They made a difference [ 1 Corinthians 6 v 9-11 ]

Many years ago in Ulster W.P. Nicholson ministered effectively in my native Ulster, many gave their hearts to the Lord Jesus. People where wonderfully changed, I heard it said that many who had stolen from their workplace returned the things they had stolen. When Christ comes into a life there is a change, not only in the individuals life, but society itself can be changed for the better. William Barclay wrote of two American preachers ,Billy Sunday, and Billy Graham , how the societies were changed for the better. When they  had left ,they left a different atmosphere,
you see the gospel of our Lord  Jesus ,brings not only forgiveness ,but it can change lives for the better, Again W.B, wrote,'' Where Christ is allowed to come  the antiseptic of the Christian faith cleanses the moral poison of society and leaves it pure and clean''

                                         A  prayer.
Dear God we thank you for Jesus who saves and changes lives, that are in
bondage, and ensnared in sinful dirty practice's, Amen.

He will guide. [Proverbs 3 v5-6 .av]

It is hard sometimes to know what to do, which way to turn, people look to the stars, everyday they turn to their star guides. People used to read the tea left in the bottom of their cup, I suppose that's fell out of favour, since most people use tea bags now. But here is a more certain way, which encouraged
me, it is the word of God to us all today, to those who know the Lord.'' I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go, I will guide you with My eye[Psalm 32v8].Jesus said ,follow me, in other words He wants us to keep our eyes on Him, yes we have but to follow. If we do, He will guide us, just as sure as He guided Israel through the wilderness. The old
gospel song goes,'' He guides the eagle through the pathless air'', and so He will guide us who are His children, all the days of our life, he does not just guide us when we are young but when we are old. This also means that he will guide all His children, not just missionaries, ministers, but all His children,irrespective of age yes even youngsters ,parents teach your children,that God will guide them, of course show them by your example. Don't panic when there appears no way forward, out of your difficulties, God will not forsake you, He can make a way out of them.

                                     A  prayer.
Dear Lord thank you that we have the assurance that you will guide your children all the days of their lives, Amen

One way. [ John 14 v6 ]

Yesterday we considered with the help of John Stott that there is one God,
now let us consider, that there is,'' one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men''. Often this verse, is seen and rightly so as refuting, that the virgin Mary, and the so called saints are mediators between God and man. But of course when these words were written, this wrong teaching had not come into being. The teaching of Christ being the one mediator, rules out that there is more than one way to come to the one God, as John Stott writes,'' Between  God and the human race, Jesus the only go- between'' This is very controversial teaching, but it is ,what the word of God teaches. Before Christ, humanity
crawled around in the darkness, without hope and without God, because of
sin. The only one who made it possible for us to be forgiven, was Christ, who died a sacrifice for sin. When we know Christ as Saviour then we have total freedom to come to God. because sin has been removed.

                                 There was no other good enough
                                 To pay the price of sin;
                                 He only could unlock the gate
                                 Of heaven, and let us in.
                               [Words by C.F. Alexander ]

One God [2 Timothy 2 v 5 ]

John Stott wrote,'' The universality of the Gospel rests on a double foundation, namely the two truths that there is only one God, and only one mediator.'' He is commentating on 1 Timothy 2v5,which reads,'' For there is
one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus''.
Hinduism holds that there are millions of deities,but as Christians we believe ,in the words of Deuteronomy 6v4,''The Lord our God, the Lord is one''. It is our concept of our God that differs, the Christian believes God to be a triune being. Father ,Son, and Holy Spirit. Each are God ,but are not separate gods, they are one God. John Stott again wrote,'' He is not just the God of Jews only but the God of Gentiles too [Romans 3 v29-30].Thus both
Old and New Testaments affirm first ,that God is one and then that  this monotheism is the fundamental basis of one of world mission.One exclusive
faith[there is one God, and no other]leads necessarily to our inclusive mission[the one God wants all men to be saved]''.

                                           A prayer.
We worship you God and no other, in this world of confusion ,and ask that
we may not be drawn away from you, in Jesus name.

