Decisions

We make dozens of decisions every day. Some are important, and some are not. Some are known to others, and some are not. Some may be costly, and some are not. Good decisions which affect others will make you look good to your friends. Bad decisions make you look bad in the eyes of just about everybody. Of all these decisions, which will be remembered clearly by everyone? It isn’t fair, but the good decisions are easily forgotten, but the bad decisions are remembered for ever, or so it seems.

There is another problem with decisions. I think we will all agree that we make good and bad ones on a regular basis, but hopefully there will be a balance and not all one sided. However, you will probably know some folks who consistently make good decisions. They are in the minority, but are looked up to because that’s what makes for integrity. However, on the other hand, we all will know those ones who mostly seem to be making bad decisions, but even more importantly there are those who will suffer directly because of these decisions.

One swallow might not make a summer, but a wrong decision can have a serious and lasting impact on those on the receiving end. In a few weeks, I will be having knee surgery, and I hope the surgeon has a day of good decisions. Just one bad decision in an operating theatre can hold the outcome of life in the balance. But then we do trust the professionals, right? Surgeons, doctors, lawyers, professors get there by making good decisions and maintaining their integrity.

What about us? You and me? Have we made bad decisions? Absolutely we have, and some we would not want to be reminded of because they shame us. In among the many bad ones, there could be one that sticks, and the devil reminds us of it now and again, to keep us away from God. We are too bad. We don’t come up to the grade for a Holy God, and you are right if it was all up to what we did and didn’t do. Thanks to Jesus, our salvation is not earned by default, but it’s the free gift of Grace from a forgiving Saviour. The next time the devil reminds you of your past bad decisions, remind him of God’s grace. He has no answer to that because God is not only forgiving, but patient and His desire is for all to see heaven. There is a catch, because we have to accept the gift because it’s not forced on us. That’s all. It’s down to us to accept or reject! Our choice.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2Peter3:9NIV

Pride

Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall. Proverbs 16:18

There was a grand Pride parade in London, and other cities across the UK recently, and all those who took part were proud of who they are and what they represent. It has been 50 years since homosexuality began to be legally recognised in the UK as ‘normal’ and walls began to fall year after year, until now when we have a hijacked rainbow and a lot of over-proud pride demonstrators. What started as a small movement has grown into a very large, hostile group of people who are still not satisfied. It’s not enough that the LGBTQ community can get married in law, and in many, if not most churches. It’s not enough that primary school children as young as 7 can be taught that it is fully normal to be ‘gay’, or even ‘non-binary’. Yes, that applies to the masses of children who don’t know if they are a boy or a girl, and our NHS is starting to consider providing surgery for teens who don’t like their body, and want to be the opposite gender. You couldn’t make this up.

We certainly have come a long way in 50 years, and for my part it makes me nervous for the generations to come. There is clear evidence within the group that they want to extend the LGBTQ to include ‘P’ for Polyamory which as the name suggests is the acceptance of several sexual partners and ‘N’ for ‘N’on Binary Gender for those who do not know what they are. Right now I am left with the question: Where will it end? LGBTQPN etc etc..

We go through a week of celebration of all things homosexual, gay, and all other deviant sexual acts. The LGBTQ community have never had it so good with free advertising, and even the ad-free BBC have got in on the act. Ordinary folks are only known by one letter, and that is ‘N’ for Normal. There is no acceptable deviation from the ‘Straight’ line, and the natural relationship between one man and one woman for life.

This movement has even set about dividing the church into those who accept and believe the Bible as The Word of God, and those who see it as a book of recommendations with no accountability. This attitude goes right to the top of many denominations, and why? Why would a God fearing, Bible believing community of believers bow to the celebration of any act that is unBiblical, unnatural, and abnormal? Good question, and one I have grappled with recently. Have you seen the TV images of gay pride marches? Do the people taking part look normal to you? No matter what you or I think, they are taking centre stage while ‘N’ormal people stand by, and are making the most of their freedom to be sexually deviant. In a strange way, speaking your mind against this is seen as opinionated, intolerant, unChristian, and downright uneducated. And they say we have freedom of speech? Maybe we should celebrate that freedom, and use it more!

