Christian Martyrdom!

Being a Christian?

We would never consider that believers in Europe, Australia or N-America could be martyred for their faith in Jesus and that only happens in Africa, Asia or the Middle-East?

That has been the traditional view now for some two hundred years or so, but it is changing and not with the obvious threat of terrorism but more closer to home with the ideals of unbelief and secular humanism?

Nations are now being pressured by image, by feelings and what is expected of us in not offending anybody except those who hold to the Christian faith! The reason being that the Holy Bible always proves true in the falseness of human idealism and it selfishness to oppose the truth?

We do not think that their are many believers today, who live in comfort would consider making a stance for Jesus? But there are equally many inner city believers who suffer more so for faith in Jesus and some may be murdered for a plethora of reasons that either the state and the police refuse to accept as Martyrdom!

Job 2:10, Psalm 43:2, 107:39, Philippians 1:29, 2 Thessalonians 1:5-6, 2 Timothy 1:8, 4:5, Hebrews 13:3, James 5:10, 1 Peter 2:19-20, 2 Peter 2:13, Revelation 18:15.

Anti-Semitism and Revisionism!

Holocaust Denial?

Many professing Christians are anti-Semitic in their attitude as much as their doctrine, replacement theology or not! The problem is jealousy and taking their focus of who Jesus is, rather than He being the King and Messiah of Israel?

The other issue is that of His redemptive work and prophecy, since without His dead on the stake/tree/cross we cannot be saved from our sins! The Jews were in the will of God in what they did, because it had to happen that way and Rome was blackmailed to do their will!

Today millions are dying without accepting Jesus, millions refuse to accept the fate of the Jewish people because of what Israel is doing in ‘Palestine? Yet this promised land belongs to Israel and they are still doing Gods will!

We can either reject the Holy scriptures or accept them and stop being racist in our attitudes to changing history to suit our perspectives?

Psalm 7:9-11, Matthew 22:14, Romans 3:21-31, 11:17, Hebrews 4:12, 10:10-17.

Believers Baptism?

A tough area of Contention!

Should a Born-Again believer be baptised or not?

Is it important to be baptised and do we have too be?

These and many more complex questions have been debated in Ekklesia over the last two-thousand years, and even today there is no clear understanding that is acceptable to all sides!

Many of the early Churches from three-hundred Ad to the time of the German Reformation of Martin Luther went with child baptism, since it was easier and pleased most? The Church from that time kept an exclusiveness on the Scriptures, through the clergy and the common man had to take the word or control as it was distributed with local superstitions and curses?

The most tremendous fact about baptism is that of the thief on the cross who entered heaven, without being baptised! This perhaps is the best clarification on the matter that are faith is on Jesus and focussed on how we are lead by Him and will follow Him doing, loving, caring and showing concern, while witnessing His truth to the dying world around us!

Luke 23:43. Romans 5:21, 1 Timothy 1:15, Hebrews 7:25, Revelation 2:7.

Halloween?

Showing that the Light of God always shines through the Darkness!

Many Christians today are quick to dismiss ‘Harry Potter and Halloween as evil and not of any value, yet the Anglican Church maintained this festival since the reformation to show that God is greater than the Devil!

Evil is a ever present reality just as sin is, but we all have choices in relation to our actions and people, children can have the fun, while learning to see the difference?

The means to evangelise over this all hallows, will be a great blessing to us and may change the hearts and minds of many young people in these perilous times of increased knife crime and other criminal activity, such as county lines and prostitution with all the other social media and cyber space related issues!

Genesis 6:5, Job 4:8, Psalm 7:14, 119:43, Proverbs 6:18, Ecclesiastes 2:13, Matthew 4:1, John 8:12, 9:5, 12:46, 16:3, Acts 13:10, 2 Corinthians 4:2, 11:14, Ephesians 6:11-12, James 3:15, 1 John 2:8.

Working with Children n Young People?

Laying Foundations!

Roman Catholicism believes that if you can win them young you have them for life, so the saying goes? But this is not actually true, because all children have to be confirmed into the Church at a certain age wither they profess a faith or not since this is a religious system that is based on traditions and ritualism!

We must not make excuses in our reaching out to children in Sunday school, youth clubs, house groups and other, believing that the new growth comes only this way? One has to wonder where the power of God is in such places, since these are the ideas of the human mind and not that of the inborn Holy Spirit!