How am I saved. [ Acts 16 v31 ]

I was out on my daily walk and as  I was walking along I met two young fellows who where doing their religious service for their religion, they were Mormons. One was from Norway and the other from Oklahoma, USA, so I started a conversation with them. There initial conversation sound very Christian , but as I said to them, if we dig a bit further,  things would soon change. And of course it did they said that they did not have any assurance,
as regards being saved, until the judgement day. I stressed one cannot wait till then, but they said that on that day everyone would be given another chance to accept Christ. I did not stray into the many strange things they believe, no, I just sought to make it clear that it is Christ and Him alone who saves, and not by works.be you a Mormon or whatever religion, or even no religion, Heaven is only for those who have trusted, in Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we cannot add to that ,if we do ,we our making ourselves ineligible for Heaven. The works that a Christian does are vital  evidence that we are saved, compare Ephesians 2 v8-9.

                                     Nothing in my hands I bring
                                     Simply to your cross I cling.

How much do we love Him ?. [ Mark 8 v 34-37]

I sent a text to my wife, in a moment of romantic weakness, it read, ''I love you more than Manchester United'', my favourite football team. In Luke 14 v26,our Saviour tells a huge crowd ,''If anyone comes to me and does not
hate, father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters-yes even his own life- cannot be my disciple''. Now the word hate seems a strange word to use ,but the simple explanation is this as quoted by W.
Hendriksen who writes,'' The meaning of hate in the Lucan passage is to love less, In all things Christ must always have the pre-eminence[Col 1 v18]
In Matthew 19 v 16ff, we read of a man who came to Jesus he had a wonderful testimony, he claimed to keep the law, he  honoured his mother and father, and loved his neighbour as himself. But things came to a head when Jesus told him to go, and sell his possessions and give to the poor. At that moment everything was held in the balance, what would he do ?, who or what did he love the most?.  This man was very wealthy, decision time, would he love Jesus more than his wealth?, there could be no compromise, was he going to receive eternal, or end up in a lost eternity?. Can we sincerely say ,I love Jesus more than.......
                                      A prayer.
Dear Lord help us to have a right sense of values, for the consequences of choosing wrongly is very serious .Amen.

Telling and praying [ 1 Timothy 2 v 1-4 ]

I was out walking, when I came into contact with a lady, whom I had met recently, we walked together for a while. As we walked I witnessed to her
it was a brief word of witness, but it was hopefully enough for her to come and accept Christ as her Saviour. Will you pray for that lady, that the short witness ,will be blessed to her salvation. I have an older sister, I have prayed  for her for a long time,recently my concern for her has grown,will
you pray for her that, like that woman she may come to know Christ as her
Saviour. Keep witnessing ,keep praying, for the lost, to the our loving God,
who would have all to be saved and come to an knowledge of the truth.

                           When Jesus has found you, tell others the story,
                           That my loving Saviour is your Saviour too;
                           Then pray that your Saviour may bring them to glory,
                           And prayer will be answered, it was answered
                                                   For you.
                                         [Words by Samuel.o'M. Cluff]

The travelling people.. [ Mark 1 v 16-20 ]

In Ireland there are people known as travellers, people of no fixed abode,
they move around. This is not a new thing we read about such people in the Bible whom we are told admitted that they were aliens and strangers on
earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking about the country they had left ,they would have had opportunity to return. Instead they were longing for a better country a heavenly one. Therefore God their God is not ashamed to be called their God for he has prepared a city for them.[ Hebrews 11 v13-15 ]Many of Gods people living in troubled areas of this world, have been driven out of lands which there  forefathers have lived in for centuries, do pray for them. The word of God tells us that the things that are seen are temporal, that includes this planet earth [Isaiah 65 v17 ].Our Lord challenged those of us who grasped to tightly to the things of this life, and the danger that they brought.[Luke 16 v23]He challenged those who followed him, to act in a way that went against human reasoning[Matthew 19 v16ff]To Love Him more than their nearest and dearest, calling them to forsake all, and follow Him, and become the travelling people.