Quoting Bible verses and passages do not help because they can be used and twisted against the obvious truth no matter which version you use. Having said that, one thing is clear from Scripture and that is I must love the one who engages in these sexual acts, and perhaps especially those who celebrate them, and each other. But not ever the sin. Never!

Storms

He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. Mark 4:39 NIV

Who hasn’t been hit by a storm in their life? Not just a single storm, but they can come in multiples and even then when we don’t want or expect them. The kind of storm that affects us can be varied, but they all hit hard.

The basic ingredients of any storm system will be wind and rain. Lots of rain. It is distressing to see families uprooted and washed out of their homes because of the flood water, caused by too much rain. Water is a strange thing. In the right amounts, it feeds the vegetation to keep the Ecosystem working and producing Oxygen while getting rid of harmful CO2. However one of the side effects of any amount of rain is mud and not so glorious mud! But always keep in mind that if not for the rain, neither would we have a rainbow.

We have a choice to make when hard times hit us. A difficult choice. Do we keep looking down to see how deep the mud is? How thick the mud is? Is it clinging to our shoes and clothes? Come to think of it, how are we ever going to get rid of the mess that mud makes on us, and our belongings? Can I suggest that instead of looking down at the mud, we look up?!

The sight of a rainbow in the sky is guaranteed to lift the spirits of the most life hardened mud watcher. But to state the obvious, we must look up to see the glory of the rainbow! You will never see a rainbow if you only look down at the mud. If you know me, you will know how much I love rainbows because the promise it stands for in God’s Word is close to my heart, and a clear answer to a loud and heart-wrenching prayer. The true rainbow is God’s covenant, and not to be confused with some contrived symbol of unrighteousness that we see flaunted at a Pride March. We can find comfort in what God says about His rainbow:

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Genesis 9:13-15 NIV

Hurts You or Me More?

In the not so dim and distant past when good parents actually administered a little chastisement to their children when they were naughty, or in danger, or to teach one of life’s lessons, the parent would be heard to say, “this is going to hurt me more than it will hurt you”. Perhaps you have heard those words, and perhaps you were one of those parents. And you meant it for good! Smacking your child, right or wrong? The debate continues!

Of course the offending phrase can and does apply to more than a physical smack. It can hurt us emotionally and even spiritually when as adults we find ourselves in the position of doling out an unexpected ‘correction/smack’ to another adult, even though it might be kept within our own head. This outflow usually comes in the form of a word or words to show our displeasure with things said and done by someone held in esteem, and now we think they may need to know how we feel. This will only, ever, be done after a lot of heart searching and always with a heavy heart.

The outcome, unlike with your child, is always irreversible. There can be no going back because you, the younger in authority, are telling the one(s) in greater Christian maturity and authority that you don’t accept or agree with something they have said or done. Something they see nothing wrong with, but you most certainly do! When the words are out, they cannot be taken back, and they always come with consequences.

In serious and extreme situations, this troublesome correction will mean a friendship is scarred, broken, or perhaps lost. In a church situation where the witness of the church or a person is undermined, it may result in the parting of company. I wish it could be otherwise, but because these things are usually left so late in the day, no other result is likely.

Externals

Every few weeks I get to meet up with some friends for a coffee and a blether. We cover just about any subject and in the space of a couple of hours can set the world to rights, no matter the troubles. These are very light hearted times and not usually too serious, but get to know each other better every time even though we all go back many years. This past week was such a time.