The Apostles the Fathers of the Ekklesia did not preach exclusively to one age group and thus this is the way to progress and continue in under the grace of God! It is good to have a working for every-age within the life of the Church and nothing must be side-lines, even the dotty old dears may hear something and the dynamic power of the Spirit will bring them to salvation?

Matthew 3:1, Mark 1:4, Acts 6:2, 15:31, Romans 1:9, 15:4, 1 Corinthians 9:18, 14:3, Galatians 1:23, 1 Thessalonians 2:16, 1 Timothy 4:13, Philemon 1:7, Hebrews 13:22.

The HARVEST Festival?

Another opportunity to reach Out!

This time of the year is very traditional for many, especially in the country side, a time is made to give thanks to God for the fruits of hard labour and farming is a very unpredictable profession to be in with many a sad disappointment dependent on the weather and many other factors such as disease?

In the Holy Bible we find that Pentecost or Shavo’ut was also the harvest of the first fruits and the significance of it seems to many lost with the giving of the Holy Spirit to the early Ekklesia? This harvest signifies that believers empowered by the Holy Spirit will produce fruit in winning others to Jesus!

So which ever way we approach the thanksgiving or Pentecost, we have the opportunity to invite others to receive Jesus into their lives! Much can be done during the Harvest, than just flowers and food and their is the ability to think up new things to keep the valued introduction and much more going?

Genesis 8:22, Proverbs 10:5, Jeremiah 8:20, Matthew 9:37, 13:30, Revelation 14:15.

Saved by faith ALONE?

German reformer Martin Luther!

Introduced the word alone to emphasise his idea of the doctrine of salvation, which caused the split from the Roman Catholic Church over 400 years ago! But on reflection with modern technology and the easy grasp of Biblical languages today we now know that this is not correct?

Because of two incidents in the New Testament, where people were saved in the moment of belief and no mention of this doctrine exists in the Greeks texts, apart from that of the King James Bible!

The Thief on the cross and the Ethiopian eunuch made no known confession of faith, but they just believe and were saved?

Today many Christians are not aware of many things and Salvation seems cheap when its a card signed or a short prayer, yet perhaps we should not be quick to Judge since the almighty can do whatever He pleases!

James 2:17, 24, Greek Kata Strong G2596, Luke 23:42-43, Acts 8:27-39.

The Value of Preaching? Two.

The Altar Call?

At one time this was the essential of leading those who were ready to repent to faith in Jesus, despite the terminology it remained an effective tool in Evangelism to lead to the lost to Jesus!

The preaching of Jesus death and resurrection remains essential today in ever increasing hostile and anti-Christian world! Our societies are in a state of moral collapse and the world is justifying sin, since it sees the Church doing the same!

An active Church is one that is preaching and reaching, while also comforting and helping the needy of the believers conscience rather than some far flung government scheme! Prayer must not be used as an excuse not to talk to people and share our faith with them?

Colossians 2:12, 1 Timothy 2:1-7, 2 Peter 1:8, Revelation 1:4, 11, 20.

Sunday evening Services! Two.

Ekklesia is not like the Kosmon?

What is being lost in not having an Sunday evening service is that of fellowship of believers ahead of the working week! The world is very hostile most of the time to believers, we are attacked for what disagrees with their standards and ours are dismissed as archaic?

A two hour slot of praise, prayer and preaching with an after fellowship of just meeting and talking with folk is the varied ways of helping and leading others to God! When you have worked prior to going into ministry, you are more likely to see the needs in particular loneliness and despair!

God came to save sinners and the Ekklesia is a place for believers to meet together and be built up, its not a club or some unneeded tradition of religious observance! We need to help those who are seeking God and keep our flocks well watered and fed?

Acts 2:42, Romans 16:8, Philippians 2:1, Philemon 1:6, 1 John 1:6.

The value of Preaching? One.

Has the Gospel any real value Today!

What a strange statement to make, but is it not true when every command in relation to sexual sin, except that of abusing children is ignored by most people who claim a faith in God?

But we have a faith in Jesus that is based on being born-again of the power of the Holy Spirit and we know God as our Father more personal than an idea of Him or an entity!

The message of the Gospel is as relevant today as it was nineteen-hundred years ago, because without it people will be lost to the eternal separation from the light of God and burn in the fires of hell!

We wonder what is wrong with our society, why narcotics, why knife and gun crime, but what we fail to recognise is if we deliberately excuse one sin then all of them can be excused by the world who have no knowledge of the truth?

Revelation 14:6, Mark 9:44-49, Romans 6: 7-9, 11-12, Ephesians 3:9-11, Colossians 1:23.