Be on your ( Galatians 1 v 6- 10)

A  friend told me how he had attended a funeral service and at the end of it the minister dismissed the idea of an after life,now he was supposed to be a Christian minister. This is very sad and it is nothing new, for sometimes the greatest enemies the church has is not those outside the church,but those within the church. It is the apostle Paul,in a farewell talk to the Ephesian elders said,'I know that as soon as I am gone,   vicious wolves are going to show up and rip into this flock, men from your own ranks twisting words so as to seduce disciples into following them instead of Jesus .So stay awake and keep up your guard. (Acts 20 v- 29- 31) Paul writing to Timothy said that there will come a time when they will not endure sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4 v 3).So what can we do?we must hold fast to what the word of God teaches.We must always be on our guard,be vigilant, be strong,be uncompromising, Martin Luther said,'I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right or safe. Here I stand,I can do no other,so help me God'.

Mr Facing-Both-Ways ( Matthew 6 v 24)

 In John Bunyan's book Pilgrim's Progress one character's name is ,'Mr Facing-both -ways ,his name indicates someone who was hedging his bets.When the apostle Paul was in Athens he was distressed to see that city was full of idols,and he noticed an altar with an inscription on it which read,'To an unknown god.' they were hedging their bets like Mr Facing-Both-Ways,a  sort of better being safe than sorry.He was a person who was in fact going nowhere ,he was always trying to play it safe.He would not agree that Jesus is the only way to heaven,he would say ,what about those other religions?, they can't be all wrong,but they are.Jesus said so (John 14 v6) ' 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes unto the Father except through me'.Mr Facing-Both-Ways, will not accept this,that means he will be excluded from heaven,for all eternity.

                                                      'You must choose'

Fear Him. (Psalm 23 v 4)

 Why are we surprised at death,that which shall not be named,could it be that we consider it to morbid to mention?. During a Roman triumph, a slave accompanying the victorious general in his chariot  would whisper ,''Momento Mori' meaning ',remember you will die'. Inspite of his great success,it was to prevent him becoming too arrogant or believing himself a god,reminding him of his mortality. Jesus was always conscious of death and how important it  was to be in a right relationship with God.Jesus knowing that many of those who would follow Him,would suffer death,but not only death but very violent death,sought to reassure them,and this is what He said ,''Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.''(Matthew 10 v 28) One commentator writes,'Save your fear for God,who holds your entire life-body and soul in His hands'.

                                                         'Trust Jesus to be your Saviour'

A spiritual journey (Galatians 4 v 4 - 7)

I was with a group of people and someone spoke of a person  who did something very  noble,he looked after his dying wife. He called it the man's spiritual journey, I hope that I can speak to him about what he   meant by those words.There are many dear people who do good works of one sort or another, I don't believe that they are on a spiritual journey. I doubt if they even think that ,why should they?, man's sinful condition means that they never really give serious thought  as regards the true and only God.There are many who do a lot of good in the world in many religions,Gandi for one,he did think about God,but that was as far as it went,he admired our Saviour,but he would not accept Him. Whatever journey he was on ,it was not a spiritual journey ,he was a natural man,the spirit of God was not in him. Jesus stressed that we needed to be born again,' for only those who are lead by the Spirit are the children of God' (Romans 8 v14 ) And that Spirit  himself testifies with our spirit  that we are God's children (Rom 8 v16).The spiritual journey only begins when we trust Jesus as our Saviour, the moment that happens our Saviour says follow me on your walk into the eternal glories that shine afar.

They wouldn't bow ( Hebrews 11 v 32-40)

Thomas Watson wrote.'Faith knows there are no impossibilities with God, and will trust Him where it cannot trace Him'.There they were 3 young men,we remember them as  Shadrach,Meshach,and Abednego, They were friends of Daniel, exiles in a foreign land. The four of them were promoted to ministerial positions,  they in turn would experience life threatening situations. Although they were in foreign land,and had their name changed, they still remained faithful to God.In chapter 3 of Daniel ,we read how Nebuchadnezzar had a image of gold erected and everyone had to bow down to it.They refused and when the king was told of this,they were brought to him, he told them  if they didn't bow to the idol ,they would be thrown into a blazing furnace. This is what they replied, 'If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it,and he will deliver us......But even if He does not.......we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up'.These young men knew their God they knew of the miracles he performed in delivering Israel from Egypt and that there are no impossibilities with Him, but they also were prepared to trust Him where it could not trace Him.

                                         'O for a faith that will shrink,though pressed by many a foe;

                                  A faith that shines more bright and clear,when tempests rage without;

                                       That when in danger knows no fear,in darkness knows no doubt;

                                        Lord give me such a faith as this and then,whate'er may come,

                                        I taste even now the hallowed bliss of an eternal home.

                                                                  Words William Bathurst

It's impossible ( Genesis 1)

 It is Matthew Henry  who writes ,'atheism is folly,and atheists are the greatest fools in nature.For they see there is a world that could not make itself, and yet they will not own that there is a  God who made it.'. I am not a scientist ,so what do I know?,why should I question,those learned people?, because it dosn't make sense to say it just happened,it is impossible.Think of all the different species, from the smallest to the greatest.How many species are there in this world? well it is very impressive,we don't know the exact number,but there is reckoned to be at least 8.7 million eukaryotic species (organisms) that includes plants, animals, fungi,but excludes, bacteria,all this just happened. Could all these species just come into being ,by themselves? ,it is impossible,for to long this belief has had the high ground.The media runs with it, creation is excluded never mentioned,the torch bearers of evolution have the stage, robbing God  of  His glory..The Message commenting on Gen 1v1 writes,'The earth was a soup of nothingness,a bottomless emptiness,and inky blackness'.It could do nothing for its self. 'All there was,was dead matter, but God speaks, and out  of that disorder and confusion,this world came into place'. (Matthew Henry)

We would see Jesus ( Matthew 5 v 14-16)

 In a recent Medical News Network  report I read the following,'In some of the projects we support,we cannot evangelise openly and it is often in those places where our doctors and therapists are living testimonies.'They went on to use a quotation by St Francis of Assisi who have said ''Preach the gospel  at all times,and when necessary,use words'' They go on to say,'the importance of living a life of such Christ- likeness that it makes the world stop,think, and enquire about the Jesus we serve'.I remember reading a book about David Livingstone and his search for the source of the Nile.How his gentle softness had a great influence,in dealing with native tribe's.Peter in his epistle gives this advice to women married to  unbeliever's,he tells them ' that even if  some refuse to obey  the Good News,your godly lives will speak to them without any words.They will be won over by observing your pure and reverent lives'  ( 1 Peter 3 v 1-2)

                                                           'May our lives reflect Jesus'