Politics and the state of the world are fair game and are in our sights most times. I wonder how much attention we pay to the overall state of our nation? You can substitute your own country and I’m sure it will be pretty much the same, with all the same problems which need solutions. Our politicians do try, but don’t always get it right with our major issues like:

Drug use and addiction is increasing at an alarming rate, and although it is debated a lot, we don’t seem to be closer to a solution. We all know it’s not a good thing to be hooked on drugs, but since we can’t stop it happening, the answer seems to be to allow it, decriminalise hard drugs and not prosecute offenders. After all, they are victims too. If you can’t fix it, then make it legal!

Crime is at an all time high and linked to unemployment, poverty, and a bad childhood. We need to find someone or something to blame and we do a pretty good job at that. We find reasons to sympathise with the criminal while the victims are left behind.

Terrorism is rife, and without naming names or sections of society, we all agree it is a major problem but we don’t want to tackle it head on. So we go round in circles making suggestions that it’s not really their fault if someone has radicalised them to believe they are doing good in the long run, and if anything happens to them, their family will be provided for. We don’t want to upset any group unnecessarily, so we stay silent to the obvious truth.

After talking about this for a while, one of the men said something like this which brought a silence to our table. “The further we get from the commandments of the Bible, the worse society becomes, and that’s because we (the 'good' part of society) have also moved away from the importance of the Bible.” On this occasion, we could not disagree. The real problem wasn’t and isn’t what’s wrong with society. It’s what has happened to change us as a whole? Our community and therefore our nation has moved away from the laws of God, and we no longer live our lives in a Bible believing manner. We have changed on the inside, and that has affected our attitudes to wrong behaviour. Get the inside right, and the other problems will follow.

We used to have a name for that internal intention to do wrong. Oh yes, we called it ‘sin’, but we’re better than that now, aren’t we? Talk of sin is old fashioned. Our communities and societies have moved on for the good of us all, and we are better for it, aren’t we? Let’s leave the Bible to have the last word, and see what it says…. Case closed I fear!

The human heart is most deceitful and desperately wicked. Jeremiah 17:9 NLT

A Certainty

...and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 ESV

Benjamin Franklin, said, “in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes” but let me add another certainty according to the Bible, and that is a source we can trust. Cast your mind back to your Sunday School days, and I am guessing one of the verses used a lot would be this one. Stories aimed at the younger mind would be told to emphasise the fact that we can’t hide from God and whatever sin we committed, that very sin would be our undoing. It was true then, and it stays true today.

We can bring it up to date, and right into our day and age. How about replacing the word ‘sin’ with your own failing? So the verse becomes, “..be sure your (???) will find you out.” All we have to do now is be truthful enough to add the sin that so easily trips us up (Hebrews 12:1) and prepare ourselves for the consequences.

The sins that trip us up aren’t always the big ones. With good living and good judgement we can usually avoid major sins, but what about the little foxes that ‘ruin everything’ (Solomon 2:15)? Pride that becomes an obsession? Opinion that turns into arrogance? Trust that becomes suspicion? A balanced lifestyle that changes into being a single sided, critical one? An all round knowledge that morphs into a know-it-all attitude? The list could go on, and you could add some of your own thoughts too.

The certainty of our sin finding us out, is surely followed by the certainty that others will see, and be affected by some of these little ‘foxes’ more than we know. But we can rise above this as we were taught all those years ago and deal with those ‘little sins’ before they grow into the off-putting big sins, by placing them on the altar and letting God deal with them, and in turn, with us. I fear there are more ‘little sins’ than we can ever know, and no one is exempt. That’s the certainty of the little sin catching every one of us out, and you can be sure it will!

Casting and Caring

Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 NIV

The apostle Peter knew a thing or two about failing, and yet being forgiven. He denied Jesus, not once, but three times, and in front of a servant girl. How humiliating and embarrassing for the one who was the loud mouthed firebrand of the twelve. Then came the time for proof of his allegiance. Jesus asked Peter, not once, but three times “do you love Me?” Was that once for each denial? We don’t know for sure, but Peter’s confirmation of his love for the Master said it all when he uttered the words, “You KNOW that I love you”. Peter was forgiven, and given work to do when Jesus said, “Feed my sheep”.

