marriage and home were abused. People were obsessed with sex. Emphasis was on immorality. Look at our world today; we are living in the same way as in the days of Noah. We see the same conditions today. Pick up a newspaper.

The Telegraph and Mail newspapers often feature religious articles on their websites and a lot of comments are made in response which are quite vitriolic; not just disagreement, but open hatred of religion. People do not like to hear their way of living is seen to be immoral by others. They want to live their lives without reference to God or biblical values.

One journalist wrote an article in response to a speech by the ex Archbishop of Canterbury, who had suggested the Church faced extinction. He stated the Church could not expect younger people (especially) to reject same sex relationships, or couples sleeping together outside of marriage, or the doctrines of the Church such as a Virgin Birth and resurrection, which SOME churches still do preach. He was in fact implying that the Church should drastically change its stance on such issues, although I think many within the Church have done so in thought and practice.

The Church of England has adopted a policy which states clergy should not engage in same sex marriage, yet in the Liverpool Diocese it is openly practised, seemingly with the Bishop’s approval. Other bishops openly campaign for same sex marriage, without any disciplinary action being taken.

Noah tried to warn his fellowmen of coming judgement, but there was a sceptical unbelieving and casual unconcern. The more Noah preached the more they laughed at him. God said man was too evil, so He was going to make it rain for forty days and destroy the earth. But God saw Noah was a good man of moral integrity who worshipped God faithfully.
God told Noah how to build a ship, and when Noah did so everybody laughed at this crazy guy building a ship out in the desert. Today you would have television crews from around the world taking pictures. But then the rains came and how they must have wished they had listened to Noah

This is how it will be before Jesus returns to an unbelieving world which will be living as they choose. People laugh at this story and at today’s gospel; they call it a myth and fairy tale, but they will find out one day.
When Jesus returns, just as the flood brought sudden judgement His return will do the same. People will be caught unawares as they will be unprepared through rejecting Christian teaching. The world will be separated even between families and friends as Jesus taught. The Bible is clear – there was a beginning and there will be an end, when Christ comes again.

Jesus stated two people will be together, one will be taken to be with Him, the other will be left. A person who has accepted Jesus, who died on the Cross as their Saviour, will be safe on Judgement day. A person who has not will be let behind. There will be no chance to make a decision then, we have to be ready beforehand and decide we want to accept Him now. The Bible states, ‘now is the day of salvation.’ God has given everybody a chance to decide and choose. These are Jesus’ words, not mine.

This is a very serious truth to consider, for the Bible teaches that the consequences are drastic, some will be saved for eternal life and the rest will be lost. However much we might like to conclude there is a different ending, the Bible leaves us with no doubt.

The last verses of our passage call on us to be ready, and we are expected to spread the gospel message, particularly to our families and friends, for we will never have warning. The Bible states now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation

There is a grossly mistaken notion that as long as one is honest and a nice person one is assured of heaven. That is not what the Bible teaches. Many people who are atheists are honest and nice people. There has to be a personal commitment to Jesus. The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’. Jesus said, ‘no one comes to the Father except through me’. The Church has not always given sound teaching on this; indeed there are those who do not accept those words.

Whilst it may be comforting to believe that we can all get to heaven regardless of one’s beliefs, and we like to please our fellow men and women, it is quite cruel to mislead if it is not true. It is like telling a blind person standing on the footwalk of a busy road it is safe for him to cross when ready. Others say if you just follow your conscience you’ll be fine, but consciences become dulled and hardened. We need to be prepared just as any responsible householder will take care of their property against theft, for burglars do not give notice of their coming.

This is why it is so important for each person to make his/her own decision whether to follow Jesus in His teaching, commands and demands He makes on us.

You see the Bible is all about commitment. We are reminded of the superficiality of commitment in our own time. Less than 10% of people think God worthy of one hour per week to visit a Church. Yet if you were to ask people their religion, the vast majority would reply C of E and seriously consider they were Christians. They would be mortally offended if you suggested otherwise. Very few people seem it necessary to think of Jesus, even less to do anything about it.

Some Christians have sincerely gone to extremes to prepare for Jesus’ return. Jesus never called us to do anything more than to be faithful in all that we do and always to thing to the best of our ability and be ready to greet Him either here on earth or in heaven.

It has been obvious for some time that in the United Kingdom the view of many people is that democracy means giving people a choice, and then if the result is not what expected and desired to hold another, and as many as necessary to get the desired answer. This attitude in paired with hypocrisy in several ways, notably displayed currently by State and Church.

The European Referendum revealed a clear majority to leave, yet there are strong demands for another to be held to cancel that one.

Senior, and some not so senior clergy, have disgraced themselves in commenting. Whilst everyone has a right to an opinion and difference, need it be so unpleasant. Each Sunday in the General Confession we regret ‘we have not loved our neighbours as ourselves’.

How I wonder do people like the ever ready to comment maker Giles Fraser square that regret when he is quoted as despising ukip supporters; or the Vicar in Kent who criticised Trump and Brexit supporters in the Remembrance service at her Church, causing some veterans to leave the service; or the two Bishops who voiced their racist accusations; or the jolly female attention seeking Vicar who is getting to be a regular on television who is quoted as saying ‘I hate it when I have to agree with a Tory’.
Do these people not realise a majority of supporters of Brexit and Trump, (who they have not given a chance to prove himself) would probably be the same people who attend And/or support the Church, and are very likely to be offended by stupid and offensive statements? This is not what attracts, but certainly dissuades.

Now we have seen the United States is similarly affected. In the Presidential election, at one stage opinion polls suggested Trump was ahead in the popular vote, causing opponents to cry that it was Electoral College votes that counted. When Trump trounced Clinton in the Electoral College we were told repeatedly how Clinton had more popular votes, and now a vociferous minority are trying to annul the election.

Last Sunday I led a service of Remembrance at which we thought of the brave young men and women who served in the Armed Forces in two world wars and localised wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. We thought of lives lost and terrible injuries for life that were incurred, but also of the ideals and principles for which those men and women fought for. I often wonder what they would have said if they could see the state of the country today. There seems so little comparison. Would they think their sacrifice was worthwhile?

This morning I want to draw your attention to a verse from the Old Testament, ‘when the foundations are being destroyed what can the righteous do?’ What then are the ‘foundations? ’

The foundations that are spoken of are the foundations that support a society and prevent it from crumbling, the social, moral, ethical, political and religious foundations. Without much effort we can see those foundations are slowly falling apart, there is a general breakdown in society

Christianity has been the faith of this country for over 1500 years, and has brought and kept this nation as one, Christianity is being wrecked and the ensuing collapse of Christian values has led to an unstable society in which family life is being destroyed, and a moral and spiritual vacuum has been created. Now Christianity is being fazed out of public life by politically motivated people, ideologues in the government and civil service who betray the culture which nurtured them.
Politically, our governments once exercised their role with Christian values in mind, but recent successive governments have shown little, if any, concern for Christian standards.

Legislation has been introduced which offends and contradicts Christian teaching and belief. In addition, we have restrictions placed on the expression of our beliefs, something which does not happen in relation to other faiths. Until recently we had a Prime Minister, who by his intransigence made freedom of religious expression a legal offence, with the paradox that you can incur a greater penalty for quoting the Bible to support your belief than you may for committing burglary or physical assault. You may be suspended from employment for wearing a Cross, but not a hijab.

The moral boundaries have been swept away to such an extent that there are now no absolutes, all is relative and you just do your own thing and make up your own standards. This is being taught in our schools and universities, and in intellectual circles the Bible is seen as some form of hate literature. People believe they can do without God.

