Sharing Scripture - Hoping for Healing

A few thoughts from Andy Briars to; encourage / challenge / cause you to pray !!!

Family & Friends of Rob & Lorna (Mum & Dad) will know of their devotion to our loving heavenly father and readers of Rob's Blogs will have read the truth that new life & forgiveness is found through Jesus Christ. Many have been blessed by Dad's ministry at Carley Baptist Church or through visiting speaking engagements in the UK. Sharing God's message of truth has also taken Mum & Dad around the globe from Poland to Oregon and beyond.

For years our family has been blessed by Rob's; spiritual guidance, messages of hope, prayers for protection, challenge to change, devotion and dedication. Since his Stroke the relationship has changed. Rob's mind is still sharp but now the conversation & ministry has swapped around as Rob now looks to others to give words of hope & prayers of faith.

If you are one of those who have been previously been blessed by Rob's life & ministry now its your turn to exercise your faith and as guided by the Holy Spirit petition God the father through the power of Jesus' name. Six weeks after his Stroke Rob needs a touch from God in the miracle of healing. He also needs the peace of God to bring sleep and rest through the night.

Through the weeks my family (Jill, Simon, Rhianna, Jonathan & myself) have visited Dad. We've shared about our lives, Rejoiced in Gods goodness, Remembered happier times, Held hands, Cried, Prayed together and shared Scriptures. To encourage you to pray the following passages are just some of the thoughts the Lord has challenged us with.

Psalm 118: 1, 5-9, 13-18
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; is love endures forever. In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The LORD is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? The LORD is with me; he is my helper. I will look in triumph on my enemies. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man. It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in princes.

I was pushed back and about to fall, but the LORD helped me. The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Shouts of joy and victory resound in the tents of the righteous: "The LORD's right hand has done mighty things! The LORD's right hand is lifted high; the LORD's right hand has done mighty things!" I will not die but live, and will proclaim what the LORD has done. The LORD has chastened me severely, but he has not given me over to death.

Verse 17 was one of the first ones I shared with Dad. I guess back in mid April it was more of a verse shared in hope rather than certainty. However just a couple of days after sharing this Psalm one of the many cards contained the following reading;

Psalm 40 : 1-5
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not look to the proud, to those who turn aside to false gods. Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

I read this passage with Dad and we both saw the link to Psalm 118:17. In the King James version verse 17 says "declare the works of the Lord" and here in Psalm 40:5 we have promise that the wonders and things God has planned for us are too many to declare. With Rob's vocabulary down to; Yes / No / Oh dear these verses where something to hold onto... The thought that one day Dad would proclaim what God had done for him!!

Earlier the same day Mum had opened the hospital Bible at Romans chapter 1 and Rob lay there reading & they both recalled Romans 1:16 "I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes" This was Rob's life verse when he was in the Navy and he wrote it on letters set back home. Here in Psalm 40 we read the Gospel... How God lifts our life out of the depths of sin & sets our feet on a rock (Jesus) and puts a new song in our mouth. The end of verse 3 says "many will see & fear and put their trust in the Lord" If you are reading this and have never asked Jesus into your heart then turn in repentance & accept God's forgiveness through Jesus' blood !!!

Verse 1 of Psalm 40 says "I waited patiently for the Lord" Well over 5 weeks after reading these verses we are having to be patient as Rob still has no control of his Right Leg or Arm. If you think its hard for us to be patient try to imagine what Rob is feeling like!! To be mentally sharp. To understand what has happened to his body & be powerless to move his right hand side or have the facility to recall even basic words like "I need the toilet" or "I need a drink"

The verse goes onto say "He (Jesus) turned to me and heard my cry" Well through all of this we have hardly ever seen Dad cry but just days after reading Psalm 40 Dad did sob is heart out but I'll save that for the next Blog.

For now just keep on waiting patiently for the Lord as we all continue to cry out for Robs healing.

