John 6. V 25/40

The story begins when Jesus was preaching to crowds of people on one side of the Sea of Galilee and after feeding the crowds left to go  with the disciples to the other side of the Sea to sail to Capernaum.  When the crowds arrived at the first place and found Jesus had left, they followed Him,  They asked Jesus why He had come to Capernaum, He told them they were not so interested in His preaching, but had come and sought Him to get fed with bread.

Jesus was teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum and said, ‘I am the bread of life’, one of his seven ‘I am’ sayings. The bread Jesus is giving relates to his death on the Cross, and those who believe in him are then spiritually satisfied.

Bread is an essential of life without which we cannot go on living. Jesus meant life to be more than mere existence, He was speaking of a new life in a relationship with God, which is only possible by accepting Jesus into your life as Saviour; without Him no one can enter into a relationship with God.

He is the bread in the sense, that he nourishes us spiritually and satisfies the longing of our souls. Those who accept Him into their lives will not therefore hunger, because their spiritual longing to know God will be known.
This chapter gives us a vision of Jesus whereby we can relate to Him not just as someone we read about, but rather as someone we can turn to, and both He and God become a friend, as the hymn states, ‘what a friend we have in Jesus’.

This invitation is extended to all people, but there is a stubborn resistance which refuses the offer, so that what the heart is really searching for is lost. This is where the Jews lost out, they could not believe that someone who came from an ordinary home could possibly be a messenger from God.
There is a memorable story about the famous T. E. Lawrence of Arabia fame, who was serving as ordinary airman in the Royal Air Force, and one day was visiting his friend Thomas Hardy the writer, and was wearing civilian dress. Whilst he was there the local Mayoress visited, and was affronted to meet a common airman, without knowing of Lawrence’s fame. She spoke to Mrs Hardy in French saying, in all her life she had never sat in the company of a mere private, when Lawrence said in perfect French, ‘I beg your pardon Madame, can I act as interpreter as Mrs Hardy does not know French’. The woman was judging by external standards, and that is what the Jews did to Jesus as many people are doing now.
I have always been bemused by the general attitude of people within the Church, who get overawed at the presence of a bishop, and who consider because of his Office, assume he must be a superior Christian to a poor Vicar in knowledge and belief, when in fact it many cases it is the complete opposite case. Men, and now women, often achieve high Office through naked ambition, right contacts, projecting themselves, and serving in non-parochial positions.
The great names in Christianity have been humble men and women, serving often in harsh conditions, following the example of the Galilean carpenter, who is their inspiration.
When Jesus said He was the bread of life, he was saying he was essential for life, so to refuse to accept his offer means to lose eternal life in heaven. He was the mind and voice of God, who lived a human life among us, and offers help to all who seek him. He spoke the words, ‘come to me all who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest’. When Jesus spoke of eating his flesh, he was meaning to let yourself be strengthened by his body.
Jesus said He was the living bread,  that all who believe in Him shall have their spiritual longing filled. He went on to say unless we ate the flesh and drank the blood, there would be no life within them. To eat the flesh means to believe in him, and to drink his blood means to accept his death on the Cross, where He shed His blood.  In Jewish thought, blood stood for life, and when a body bleeds, life flows out of it, and to a Jew blood belongs to God, which is why Jews will not eat meat unless it is has been completely drained of blood. Jesus wants us to take His life into the very centre of our hearts and life.
Some people were thinking God did not choose them, and Jesus would turn them away, but He promises anyone who turns to Him will never be turned away, and He would accept all who came. Every one called by God, and given to Jesus will be granted salvation, and shall have eternal life. No true believer will ever lose salvation
Jesus said no one can come to him unless God sent him/her, which implies that no one has the moral and spiritual ability to come to Christ unless God the Father draws them, that is gives the desire and inclination to do so. All of us who have turned to Jesus and accepted him into our hearts and lives, were inspired to do so when God touched our hearts and gave us the choice of accepting or rejecting Jesus. All who truly believe in Jesus will be saved, and have eternal life, and on the day of judgement will be raised up to the fulness of eternal life.
You may have a precious book which you never got down to reading it, just having left it in a bookcase. Eventually you do read it, it thrills, entertains and inspires you, and you are left wondering why you turned away from it from the start.
But people are still finding it a problem and staying away, and what increases their resistance is the demand he makes on our lives; we are bound to accept Him as the ultimate authority, and accept moral standards of purity.

The reason the Church is falling apart, is that fewer and fewer within are accepting those demands. God is not going to bless a Church which is acting and preaching contrary to that which he has laid down. We are making accommodation in our teaching and liturgy for what is unequivocally rejected by God in his Word, (the Bible).

 

  

 Mark 5 v.21/43

The passage for Sunday is from the 5th Chapter of Mark, beginning at verse 21, where Jesus is crossing to the side of the lake where he had become popular.  A great crowd had gathered when one of the Jewish rulers approached Jesus.

Jairus was a ruler of the Synagogue, and as such he was a powerful man in the community, so he was both respected and feared; he had authority to allow or bar any Jew from worship , and it would be a terrible feeling for not being allowed into the Synagogue.  But Jairus cherished his twelve years old daughter, and she became ill causing him to fear for her life.

This was a man who could have afforded the best medical attention then possible, but he sought Jesus.  This man would have regarded Jesus as  a dangerous heretic to whom the Synagogue was closed, but he put aside his prejudices and dignity, and threw himself at the feet of Jesus, which was a token of respect. It was a conscious effort to seek help.  He could have sent his servant out, but didn’t he went personally, and he got what he sought.

As Jesus began to go with Jairus, he stopped to ask who had touched him.  You can imagine the tension Jairus must have felt, he was on his way with Jesus when this woman stopped them.

The woman had suffered a hemorrhage, she discharged for a long time, she had tried all known remedies and spent all her money seeking help. She had a problem which was embarrassing, but went openly to Jesus in front of the crowd, but was reluctant to speak, so she touched the garment of Jesus.  He would be wearing a robe with four tassels, one in each corner.  This is what any devout Jew would wear to identify with God’s chosen people. Many people came to Jesus as a last resort, still do, but forget they can meet him any time in the pages of the Bible, and especially at a place of worship on Sunday.

The woman, because of her condition was ceremonially unclean and as such was not permitted to enter the women’s part of the Temple, nor should she be seen in public. By touching Jesus she technically   made him unclean, but Jesus is above and greater than any purity law, and he makes the woman clean by his power instead of becoming unclean himself.