I can only imagine that Peter threw himself on the mercy of his Master, because he had seen that same forgiveness shown time and time again to the sinners who also knew that Jesus was their only hope. We tend to emphasise the first part of this verse because that’s our responsibility. We must cast ourselves on Him, or to put it another way, we fall at His feet in the full knowledge of our sin and wrongdoing. In that respect, Peter was no different from the biggest sinner who came to Jesus.

But why would anyone do that? After all, humanly speaking we could be sent packing with a flea in our ear! However, deep down, in the heart of each person who came to Jesus, there must have been a recognition that He would not turn them away. I go back to the question why? The latter part of the verse holds the key to our Saviour’s heart when Peter reminds us that “He cares for you”. Everything that Jesus did, and still does for man/woman, his chief creation, is because He cares. It’s that simple. That’s why we can come to Him with worries, cares, and our sin, in the full assurance that Jesus cares. No ifs, ands, or buts, He cares for us. So, when we come to Him in repentance, He will never turn His back on us. Who better to know this than the apostle Peter. His words ring as true now as they ever did.

We do the care casting, but it’s Jesus who does the caring. I like that.

That's Grace

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. Micah 7:18-19 NIV

The Word of God, speaks directly to us just when we need it. The Bible is called “The Word of God” for good reason. It speaks straight into our heart and life without cutting corners, and this is such an occasion.

It’s not a case of ‘if we stumble’, but ‘when’. The worst kinds of stumbles are those little ones that surprise us and come out of the blue, at least that’s the way it is for me. It is possible that few, if any, will have been noticed but that’s not the point is it? We could kick ourselves by entertaining those thoughts, or saying those little words that offended. Especially a little one or someone young in the faith or searching for the truth.

God’s grace is there for us all in the big mistakes of life, and those little ones too, but first we need to ask, and then to know that they are pardoned, and I love this part, “He will….hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”. Indeed, as the verse starts, “who is a God like you?” Thank you, Lord.

Elite

“Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers*. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. Luke 18:10-14 NLT

*Add your own sin of choice here. There are many to pick from.

Maybe we don’t mean it, but we can get a bit ‘uppity’ in church circles, especially with anyone who hasn’t been on the way so long and doesn’t know the ropes, or maybe someone who already knows it all and isn’t slow to say so, or even someone who has been a Christian many years, but has a God forgiven unsavoury past that we don’t approve of. Oh, how far back our memory can go when we see ourselves as elite, or like the Pharisee, just ‘better’. After all, we don’t want to be seen condoning that kind of sinful behaviour no matter when it happened, and even if it has been forgiven by the only One that matters.

Jesus told this story for a reason. He knew how frail and weak we humans are, jumping to conclusions for all the wrong reasons and in the process hurting good people. All in the ‘holy’ quest of not wanting to be like or near the despised sinner. I accept and agree that we must be a good example and witness to the unchurched as Jesus was, and that will mean being in their company at times. However it should not mean that we become just like them, or one of their company in the process.

The trouble is that while we take our perhaps well meaning steps to be better Christians, we are not the ones that Jesus said are justified before God. If we put ourselves in a lofty position above others, we then are forced to look down on them. Is that what we want? Is that what Jesus would want for us? There may be a price to pay. We will have to swallow our pride and accept that we must love that same person we had been trying to avoid, while forgiving both them and ourselves. But try to be honest, hard as it may be, because that’s a better outcome in Jesus’ eyes and isn’t that what matters most? Yes, I thought so too!

Thoughts

For as he thinks in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7

It’s only a thought. What harm can it do, and anyway, no one knows what I’m thinking! That’s how it usually goes, but how wrong. There is no doubt that thoughts are linked to our actions. After all, before we do something, we had the thought first. It stands to reason.