Rob struck by Stroke

Its Rob's Son Andy here. On the 14th April 2007 Dad had a serious Stroke. Over the last 6 weeks we've been visiting Dad in hospital & encouraging him with scripture & prayer times. During all of this period Rob has been paralysed down his right hand side and his speech /vocabulary is very limited. (Photo is me half way down Great Gable which is where I was when the SMS message came through advising of Rob's illness)

In recent weeks Dad has made it clear that he would like to have his Blog updated to let others know of his current position. So here's a quick posting to honour his wishes and update you all. As you can imagine the last 6 weeks have been difficult for Rob and the rest of the Briars family and friends. There are loads of things that could be shared. Over 100 cards received and countless emails / messages of goodwill.

It goes without saying that we appreciate all the messages of support, prayers for healing and Bible texts.

On Monday 21st may we realised the link in the Bible to the period of 40 days representing trial & testing time to Gods people last Thursday (24th May) a number of us fasted & prayed for healing and that Jesus would now restore Rob after his 40 days of trial.

We now watch & pray for the answer to our (and your) prayers.

Must close off for now and go over and visit Dad.

More updates from me & Rob & Lorna's Daughter Helen are likely in the coming weeks. Mum isn't into PC's like Dad was so she'll have to dictate blogs to us for typing up !!!

Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future.

Preachers of the Cross of Christ.

" . . . we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness; but unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God." - 1 Corinthians 1:23-24. (taken from the King James Version of the Bible)

Baptist preacher, Charles Haddon Spurgeon preached from this text on the Sunday morning of February 11, 1855, at the Exeter Hall, in the Strand. London. Early in his sermon Spurgeon made this statement :-

“Before I enter upon our text, let me very briefly tell you what I believe preaching Christ and him crucified is. My friends, I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to give people a batch of philosophy every Sunday morning and evening, and neglect the truths of this Holy Book. I do not believe it is preaching Christ and him crucified, to leave out the main cardinal doctrines of the Word of God, and preach a religion which is all a mist and a haze, without any definite truths whatever. I take it that man does not preach Christ and him crucified, who can get through a sermon without mentioning Christ's name once; nor does that man preach Christ and him crucified, who leaves out the Holy Spirit's work, who never says a word about the Holy Ghost, so that indeed the hearers might say, "We do not so much as know whether there be a Holy Ghost." And I have my own private opinion, that there is no such thing as preaching Christ and him crucified, unless you preach what now-a-days is called Calvinism. I have my own ideas, and those I always state boldly. It is a nickname to call it Calvinism. Calvinism is the gospel, and nothing else. I do not believe we can preach the gospel, if we do not preach justification by faith without works; not unless we preach the sovereignty of God in his dispensation of grace; nor unless we exalt the electing, unchangeable, eternal, immutable, conquering love of Jehovah; nor, I think, can we preach the gospel, unless we base it upon the peculiar redemption which Christ made for his elect and chosen people; nor can I comprehend a gospel which lets saints fall away after they are called, and suffers the children of God to be burned in the fires of damnation, after having believed. Such a gospel I abhor. The gospel of the Bible is not such a gospel as that. We preach Christ and him crucified in a different fashion, and to all gainsayers we reply, "We have not so learned Christ."

In my own reading of this text I must add the words of the apostle Paul from Galatians chapter 2 verse 20 (I quote from Weymouth’s translation of the New Testament)
“I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ that lives in me; and the life which I now live in the body I live through faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up to death on my behalf.”

The death of Christ upon the Cross has impacted upon my own life for it has become very personal to me. I realise that because He died for me this requires some response from me.
Others will reject this gospel truth and they will continue in their own self centred world.
But SELF needs to be overcome and the only way this can happen is by the believer’s total identification with the Crucified Christ.

“When Christ bids us come and follow, He bids us come and die,” said Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Born in 1906, Bonhoeffer as a German Lutheran pastor and theologian participated in the German resistance movement against Nazism and this resulted in his death in April 1945.