Jesus sensed in himself some physical sensation in his body, that power had gone out of him, not by just being touched by someone, but being touched by someone who had faith in him that he could heal them.

It is a rule of life we will not produce anything great, without putting much of ourselves into what we are doing.  No great musician gets by with casual practice, they spend hours practicing.  No congregation will benefit unless the preacher, has spent time in preparation.  I have found and known a Minister spend five to ten minutes on a sermon, without ever mentioning Jesus or even referring to the Bible.

The disciples were not able to understand how Jesus could avoid being touched in such a crowd, so why worry trying to identify the person. They failed to recognize and realize how much it cost Jesus to heal someone.  It is a fact that we never fully appreciate the effects of something, until we have personal experience.

We see the relief of the woman when healed. It seemed so humiliating for her, yet when she told Jesus the truth, her fear and trembling were gone and relief flooded her heart. Having been on the fringe of the crowd, she finds herself welcomed into the family of God,  Jesus told her your faith has made you well, go in peace and be healed.

Our story moves on to the home of Jairus where people tell him it is too late, his daughter has died.  Jesus ignored them and told Jairus not to be afraid, just believe, his daughter was not dead. People mocked and scorned Jesus.  Again Jesus defines faith as an antidote to fear.   Faith comes into being, never allow what people say upset you. Jairus knew he faced a severe challenge in the face of death.

Jesus went into the house, and took only his inner circle of Peter and James.  The weeping and wailing reflected deep grief. The mourners were present and Jewish custom were vivid and detailed to stress the sense of desolation, and final parting to death.  It was customary to have professional wailers who could be hired for funerals.  The people were made to stay outside the house as they were a distraction, but allowed the girl’s parents to stay.

Touching a  dead person makes someone unclean, but again  Jesus overcomes uncleanness and the girl lives.  The amazement of the crowd did not however mean faith in Jesus, some refused to believe she had died.  Nothing surprising in that, people still will not believe no matter how hard you try.

We all have fears for the future, how our children will fare in life; worries about health, marriage or employment.  There is often a desire to seek the future, but the Bible is totally against that. We are afraid  of what we can’t see or know.  We can look back at the past and think ‘if only’, but the future is a blind spot. Only God knows our future and we have to leave all in his hands. The world is full of pain and trouble with the weak more numerous than the strong.

The two stories are of miraculous haling, and it is the purpose of God we should have spiritual health and spiritual life.  We see people claiming to be Christians who are living far from what God and Jesus intended.

We have just read of a woman at pain for twelve years, despite doing everything she could and tried to do, yet things only got worse.  God did not create us to suffer, but sin has brought much pain often to the rstand, is that there is relief the gospel confers on souls. The experience of the woman in the story, has been the soame experience of many who approached Jesus with a humble heart, and committed themselves in faith to his mercy, and the burden has eased, worry turned to joy and anxiety to peace.

We see how much it becomes Christians to make known the benefit they receive from Christ.  Each week in our Churches there are intercessions pleading for help and cure, but how many whom God answers remember to give thanks to Him.

There is a lesson here which all true Christians should remember. Never be ashamed to let it be known you are a proper Christian, as opposed to a make believe one.  I have over the years, been amazed to find how many people do not want it known they attend Church, especially among men.  I have been pleaded with not to visit men in hospital, unless I go not disclosing by word or dress that I was a Minister, yet women have welcomed the ‘Vicar’ visiting.  If we find peace or help through Him, we should  let it be known.  If we are afraid to acknwledge Jesus now, we cannot expect Him to acknowledge us before God one day.

In conclusion, mark how precious a grace is faith.  Remember the words of Jesus, ‘woman thy faith has made thee well’.  Of all the graces mentioned in the Bible, faith is the one highly commended, for it brings glory to Christ.  Faith brings an empty hand and receives a full hand. By faith we live and overcome and have peace..  A question for all is, is my faith true and real; do I really believe?  The Christ who healed the sick woman and raised the dead daughter is the same Christ ready to save now.  Just one thing needful if we want salvation-faith

The Bible assures us that one day our Lord will return and call his faithful people from their graves, and give them new bodies, gathering all from Noth to South, east to West, we will meet our loved es who fell  asleep in Jesus.  There will be a glorious resurrection. 

 

The sermons can be read on Google under the name of Rev. Eric Royden

Or www.ericroyden.com.in addition to being available on Facebook.


I regret to state that I will not be answering texts or other kind of communication, unless of an urgent matter. I have for some time been ready and happy to do so, and appreciate the kind interest and concern shown by many correspondents.

Unfortunately an equal number of correspondents from two particular countries have failed to realize I am but a preacher and a Minister in the Church in England. My inability to readily satisfy them has led to me receiving replies which I am not prepared to accept.



I will remember those friends who have asked me to pray for their personal needs, and for their ministry performed in harsh surroundings. I ask them to continue reading the sermons, and pray they may provide some benefit as we share in faithfully serving our Lord Jesus Christ.    May God bless you“

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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E P H E S I A N S  4

 

In recent weeks of the Christmas season, as we will see at Easter, greater number of people attending Church services. This is surely due to well-known  and tuneful hymns being sung, and the appeal of the Bible stories. This is a minor version of the large evangelical meetings, held at the large stadiums filled to capacity, when the Billy Graham Crusades were held some years past, despite prominent members of the Church trying to stop them.  We can learn from such examples, and endeavour to make our services formed with hymns and songs

A true Christian would also agree that a principal reason, is due to the fact that the Church has turned away from pure and solid Bible teaching.  The Bible is the supreme authority for the life of the Church, and urgent correction is needed.

Paul opens this Letter to the Church at Ephesus with a call to unity, based on the truths of one God and one salvation.Paul is in prison because of his preaching of the gospel, and he was prepared to be held in confinement for serving his Lord, and his call has much power. Christians have to live in a manner worthy of the fact they are called to show humility, patience, gentleness and holiness. Humility was regarded as distasteful in the pagan community, where pride was revered. The virtues of Christ formed His character, and were expected to be found in every Christian,  Peace was a state of reconciliation and love, so making a bond to unite Christians.

Turn with me to Paul’s Letter to thr Ephesians Church in Chapter 4, looking at verse 4.

 There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one Hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism one God and Father, of all, who is over all and through all in all.

A powerful message of this chapter is the statement, one God and Father who is over all and in all, which shows that Christianity is an exclusive faith, the true faith.

Seven times you have the word ‘one’ repeated.

One body, the Church.