In our politically correct society it seems the power of evil is so great that decent people are afraid, even in danger, if they voice criticism. They are accused of bigotry and all kinds of phobia Dark clouds are descending on our culture. We all know this to be true yet we feel powerless to stop the slide into the abyss. Isolation from it all is impossible. We can’t escape from it anywhere.

Our children and grandchildren are growing up in a world so very different from the previous generations. They will never know it was once forbidden to use a four lettered explicit word on radio/television; ; that marriage was only between a man and woman, and only a woman would be called a wife, they will never know the word ‘gay’ meant an expression of healthy happiness. Many will never have been to a school where there was a (Christian) Assembly each morning, and where the Bible was part of their education.

Our newspapers regularly tell of people claiming huge sums of money for minor injuries whereas a soldier who loses a leg or an arm gets so little.

In contrast we read the pathetic story of a man suing a baker because the baker whilst agreeing to make a cake for the man nevertheless refused to put a slogan on the cake because of his religious belief and faith. The man claimed his feelings ‘were hurt’.

What then shall the righteous do?

The righteous are represented by the Church, and whichever denomination you choose, it may reasonably be said is not fit for the purpose our Lord created the Church.

A great difficulty arises within the Church in that it does not speak with one voice and message and therefore lacks credibility.. At present we have those who are theologically conservative trying to be faithful to Scripture, whilst those of liberal persuasion, want to rewrite those parts of Scripture which do not conform to modern morality and social custom. It is fatuous and irrational to suppose biblical injunctions, which do not conform to modern attitudes, can be reinterpreted to suit to-day’s requirements. The Bible does not need any amendments. We have allowed the absolute authority of the Bible to be challenged, so that people venture more and more away from its teaching. God will condemn those who challenge His authority

This can only cause confusion in people’s minds. They can be excused for saying if the Church can’t make its own mind up, how can they expect us to believe and trust them. No Muslim would ever think of challenging their holy book, the Koran, and look in amazement that even within the Church, there are those who dispute much of our Holy Book.

The Church is beginning to look more influenced by the world rather than the other way round. The more we try to be relevant, the more irrelevant to our purpose we become. We should not be blown away by every whim of public opinion, but let our anchor hold in the storms of life. Let us stand for the old standards, the way Christians once did no matter how difficult that might become, and not go with the trend of the times where the secularists are setting the agenda.

The Church should be following the example set by the Apostles who were taught by Jesus who sent them out to proclaim His gospel. They went out across the world telling of the unique and divine Birth of Jesus; His being sent by God to do His work on earth, to die upon the Cross for the forgiveness of all our sins, that we may be made righteous in God’s sight, and was risen from the dead and continued to teach |His Apostles until ascending back to heaven. God then sent the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles at Pentecost with the message that all who accept Jesus as Saviour will be granted salvation.

The Bible states a house which is divided among itself will fall and such is the reason for the poor attendances at our Churches. If we gave them the full story of Jesus rather than the half hearted adulterated preaching now being given we may well find more interest in the Church.

There is false teaching being put out which is readily being accepted rather than the factual one, that one only has to be a nice honest person to attain a future place in heaven. There is also a marked reluctance to preach the need for repentance and personal acceptance of Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

We need to be more positive, even aggressive, in giving people a clear vision of what it means to be a Christian and to have a Christian based society. We now have to proclaim it boldly and challenge those who try to put us down.

So, what for the future of the Church? There is hope and confidence if all members realize there is no hope if they are content to sit back and say ethereally, ‘God will provide’. Christ did say ‘I will build my Church’, but He expects a little help from His friends.

We need a daring programme of revival, which God is challenging us to make. We within the Church need to ensure our services are always meaningful and encouraging. However, there is reluctance within some Churches to preach a vibrant Biblical message for fear of being criticised as being offensive to other faiths.

Whilst Christianity has been the faith of this country for centuries, in recent times our Churches have retreated and allowed a secular agenda to exercise undue influence on both society and the Church. People, I believe, are longing for and wanting spiritual leadership. Our strength is limited only by our faith. .

Instead of religious leaders writing letters to the press about politics and climate change, they should be writing against the marginalisation of our faith.

When you become a Christian you effectively become like a soldier, there is warfare between what the world wants and what God has laid down, and we enter a battlefield. The Bible calls on us to stand firm and not yield.

Every army needs to attack, and we should be promoting Christianity as vigorously, as other faiths push their faith, armed with the two edged sword of truth. Our faith is based on the historical and divine Jesus Christ who calls for people to turn back to God. Never let us be ashamed to tell the story of a Saviour who gave His life on the Cross, so that all we unworthy people may have our sins forgiven because He died that we may be made righteous for heaven when our life on this earth is over.

All who treasure the Christian faith, and the memory of those who gave their lives to preserve a Christian heritage, must work and pray for a spiritual revival of the Christian Church. The valiant hearts that died to preserve the loveliness of these lands we call Great Britain, will not be failed by God.

May we well remember the sacrifices others made on our behalf that we might be here at this hour? We must never ever forget the lives of so many gallant young men and women given that we may have peace in our lives, and Christianity in our hearts.

REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY
(Ephesians 6 v.10/18)
Today we gather once again on this special day, to remember the great sacrifices made by men/women, many of whom paid the supreme sacrifice of their lives, whilst others were injured and disabled for life.

As the years roll by, the number of those who were alive during the last World War grows ever smaller reducing by the year. But the memories do not fade, as we recall how this nation stood alone on the brink when all seemed to be lost and there was even talk of surrender. But God raised up a man who refused to surrender and instead rallied the nation to perform such heroic deeds.

How sad and shameful so many young people do not, and will not, try to learn of this glorious chapter of our history, never having had to endure the horrors and hardship of war. Such has been the direction of education in recent years in (state) schools, they have little or no knowledge of what was done that they may have all the priviliges they now enjoy. To so many Churchill is the name of a dog representing an Insurance Company rather than one of the greatest Prime Ministers of this country.

We think of the brave young men, some barely left College, who defended our skies or were shot down over German cities; others who perished on a French beach, or drowned in deep waters, or were tortured in a Japanese prison camp; they gave heir lives for principles they loved or believed in.

We have to add those who fought and died in Afghanistan and Iraq in wars which should never have been started, as we replaced one horror for even worse.

All these men and women would have cried for the ideals which took their lives, to be remembered and honoured. What would they say if they knew what things were going on this country now? Would they wonder if their great sacrifices were worthwhile as they looked at us? How disillusioned, as they looked at their injuries; those who came home with shattered limbs, or blind eyes, and saw people making huge compensation claims for minor injuries, and taking legal action for hurt feelings caused by mere words.

How would they react to see some pumped up public official saying the flag they fought under could not be displayed lest it upset someone from another country?

Those men and women had a faith and a belief, and now we Christians have to take over that fight. As they fought the Battle of Britain, we must fight For Britain.

The world has largely rejected Christianity, without having anything to put in its place to combat the evils of the world. All we hear today is about ‘human rights,’ yet in all walks of public life, even to the highest level of government; we have flagrant deceit, corruption, being economical with the truth and unrestricted immorality, the sort of behaviour which sends out the wrong message to the young and gullible.

Under the guise of equality, all manner of restrictions are being enacted to restrain freedom of speech and religious faith. People can be perfectly equal without being the same. Until recently we had a Prime Minister who by his intransigence made freedom of religious expression a legal offence, and so a greater penalty could be given than if convicted for burglary or physical assault.

Christian principles and values were the foundation of this nation’s base, as were many of the social institutions and the legal system of the country. Our nation’s future depends on the acceptance of the standards of the Bible.