                            Will you come and follow Me,
                             if I but call your name?
                             Will you go where you don't know
                             And never be the same?
                             Will you let my love be shown,
                             Will you let my name be known,
                             Will you let My life be grown in you,
                              And you in Me?
                                     [Words by G. Maule/ J.L. Bell]

Wedding vows [Ecclesiastes 5 v 4 - 5 ]

A husband of a Christian friend of mine is needing a lot of care, I mentioned it to her, and she replied,'' It comes with the licence''. Many people have changed the vows they make when they get married now,but when my friend and her husband got married they  spoke the following.
                          Wilt thou have this woman to be
                           Thou wedded wife, to live together
                          according to God's ordinance
                          in the holy state of matrimony?                      
                          Wilt thou love her, comfort her,
                            honour and keep her,
                           in sickness and in health;
                           and forsaking all other,
                           keep thee only unto her,
                           so long as you both shall live.
My they are very challenging words, we are not only saying these words to each  other, but in the presence of the Lord, and that is why it is so serious.
He expects us to be faithful as to what we vow, My friend is right, it comes with the licence, how are we living up to it?.
                               A  prayer.
Dear God help us to be faithful to our wedding vow's, as long as we both
shall live, in Jesus name Amen.
                         

I hope you will be ready.[ 2 Thessalonians 1 v 3-10 ]

I was surprised when my wife, brought her mobile phone to me, and we were not only able to talk to my son , but to see him and his wife.  I have not seen this service on a mobile phone before. It was mentioned years ago, now it is a reality, what tremendous changes have taken place within my 72years.When I was young very few people could afford to own their own home, television was none existent, the radio, or wireless, and cinema were the most popular means of entertainment. I remember how we played football in the street, not a good idea now, because of the amount of cars on the road. That is another thing that has changed, car owners, car ownership was for the few, now households can have two ,three, or even four cars, as for TV's, so it goes on. As to travel many of us have been to places that our parents only read about, or saw in the movies. I could go on, and on, but I wont, but one thing that has not changed, is humanities, sinful condition. We still live in a broken world which no amount of technology, education, social improvement will never change, this is a sad, sad reality. At times as I look out on this world I somewhat despair,and I found myself praying for the Lord to come back, to put an end to all the suffering. The fact is Christ is coming back, this old world will be finished with, and a new heaven and earth will come into being. The promise of a glorious future awaits all who have trusted Jesus, an awful future awaits those who have not, you can be part of that glorious future, by asking Jesus to be your Saviour.
                                          A  prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus we thank you that you are coming again, for those who have trusted you as Saviour, that may share your eternal glory. Amen.



                              

I'm only human. [[ Romans 3 v23 ]

I  listened to a song from a recent album, called Human, some of the words  of song I was listening to, went,''I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me''. I wonder what you think of those words, I am sure we can all identify with then, its like none of us are perfect, but it not the same as saying I am a sinner, oh no, for the many that's taking it to far. The question
is it?. now of course we all make mistakes, we all forget things, this is not what I am stressing, it is that moral dimension,when we defraud, covet, hate, commit adultery, are judgemental, our lack of love, both for God and man. The words,'' I'm only human after all, don't put the blame on me'', does not get us off the hook, no, God  declares we are accountable, and responsible. When Adam and Eve sinned they blamed it on someone else
[Genesis 3 v11-13 ],sin committed for whatever reason is still sin, even if it
is committed  in ignorance, When God created us we were sinless, when we sinned we became sinners, and it does not change because we cry out,''I'm
only human'', no ,and when we stand before a holy God, the consequences,
for our sinful actions, including our sinful thoughts ,will be judged. This is where  I tell you the good news, there is a Saviour who died so that we may be forgiven, that person is Jesus. All we have to do is stop making excuses
and ask for forgiveness, this is God's merciful answer for our sin's.
                                          A  prayer.
Dear God help us not hide behind our foolish human reasoning, your word makes it clear  that we sin, and that sin needs forgiveness , by asking Jesus
to save us, Amen.
                               