The Church is one body, and Christians can meet in congregations in any place throughout the world. We are one body, having the same faith, worshipping the same God and Savior, with people of every nation, both genders, race and color, of all ages. No other institution can make such a claim. And we are all brothers and sisters in one heavenly family

One Spirit, the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit unites people across the lines of class, which would otherwise divide them.  The Holy Spirt cleanses and empowers, which leads to convert at the conversion.

One hope

Christians do not have separate hopes, but are called together to eternal life and enjoy God for ever in resurrection glory. They are also a call to unity this side of heaven.

There is only one Lord

This refers to Jesus

One faith,

Thus contains the doctrinal truths that all Christians should commonly confess

One baptism

Christians have disagreed over baptism since the early days of the Church. In this respect, it refers to the baptism of all believers into one body. Water baptism  is an outside sign of an inward reality, of a believer being in Christ with the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.

The Church of to-day has abused the act of baptism, by allowing a person who claims to have changed gender to be re-baptized under the new name. This is hardly justified, as it is the same body under a new name, which transgresses Christian teaching.

 But the Church makes provision for a second baptism with special liturgy, for those people who believe in trans gendering. The most eminent  medical  surgeons have stated, that no matter how much mutilation of the body in trying to effect this, there cannot be a complete change. Men and women have different chromosomes, which cannot be changed, but the physical, and mental consequences are affecting lives, with numerous suicides.

One God

The God of Israel is the one true God, and the Bible is the true revealed revelation of God

God is Father to all, and there is no room for any other  god. He is transcendent, and having created everything, dwells in the hearts of His people.

.  There are people in most Churches who have to be protected; children who are at the mercy of false teachers; of those who are not fully believers. Popular fashions are sometimes put forward, often from people in ‘Administration’ Offices, which were so mind-blowingly ridiculous, and were in fact mere gimmicks. Throughout history, fashions did come and go as they sought popularity.  I once put forward a suggestion we try using the Bible to  help people, which was dismissed as cynical.

Paul spoke of the mockery by people, but in fact there have been disingenuous ideas proposed  in a serious manner, which were beyond belief. There is only one way to avoid the latest fashion, by living nearer to Christ and His teaching. Which means turning to the Bible where we do in fact find Jesus. The only way we can keep the whole Church healthy, is in an intimate and indissoluble connection with the head and directing mind of Christ.

There are too many people, who are prepared to state other religions can lead to eternal life, that other religions can save, that God accepts the worship of all religious people,  This suggests the Church has failed to properly teach truly Biblical message.

There is a reluctance to say anything which may sound like condemnation..  I have heard it said it openly, by a senior member of the Church. This means people are being misled, as regards future life.

It is impossible for Christians and other faiths to worship together. Only Christianity claims Jesus is the Son of God, and is the Saviour who died on the Cross.  We say we worship the one true God, that Jesus is the only way to approach God. That Jesus is the only way we can be forgiven of sin. That Jesus and his Apostles were of Jewish heritage, which would offend. We say that only those who accept Christ as Saviour can get to heaven. These statements are of Bible teaching, and the only religion that can make them. Whilst these facts are faithfully held, they may cause displeasure and offend, it is necessary to offer the handshake of friendship to other faiths, and respect their right of them to be held

Paul was writing on a theme of unity. He saw the Church as a family of brothers and sisters in Christ wanting to meet as a family in their Father’s House. He always wanted to bring credit to Christianity, to act as he believed Christ expected of his followers.

Paul saw the world turning to Christ, with a baptism after repentance and confession of Jesus as Lord. This was the gateway to the Church, and we are called to  live in a  manner of holiness and unity 

We may have different ways of worship, which is reasonable as God made many different kinds of flowers which all grow in the same way, and Christians should grow in Christ with the one basic set of doctrine.

Whilst God is King and Judge, he is also Father. He is always in control no matter how things may look, guiding and directing.

Paul listed the gifts Jesus gave his Church, and we have a picture of the early Church. The Apostles had authority right through the Church, and were like itinerant preachers. Ultimately they  were Pastors, similar to the Ministers of our Churches caring for one set of people.  The aim was to build the Church up, not destroyed. No disruption should ever occur, but it does. The Church must have perfect unity, fractions should not exist, and anything which might cause differences must be stopped immediately,

Each Church should have a purpose, for there are a lot of people who have not fully grasped how the Church should function on a regular basis.

He Church was built on the sure foundation of the Apostles teaching, who were told by our Lord to go and preach all he had commanded.  We tell people God loves them and wants them to be saved, and for this purpose he sent Jesus to die on the Cross so their sins could be forgiven, which is the only way they can be saved.

There should never be disharmony amongst Christians, but now more than ever there is division within Churches over moral and social issues.  This is because an absence of leadership. The Church is now pursuing a course to accommodate the beliefs of LGBT organisation, which should be allowed to pursue its own ideologies, and we should be pursuing the course set out by God in the Bible. In the higher echelons of the Church, God seems to be left out. If Pastors used the pulpit to keep the teaching of the

Apostles rather than social issues, the people would be more biblically literate.

 

Since the birth of the Church at Pentecost, false teachers have been active in putting forward a message which fits in with their preferments, it has not ceased.

The Apostle Peter gave a sermon, after which three thousand people joined the first Christian Church. They were not coerced  nor bribed to attend, they were ‘cut to the heart’ and eagerly listened to the teaching of the Apostles. And God blessed and added to their number.

May Churches to-day preach the words of those Apostles, now gifted to us by God in the New Testament, and may God richly bless His Church, and add to our number.

 

       John 2 v.1/11

The Gospel passage for Sunday is the story of the first miracle of Jesus at a wedding, and we see God’s intention for mankind.

This story takes place in a village Cana, which is situated near Nazareth, and is the story of a wedding.  An Eastern wedding was a very special occasion, different from a Western one where the bride is the main figure. Here, she enters a Church in all her glory to the playing of organ music, and the congregation standing to greet and admire her. In the East the groom is the main one and he pays for it, the bride just turns up.

It was Jewish law that a virgin got married on a Wednesday, with the ceremony in the late evening after a feast, and the festivities would go on for days, often with relatives of both families joining in the celebrations. After the ceremony, the bridal couple would be conducted to their new home, through the village streets by the light of flaming torches with a canopy over their heads. They were taken by as long a route as possible so as many people as possible could wish them well.

In a land where there was so much poverty and constant hard work, this week of festivity and joy was a significant occasion, and it was this that Jesus came to share in. An added problem was he brought with him five Apostles, which meant more people to wine and dine.