I was shocked and surprised to learn of the case of a young man who is in court charged as being a paedophile with shameful images on his computer. He hid this at the start so well, that many of his classmates didn’t know what he was like under the surface. This makes my heart cry out to the young folks of our generation. Don’t let your thoughts stray into dangerous places, imagining that no one will know or ever find out. The actions of this teen started out as a thought, and grew from there into horrifying action.

Please, guard your heart and mind and stay healthy inside your head. Don’t become trapped with the lie of the devil that it’s only a thought, and no one will ever know. Thoughts become a lifestyle, and your lifestyle becomes known to all. It may even land you in prison. The devil didn’t warn you about that, did he?

The heart is the most deceitful thing there is and desperately wicked. No one can really know how bad it is! Jeremiah 17:9

Silver Bullet

Be honest now, we all want some kind of silver bullet to get us to the heart of the broken things we value and love most and make them right. Those who might want to lose weight, will want to know exactly what to cut out, so that the pounds will fall off easily. Athletes want to know what the single best thing is for them to work on to make the biggest difference. Scientists working on a cure for serious diseases want to get down to the root of the problem, and eradicate using that silver bullet to beat all sorts of diseases.

Sometimes, with the best intentions, Christians want to know what the biggest thing is that will make a difference to the work of the Kingdom, whether in their own heart, their church, or the wider world. There is nothing wrong in wanting to know, and use, that silver bullet in any capacity. For dieters, athletes, and scientists such a single silver bullet is elusive, and not available, no matter how much research is done. However, we all know that a balanced diet, or the right mix of things from separate areas, are needed for all of these issues.

It’s a different story for people of the Christian faith because we have it clearly defined by none other than Jesus Himself who tells us plainly how we can look, and act as God would want.

We don’t need to look further, or research, or study madly. We have the silver bullet, and it works every time we use it. Sadly though, sometimes we decide not to use it.

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemies. Pray for those who treat you badly. If you do this, you will be children who are truly like your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:43-45

Abuse

In recent weeks there has been a lot of coverage in the news media of many counts of child sex abuses under the framework of the UK football associations and coaching staff. It transpires that many have hidden these abuses for years partly because they felt they would not be believed, or were too embarrassed to tell their story to the police. I have some thoughts on the matter which you may or may not feel are connected. These are my opinions only.

These abuses did not happen overnight, or even in the recent past. We have been getting news of similar abuses drip fed involving youth groups, and even major churches. Every time I hear the problem being discussed by so called experts, they always skate round their own responsibilities. This is especially true of our politicians. It tells me that we are seeing the tip of the iceberg and there is a lot more to come.

If you are old enough to remember the lifestyle and morality of 40 years ago or even more, you will have witnessed a massive change in our attitude to sex in all its forms. Think about the way that sexual freedom has been advocated and manipulated. Magazines, newspapers, film and TV have all sold us the lie that love is sex, and is a commodity. We have lost the meaning of marriage, and the pure love of a couple in the form of a man and his wife. Our nation has turned its back on morality at the hands of the liberal agenda of free love which was pushed in the 1960s and has only become worse as time passed. There is an old saying, “when you open the floodgates, you can’t tell the water where to go”, or as the Bible says, “We have sown the wind and are reaping the whirlwind.”

Who is responsible for this decline? Is it down to one person or group? No, the issue lies at the door of the generation who turned a blind eye as attitudes changed, and no one wanted to be called a prude, or unenlightened. We swallowed the lie of the devil that everything would be ok. After all, the experts were in control. Now, 40 or 50 years later, we act surprised when one abuse is reported after the other and each one seems worse than the last. Let me ask a personal question. What do you see or think when you watch the TV dramas and soaps, or go to the movies, or read the salacious celebrity newspaper gossip? Have we become so used to the blatant sex scenes that we no longer bother that they are there? Have our consciences been seared with a hot iron so that all sensitivity is gone? Would we think of making a complaint?