A changed life.[ 2 Corinthians 5 v17 ]

 I received a magazine on a Christian ministry, that deals with the  medical and social areas of people ,plus their spiritual needs. As regards a  Rehabilitation Centre in China who run a project for those with special needs, a young girl aged 17 attended, her parents asked for help.the
young girl made real progress ,her mother an accountant, became a Christian. The father made his daughter attend when it was dark, because he was so ashamed of His daughter. Abigail made real progress, and she and her mother began to help at the centre. One day the father came to the centre ,and asked, if he too could know the God who had so changed his family's life. We praise God for this, and it is needful reminder, that a changed life brought about though Christ can be a wonderful testimony.
                                          A prayer.
Dear Lord Jesus we thank you that you not only forgave our sins, but also
change our lives,Amen

Exercise. [ 1 Timothy 4 v 7 - 8 ]

One of my sons bought me a gadget that one wears on ones wrist, it tells you a number of things, it is a simple device to use. One of its main functions is it tells ,how many steps one takes each day, it is thought that the ideal number of steps one should take is just over 10.000. I have felt  for a while that I need to exercise, so I have started walking, so each day I walk for about an hour, now 10,000 steps may seem a lot ,but it is not. This may be so, but I know how easy it is to give up, so I am asking the Lord to help me keep it up, the little gadget is a help. Physical fitness is important, but not the all important thing, yet I do not to minimise, its important, so do  give it consideration. We need to look after our bodies, but as Christians we
are spiritual beings, I gave a person a daily reading that I know would help
him, I asked him was he reading it, he replied sometimes, yet he goes to the gym has a personal trainer. Now there is nothing wrong with going to the gym and having a personal trainer, but  Paul wrote,''Physical training
is of some value, but godliness has value for all things,[1 Timothy 4 v8 ]
What Paul is saying get balance into your life, the physical soon deteriorates
William Barclay ,wrote,'' Training in godliness ,in goodness, develops the whole man in body, mind and spirit, and its results affect not only time, but eternity as well''.
                                           A  prayer.
Dear God  help us to look after our bodies, but help us not to neglect our
spiritual development in Jesus name Amen.

I pitch my tent. [ Revelation 1 v 8 - 18]

I will share something I read recently with you,'' Bishop Handley Moule died in 1920. In January 1919 he wrote to a nephew: I have often prayed that daily ,and to the end. I may live as in a tent pitched between the Cross
and the grave of our Lord- the empty Cross, symbol and seal of His finished work of sacrifice and redemption, the empty grave, likewise the evidence and pledge of His eternal victory for us over the last enemy,death, and  of our hid with Him in God. May your tent be ever there also'' Alec Motyer
commenting on this wrote,'' And there, we might say, not only because of the power of the cross in the face of death, but also because of the power of
the power of the cross and resurrection in the face of death, but also because of their power in the face of life''

                              Safe shelter from alarm and loss
                              I sit within my quite tent;
                              ''Twixt here a Grave and there a Cross
                              My days and night in peace are spent

                              Peace, peace and glory now he gives,
                              Fair fruits of his unfathomed woes,
                              And with me in that he lives,
                              The Lamb that died, and life that rose''

Busy,busy, busy. [ Luke 10 v38=42]

Let us consider the next thing that W. Barclay said about John the Baptist,
''He had given himself a chance to hear the voice of God''. Lets face it the world does really rush on, busy, busy, busy. No matter how fast we drive on the motorway , there will always be those who will drive faster, busy, busy,
busy. Then there is all the workplace ,and when we go home more work, and oh I must watch my favourite soap on the TV. If you are a parent you become the local taxi ,and oh they must be taken to the junior football team, which you have to watch with a lot of other parents. We like the radio on in the car n fact we do not like quietness, oh I must watch the x factor. most people do not give themselves time, with their husbands, or wives. Of course many of these things are legitimate, but  surely listening to God is important, but the cry goes up, I have not time to listen to God. Dear Child of God ,stop and listen, and then like John the Baptist ,you may just hear God  speaking.

                                            A  prayer.
Dear God we thank you that you are never to busy to listen to us, we confess that sad to say we are often to busy to listen to you, forgive us, and help us to change, in Jesus name Amen.