For a Jewish wedding wine was an essential, but there would be no drunkenness for that would be seen as a disgrace, and the wine would be two or even three parts water.  In the East hospitality was a sacred duty, so failure to provide would have meant humiliation.

Mary heard of the problem and told her Son, and Jesus answered her by what seems rudeness, ‘woman what have you to do with me, my hour has not yet come.’ Jesus was kindly stressing that she must not see him only as her son, for when he will suffer, the more she will suffer. She must the see him as her Lord.

Standing there were six large jars each holding about two or three measures, that is about twenty gallons of water, making a total of over a hundred gallons of water intended for purifying or cleansing. The roads were dusty, and as the men wore sandals the men’s feet needed washing, but Jews also washed hands before each course of food.

Jesus sorted out what normally would take hours in preparation, by cutting out the normal procedure of crushing and fermenting, and turned the water into wine. This is included in the story to emphasize the greatness of the Lord’s gift. The head waiter then praised the quality of the wine produced.  

We see Mary’s faith in Jesus. She turned to him when a problem arose and even when he answered her sharply, she told the waiter to do what he asked, giving us a message to trust Jesus even when we do not understand is happening.  In every life there comes period of  darkness when we despair and wonder what the outcome, happy are those who still trust.

Every Bible story has a meaning and a lesson for all the Lord’s followers, including this story. We see Jesus ready to share in all our celebrations.

This was the first of the Lord’s miracles, and it took place at a marriage of a man and a woman, which has a significant meaning, and it tells us how honorable and important marriage was in the eyes of Jesus, it having been ordained by God for society’s benefit when he made a man and a woman.

There is no more wonderful and beautiful union than a man and a woman, and that it is why God created us so. God told us He gave woman to be an essential part of a man’s life, and men have found what a great blessing He gave.

God created marriage as the first institution before all others, with two distinct people of different bodies to have children and create a human family. Other relationships are condemned in Scripture.

Two people of the same sex cannot produce children and so extend the human race. God knew what He was doing, giving them different personalities and bodies, with different genes and chromosomes, which cannot be medically changed, to fulfil His purpose for the world.

Since the creation of the world, thousands of years past, marriage has taken place in every country in the world, being recognized as a stabling factor in society, In the last twenty years, it has been attacked by secular activists, liberal politicians seeking votes, and shamefully by bishops and other Church leaders, who have actually called for the Bible teaching to be abandoned. We have reached a stage where marriage has no significance in public life, and now can even be ended without stated reason.

This has caused much distress and poverty principally to women, and social study has established that children’s lives greatly affected. How ironic that Western nations where there are more material benefits, there is less marriage success than poorer Eastern nations where marriage is more honored.

What any two people decide they wish to do, is a matter for themselves to pursue without interference; God is capable of forming His judgement and any action He sees necessary. For the Church to formally give approval is to violate God’s teaching and our Lord’s commands.

For Jesus a home was special, no family abuse such as we see in so many homes.  A great loss in our time is that Jesus has no place in the majority of homes in this country. The bedrock of our society was once a family home of a man and woman in a happy marriage, raising children with a Christian faith. Now such a situation is mocked as old fashioned, but we never had so many teenage pregnancies, child abuse, and a divorce rate of more than 1 in 3 marriages. So many children do not know love, security and fellowship of a loving home. A lot of children don’t even know who their father is, and have brothers and sisters of different parents.

Jesus showed his glorious powers, and bestowed his blessing on marriage at a village girl’s wedding, and his Apostles accepted him as God’s Son.

This wedding took place probably in a village hall, no need for fancy mansions and plush hotels with large number of guests; Jesus is ready to take part in the ordinary things of our lives. 

Today the Church is almost performing a miracle in reverse, turning wine into water by diluting marriage into something having no greater significance than any other relationship.

Don’t be discouraged. When we let God and Jesus into our lives all ordinary activities receive new power, so don’t close the door of your life on the Lord, for if you do you reveal your lack of faith and trust. Give God a chance to do want you cannot do.

Jesus said I have come that you may have life in all abundance; be prepared to accept and believe him.

One day a great marriage feast will be held, at which Jesus will be the bridegroom and his believers will be the bride.

 

Be at Church on Sunday; making sure it is a Bible believing Church.

John Chapter 4 verses 4-30:

Turning to this well-known story, first looking at the

Bible reading; and then the deeper teaching.

 

Jesus was travelling to Galilee and was taking the shortest route, which meant passing through Samaria. This way was usually not taken by Jews, as Jews and Samaritans were not fond of each other, meaning the Jews faced defilement if attacked.

Jesus and His Apostles stopped in the village of Sychar to rest as He was tired, which revealed the human side of Him. Some people in John's day were denying that Jesus was truly human. He only "seemed" to be human, they said. Others were denying that Jesus was "divine". John makes it clear that Jesus was truly man and divine- God come in the flesh. He grew tired; he wept; and he was thirsty, as we are.

The Apostles left Jesus to go and find food, so He sat near a well which Jacob had given to His son, known as Jacob’s well. Women would go in the morning and evening to draw water, but one immoral woman went at noon when it was really hot.  She did so to avoid meeting other women. Jesus tok the initiative and spoke to her, and asked her to get Him a drink of water.  He ignored culture and tradition.

The woman was astonished at her, a Samaritan woman, at being asked by a Jew. Jesus told her if she knew who He was, He would have given her living water. The woman was puzzled as Jesus had no means of drawing or being given water. She would have had in mind living water as being  spring fresh water, whereas Jesus was meaning the gift of the Holy Spirit, which would give eternal life. 

The conversation went on to talk of her husband, and her stating that she had no husband. She was startled when Jesus pointed out the man she was living was not her husband, and she had had five husbands before. She was obviously worried about the sinful state Jesus reminded her of.

 

Jesus was indicating that people living together, was not marriage. A marriage requires some form of official sanction and public ceremony, in which man and woman commit to the obligation of marriage.Sexual relationships outside marriage were then considered wrong.

 

The mountain where they were was Mount Gerizim, a sacred place where Samaritans had built a Temple, but Jesus was saying neither there nor Jerusalem, which Samaritans despised, be necessary for worship as people could worship wherever they were.

But Jesus also stated the fact that the Jewish nation had a special place in God’s plan and salvation which was from Jews, for all of the Old Testament was from Jewish people, and Jesus Himself came from Jews.

The woman decided Jesus was a prophet, but referred to her people worshipping on the mountain, and not as Jews in Jerusalem. Jesus told her salvation came from the Jews, and in future worship will be true to God from wherever one is, and will be in spirit and truth.