Not all who condemn the moral slide are bigoted and narrow minded. Those who fought for their country, all those veterans knew what counted in life as they fought for a safer world. The men on the fighting lines knew things had to get better. .

We have a society which is encouraged to forsake a Christian consensus and live, not by Christian principles, but by substituting other principles. We are submerged in a world that is committed to falsehood, which is why we are called to proclaim the truth.

Today, there will be people in all our Churches who would not normally be there, thus revealing a spiritual content in their lives. Indeed, almost all people have some spiritual longing; there are so many of these people who would be of enormous value to the Church and who in turn could add so much to their lives. Within each one of us there is a need for things which money can’t buy, and desires which we cannot express. Whilst the majority may not be willing to accept it, we all need a spiritual life. We need God and the forgiveness, which He offers in Jesus Christ. Without this our souls are restless. The only obstacle is a lack of motivation.

Many people are like the two British soldiers who found themselves lost in the deserts of Iraq. They eventually came across an American Officer in his jeep. As they approached him they didn’t even bother to salute and simply blurted out ‘excuse me mate, can you tell us where we are?’ The General took umbrage at their casual attitude and sternly replied, ‘Do you know who I am?’ at which one of the soldiers turned to the other and said, ‘Now we are in real trouble, we don’t know where we are and he doesn’t know who he is!’

Neither do we know who we are and why we are here, so we just live for today and who cares about tomorrow. And that is how we will remain unless there is some communication from the outside, from the One who has made us. A godless self-centred life is a fruitless and empty one.

We need a daring programme of revival, which God is challenging us to make. We within the Church need to ensure our services are always meaningful and encouraging. However, there is reluctance within some Churches to preach a vibrant Biblical message for fear of being criticised as being offensive to other faiths.

Whilst Christianity has been the faith of this country for centuries, in recent times our Churches have retreated and allowed a secular agenda to exercise undue influence on both society and the Church. People, I believe, are longing for and wanting spiritual leadership. Our strength is limited only by our faith. Will that faith let us move mountains or stumble over mole hills?

When you become a Christian you effectively become like a soldier, there is warfare between what the world wants and what God has laid down, and we enter a battlefield. The Bible calls on us to stand firm and not yield.

When the Romans invaded a country they would burn their boats so there could be no means of retreat, hence the saying burning our boats. God is telling us He will give us all the power we need and the Bible calls on us to put on the whole armour of God.

In today’s passage Paul is giving guidance and draws on the imagery taken from a Roman soldier’s uniform with a portrayal of Christian life as a warfare, using spiritual metaphors for the resources given to the Christian soldier.

Paul looks at the belt which holds the soldier’s uniform together, a breastplate to defend his heart, sandals specially made with spikes in the soles to enable to get a good foothold on the ground to dig his feet in and a helmet to protect his head. A shield protects him from the darts of the enemy and he has a sword to go on the attack.

Applying them to the Christian, Paul is referring to the belt of truth which is the gospel, which holds our faith, and we must have a pure heart to live according to that truth, and then stand firm and not let our head be turned by false teaching.

Every army needs to attack, and we should be promoting Christianity as vigorously, as other faiths push their faith, armed with the two edged sword of truth. Our faith is not someone has made up; it is based on the historical and divine Jesus Christ who calls for people to turn back to God. Never let us be ashamed to tell the story of a Saviour who gave His life on the Cross, so that all we unworthy people may have our sins forgiven because He died that we may be made righteous for heaven when our life on this earth is over.

All who treasure the Christian faith, and the memory of those who gave their lives to preserve a Christian heritage, must work and pray for a spiritual revival of the Christian Church. The valiant hearts that died to preserve the loveliness of these lands we call Great Britain, will not be failed by God.
May we, on this special day, well remember the sacrifices others made that we might be here at this hour? We must never ever forget the lives of so many gallant young men and women given that we may have peace in our lives.

Congratulations to America on the election of their new President.

After months of being sneered at and mocked by all the National Press and CNN; despite all the confident pollsters telling that Hillary Clinton would win, Donald Trump has made fools of them not only by winning, but winning decisively having taken all the so called swing States, leaving the liberal elite in California and some of the North Eastern States. No big entertainment people, none of the dramatic speeches of the Obamas, no massive organisation bankrolled by the intelligentsia,

Now the Churches will be safe, whilst the climate change devotees, environmental lobby and Planned Parenthood will be uneasy. Trump has shown he can choose wisely in picking Mike Spence as his running mate, and the brilliant Kellyann Conway as his campaign manager.The prospect for America must seem good for its people.

So our American cousins are going to the polls tomorrow. They have probably the worst choice of candidates ever put forward for their beloved Presidency.

If anyone thinks we have problems in this country over Brexit, they ought to look at present America. We got rid of a liar and cheat and replaced him with a true Christian and Conservative lady, who appears to be doing well, showing the integrity we lost under her predecessor.

Some weeks ago we were told that Clinton had been let off for what was euphemistically named careless handling of her emails, 30,000 having gone missing in addition. This was after her husband had ‘accidentally’ bumped into the Attorney General at an airport. Then last week it was reported the Director of the FBI had re-opened the investigation following the discovery of 650,000 emails on a server somewhat connected to Clinton’s computer. We were reliably informed that the determination of this would take weeks to resolve, which was well after the election result. Now we are told they are all clear and no action is needed. In other words, we are expected to believe they have got through reading 650,000 emails in such a record time. Are we all considered to be stupid or naïve?

Of course Trump is hardly what one would expect to be Presidential material, especially when there were so many excellent Governors who sought the candidacy. But I believe Trump would be more reasonable to control than Clinton who seems to have such a high impression of her own capabilities despite having notable record of success in her previous actions.

It looks as if the Republican hierarchy may have lost the White House, and I hear Congress may be at risk, but they have only themselves to blame for such arrogant hypocrisy. They did nothing to stop Trump for representing the Republicans, and yet they refuse to vote or support him, which is shameful.

Surely the American people at large won’t put Clinton in the White House. If they do they will need to sing God bless America more forcefully than they have ever done.

This morning I want to turn to Paul’s Letter to the Romans, in Chapter 10, looking at verses 1 to 15

Paul was specially and uniquely called by God to be an Apostle to the Gentiles, but he never forgot his own Jewish people. This Letter was directed to the Jews who were carrying a mistaken belief, but its teaching is equally applicable to us, as all Paul’s Letters are.

Paul’s greatest desire was to make people Christians, a noble cause and one we could wish all preachers to-day to adopt. He was concerned the Jews were being misled to follow the wrong way to salvation, which can only be achieved by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord.

The Jews believed that all that was necessary for salvation was to keep the Ten Commandments, but no one can keep the Commandments for it is like a chain, if you break one link it all falls apart, and the Bible states if you break one you break the lot, and we have all, without exception broken at least one. Therefore one cannot be saved by the Commandments.

The word ‘saved’ does cause an emotional response with a lot of people, as it conjures up an image of being approached by a Charismatic Christian asking are you saved brother (sister).

I read of a man sitting in a theatre when someone came up and asked if the vacant seat next to him was saved, and he wittingly answered, ‘no, but I am’, at which the person moved away quickly.

God sent Jesus to supplant the Law and make it possible for all people to be saved if they accepted Christ as having died on the Cross to obtain forgiveness for the sins they committed.

Coming to the heart of this passage, verse 9 states, ‘if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved’.