The victory in the Christian's life comes only as we die to selfishness and follow Him and that will require self sacrifice on our part. The apostle Paul wrote, “To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians. 1:20), he could write this because he has been crucified with Christ.
The Christian life is impossible to live without Christ as Saviour being central within our lives. There is nothing in the unsaved person’s life that can satisfy God’s righteousness. God will not accept our self-righteousness in the slightest degree. It is only after an individual has put his faith in Christ and been born again that God brings a person to self-crucifixion so Christ will be magnified.

John Wesley

, who encouraged his followers to go on to perfection, wrote in A Plain Account of Christian Perfection in 1767
“ . . . this man can now testify to all mankind, `I am crucified with Christ: Nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. ' He is `holy as God who called' him `is holy,' both in heart and `in all manner of conversation.' He `loveth the Lord his God with all his heart,' and serveth him `with all his strength.' He `loveth his neighbour,' every man, `as himself;' yea, `as Christ loveth us;' them, in particular, that `despitefully use him and persecute him, because they know not the Son, neither the Father.' Indeed his soul is all love, filled with `bowels of mercies, kindness, meekness, gentleness, longsuffering.' And his life agreeth thereto, full of `the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of love.' `And whatsoever' he `doeth either in word or deed,' he `doeth it all in the name,' in the love and power, `of the Lord Jesus.' In a word, he doeth `the will of God on earth, as it is done in heaven.'

http://gbgm-umc.org/UMhistory/Wesley/plainaccount.stm

Wesley contines:-
“Beware of schism, (causing division) of making a rent in the Church of Christ. That inward disunion, the members ceasing to have a reciprocal love 'one for another,' (1 Cor. 12:25,) is the very root of all contention, and every outward separation. Beware of everything tending thereto. Beware of a dividing spirit; shun whatever has the least aspect that way. Therefore, say not, 'I am of Paul or of Apollos;' the very thing which occasioned the schism at Corinth. Say not, 'This is my Preacher; the best Preacher in England. Give me him, and take all the rest.' All this tends to breed or foment division, to disunite those whom God hath joined. Do not despise or run down any Preacher; do not exalt any one above the rest, lest you hurt both him and the cause of God. On the other hand, do not bear hard upon any by reason of some incoherency or inaccuracy of expression; no, nor for some mistakes, were they really such.

“O beware of touchiness, of testiness, not bearing to be spoken to; starting at the least word; and flying from those who do not implicitly receive mine or another's sayings!

The gospel preacher has a God given responsibility to preach the message of a Crucified and Risen Christ whilst being totally linked to that cross on which our Lord and Saviour died.

O Happy Day.

The Northampton Mercury in 1751 recorded the death of a much loved dissenter that "his Piety was without Disguise, his Love without Jealousy, his Benevolence without Bounds. He had no Equal."

Phillip Doddridge, was born in London in 1702, the son of a merchant, and his mother the orphan daughter of the Rev. John Bauman, a Lutheran clergyman who had fled from Prague to escape religious persecution. Before he could read, his mother taught him the history of the Old and New Testament from some blue Dutch chimney-tiles. By 1719 he was a student in Kibworth Harcourt, a small village in my home county of Leicestershire. He set himself high standards, beginning his day at five in the morning and studying for over ten hours a day. Much has been written about this man whose writing had influenced many including William Wilberforce but I would think that he is best remembered these days for his hymns.

After his death a friend collected many of his hymns and had them published. Several still appear in today's hymnals, including "Grace! Tis a Charming Sound" and "O Happy Day". The latter is probably Doddridge's most famous hymn, based upon 2 Chronicles 15:15. The hymn expressed the joy of a personal relationship with the LORD. Doddridge himself titled the hymn "Rejoicing in our Covenant Engagement to God". Eighteenth century England produced many excellent hymnwriters whose hymns are still sung today e.g. Isaac Watts, Charles Wesley; and Philip Doddridge is numbered amongst these greats.