Can you honestly say there is no connection between our loss of national morality, and the increase of sexual abuses of all kinds? When morals started to drop on the UK TV, a lady called Mary Whitehouse stood up and warned us of the consequences of this increase of sex scenes on TV, and what did society do? They laughed and said she was a crank. The truth is she was right. Can you honestly say she was wrong? The Christian way of life is sneered at, ridiculed, and dismissed as irrelevant, but God’s Word tells us clearly that sexual abuse is wrong.

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practise homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:9,10

The Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will turn away from what we believe. They will obey spirits that tell lies. And they will follow the teachings of demons. Those teachings come through people who tell lies and trick others. These evil people cannot see what is right and what is wrong. It is like their conscience has been destroyed with a hot iron.

1 Timothy 4:1,2

What Does It Take?

... Abraham said to him, ‘If your brothers won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t listen to someone who comes back from the dead. Luke 16:30,31

It is difficult, and almost impossible to give up sinning, because sin is an addiction. Only the transforming power of God through the Holy Spirit can give you the power you need. Jesus told the true story (it is not a parable) of the rich man and the poor man who died, and the rich man found himself asking Lazarus for help. Firstly for some cold water, because it was HOT where he was, and secondly he wanted to find a way to tell his brothers that they must avoid this hell at all costs. Lazarus had his rest in Abraham’s bosom, but the rich man was greatly troubled because he was in hell. Yes, there is such a place.

Have you noticed that seeing the painful and terrible passing of a friend or loved one, does NOTHING to convince them to change? In fact, even during a traumatic hospital visit where lifestyle excesses can be even more obvious, they do not see the warning in the bed, and if they do, then it is ignored. They will take their chances that this dreadful process will never happen to them. Yes, sin is an addiction, just like drugs, tobacco and alcohol.

Jesus knew that the pleadings of someone who came back from the dead would not make any change of heart or habits, and neither will the sad end of a loved one make others kick similar bad habits or turn from the eternal consequences of sin. Yes, sin is an addiction. So, if watching someone else’s life (and death) doesn’t help, we need to listen to the only human heart that knows how sinful our life is. That’s YOU and ME! We cannot blame anyone else if we end up in the wrong eternity, even God.

Therefore, my beloved… work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12

These Things

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things. Philippians 4:8

Hallowe’en goes under another couple of names. The harmless ‘trick or treat’ being the most used by kids, and then there is the ‘saint or sinner’ theme which is by far the most prevalent in the party scene. These two phrases are very telling, and show us both sides of the festival.

The bright and light side is the sight of happy and innocent kids, running from door to door to tell a joke or sing a song, or if they are young and cute, just to hold out a plastic carrier bag asking on their behalf to add some sweets to the already laden booty. The kids are pleased and happily go away to ‘trick’ their next neighbour into giving them a ‘treat’. Yes, I believe harmless and innocent at their tender age.

However, the ‘saint or sinner’ party theme gets a lot more sinister or suspicious in my mind. Take a look at the party goers. See many saints? Nope. Saints don’t fit with the image of the night of sin. Oh, that’s a bit harsh I can hear you whisper under your breath? Really? Hallowe’en is marked by creatures like, werewolves, ghosts, witches, vampires, zombies, the undead, and the list could go on. We are done with the pirate costume, because it isn’t scary enough. Isn’t that what it’s about, being scary? I don’t think so. I believe it is to give many the excuse to be as sinful as they want, under the ‘guise’ of makeup and a costume.

We have come to celebrate, yes celebrate, the darker, satanic side of the unseen world, and we think it is not only acceptable, but to be relished. How slow we are to see the truth, even when it stares us in the face. For those older kids, who have put the innocence of a good time collecting sweets behind them, we have adults who know better. Yes, I do believe they know better. They know that under the make up and ghoulish costume is an excuse for sin waiting to be exercised. Or maybe that should read ‘exorcised’. So take a second glance at the verse at the top of this piece. How many of those attributes do you see in the adult celebration of the devil’s night? So, for me, roll on the 1st of November which is aptly named ‘All Saints Day’. We don’t do much celebrating of that day, do we? I wonder why? Just asking.