Confession that Jesus is Lord, and singing the hymn, is not an intellectual title or a casual statement, it means much more. You have to believe fully in your heart this is so, and have no doubt that God raised Him physically from the dead; that is the heart of the Christian message. So when you do believe and are prepared to confess with your mouth, God accepts you as righteous. We are in fact at the doctrine of justification by faith.

The Bible states, ‘by grace you have been saved through faith, it is not your own doing, it is the gift of God and not by your own works.’

Something in us always wants to add to God’s free grace. It’s humbling to admit that we can do nothing to earn our deliverance from sin. Imagine what heaven would be like if we had to earn our way there. People would be trying to outbid each other and probably boasting how important they had been in the world.

When I was being inducted the Rural Dean who was a real traditional English gentleman (and there’s not many of us about), introduced me to a man and mentioned some of the positions he had held in his Church, and the man was really indignant because some obscure committee was omitted. There really are people who join the Church for egotistic reasons. Heaven would be just like that if you had to earn your way there. But it won’t be like that, when Jesus died on the cross, he paid the full price for your salvation. God alone gets the glory in your salvation. Jesus did all the work when he died on the cross.

A lot of people think like the Jews. I have been told countless times all one has to do is to be good, not to steal or be dishonest and not harm anybody, and you will go to heaven; no need to go to Church, sing hymns and read the Bible. They will learn to regret this belief.

I have been watching a series on television in which a young police constable is partnered on duty by an attractive young police woman who is fond of him, but he does not respond. His Sergeant tells him he should make a decision and respond, as one day he will regret not doing so; and then says the two saddest words in the English language are, if only.. There are so many people who will one day appear before the Lord and say, ‘if only’.

Jesus himself warned that on the Day of Judgment many will claim to have been His followers, but He will say to them, ‘depart from me. I never knew you.’ Millions have not the slightest idea of what it really meant to be a Christian.

People have been attending church for years, listening to the Bible being read, singing praise to the Lord, and have been very religious, yet have never come to the time when they have acknowledged Jesus as Lord, yet the Bible calls on us to do so.

We have admit to the fundamental fact that we live in an evil world and we all become tainted and lost, but by the grace of God He gives us an opportunity to come to Christ and be saved. The majority of people do not consider they need saving as they think their lives are already safe. The thought they are sinners is mortally wounding, as one Vicar discovered when he put a notice outside his church saying this Church is here for sinners; half his congregation were absent the next week. Sin is not just murder, theft and immorality; it includes pride, jealousy, envy, anger and hatred

Verse 11 states that all who believe in Jesus will not be put to shame, but there are too many Christians who are ashamed to admit they follow Jesus.

Verse 12 reminds us that God has no favourites, and will accept all who call on Jesus.

There follows three questions all inter related. How can they call on someone they do not believe in; and how can one believe if they have never heard of Jesus; how can they hear unless someone tells them of Jesus.

These questions need to be taken seriously by the Church, for the fact that so many people just do not understand the Christian faith is really an indictment on us.

A question often asked is what about those who have never heard of Jesus. If someone is in such a remote place where the Bible has not been taught, they will be judged by how they responded to their conscience, for everyone has a sense of what is right and what is wrong. However, if it is a case of just not bothering to listen or find out, then the responsibility will be on them.

Behind the message, of course, is the messenger. The message has to be communicated and the way that God chooses is through the preaching of the Word and the praying of Christians, the yearning of their hearts over those who are not yet saved.

People are touched by God by various means, perhaps through a poster, a friend, an occurrence in one’s life, but the principal way is through the preaching of the Bible.
This I believe is where we are failing badly, right across the Church. The Bible calls on us to preach the Word; in other words the Scriptures, with sound doctrine, not adding, subtracting or amending what God caused His writers to state in the Bible.

We in the Churches must make a greater effort to concentrate on the fundamentals of the faith. There is too much a willingness to amend Bible teaching to be popular, avoid being called narrow minded or bigoted, or ally with society’s standards and beliefs; and take every opportunity of doing so.

On Easter Sunday last year a service was held in one of our great Cathedrals, offering a wonderful opportunity of getting the message out, but instead there was a sermon which completely wasted the chance by an address on social issues.

Regularly Church leaders are eager to write to the press on a variety of matters social and political. A Bishop wrote asking for everybody to fast one day of the week in prayer for climate change; this at a time when the Church attendances are falling.

As people have a cause to believe in with an eternal future at issue, one might have thought that would have been a prime issue for him to concentrate his mind on.

There is however a marked reluctance to speak out on moral and ethical matters when the Church should be giving a lead to the country.

The Bible states that it is God who adds to the number of people attending a Church. In the book of Acts, He did so because the people were devoted to the teaching of the Apostles. Therefore, if we seek to have God add to the Church today, we should be sure that all preaching and teaching will be that given by the Apostles and left for our learning in the New Testament.

The glory of Christianity is that it has a message that is grounded in history. It is objective truth, not just something that someone has made up. . It is not some feeling that you are following that you hope will work out; it is the story of historic events. One of these events is the coming of Jesus as a baby in the manger of Bethlehem, the coming of the wise men from the east and the uproar and unrest that it caused in the kingdom of Judea, beginning with Herod the king himself. That is all part of history. Then there was the resurrection and the events that followed in the church. These are all historic events -- objective truth. The great thing of the Christian faith is not that we are presenting some philosophy, but a faith that is grounded in events that cannot be explained away. That is our message.

There is an urgent need for such message to be preached without fear or favour, but I have been at Churches barely mentioning the basic facts of our faith. We have to be as forthright and determined to preach our faith as we see the preachers of Islam doing so in respect of their faith. You will never hear a Muslim cleric challenging anything in their Holy book.

In the absence of any person at national level with the charisma to inspire, each local Church has to be its own evangelist and I pray that your Church will be an inspiration in the days to come.

Matthew 7 v 13/14

Here we find Jesus talking to His disciples and to a great crowd of people gathered on a mountain. He is preaching to them describing the character for Christians and the rules by which they are to live. He turns to teach about salvation.

He taught there are two gates, to two roads, and two masters.

He said there are two destinies, heaven and hell and divided people into two classes. There are only two roads, no third, no alternative. This is not generally liked as it is seen as being too restrictive, too bigoted and intolerant, and we don’t like to be judged. Yet in spite of all this, Jesus says we must enter through the narrow gate. So let us look at the choice we face and consider honestly which road each of us is on and to where heading.

It is like coming to a crossroads each road going in the opposite direction. On the broad road you enter by a wide gate and the road is spacious, there is plenty of room on it and there are plenty of people on it. It is the road of self-gratification without any restrictions. There are even otherwise decent men and women on it, so many claiming to be Christians albeit without due cause. It is widely assumed, and strongly encouraged by the secular press, that if you are honest and sincere you will go to heaven.

You see the Bible is all about commitment. We are reminded of the superficiality of commitment in our own time. Less than 10% of people think God worthy of one hour per week to visit a Church. Yet if you were to ask people their religion, the vast majority would reply C of E and seriously consider they were Christians.

As we come to the narrow gate leading to the narrow road, which Jesus wants us to take but says only few take it, and those who do must do through Him. John 14 despite being non correct in many Churches now, still states ‘no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ.’ He is the only way.

Being narrow these days means you are classed as bigoted or phobic. You are expected to be broad minded, be modern, 2+2=5. The road is narrow because it is the way of truth and truth is always narrow. It is the way of holiness and righteousness.

Jesus said there is a life to come and it is a long life, it is eternal, and there are only two destinies, and as you come to the crossroads, you alone choose, God will not push you. He gave you the ability to choose and lets you do so. Where you end up in eternity will be determined by which road you take, so what you do in the world is important.