Sell all. [ Mark 10 v17-31 ]

Commenting on John the Baptist, William Barclay, mentioned two things, about the clothes he wore, and his relationship with God[Matthew 3].He did
not wear,'' The soft and comfortable luxuries which kills the soul''. Next he says,'' He gave himself a chance to hear the voice of God''. As I read these word I must confess they challenged me, as regards the first I have plenty soft and comfortable luxuries. The question I ask are they killing my soul?, I do not know but I do know that so many things can destroy our souls. Judas is not the only one who killed his soul for money, we read of a rich person who came to Jesus desiring to know how he could inherit eternal life, he was a religious person. He was told to sell all and gave all to the poor, but alas instead of saving his soul, he killed it. It could be money, it could be anything that is more important than Christ, I suppose the question is ,how much do we value our souls?.
                                      
                                              A prayer.
Dear Lord grant us grace to see what or who is more important, and help us to make the right choice, for our souls sake. Amen.

My dearset friend. [ Luke 15 v11-31 ]

I remember a man call Alec, who was a very bright Christian, and I remember how he appeared to be walking away from the Lord .I spoke to him and became emotional, as I sought to reason with him. I also remember with sadness as a young person walking away from the Lord, I yielded to
temptation. My dear brother walked away because of wrong things he saw in his church, and so the list goes on. The nation of Israel were a people who continually walked away from God, following other Gods there are reasons of course why people walk away from the Lord, but the fact is this ,there are no advantages, in this, none what so ever. First of all I
want you to know that God still loves us, He will always love us,though
we may not feel He does, we feel hurt, and maybe even bitter, because, there is always a because, but it does help being bitter, nor giving up on the best friend and Father there is. The thing I have found out that Jesus is the one person who is always there ,in all my hurts, loneliness, always, I could not live without His friendship. Many years when   I was away from my dearest Friend ,I went to a Christian service, I do not remember what was preached, but I do remember, having an overwhelming feeling of my need,
and that night I came back to my dearest friend. There is an old hymn that comes to mind, I will prayerfully leave it with you.

                           I've wandered far away from God
                           Now I'm coming home;
                           The paths of sin too long I've trod;
                           Lord  ,I'm coming home.

                          I've wasted many precious years;
                          Now I'm coming home;
                          I now repent with  bitter tears;
                          Lord, I'm coming home.

                          My soul is sick, my heart is sore;
                          Now I'm coming home;
                          My strength renew, my hope restore;
                          Lord, I'm coming home.

Wait for it.[Habakkuk 2 v 3 ]

One of the common traits of mankind is impatience, we see this in so many aspect of life. Recently my wife were nearly involved in an accident because  a driver was impatient, many accidents are caused by people being impatient. I follow a particular football team, a very successful team, led by a very successful manager, He retired, and on the day of his retirement he asked the supporters to be patient with his successor, but the were not. It is not in the nature of the beast, we want it now, that is why talent TV shows are very popular because it promises instant success. One of the most important lessons in life is patience, Romans 15v 5, [AV]reminds us that God is patient, and He reminds us that we are called to be patient [Hebrews 10 v36 ].I was reminded of this recently when I was reading a daily devotional,the writer was touching on a subject near to my heart, and mentioned a promise, that God gave me ,which has not yet been fulfilled, But of course I believe it will be ,in the meanwhile, I am to exercise patience ,as the Lord said to the prophet Habakkuk,'' Though it linger, wait for it, it will certainly come and will not delay.[2v3 ]
                                           Psalm 40 v1.

                               I waited patiently for the Lord;
                               He turned to me, and heard my
                               cry.

Leaning [ Hebrews 11 v1 ]

It was John .G. Paton the missionary, was struggling to find a word for faith in the local language, he was interrupted by someone in great trouble and needing help, who said to him,'' Please may I come and lean heavily upon you?'', Alec Motyer,writes the following,'' Faith is leaning heavily upon Christ: not labour but cessation of labour, not doing but ceasing to do; simply leaning the whole weight of our needs upon Him, and finding in Him acceptance before the presence of God, and a righteousness which
could never be ours by ours by our own good works''.