Revulsion

The images of Syrian men, women and children choking for breath and suffering from a Sarin gas attack in the outskirts of Damascus are etched on my mind, and I am sure they will be on yours too. I have heard many words which have been used to describe this atrocity, no matter who any of us think may be responsible. Words like; horrific, inhuman, unethical, immoral, and evil. Where does this sense of natural revulsion come from, because I have heard them used by people of great faith, some faith, and no faith at all?

The theory (yes it is just a theory) of evolution suggests that we have evolved initially from a big bang, and then by chance mutations, through single cells to the complex human beings we are. So where did our inbuilt, inbred and natural feelings of immorality and evil come from? Did that happen by chance in every part of the globe, and in every human being?

I do not think the feelings of revulsion are an accident. I believe God has placed in each of us the ability to know right from wrong, and good from evil. There is no coincidence that the word ‘evil’ is just one letter short of the name for the father of evil, the ‘devil’. So here is an observation and another question. Why do we see the evil of extreme acts of depravity so easily, but we are slow to recognise the same root of immorality and evil when it is closer to home, and in our own lives? Is it because it is so much easier to point the finger at another place, than to see our own shortcomings and sin?

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. Romans 1:20 NIV

What Now?

Read 1st Thessalonians chapter 4 verses 1-12, first.

A man preaching in the open air from 1 Thessalonians 4, in Wimbledon, London this week was questioned, arrested, charged and imprisoned for seven hours while the police and lawyers worked out if he had committed an offence. One woman from the whole listening crowd (that’s all) made a phone call to the police complaining that the speaker was homophobic, and wanted something done about it. The police duly arrived and dealt with the situation.

The whole thing is on You Tube and you can make your own mind up by reading the article, and watching the video on this link: http://www.christian.org.uk/news/video-arrested-for-saying-homosexuality-is-a-sin/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+christianinstitute+%28The+Christian+Institute%29&utm_content=FaceBook

I suppose the incident raises a few questions, but how about these for starters:

1. If a pastor or minister preaches something in his sermon which offends a person by suggesting that homosexuality is a sin as recorded in the Bible, would you expect that offended person to call the police?

2. If that offended person in church did phone the police, do you think it right that the ‘suspect’ should be questioned, arrested, charged and imprisoned to await trial for repeating that the Bible says homosexuality is a sin?

3. Is the UK in danger of falling into a police state where faith/belief/thought is an offence punishable by imprisonment? Hence the title question, ‘What Now?’

Now here is a question for my friend ‘Anon’: As a self professing christian, would you have phoned the police if you were in the crowd listening to the street preacher? Anon, you and I have traded many thoughts on this issue, usually in a good and reasoned exchange, so please take the time to read, watch and let me know what you think of the item and videos, bearing in mind that it may open up many other and different issues and questions.

Of course others are also welcome to comment, and that would possibly add another dimension to a two way conversation.

Paedophilia

The archbishop of Durban, South Africa, Wilfrid Fox Napier, has stated that there are some cases of child abuse which should not be punished, because it was not necessarily their fault, since they may have been abused as children themselves. In such cases it should be treated as a “psychological illness, and not a criminal condition”.

I have to be honest here, and say this statement does not sit well with me. That does not mean to say that I have no sympathy with anyone who has suffered at the evil hands of an abuser, at a young age. God is able to forgive, but to find a reason, or make an excuse for their behaviour, leaves me cold. Everything in life has a consequence. Every action we make or decision we take, has a consequence, either a good one, or a bad one. If we do this for paedophiles, then it can be argued that the same principle could apply to other heinous and grievous sins?