One of these roads leads to destruction the other to life with Jesus. He took time to remind people of the seriousness of salvation. He wanted all to be sure of the future. People do prefer the easy road in life but Jesus made it plain He wants us to journey down the difficult road and enter the narrow gate.

Neither can the narrow road be pursued if we are motivated by a desire to please society. True disciples of Jesus Christ will not play to the galleries or form values according to the passing approval of people in general. God’s approval is all that matters.

Finally Jesus speaks firmly and rather profoundly when He says not all who think they are to enter the Kingdom of heaven will in fact do so. But it can be hard to be a Christian in this country at the present time and many find the going too hard and strenuous and the opposition oppressive. Any open expression of our faith is likely to lead to suspension or dismissal from work. There is so much harassment of Christians which is not reported here and you have to listen to the American news channels to discover what is going on in this country.

As Christians we must always seek to glorify the Lord in our ways and speech.

Jesus warns us that there must be a clear acceptance of His teaching and total obedience to it. Just to recite a creed and attend Church is not enough. We honour Jesus by calling Him Lord and sing hymns expressive of our devotion to Him. The lips that sing His praise should never be the lips that start trouble.

God save America
I have long been fond of the United States, I admire-
the many Evangelical Churches which are available to be viewed here in the United Kingdom by television, to which I listen.
Of the thousands of hits on this site, 90% have been from the United States. ( Sadly, I am unaware as to whereabouts in the States the people live who kindly read the posts, perhaps one day someone will let me know.)

Unlike in the United Kingdom where it is frowned upon by some authorities to fly the Union flag, or the English flag, but not however the Scottish or Welsh for some twisted reasoning, the Americans love their flag and proudly display on every possible occasion.

Like many people in the U.K. I have been following the election with interest, perhaps with more than the casual approach others may have, for I fear as I anticipate many Americans will, if the wrong candidate wins. So much depends on the future for Christians with Supreme Court Judges to be appointed, for we have seen how the balance now lies with the liberal minded ones, resulting in many devoted Christians being forced to either abandon their beliefs or their livelihood.

I cannot therefore imagine why so many are reportedly considering voting for Clinton.

President Obama’s terms produced a new morality having introduced same sex marriage, and such is the influence of the so-call ‘gay lobby’, whilst people may adopt a live and let live policy, such is not enough; the agenda is being forced upon all to accept whatever is wanted by that lobby. In addition there is massive support for abortion; and it was planned for firms, including religious institutions, to be made to supply free contraception facilities to all employers. Clinton would only be worse.

Donald Trump is obviously not the ideal opponent, but he is the only one. He has been rightly condemned for some past remarks, but I wonder how many American men are in a position to say they have never said unpleasant remarks about women. (Perhaps it would help people to read Dolly Kyle’s account of Clinton’s behaviour towards other women who had affairs with her husband.)

It all seems hypocritical for every American drama programme I have seen contains the necessary sex scene, often very explicit, and some programmes from here to the USA have to have such a scene added to the British version.

I am sure Trump would cool down and have to assist him very competent men and women in executive positions. I recommend anyone in doubt to turn to the programme on CBN’s 700 Club on Monday 24th October, available on their website, and see how much sense he spoke, and of his more balanced and conservative views.

For many years Bible Sunday was celebrated on the Second Sunday of Advent when the whole Church would join together in giving praise to God for Him giving us His written Word. For some reason I have never been able either to understand or learn why, it was changed to the last Sunday of Trinity. Since this happened, many Church do not recognise it and just follow the normal readings for that day. This can only show much the Bible has been downgraded, but then again there are so many clergy and others who find much of the Bible an anathema, and whilst this in itself sad, it demeans the Christian faith.

Turning now to the reading for Bible Sunday; Paul’s 2nd Letter to Timothy, in Chapter 3 v14. This whole Letter could have been written for to-day’s Church it is so relevant and relates to the situation in which we find ourselves.

Paul is now in prison and these are the last words he will give for he would be executed soon after. He wanted Timothy to take over the ministry he was ending, but knew Timothy was a young and timid man, so he wanted to warn him of the problems to be face and to give encouragement.

Paul has been warning Timothy that things are going to be difficult for Christians. People will only be self concerned, boasting, sneering at God, children becoming unruly; people will lie and cheat and think nothing of immorality.

In addition, the Roman authorities wanted several religions rather than just Christianity, and there were false teachers within the Church who did not want to uphold the moral, ethical and theological teaching of the Bible.

You will notice how similar that is to the situation we face today. Like Timothy we are a tiny minority facing an aggressive majority, living in a permissive society, amongst different faiths, and at times it seems as if the world has gone mad and has lost all credibility. It is like a car parked on a hill when someone releases the handbrake and sets the car rolling away. You can get into deeper trouble if you criticise how someone behaves than if you physically assault them.

Verse 14 states,
‘but as for you’, which is Paul identifying Timothy as being apart the general type. Timothy saw Paul as a role model and had been following his guidance, and having been brought up in a Jewish family, would know the Scripture from an early age and been taught by Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament. It is sad that unless a child attends a private school he will know little if anything of the Christian faith or its festivals, and be unable to differentiate right from wrong. All Christians are meant to be of a better nature.

Verse 15 states,
the sacred writings will make one wise for salvation. The Bible is all about salvation, which can only be achieved through Jesus Christ, which we learn from Scipture.

Verse 16
Makes the fundamental statement that ALL Scripture is inspired by God. It is profitable for teaching, rebuking, and correcting to make one right in God’s eyes; how we were created in the image of God, but fell into disobedience and so face judgement, leading to the coming of Jesus Christ, who would die on a Cross to pay the penalty for our sins, finally to be raised from the dead and ascend into heaven from where the Holy Spirit comes to fulfil our lives and make us worthy.

All that we read in the Bible was divinely spoken by God to 40 men with different personalities and occupations, over a period of many years and were so guided that it was in fact them telling us what God wanted us to know. The Old Testament predicts Jesus, the New Testament reveal Jesus, Acts preached Jesus. The Epistles explain Jesus, Revelation anticipates Jesus.

We are to believe that all the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are verbally inspired of God, and they are without error in the original writings, and they are the supreme and final authority for faith and life. The Bible is the supreme and final authority for faith and life. What the Bible says, God says.

The Bible is God's gift to us to reveal Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, who has come for our salvation. Today we find the liberal lobby repudiating all traditional teaching and rewriting Scripture to meet the new morality of the time.

4 Verse 1
Having outlined how Timothy should respond to the world and emphasised the importance of Scripture, Paul tells him to preach the Word, which he must do without fear or favour, and take every opportunity to do so. His concern for the world is as strong as ever and for thirty years he has faithfully served the Lord and for that he suffered much hardship, beatings and imprisonment. His earnest desire was to make more people Christians.

A preacher is given a great privilege in the Church but also carries a great responsibility, for he will one day answer for how that work is carried out, so all those false preachers will pay for what they have done.

Of course there are preachers who will freely admit they wander from Scripture but infer, ‘it is 2016, the Bible is old fashioned now, society has evolved and all the old shibboleths have been replaced by new ones’, as if God only existed for the first century. If anyone thinks morals and ethics and social behaviour have improved, they living a delusion.

Preaching has never been so unfashionable as now. Gone are the days when a Methodist preacher would speak for 30/40 minutes; anything over 15 has people shuffling.

I spoke to two men who came from Africa, and knowing I was a clergyman asked what denomination I was. I told them I was ordained into the Church of England, but in fact in recent times I have only served in Methodist Churches. One smiled in a sympathetic way, and the other said teasingly not a real Church. Both gave up having attended both denominations to attend black evangelical Churches because they didn’t think the others were fully committed to the Bible, whereas in their Churches the preacher would peak for 4/4 minutes. I don’t believe it is necessary to speak for that length to feel committed, but I do believe the Bible is being watered down.