For more infromation about Doddridge and the Protestant Dissenters check out:-

http://www.ccel.org/cceh/archives/eee/doddridg.htm
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Dissenters

There are some very interesting facts about Kibworth Harcourt Chapel written by Isobel Cullum in 1995:-
http://homepages.which.net/~stephen.poyzer/oct9501.htm

Also Notes from "Popular Hymns and their Writers by Norman Mable:-
http://www.stempublishing.com/hymns/biographies/doddridge.html

1. O happy day, that fixed my choice
on thee, my Saviour and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
and tell its raptures all abroad.

Refrain: (from the Wesleyan Sacred Harp)
Happy day, happy day,
when Jesus washed my sins away!
He taught me how to watch and pray,
and live rejoicing every day.
Happy day, happy day, when Jesus
washed my sins away!

2. O happy bond, that seals my vows to him
who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill his house,
while to that sacred shrine I move.

3. 'Tis done: the great transaction's done!
I am the Lord's and he is mine;
he drew me and I followed on,
charmed to confess the voice divine.

4. Now rest, my long-divided heart,
fixed on this blissful center, rest.
Here have I found a nobler part;
here heavenly pleasures fill my breast.

5. High heaven, that heard the solemn vow,
that vow renewed shall daily hear,
till in life's latest hour I bow
and bless in death a bond so dear.

Doddridge was a prolific writer. His The Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul was translated into seven languages. Besides a New Testament commentary and other theological works, Doddridge also wrote over 400 hymns. Most of the hymns were written as summaries of his sermons and were to help the congregation express their response to the truths they were being taught. None of these hymns were published in Philip's own lifetime, although they circulated in manuscript copies. At forty-eight, at the height of his ministry, Doddridge was dying of tuberculosis. Friends collected money to send him to Portugal where it was hoped warm air and sunshine might cure him; but it was too late. Philip Doddridge died on this day, October 26, 1751 and is buried in the English cemetery in Lisbon.

A man who changed history.

Entitled "Portrait of a Gentleman" in a Royal Acadamy oil painting by an unknown artist this painting shows William Wilberforce aged 29.

He was described as a man who changed history and he did it against great opposition.

William Wilberforce was born 24 August 1759 in Hull, England. In the summer of 1784 he was journeying on the continent with Isaac Milner who unbeknown to him had become an Evangelical. Seeing Milner reading Philip Doddridge’s “Rise and progress of religion”, he enquired about this book, to which he received the reply “It is one of the best books ever written”. Once challenged he searched the Greek testament to see if these things were true and under conviction of sin sought help from John Newton who advised him to serve God in politics rather than enter the church.

The story that eventually brought about the abolition of slavery in England is being told in the film “Amazing Grace” which has just been released in the USA to a mixed reception. Again this man’s life is going to be under the spot light of opposition – but that is the nature of Christianity!

Check out the film resources on http://www.amazinggracemovie.com/index/php
and http://www.amazinggracethemovie.co.uk

Read such books as John Piper’s “Amazing Grace in the life of William Wilberforce” Published by Crossway Books ISBN: 1581348754

365 Days With Wilberforce: A collection of Daily Readings from the writings of William Wilberforce by William Wilberforce, compiled by Kevin Belmonte. Published by Day One ISBN: 1846250587

Wilberforce’s classic work, “A Practical View of Christianity”, was concerned with convincing those who call themselves Christians to pursue “the real nature and principles of the religion which they profess.” Christianity is not a mere morality, to be held in private. Christianity is revelation from God, bringing new rights and correspondent duties. It is an entire way of life that requires diligence and study and that should affect every aspect of the Christian’s public and private life.

For this man following Christ meant “action”, he said, ”surely the principles as well as the practice of Christianity are simple and lead not to meditation only, but to action”.

Wilberforce had a world view which led him to involve himself in more than the issue of slavery. He sold his home and dismissed his servants to have more money to give to the needy. He fought prison reform. He founded or participated in sixty charities, championing the founding of the British and Foreign Bible Society.

What is needed today from those who follow Christ is such passion for Christ that every part of our being is given over to serving and making Him known to those still held in “slavery to satan” and his devices.

The dwelling place of God.

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust." Psalm 91:1-2.

In seeking to find this dwelling place of God we must look into the Old Testament.