God has a wonderful kind of existence that is not confined to one place, and having created the world, has dominion over all.

 

This story offers a lesson in evangelicalism as good as anywhere else in the Bible; the teacher is the Lord Himself. He and His Apostles had reached a part of their journey across the country at the hottest part of the day, and He was tired. Left alone whilst the Apostles sought food, He approached the Samaritan woman, a double act in offending tradition and culture, and seeks a favour. 

This is often a wise approach, for a lot of people feel someone needs them, and are ready to make friends.  This gives Jesus the opportunity of speaking further, in which He reveals who He is. The principal purpose of Jesus is to preach the gospel, that above all else, for that is what God sent Him to do. 

He the Saviour of the world, yet is prepared to speak with a woman of immoral character, who is also from a people at great enmity with Jews, something a Rabbi would never even consider thinking of doing. But, the woman went out and told people who she had met, and how well He had spoken to her, and many of the people turned to follow Jesus. You may never know how much good comes from telling an ordinary man, or more so a woman, about your faith and/or Church.

I met a lady, an ordinary wife and mother, and invited her to attend Church, which she did. She had I found, a captivating personality and soon other mothers came with children. Unfortunately her husband, who worked away from home on a North Sea oil rig found out she was attending Church, and gave an ultimatum, Church or him, so because of fear of losing her children we lost her. This was not in my experience an unusual case.

 I cannot understand why it happens,  as Muslim men are more intent on attending their places of worship than the women. It has to accepted, the |Muslim faith has a more moral base practised than we do.

The Church of today is more interested in getting non-believing parents to have their children baptised and confirmed.  It was once suggested parents who had children out of marriage, should bring them to Church to be baptised, when they got married at the same time. What a mindless suggestion.( I imagine the one who thought of that even got a promotion however). 

 

Jesus did not prioritise baptism, he made it clear He was here to preach the gospel, and when the Church does the same, we may see the Church growing rather than falling apart as it is doing. Baptism does not need to be neglected, but in the mind of Jesus, preaching was more important and necessary.

Any person with even half a brain, knows you don’t pour clean water in a cup with dirty water in. But that is figuratively what the Church is doing now. Contrary to what Church leaders may think, the majority of people in the country do have moral beliefs, and it is offensive to them to hear leaders of the Church calling for traditional marriage to be abandoned, and they are not able to understand any purpose in coming; even clergy who still believe in Scripture are leaving, and brilliant men are amongst them. Women Ministers appear to be either more liberal, or prefer to hold the position.

We lose valuable opportunities in holding Summer and Christmas Fairs, in which we have a collection of stalls offering goods, but we don’t  offer details of the Church services,  We have Church magazines with details of what has been happening, which pleases members, but I cannot understand how or why we don’t include a bible teaching page, and urge people to attend. In other words, have an external outlook as well.

Politicians make sure we know how wonderful their Party is, and all it will do (mostly overstated) It must be successful or they wouldn’t bother. 

 

Let it be taken from this reading the lesson Jesus showed us, of speaking out for our Church and faith; may the leaders be moral like Jesus; and members make known the services are for all, who will be welcome.

 The sermons can be read on Goggle under the name of Rev. Eric Royden

Or www.ericroyden.com.in addition to being available on Facebook.

 

 I regret to state that I will not be answering texts or other kind of communication, unless of an urgent matter. I have for  some time been ready and happy to do so, and appreciate the kind interest and concern shown by many correspondents.

 Unfortunately an equal number of correspondents from two particular countries have failed to realize I am but a preacher and a Minister in  the Church in England. My inability to readily satisfy them has led to me receiving replies which I am not prepared to accept.

 

I will remember those friends who have asked me to pray for their personal needs, and for their ministry performed in harsh surroundings. I ask them to continue reading the sermons, and pray they may provide some benefit as we share in faithfully serving our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

May God bless you

2 Peter 1 v 16 T

I want to turn with you to words of Peter,. For we have not followed cleverly invented myths when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.      

      As we reflect on the life of the Church we think of the numbers of people who have passed through doors over the years.  There was a time when the church stood as a beacon of light in a dark world; a place where hope, inspiration and encouragement were given.  Sadly to-day’s world thinks it can provide such things for themselves without any help from the Almighty.

     These are dark days for the Church in this country.  We live in a society which largely rejects God, and regards Church and Christianity as totally irrelevant to their lives. 

     Many of us here grew up when it was the natural thing as a child to be sent to Sunday school, sing in the church choir, and accompany parents to Church.  People may not have known the Bible thoroughly, but they knew the main stories and understood what the major festivals meant. 

     The Church was held in general respect, and the Vicar was a prominent member of the community. Politicians were supportive of the Church and were Christian in belief. 

     Now that has all changed. Generations have grown up without having had any religious education and know nothing about the Church or the faith.      

     Politicians have enacted legislation which is offensive to Christian belief and teaching, and which is supported by all parties.  The judiciary seems intent on suppressing every expression of Christian faith by word or symbol.

     What people fail to realise is that if Christianity is erased from public life it will create a vacuum which will be filled by something else less pleasant.  

     Our faith is mocked as being fairy tale stuff, fantasy, pie in the sky, and these are just the polite epithets. 

     But we do not follow myths of any kind.  One day people will regret such attitudes. Jesus came into the world to save and we as His disciples must try to do His work for Him now.

      I have taken services in many villages over the last few years, and see the same small congregations, which is so sad.  Residents have so much to be thankful for; beautiful homes in idyllic surroundings, without any of the social ills of the towns and cities.  We seem to have lost Middle England.

     Yet when I journey home this morning, I will pass a Church where they have to put on two services each Sunday because there is not enough room to accommodate at one. So things can happen if we are doing what is right by God.

     We must all examine our witness and consider how we can get our message across.

     The greatest revival of Christianity in this country came during the ministry of John/Charles Wesley    If they were alive today they would have much to say at the way the Church has failed to proclaim the message they left, that salvation was through Christ alone, the value of a person’s life was measured by their faith, and the doctrine of heaven and hell.  They would be horrified to view the preaching of ther great Church and the doctrines now adopted.

     For many preachers these are forbidden subjects fearing they may upset people, yet they are essential biblical doctrine and were not forbidden by our Lord.  Today people are being drawn away from the doctrines of the Bible as judgement is becoming a censored word.