The Roman Catholic church has been rocked by many cases of paedophilia and other sexual abuses recently in the UK and the USA, and it struck me that it is no coincidence that the Cardinal spoke this way, and at this particular time. Is he leaving the door open to suggest that these sinning priests were not fully responsible for their actions against minors? Maybe the best people to ask are those who suffered at their hands many years before, and have lived with the scars ever since. The evil of this sin is not an exclusive possession of the Roman Catholic church. Other churches have suffered similar unwanted publicity, although I have to admit not on the same scale. Cardinal Napier was one of those who had been mentioned as a possibility for the new Pope. Let me put it this way, I am glad the new pontiff is Pope Francis I. The apostle Luke was a medical doctor in his day, and perhaps was familiar with the suffering caused by this kind of sin, so his words are all the more significant when he records:

Jesus said to his disciples: Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied round their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. Luke 17:1-3 NIV

Horse Meat and Sin

The scandal of finding unlabelled horse meat in beef products in the UK has now spread across the European Community. Everyone is amazed and stunned that this should ever happen, and every country is taking their own steps to test thousands of samples, and clear the supermarket shelves of contaminated products. Every effort is being made to tackle the issue head on, isn’t it? Or is it?

I have watched closely while nations are dealing with the effects of the contaminated merchandise. Untold food testing and stock checks do not address the root of the problem. So far, I have not seen any reports which show where the horse meat started its journey into the food chain process. Horse carcasses have to be processed somewhere, and sold on to that unknown place where it is added to the rest of the meat, and ultimately on to our table.

It’s a bit like sin to my mind. We are so very good at tackling the effects of the bad stuff in our society. We pass laws to try to deal with paedophiles, murderers, liars, bigamists, child abusers, extortioners, predators, stalkers, human traffickers, and the list could go on and on! However the legal systems of our so called advanced nations are not so good at seeing and tackling the source, or root cause of these issues that blight our communities. Our civilised thinking doesn’t allow for the concept of good and bad now. We are discouraged from labelling anything or anyone as bad or evil. Then since everything is relative to everything else, there can be no ultimate good, so who needs God’s Law?

We cannot find the source of the horse meat, and we don’t want to see the source of the evil in our society. There is a link to the analogy, but it falls apart when we realise that eating horse meat will do you no harm, but sin will. Ultimately and eternally. So this question remains. Is it worth tackling the effects while ignoring the source? I would suggest the source of the horse meat will be acknowledged and tackled, long before we acknowledge and deal with the problem of sin!  

Be Sure

...you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out. Numbers 32:23 NKJV

The simplest words are the easiest to remember and apply to our lives. This verse is a favourite in Sunday School, and can be understood by the youngest. Why is it then that we more advanced and intelligent adults seem to forget the simple truth of the verse? We seem to be surprised that our actions, not only have consequences, but those sins we commit, even those way back in our lives will find us out.... someday!

One of the best known UK TV presenters died a year ago, and he was venerated as a great man with monuments to his fame erected in his home town, and in those other places where he gave his time freely to help charities in prisons, hospitals and children’s homes. But wait a minute, this same man now has a list of hundreds of incidences of child abuses of the worst kinds coming to light. His young victims were afraid to come forward, or were even discouraged from damaging his career or charity work. So in his life they kept quiet. After all, who would believe them over such a famous celebrity?

There are two words which are not heard today, for the sake of offending someone’s feelings. One of the words is ‘sin’ and the other is ‘hell’. Why do we avoid them? I think it is because we don’t really accept them as severe any more. We have believed the lie of the devil, that neither are real, or at least not as bad as we have been told by our Sunday School teachers. I don’t know about you, but there are few words which adequately describe the sordid actions of this famous and previously trusted presenter, but for me the word is ‘sin’. Plain and simple. As for his eventual eternal destination, that is not for me to judge, because only God is qualified to do that. Having said that, let us not discount the reality of a place of punishment, and if sin is not addressed by us, and remains unforgiven by God, His Holy Justice is clear as described in His Word. We ignore sin and hell at our eternal peril. For my part, I prefer the gift of God, rather than the wages I may deserve.

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23 NKJV