A philosopher once stated whereas Jesus turned water into wine, the Church has done something much more difficult and turned wine into water. Dr Sangster a great preacher of the past stated, ‘preaching is now in the shadows the world does not believe in it’.

Verse 2
The standard given for preaching to Timothy is, to correct those who put forward wrong doctrine; rebuke those who are living wrong and fall into sin; and encourage all who are in doubt and have fears. All to be done patiently, for you can’t beat someone into faith; Christianity is not a faith which advocates violence.

Verse 3
Paul said a time will come when people will not want to hear the truth if it affects the way they live. Every Sunday the Bible is read in very Church in every nation across the world. When people attend Church they have a right to expect the Bible to be faithfully preached. There is no place for opinions, theories or ideas of the preacher. I do not get authority to express an opinion; I am here to say what the Bible says. Congregations should check what is heard by referring to the Bible themselves. I always encouraged my people to turn to the pew Bibles and follow as the passage was expounded, but I fear few Churches now have pew Bibles.

We live in a very aggressive secular society, one in which there are numerous minority groups who expect and demand consideration above their proportion. If we are to face the challenges of the day, we have to be people of the Bible, which is why sound doctrine has to be given. People are being denied on the grounds of political correctness combined with a fear by preachers they may be called bigots or have some form of phobia. To a world that rejects authority, the church must declare the authority of God. Never forget Jesus always upset people He either saved or turned them away.

This verse also states that people will turn to teachers who will say what they want to hear. Sometimes it is necessary to tell people what they need to hear rather than they want to hear.
Truth can be hard to accept at times.

A young boy returned from Sunday school one day and his mother asked him what story the teacher told. He said it was about an Israeli Officer who led some troops into Egypt to rescue some Jews who were being held captive, and he got them out but were followed by the Egyptian army. He knew they were coming to a river so radioed ahead to have the Israeli Air Force bomb the bridge when the Egyptians followed, and they were all drowned. His mother asked him if the teacher really told them that, and the boy replied, ‘no, but if I told you the way she told it you would never believe it’.

The Bible is hard for sceptics to accept, but it is the story of an all powerful God, and our only purpose as a Church is to preach it.

Verse 4
People will turn away from truths. Because the Bible comes from God, we must bow in submission to it. The Bible stands approved as read, without correction, without addition, without deletion, without any changes.

In this day of enlightened scepticism when unbelief seems to be on the march, we have to face this difficult question:

The question is will we believe the Bible, all of it? Believing the Bible means accepting its authority in all aspects of our life, and we have to show the world by how we live, that we truly believe what the Bible says. We can only do this if our life is in accord with biblical teaching. . We should be men and women under authority, who do what we are told even when it isn’t popular.

Verse 5.
In the final verse Paul again refers to Timothy’s dependability and calls on him to remain steady and be ready to face hardship but never to give up. This is a call we should all heed and not be silenced by political ideologues, or militant secularists and humanists. (or anyone else).

Shortly after this Letter was written Paul was executed and so went to meet his beloved Lord and Saviour.

Matthew 7 v 13/14

This passage is part of Jesus teaching where a great crowd had gathered on a mountain. He is telling the rules and practice by which Christians should live by, and tells them how they can be saved.

He taught there are two gates, to two roads, and two masters.

He said there are two destinies, heaven and hell and divided people into two classes. There are only two roads, no third, no alternative. This is not generally liked as it is seen as being too restrictive, too bigoted and intolerant, and we don’t like to be judged. Yet in spite of all this, Jesus says we must enter through the narrow gate. So let us look at the choice we face and consider honestly which road each of us is on and to where heading.

It is like driving up to a crossroad junction and you have to make a decision as to which road you choose. On the broad road you enter by a wide gate and the road is spacious, there is plenty of room on it and there are plenty of people on it. It is the road where you can live as you like. There are even otherwise decent men and women on it, so many claiming to be Christians albeit without due cause. It is widely assumed, and strongly encouraged by the secular press, that if you are honest and sincere you will go to heaven.

You see the Bible is all about commitment. We are reminded of the superficiality of commitment in our own time. Less than 10% of people think God worthy of one hour per week to visit a Church. Yet if you were to ask people their religion, the vast majority would reply C of E and seriously consider they were Christians.

As we come to the narrow gate leading to the narrow road, which Jesus wants us to take, but says only few take it, and those who do must do through Him. The command quoted in John 14, despite being non correct in many Churches now, still states ‘no one can come to the Father except through Jesus Christ.’ He is the only way.

Being narrow these days means you are classed as bigoted or phobic. You are expected to be broad minded, be modern, 2+2=5. The road is narrow because it is the way of truth and truth is always narrow.

Jesus said there is a life to come and it is a long life, it is eternal, and there are only two destinies, you alone choose, God will not push you. He gave you the ability to choose and lets you do so. Where you end up in eternity will be determined by which road you take, so what you do in the world is important.

One of these roads leads to destruction the other to life with Jesus. He took time to remind people of the seriousness of salvation. He wanted all to be sure of the future. People do prefer the easy road in life but Jesus made it plain He wants us to journey down the difficult road and enter the narrow gate.

Neither can the narrow road be pursued if we are motivated by a desire to please society. True disciples of Jesus Christ will not play to the galleries or form values according to the passing approval of people in general. God’s approval is all that matters.

Finally Jesus speaks firmly and rather profoundly when He says not all who think they are to enter the Kingdom of heaven will in fact do so. But it can be hard to be a Christian in this country at the present time and many find the going too hard and strenuous and the opposition oppressive. Any open expression of our faith is likely to lead to suspension or dismissal from work. There is so much harassment of Christians which is not reported here and you have to listen to the American news channels to discover what is going on in this country.

As Christians we must always seek to glorify the Lord in our ways and speech.

Jesus warns us that there must be a clear acceptance of His teaching and total obedience to it. Just to recite a creed and attend Church is not enough. We honour Jesus by calling Him Lord and sing hymns expressive of our devotion to Him. The lips that sing His praise should never be the lips that start trouble.

Almost a Christian
I want to turn to a verse in Acts of the Apostles, ‘almost you persuade me to be a Christian’. (Acts 26.v28)

During my years of ministry I have interviewed many people regarding baptisms, weddings or funerals, and the most common statement made is ‘we don’t go to church, but we are Christians’; or,’ ‘you don’t have to go to Church to be a Christian as long as you are a good person’. This is always volunteered, sometimes challengingly, indeed even aggressively; I suppose to ease the conscience. For someone who has no religious association or commitment to say this to a clergyman may seem to be both arrogant and impertinent.

A lady who was a stalwart of her local church once said to me ‘Vicar, I heard a man say on Songs of Praise last week that he had attended Church for many years but had only just become a Christian. What did he mean?’

This is a popular reaction. It is just assumed that if one is not an atheist or member of another faith one is per se a Christian. There is a little more to it than that.

The word Christian was originally a term of derision against the first followers of Jesus, and it is fast becoming an abusive term in this country by public officials, secularists and the judiciary, who want to eradicate Christianity from public life.

To become a Christian there must be an encounter with Jesus Christ. People have been urged to declare themselves a Christian without being told what that entails. Being born in a Christian country, to Christian parents, in a Christian home, does not make one a Christian. You cannot inherit Christianity. It is more than living up to a system of morals or ethics. Even Church attendance, however necessary and how much it is part of Christian life, does not on its own make you one. There has to be a conscious decision made, in which one wants to invite Christ into their life. You realise you have been offending against God and now want to live a life as laid down by Jesus and have Him come in to your life to give it new direction.