     Jesus made it patently clear that there will come a day of judgement, and in parable after parable warned that we face one of two destinies, one He called heaven and the other hell. He spoke of two roads, two gates. People say God would never send anyone to hell, and that is right; but people may choose for themselves by their lives.

     The Bible states, ‘salvation is found in no other name under heaven except Jesus Christ’.  It is hard to quote the Bible without someone saying ‘Oh you shouldn’t say that.    

     The Bible states’ Jesus said no one can come to the Father except through me’, yet many preachers are dodging quoting this.  If we avoid telling these verses how are people ever to come to know the gospel.

     This tells us our faith is not like other faiths which someone has made up, but rather comes from God. 

     This is a startling declaration! It says that there is no other who can fulfill the place of being the cornerstone of authority in the world. No other name! None of the religious leaders, none of the political leaders of all time could possibly do this work. You take all the religious names of history -- Buddha, Mohammed, Confucius, whoever and whatever. The most that can be said of these men and women is that they are moral teachers. The best we can say of them is that they taught what is right. Many of them did.

     Christians are often accused of being bigoted, of being intolerant of other faiths. There is a sense in which that accusation is perfectly just. We are intolerant of other faiths, in the final analysis. But this does not mean that Christians do not recognize that there is much truth in other religions. Other great religious leaders have uttered fine moral teachings and precepts which have helped people. But there is one thing they could not do: They could tell us what was right; but they could not enable us to do it. That is the difference between Jesus of Nazareth and any other name that can be named in this world. That is why we can never consent to considering any other name to be equal with that of Jesus of Nazareth. No other has solved the problem of death. There is no other name by which we can be saved.

      The life of Jesus Christ is never against government; but it is against oppressive government such as we have recently seen. It is the foundation of Christian liberties, everywhere. There has never been a force more powerful and more vital to assure the liberation of men and women from oppression and immorality than this dramatic power of the resurrection. This is why it is hated by the political forces of the day, wherever they may be.

      Everywhere God is inviting men and women to become a part of it, by sharing in the risen life of Jesus Christ, and experiencing now the glory of a life of peace and joy and rest and strength and adequacy and power and meaning and fullness -- now. This is what the resurrection means.

     What however must be a major concern is false teaching within the Church.  Unfortunately as society has turned its back on Biblical teaching, so an increasing number within the Church consider we should re-interpret the Bible to meet their modern ideas of morality.  This suggests that God has got it wrong and He should be prepared to adjust to the age There is a reluctance by clergy to speak out for fear of being labelled as a bigot or being discriminatory.

     It is fair to say Christian preachers tend to modify teaching of traditional values to appeal to contemporary thinking, and for fear of offending one of the many discrimination laws promoted equally vigorously by vociferous minorities, so falling foul of the law, which is not enforced against other faiths with the same enthusiasm as against Christian preachers    

     There is the danger of substituting political correctness for biblical correctness.    

     Under the guise of equality and human rights, such legislation has only made for the inequitable, in that Christians have been deprived of their human rights, and a situation created which is ripe for entrapment of Christians.   

     We have gone along with the incredulous acceptance that marriage, (that is m/w) is no longer the bedrock of society, but is no more acceptable than any other relationship. 

     We are told minority groups have to be protected, but this does not apply to the minority group that is called Christian

      If ever the Word of God was needed it is never more so than now.  It calls for people to turn back to God who is ready and able to meet the needs of everyone who turns to Him.  The message we have for the world is centred upon the person of Jesus Christ and provides for a stable and well balanced society.

     The world’s greatest need is to hear about Jesus Christ. All Christians, not simply all ministers, are commanded in Scripture to share their faith    

     We put a lot of energy into fairs, fetes and garden parties, but treat them as just that without trying to reach out to the people who attend

     We have parish magazines and newsletters, which mostly tell what HAS happened, and contains articles about gardening or other hobbies, pieces about where people have been, or of memories.  There needs to be also a stimulating, provocative writing on a biblical theme. For 17 years I edited a parish magazine, which always included bible teaching, and I know it was read and appreciated, even when views differed.  

     The country is in spiritual death throes and in need of intensive care.  This is why we must contend for the faith.  How God must weep when He sees the Church singing His praise, pretending to be holy, whilst countenancing and failing to speak out on moral issues which totally ignore His written Word.

     My friends, we are not to be blown by every new spiritual wind so that we drift from our moorings.  We are not to be superficial believers. Hold fast to the gospel once given by the Apostles who were taught by the Master Himself. 

     It is so easy in the times we live in to opt out, saying, ‘there is no point in fighting them.’  Can you imagine what would have happened if Winston Churchill had have said in 1940, ‘there is no use in us fighting, the enemy is too powerful.’  We must stand firm by the Cross.

     Let us remember there are Christians being persecuted in non Christian lands with violence, arson, and yes even murder.  Hundreds have been killed in the last few months in Iraq, Pakistan, Indonesia and Nigeria.  Whole villages ransacked, yet they valiantly fight on for their Lord and Saviour.  We must show the same spirit.

     Today, no less than in any other age, it is intense biblical integrity that is needed. Fearless courage and conviction, to stand for the truth --that Jesus Christ is the only name that saves.    

 

Be in Church on Sunday and God bless you

JOHN 2 v13-end

The traditional image of Jesus is the stained glass window of Him, pictured as the meek and mild person, whilst the gospel passage for today shows Him full of anger.  Anger is thought to be wrong, but there is a case for righteous anger as we read into the incident described. 

Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, which fell about the middle of April.  According to Jewish law, every male Jew living within twenty miles of the city had to attend, but many others travelled long distances to be present to celebrate this major feast, which commemorated the rescuing of the Jews by God from the suffering in Egypt, for the Jews never forgot their ancestral home or faith. It was the dream of every Jew to attend one such feast in their life. 

Every Jew over nineteen years of age had to pay a temple tax, which had to be in Jewish coinage, but the currency generally used was Roman, which was viewed as unclean.  This meant that there were moneychangers.  If they had conducted their business honestly, they would have been giving a service, but they overcharged. 

In addition to the tax, they were obliged to take a sacrifice of a dove or a lamb, and this had to be one in perfect condition.  The Temple authorities appointed Inspectors to examine the animals, for which a fee had to be paid.  It was common for the Inspectors to declare the offering unworthy, and the alternative was to sell them one of their own, which in essence meant a form of blackmail.  It was this that moved Jesus to anger.  He took some cords and made whip, which he used on the men making money by false means. 