                             What a fellowship ,what a joy divine,
                             Leaning on the everlasting arms;
                             What a blessedness ,what a peace is mine,
                              Leaning on the everlasting arms.

                             What have I to dread, what have I to fear,
                             Leaning on the everlasting arms;
                             I have blessed peace with my Lord so near,
                             Leaning on the everlasting arms.
                                 [Words by E.A. Hoffman ]

He is in control. [Romans 8 v28 ]

Alec Motyer,writing about the apostle Paul comments,'' His doctrine taught him that a sovereign God rules all things; freedom, imprisonment, comfort,
discomfort, sickness or health''. This did not rule out mans responsibility,it
never does, but it is very reassuring, to realise that our times our in His hands. Otherwise we may despair, if we take our eyes of our Lord, and see the wind and the waves we will only drown, in a sea of worry. Think of what many of Gods choicest saints went through, Jacob, who lost sight of Gods sovereignty ,and could only cry out ,all these thing are against me [Genesis 42 v 36]. Contrast him with Joseph his sons attitude, when speaking to his brothers who had hurt him so much,''God intended it for good'' [Genesis 50 v20],which one are you, today?,Consider Job and his wife,[Job  1-2],Jobs wife told Job to curse God and die,but Job declared,''The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away,may the name of the Lord be praised''[1 v21]

                                        A  prayer.
Dear God help us in all things to trust in your sovereign purposes, and in someway you are working all things together for our good, in Jesus name we ask this Amen.
                                       
                                        

Tis mystery all. [Philippians 2 v5-11 ]

I read these words by, Dante. Gabriel.Rossetti, ''The Ocean hath no King but God alone''. When I read these words my mind turned to the our Lord
Jesus how He actually walked on the water[John 6 v19],then the occasion
 when He and His disciples were in a storm[Matthew 8 v23-27].His disciples were afraid that they were going to die, so Jesus stood up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and it was completely calm. The disciples
were amazed and asked the question,''What kind of a man is this?. Even the wind and the waves obey'' . I will answer that question , He was God manifest in the flesh, truly God and truly man. All things were created by Him,[Colossians 1 v 16 ],and all things are sustained by Him[Hebrews 1 v3 ]When Jesus said to a very sick man, ''Son, your sins are forgiven'', the religious leaders said that He was blaspheming, and said who can forgive
sins, but God alone''. They did not recognise that the one who forgave the man his sins ,was God, in spite of the fact that Jesus manifested power beyond any human being. The ocean recognised this, yes if only, humanity would recognise that Jesus was truly God, and yet the one who became obedient to death , even death on the cross, that our sins could be forgiven.

                              And can it be, that I should gain,
                              An interest in the Saviour's blood?
                              Died He for me, who caused His pain?
                              For me, who Him to death pursued?
                              Amazing love, how can it be
                              That Thou my God, shouldst die for me.

                              Tis mystery all, the immortal dies,
                              Who can explain His strange design?
                              In vain the first -born seraph tries,
                              To sound the depths of love divine,
                              Tis mercy all, let earth adore,
                               Let angel minds inquire no more.
                                 [Words by Charles Wesley ]

               

He was more than. [ John 3 v16/ 20 v28]

I was at a coffee morning, we watched a CD on the gospel of John, the part we watched  was about the miracle at the wedding at Cana in Galilee [John 2 v1-11]. The celebration could last up to five days, it must have cost a great deal to those getting married, nothing has changed. Well the unthinkable happened, they run out of wine, yes real wine,it  is W. Barclay who points out that drunkenness, was frowned upon, he says usually the wine was diluted by water. It was a serious thing to run out of wine, not to mention,an embarrassment, to the bride and groom. Mary the mother of Jesus was there she came to Jesus, and told him they had run out of wine. Jesus replied, ''Dear woman, why do you involve me, My time has not come''. Now Mary knew that Jesus was special, but she now had to realise that she had to see Him,not merely as her son but her Lord. Like Mary we must see Jesus not just as a man, yes He was, but He was more than that, He is the Lord Jesus Christ, truly God and truly man,[John 1 v1],He is also more than a prophet and teacher, yes He was all that, but He was more, He was and is the Saviour of the world. I was talking to a person and she said she believed Jesus was Lord and prayed to Him, but I said have you prayed to Him to save you?.
                                       A  prayer.
Dear God help us to see Jesus for who He was,and to accept Him as our Saviour. Amen.