The Bible says we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and so we need forgiveness, and the only way we can get God’s forgiveness is through Jesus Christ, who died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our misbehaviour. You need saving from your sins, and the only way is through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made on the Cross. You have to realise that and decide you need His forgiveness. You then make a positive decision that you will turn to Christ and follow His way of living.

That deliberate decision, and subsequent commitment, may come from hearing a preacher. A lady used to visit my Church very irregularly and one day she came and after the service said, ‘whenever I come here I feel you are getting at me’. I pointed out that as I was unaware she would be attending it may be that someone higher than me was getting at her.

It may come reading the Bible; even if you have read something many times, one time God will use that word to speak to you.

It may come from seeing a poster with a religious message. The London City Mission posted many messages on the underground system, which spoke vividly to people. I found that posters with a catchy message on, placed on the Church notice board had an effect too.

People have on many occasions been introduced by a friend, which is why it is so important to let people know of our Churches and what they can offer. However it comes, you will know it has come. Christianity is not a vague feeling, it is something you can know and you know whether you believe it or not.

This will necessitate a change in living. You know there are certain activities which are no longer acceptable; the ways of the world are replaced by the ways of Christ. This will mean you will inevitably declare yourself to be a Christian, which will involve mockery and taunting, and mean you can’t join in any falsehoods, immorality or things unethical anymore.

Of course there will be temptations to face. There will be Sunday mornings when you will not feel like going out to Church and you think, ‘oh they won’t miss me at church this morning’. Never feel you won’t be missed. Whilst I am sure your fellow Church members will miss you, God will certainly miss you. Church should come before the golf club or shopping trip or whatever. It is only one hour per week for most people, and if we can’t give that, then there is certainly something very amiss in our life.

The reason there is so much unhappiness, trouble, and broken homes in the nation, is through the absence of Christian values. Children are facing a deprived life in many homes as parents do not have the time, inclination, or belief, to teach their children basic bible stories, and so many children haven’t the faintest knowledge of any character or major festivals of the Church. A lot of schools have virtually given up teaching Christianity, often in preference to other faiths.

Be ready to take a full part in Church life and enjoy the joy of coming to share worship with your fellow Christians. The Church is here to bring people to knowledge of Jesus Christ. It is not a spiritual dispensary to hand out soothing syrup, but to proclaim God’s Message as it is written. We take the bread and wine at the table of our Lord, when we remember His blood shed on the cross for us, and as we eat the bread we remember the broken body given for us, and Jesus can become very close.

A Christian needs discipline in his/her life, for the Bible says we have to take on those who are out to make us give in. The Bible likens the relationship of Christ and a follower to that of a husband wife relationship in marriage. When a man proposes to a woman to marry him and she agrees, they remain unmarried until they promise their commitment to each other in the marriage service. They then begin their life together facing both difficulties and happiness together. So in the Christian life it is when we declare our commitment to Christ, we become a Christian and face life with Him in all that life puts before us.

We all have to ask, ‘am I living the Christian life?’ People like to divide the world into two groups the good and bad, with ourselves of course in the good category. God is believed to judge the bad, but would not judge us. It is too easy to see people behaving worse than us, and convince ourselves we are all right. The point is, whilst some are offending worse than us, we are all offending in some way. We may not plant bombs like some do, but the tongue can be equally explosive in its own way. So let us consider Christian living.

Jesus said, ‘behold I stand at the door and knock and if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me.’ In the East inviting a person to sit and eat with you infers you are inviting that person to have a special place in your life.

If there is anyone reading this message who has not yet invited Jesus into their life, then I urge you to consider making that decision and give Him that special place in your life, He is waiting at the door for your invitation.

But let us have sincerity. Today a cushy Christianity obtains in many places with the intention to say pleasant words which people want to hear. Rogue traders make goods and put the stamp of a famous name on them. Rogue Christian teachers are putting God’s stamp on their own brand of Christianity, even supporting behaviour which at one time would not even be mentioned.

It is total and disgraceful hypocrisy to loudly proclaim Christianity and advocate and support that which is un-Christian.

Our nation so badly needs Christian men and women who are altogether Christians, not almost ones.
+++++++++++++++++++++++

Turn with me now to the 2nd Letter of Paul to Timothy.
This is the last letter Paul wrote in 64AD, and is his last will and testament. He is now an old man in chains in a Roman prison, and wants to pass on the ministry he has pursued and considers Timothy the man best to do so. But Timothy is likely to be overawed by the opposition.

Paul had lived for the gospel and does not want to see it banished. His primary desire was to make more people Christian, and strove bravely to do this, anything else was supplementary.

Paul is writing to encourage Timothy to persevere in what he has learned and believed, and to pass on the gospel of Christ and the teaching of the Apostles, and the letter calls on us to do the same.

Nothing clarifies the issues of life and death so much as the prospect of death does.  Some of us have come close to it when we have had a near death experience, and people in such situations  reflect on things most important to them. This is what is in Paul's mind as he writes what is in effect his last will.

But Timothy is facing a difficult task for the Church was facing much opposition. The Church had spread after Peter’s sermon at Pentecost, but as that generation was being followed by a younger one, which Paul refers to later in the Letter, they were unholy and self concerned.

To-day we see Churches which have been largely supported by middle and older age people faithfully, now being turned around to allay with modern culture, therby turning away from sound doctrine causing the longtime members unable to adopt to contemporary worship(?) 

In addition false teachers had crept into positions of influence within the Church, and their teachings were acceptable to those who wished to follow a loose sort of Christianity, and of course such is happening today as we find the Bible is being cast aside, so people are not caused to feel guilty and made to feel there are no moral restrictions.

Further, the Romans did not like Christianity as it claimed to worship the one true God, and they preferred there to be pluralism with many gods, which is very much the preferred option of authorities today. You may be getting to see how much we have in common with that which Timothy faced.

This Letter was, and is, for those who are discouraged by the situation within and without the Church, and is a bold call for perseverance in the face of suffering and persecution.

For anyone who is a committed Christian, and anyone who holds the Church dear, this can only be depressing. Attendances at Churches are falling dramatically as the older members die or become unable to attend. The younger generations have no interest in the Church. We are fast becoming a secular state.

When you go to Church, what do you hope to hear?  is the sermom something you find boring and wish there was none? or do you look forward to hearing the exposition of God's Word?

The primary reason for attending Church is to learn about God and how we can have a relationship with him, all else is secondary.  This is why he Bible is so important, it brings us into contact with God.  

The Letter begins with Paul asserting his Apostleship, which he stressed was by the will of God; in other words he was specially chosen to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, and was always keen to assert this specially given authority so that what he stated could be accepted as approved by the Lord.

In verses ½ Paul greets Timothy and reveals his fondness for him, he also reminds him that he (Paul) is an Apostle. Timothy would know that, but Paul knew this Letter would be passed on for many people through the ages to read.

He then in verse 3 assures Timothy that he prays for him and constantly thinks of him. Most of us can remember someone who has inspired us, and those who have cared enough to pray for us.

In verse 5 he shows his affection for Timothy and remembers how Timothy was brought up in the faith by his mother and grandmother, leading to his ordination by Paul, and calls on him to keep that faith in mind and practice. Something children miss out nowadays, and are deprived of a good foundation.

We are reminded that God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but one of power and there is no greater strength than the power of God. This should encourage us to be as vocal in proclaiming our faith as other faiths do. Muslims vigorously reveal their faith, and to their credit.