Jesus was angered because He felt sympathy for the people worshipping, and being exploited.  He saw God’s house being abused, and being turned into a market place rather than a house of prayer.  He drove out the sheep and the cattle, scattered the moneychangers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then He told those selling doves to get them out.

The Temple had a series of courts from the inner Holy place, where only priests could enter; then the court for Jewish men, next the court for women, and the outer court which was for Gentiles, which was where the buying and selling was being carried on.  A Gentile was limited to this one area, and one might attend to meditate or pray, but the place was in an uproar.  Jesus was anxious that no one should be prevented from seeking God. 

The disciples were embarrassed by the actions of Jesus! They had not been with Him very long; they did not know Him very well. They had been attracted by the amazing things He said, and the things He did. They believed with all their hearts He was the expected Messiah;

This practice had been going on for decades and, without any appeal to authority, taking on Himself this action of driving out money-changers, pouring out their money, driving out the animals, and even driving out the people with a whip! They were probably also fearful of what the authorities would do about this flagrant challenge to them. They knew these self-righteous Pharisees would not let Jesus get away with this. But as they watched Him do this, there came flashing into their minds a verse from the 69th Psalm. ‘The zeal of thy house has consumed me, has burned me up, has seized hold of me and devoured me and made me to act’. They began to understand that God does not compromise with evil.

The reaction of the Jews was natural, they wanted to know what right Jesus had to act as He did.  They asked for a sign to justify His actions and He replied, ‘destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up’.

The Jews mocked this, for the Temple had taken 46 years with 18,000 men to build, but Jesus was saying He was the temple,  There had been three Temples, built there as somewhere for God to live, and if you wanted to meet with God you went there.  He was saying He had the right to destroy the Temple because HE was the Temple of God, and through Him we meet with God.  When He died God ripped the veil of the Temple from the top to the bottom.

We have to ask is there anything in our Church life which would cause a stranger to turn away, a lack of welcome, an air of exclusiveness, a coldness, or as in many Churches, trying to make it into a closed club.

What we have here, is also a dramatic statement about the importance of worship for us. Religion must never be seen as a convenience.  It is a tragedy if we only worship God when it is convenient. God is after a seeking heart.

He is more interested in communion than in ceremony. I have seen Churches where more concern is shown in ritual and dressing up than sincere praise and worship.  Nor should we think that only one’s own particular denomination is the true one, as some really do, and consider others as not as worthy as themselves..

What God wants is for us to fellowship with Him, for us to touch Him through prayer, to commune with Him in worship, to have fellowship with Him and serve Him with all of our hearts. Having church is not going through the motions. It is coming into a divine encounter with the living God, one which changes our lives.

Through true worship and service, our lives touch the lives of others. True worship and service are themselves living testimonies to the power of God.

In this passage there is much else we can learn. Jesus is visiting the Temple, and purifying the house of God, revealing how much he disapproves of all irreverent behaviour in the house of God.

The selling of animals angered him and caused him to overturn their tables. On no other occasion in our Lord’s ministry do we find him acting in this way, acting with such righteous indignation and angry wrath. He was not pleased by the way the priests did not act.  We see him expressing his displeasure in the strongest manner.

This should raise deep searchings in the minds of clergy, especially in Cathedrals where all kinds of events are allowed, well beyond reverence.

I recall a Dean of a Cathedral declining to hold a school service of praise, at which a most admired Vicar  was to be the preacher (since died) Yet subsequently allowed a theatre group to hold a play which was totally unsuited for a place of worship.

In other places, the Cathedrals are used for all manner of events, one containing a miniature golf course, but sales of goods for some charity  of a secular organisation.

On other occasions services are held on Sundays specially to pray for animals, which are allowed to be present with emotions rampant. Again, there is an inappropriate action

 Churches may not have the same contents as Jewish Synagogue, but they are  places where the Word of God is heard and preached. And worship is held. The Methodist Church has allowed services celebrating the work of LGBTQ, once in Wesley’s chapel, the most revered place in Methodism. It seems to be forgotten that the (well organised) organisation, is opposed to that which we as Christians believe.  The person who takes worldly matters into, a place of worship is offending Christ.

We see how people may remember religious words after they are spoken, sometimes well after, yet a meaning which never occurred to them at the time eventually do

I have experienced people telling me about a sermon I had preached, and how it meant to them when sometime later it helped them, and it feels quite rewarding and encouraging to hear.

When children are told the stories of Jesus in  simple tender ways, they remember them and most often like what they heard. Sadly, children of these days are deprived of much religious teaching  as parents don’t have time or perhaps interest, and schools which are supposed to hold assemblies, can ignore holding, but must accept to hold classes of sexual teaching.  How lucky we in the older age ranges were to have schools of some integrity.

The passage shows how Jesus understands our hearts, and is fully aware of the counterfeit Christian. So many people think an occasional attendance at Church, qualifies them as a certified Christian. Jesus knew that what people stated with their lips was not what their heart was portraying. True belief stands firm, when ideology and false Christianity is used.

We are faced with a woke ideology, promoted by young people and those mentally confused, which have persuaded the Methodist Church to be interested in, and the Church of England will no doubt follow, where we are told not to call God our Father as it is causing diversity. Their frozen minds, forget Jesus taught us what to say and for centuries it has been applied.

We are not say mothers and fathers in case it upsets single people. Doesn’t it make you wonder how confused and bigoted some people are, and those who take up such nonsense, are even more in ned of help

The truths which Jesus showed us, should make hypocrites and false teachers tremble, they may fool men but they don’t deceive Jesus. A strue  Christian may feel weak at times, but can say, ‘Lord I am a poor sinner but |I am trying to be true to you. You know all the secrets of our hearts, mine may be weak but it clings to you.

The false Christian tries to avoid the eyes of an all loving Saviour, but the true Christian is happy to have the eyes of Jesus  on him/her morning, noon and night for we have nothing we wish to hide13-end

The traditional image of Jesus is the stained glass window of Him, pictured as the meek and mild person, whilst the gospel passage for today shows Him full of anger.  Anger is thought to be wrong, but there is a case for righteous anger as we read into the incident described. 

Jesus had gone to Jerusalem to observe the Passover, which fell about the middle of April.  According to Jewish law, every male Jew living within twenty miles of the city had to attend, but many others travelled long distances to be present to celebrate this major feast, which commemorated the rescuing of the Jews by God from the suffering in Egypt, for the Jews never forgot their ancestral home or faith. It was the dream of every Jew to attend one such feast in their life. 