His Church [ Jude v24-25 ]

From Philippi Paul and Silas moved on to Thessalonica were a church came into being, but  opposition arose from the Jews, they were filled with a spirit of jealousy. Paul and Silas were sent away. The result was, two churches had come into being, later Paul would write to these believers. Both churches were young in the faith, and those who would lead those churches were young in the faith, but these churches may have been young in the faith, but they were not left on there own, they had the Holy Spirit, as we have. Yes they needed to be taught in the things of God, they needed to face the challenge of living a Christian life, but God would be with them. He would raise leaders, he would send them precious instruction from Paul the apostle in his letter to the Christians Paul wrote,'' Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus[Philippians 1 v 6]. What wonderful words these are for that young church, faced with all the difficulties and challenge of living for Christ. I have just received photo's of a small group of believers in Nepal,how will they survive?, how will any of us survive?. The answer is simple God, for Christ said He would build His church, and that hell itself will not have the victory,over His Church.
                                       A prayer.
Dear Lord we praise you that you have promised to build your church, not
only to build it, but to preserve, purify,and one day glorify it,Amen
                    [I will return to my Blog Monday[DV]  EVERY
                      BLESSING]

Saved [ John 3 v16 ]

Now we have been considering Acts 16 ,and what happened when Paul and Silas visited there, and we had come to the place, when after being beaten, they were put into prison. So that was that?, no, we have to read the whole story, to see how God worked out things. The first thing we read that these dear men they started a prayer meeting up and started to praise God. The jailer, and the other prisoners must have heard, but most of all God heard, and not only did He hear, but He answered there prayers. Let us remember nothing can cut us off from our God. Suddenly there was an earthquake, the doors flew open and every persons chains came loose. We then read how the jailer woke up, and was going to kill himself, because, he thought everyone had escaped that meant he would be held responsible. Paul shouted out to him not to kill himself, and that all the prisoners were still there. At this the jailer called for lights, and then he went in trembling,fell before Paul and Silas, and asked,sirs, what must I do to be saved?. A young man I knew was dying, and a friend came to see him, and the young man asked this same question. The good news is both  ,believed on the Lord Jesus Christ and got saved, the gospel is good news,  it is for the whosoever
yes even for you.
                           Hear is a little prayer you can pray
                           if you want to be saved.

Dear Lord Jesus, forgave me  my sins, and come into my life, Amen.

Eternity [Mark 8 v36-37]

Continuing on at Paul experience at Philippi[Acts 16],we have seen how God has been moving, saving, and delivering people,grand ,but then things become difficult. Of course the enemy of souls was not happy, nor were those who owned the slave, The result Paul and Silas were set upon and arrested, brought before the magistrate, who ordered them to be stripped and beaten, and thrown into prison, with their feet put into stocks. The owners of that slave girl had lost out financially, when peoples financial interests is effected by Christians ,one can expect trouble. They only considered the loss of their money, Paul and Silas interest ,was souls of the lost, what is more important? No amount of money will ever compensate for the loss of peoples souls, even if a person could gain the whole world[ Mark 8 v36].What is vital that we weigh up the true worth of our soul, which is eternal, or that which is temporal. It is W. Barclay who writes,'' We would be saved from all sorts of mistakes if we always looked at things in the light of eternity''.
                                
                       I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold,
                       I'd rather be His than have riches untold;
                       I'd rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
                       I'd rather be laid by His nail-pierced hands.

                       Than to be the king of a vast domain,
                       and be held in sin's dread sway;
                       I'd rather have Jesus than anything,
                       this world affords today.
                        [ Words by R.F.Miller]