Paul then calls on Timothy not to let that gift be wasted. This is why we must never ever be ashamed of being Christians, or of speaking of the gospel; God has called us to stand up for Him and the Lord Jesus. Our faith is not something someone has made up, it is factually based on historical grounds.

Paul says he was not ashamed of the gospel, in fact he glorified in the gospel, and that is what all Christians should do. But sadly I fear we all do not. How many Church members are embarrassed when asked if they believe? Indeed how many are ready to acknowledge they attend Church? How reluctant to answer if asked to give our opinion on moral questions? If you are not ashamed, you are ready to speak out about your faith.

I know it can be hard when you are the only person in your work place, or amongst friends and you are Christian. Criticism can be harsh, even vitriolic so that there is reluctance to take a stand. Be encouraged by remembering our Lord went through so much more for us, so we must stand up for Him. Remember the words of Jesus, ‘for whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this sinful and adulterous generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed when He comes in the glory of the Father’.

More importantly, there is a tendency by those within the church who are ashamed because the bible speaks against what they want to believe.

Preachers now should be prepared to tell the Bible as it is written, telling people what need to hear rather than what they might like to hear. Preachers can however be intimidated,and be frightened of upsetting modern susceptibilities. To preach fundamental truth will inevitably cause some upset. But let us take heart from Paul,who faced all that could be put against him, and so caused Christianity to spread throughout the ancient world.

Some preachers are terrified of being criticised as being bigoted, or of having some sort of phobia. A bible based ministry is likely to make you unpopular or mocked, (believe me). When therefore you are in a minority, you have to decide whether to keep quiet and say nothing; go with the flow, or stand up and fight.

Paul has been telling Timothyhow to manage the Church by inspiring confidence in him and emphasising the imortance of Scripture, he wants Timothy to preach the gospel, and warns him there will be those will not want to hear.  Paul tells Timothy to keep sound teaching, which he learned from the teaching of the Apostles. Paul will repeat this call in Chapter 4 when he commands Timothy to ‘preach the word’, and to be urgent in doing so.

There are peole who expect the Church to be like a spiitual dispensary, giving out soothing words which will relieve them. Others will hope to hear things which make them feel happy, telling God is a God of mercy, forgiveness, love and tolerance, without hearing he is also a God of justice, judgement and wrath. In too many Churches the Bible's authority is openly challenged, and made to fit in with society's

standard of miorality (or immorality)

We even witness Churches giving up on Bible teaching, to re-interpret to avoid any sense of judgement. I have great sympathy with all those people seeking spiritual guidance, both in Church members and outsiders. It must be very difficult and frustrating to find out what the gospel answer is.

;It is so easy to be blown away by every new spiritual wind that causes us to drift from our moorings. We are not to be superficial believers, but to hold fast to the gospel given by the Apostles, who were themselves taught by our Lord Himself.

Jesus in His preaching had two effects; He either saved people or upset them. If we study the preaching of Jesus, the people did not always go away smiling, even His own disciples walked away from Him at one time.

We may offer what is hard for sceptics to believe, but that should not stop us telling it. The gospel does annoy people, so the Church has tried to dilute the message to please and conciliate people to such an extent that it has nothing special to offer. If it is just another social organisation with a religious flavour, there is no cause for people to support it.

The gospel is the story of Jesus Christ, who gave Himself to be crucified for our sins, in order to reconcile us to God. Why should anyone be ashamed to tell that story?

Unless we know what we believe and why, we will not defeat the creeping spread of secularism and the cultural trends which challenge our faith, and we must resists the tendency to allow society to impose itself upon our teaching, or we are in danger of sentencing the Church to a very small part of our national life. When we reject Apostolic teaching we fall into error.

We hear it said that all religions are the same and all lead to the same God, but his is both wrong and irresponsible. Islam for instance teaches that God has no son and their God is Allah, they hate the Jews. We worship a God who has a Son, and who is the God of Israel, and we claim no one comes to the Father (GOD that is) except through Jesus Christ, we teach from a book written by Jews and worship a Saviour who was a Jew.

Most religions believe good living and deeds lead to God. Christianity alone makes the claim that only atonement  for sin is through the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross.  To teach that all can go to heaven regardless of belief, is like telling a blind person they can cross a major road, and walk safely when they wish. Jesus made it unequivocally clear in the Bible, that the only way to God is through him, and to suggest otherwise is to challenge the authority of Jesus.  it may be popular to say you can believe anything which your conscience feels right, but is sinfully misguiding, and important to remeber consciences can become dulled and confused.  

    
The second significant words come when Paul writes; ‘join with me in suffering for the gospel.’ There are many ways we may suffer, but be sure you will experience one when you state what you believe. Some people will try to avoid you, you may miss out on promotion in your work, as many of us have experienced, and you will surely be subject to innuendo, but what man denies us God recompenses. Christianity was never meant to be a bed of roses. It is not easy to stand for Christ; people have received death threats even for doing so. We have to decide if we stand for Jesus or Caesar.

Looking at v.9, Paul is pointing out the gospel that there is nothing we can do to earn our salvation; God saves us by His grace, not because of anything we have done. We are put into a right relationship with God when we repent of past sins and accept Jesus Christ as Saviour. The Bible states Jesus is the only way to salvation. I know it is hard to say this without someone saying, ‘oh you must not say that’, but we need to ignore such comment because that is an essential element of our message

Paul describes himself as having suffered many beatings, deprivation, hardship, now prison and soon death. In spite of all this he knows WHOM he has believed; not what or in whom, but whom, Jesus Christ Himself. But he is not ashamed of being where he is.

In the last verse, Paul tells Timothy to guard the gospel. We live at a time of theological and moral confusion. The Church itself is confused and divided as to what it stands for, and for what is its purpose. One part believes the Bible is the infallible Word of God, which should be respected and obeyed, whilst the other sees it as a sort of guide to be adopted to suit the occasion. Jesus warned any kingdom or house divided among itself will fall.

This letter is essentially a message for those who may be tempted to give up in times like now, when it often seems that those in positions of leadership do not really know what they believe in or stand for. Paul reminds us the gospel is worth standing up for; is worth fighting for; and in this Letter Paul goes on to encourage people. Never give in; if you feel frustrated, fight.

If the Churches and people of this great nation do not return to Biblical foundations, Christianity which has been the faith of this country for over 1500 years, and has given stability and kept this nation as one, will be phased out of public life by ideologues in public service, who want to take Christianity right out of public life.

The first Church grew rapidly because the people listened to the teaching of the Apostles and God added to their numbers. He is not going to add to any Church which accepts the morality of a decadent society. Church members should never choose to adopt State law above God’s law. 

Now more than ever, this is a requirement for all Christians to remember the sacrifices made by martyrs, who gave their very lives that we may have Bibles to freely read.

For our brothers and sister in Christ, living in Islamic countries, being a Christian is a life threatening existence, daily facing horrific persecution, even death, with Churches and houses being burned down. We have seen horrendous scenes on television of them being beheaded, just because they declared themselves followers of Christ. In some countries even having a bible in your possession is enough to incur the wrath of the authorities.

When Christians lose the beliefs that have kept the Church together, they begin to fall and disintegrate. It is fatuous and irrational to suggest that biblical injunctions, which do not conform to modern requirenents can be rewritten.  If people do not know the truth, theywill not be saved.

God has made us custodians of His Word; never may the Church and its members fail Him. But if we are negligent and indifferent we will find another faith will take our place

I pray that you will only hear the gospel boldly and faithfully preached in your Church.