Every Jew over nineteen years of age had to pay a temple tax, which had to be in Jewish coinage, but the currency generally used was Roman, which was viewed as unclean.  This meant that there were moneychangers.  If they had conducted their business honestly, they would have been giving a service, but they overcharged. 

In addition to the tax, they were obliged to take a sacrifice of a dove or a lamb, and this had to be one in perfect condition.  The Temple authorities appointed Inspectors to examine the animals, for which a fee had to be paid.  It was common for the Inspectors to declare the offering unworthy, and the alternative was to sell them one of their own, which in essence meant a form of blackmail.  It was this that moved Jesus to anger.  He took some cords and made whip, which he used on the men making money by false means. 

Jesus was angered because He felt sympathy for the people worshipping, and being exploited.  He saw God’s house being abused, and being turned into a market place rather than a house of prayer.  He drove out the sheep and the cattle, scattered the moneychangers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then He told those selling doves to get them out.

The Temple had a series of courts from the inner Holy place, where only priests could enter; then the court for Jewish men, next the court for women, and the outer court which was for Gentiles, which was where the buying and selling was being carried on.  A Gentile was limited to this one area, and one might attend to meditate or pray, but the place was in an uproar.  Jesus was anxious that no one should be prevented from seeking God. 

The disciples were embarrassed by the actions of Jesus! They had not been with Him very long; they did not know Him very well. They had been attracted by the amazing things He said, and the things He did. They believed with all their hearts He was the expected Messiah;

This practice had been going on for decades and, without any appeal to authority, taking on Himself this action of driving out money-changers, pouring out their money, driving out the animals, and even driving out the people with a whip! They were probably also fearful of what the authorities would do about this flagrant challenge to them. They knew these self-righteous Pharisees would not let Jesus get away with this. But as they watched Him do this, there came flashing into their minds a verse from the 69th Psalm. ‘The zeal of thy house has consumed me, has burned me up, has seized hold of me and devoured me and made me to act’. They began to understand that God does not compromise with evil.

The reaction of the Jews was natural, they wanted to know what right Jesus had to act as He did.  They asked for a sign to justify His actions and He replied, ‘destroy this Temple and in three days I will raise it up’.

The Jews mocked this, for the Temple had taken 46 years with 18,000 men to build, but Jesus was saying He was the temple,  There had been three Temples, built there as somewhere for God to live, and if you wanted to meet with God you went there.  He was saying He had the right to destroy the Temple because HE was the Temple of God, and through Him we meet with God.  When He died God ripped the veil of the Temple from the top to the bottom.

We have to ask is there anything in our Church life which would cause a stranger to turn away, a lack of welcome, an air of exclusiveness, a coldness, or as in many Churches, trying to make it into a closed club.

What we have here, is also a dramatic statement about the importance of worship for us. Religion must never be seen as a convenience.  It is a tragedy if we only worship God when it is convenient. God is after a seeking heart.

He is more interested in communion than in ceremony. I have seen Churches where more concern is shown in ritual and dressing up than sincere praise and worship.  Nor should we think that only one’s own particular denomination is the true one, as some really do, and consider others as not as worthy as themselves..

What God wants is for us to fellowship with Him, for us to touch Him through prayer, to commune with Him in worship, to have fellowship with Him and serve Him with all of our hearts. Having church is not going through the motions. It is coming into a divine encounter with the living God, one which changes our lives.

Through true worship and service, our lives touch the lives of others. True worship and service are themselves living testimonies to the power of God.

In this passage there is much else we can learn. Jesus is visiting the Temple, and purifying the house of God, revealing how much he disapproves of all irreverent behaviour in the house of God.

The selling of animals angered him and caused him to overturn their tables. On no other occasion in our Lord’s ministry do we find him acting in this way, acting with such righteous indignation and angry wrath. He was not pleased by the way the priests did not act.  We see him expressing his displeasure in the strongest manner.

This should raise deep searchings in the minds of clergy, especially in Cathedrals where all kinds of events are allowed, well beyond reverence.

I recall a Dean of a Cathedral declining to hold a school service of praise, at which a most admired Vicar  was to be the preacher (since died) Yet subsequently allowed a theatre group to hold a play which was totally unsuited for a place of worship.

In other places, the Cathedrals are used for all manner of events, one containing a miniature golf course, but sales of goods for some charity  of a secular organisation.

On other occasions services are held on Sundays specially to pray for animals, which are allowed to be present with emotions rampant. Again, there is an inappropriate action

 Churches may not have the same contents as Jewish Synagogue, but they are  places where the Word of God is heard and preached. And worship is held. The Methodist Church has allowed services celebrating the work of LGBTQ, once in Wesley’s chapel, the most revered place in Methodism. It seems to be forgotten that the (well organised) organisation, is opposed to that which we as Christians believe.  The person who takes worldly matters into, a place of worship is offending Christ.

We see how people may remember religious words after they are spoken, sometimes well after, yet a meaning which never occurred to them at the time eventually do

I have experienced people telling me about a sermon I had preached, and how it meant to them when sometime later it helped them, and it feels quite rewarding and encouraging to hear.

When children are told the stories of Jesus in  simple tender ways, they remember them and most often like what they heard. Sadly, children of these days are deprived of much religious teaching  as parents don’t have time or perhaps interest, and schools which are supposed to hold assemblies, can ignore holding, but must accept to hold classes of sexual teaching.  How lucky we in the older age ranges were to have schools of some integrity.

The passage shows how Jesus understands our hearts, and is fully aware of the counterfeit Christian. So many people think an occasional attendance at Church, qualifies them as a certified Christian. Jesus knew that what people stated with their lips was not what their heart was portraying. True belief stands firm, when ideology and false Christianity is used.

We are faced with a woke ideology, promoted by young people and those mentally confused, which have persuaded the Methodist Church to be interested in, and the Church of England will no doubt follow, where we are told not to call God our Father as it is causing diversity. Their frozen minds, forget Jesus taught us what to say and for centuries it has been applied.

We are not say mothers and fathers in case it upsets single people. Doesn’t it make you wonder how confused and bigoted some people are, and those who take up such nonsense, are even more in ned of help

The truths which Jesus showed us, should make hypocrites and false teachers tremble, they may fool men but they don’t deceive Jesus. A strue  Christian may feel weak at times, but can say, ‘Lord I am a poor sinner but |I am trying to be true to you. You know all the secrets of our hearts, mine may be weak but it clings to you.

The false Christian tries to avoid the eyes of an all loving Saviour, but the true Christian is happy to have the eyes of Jesus  on him/her morning, noon and night for we have nothing we wish to hide