Deuteronomy 12:5 & 11 state . . you shall seek the place where the LORD your God chooses, out of all your tribes, to put His name for His dwelling place; and there you shall go. . . . . then there will be the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.

The name of this place is Mount Zion as Psalm 132:13-14 declares “For the LORD has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling place: "This is My resting place forever; Here I will dwell, for I have desired it. . . .””

But be in no doubt Zion and Jerusalem are one and the same place.
2 Chronicles 5:2 Then Solomon summoned to Jerusalem the elders of Israel, all the heads of the tribes and the chiefs of the Israelite families, to bring up the ark of the LORD'S covenant from Zion, the City of David.

Isaiah 52:1 Awake, awake, O Zion, clothe yourself with strength. Put on your garments of splendour, O Jerusalem, the holy city.

Take notice of the Lord’s passion for Jerusalem.

Zechariah 1:14 Then the angel who was speaking to me said, "Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion.

Zechariah 8:2 This is what the LORD Almighty says: "I am very jealous for Zion; I am burning with jealousy for her.

Psalms 78:68 But he chose the tribe of Judah, Mount Zion, which he loved.

Psalms 87:2 The LORD loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

In 2 Kings 21 verse 4, the LORD said that it was “In Jerusalem I will put My name”

As we come into the New Testament we see that it is Jerusalem where the Lord Jesus Christ came in order to give His life upon the Cross of Calvary. Before His death He taught His disciples (His learner followers) that after His death they would experience the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament there are several terms to describe the relationship between the believer and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself explained it differently on different occasions.

To the apostles, Jesus said, "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22).

To the multitude who gathered with Him just before the Ascension, He said, "You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you" (Acts 1:8, ) Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as being given to the believer (see 1 John 3:24; see also 1 Thessalonians 4:8).

Peter talks about the Holy Spirit being in believers. (1 Peter 1:11) Paul says, "God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts" (Galatians 4:6); in another place he speaks of the believer as the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

All of these terms lead us to the same conclusion that the Holy Spirit resides in the believer. The verb used most often to describe this unique relationship comes from the Greek word oikeo. In the New King James Version it is translated "dwell." Oikeo actually comes from the Greek word for house—oikos. It means "to live in," "reside," or "dwell." Oikeo is used four times to describe the believer's relationship with the Holy Spirit (see Romans 8:9, 11; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2 Timothy 1:14).

The most descriptive of the four is found in Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth: "Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?"

Clearly, to Paul, to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit is to be inhabited by God. By equating the phrase 'God's temple' with the phrase 'a temple of the Holy Spirit,' Paul is clear: The Holy Spirit is God.

The significance of the term oikeo is that it speaks of permanency. The idea is that the Holy Spirit takes up residency in believers—forever. He doesn't just pass through. He makes us His home. He comes to stay. Paul's reference to believers as temples underscores this point. Having grown up a devout Jew, Paul had a great deal of respect for the temple. To the nation of Israel, it represented the presence of God among His people. When Christ was crucified, there was no longer any need for the temple. God no longer needed a building. He was free to take up residency in the heart of man. The barrier of sin had been removed. Man's relationship with God had been restored. To symbolize the change, God tore the veil of the temple from top to bottom (see Mark 15:38). (That thick drapery separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.) The fact that it was ripped from top to bottom signified that God, not man, had initiated the change.

By referring to believers as temples, Paul was announcing that God had changed His residency for good. He had left the temple in Jerusalem and, through the person of the Holy Spirit, had moved into the hearts of His people.

The Bible clearly teaches the Spirit dwells within Christians.

No Bible-believer should ever deny this truth.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Romans 8:9

But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. Romans 8:11

Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. 2 Timothy 1:14

Among Bible-believers, there is much disagreement on how the Spirit dwells in us. Does He dwell in us directly? Indirectly? Through the Word?

We must understand the indwelling of the Spirit is not just some impersonal force within us that helps us be better Christians. The Spirit is a personal being and is part of the Godhead just as much as the Father and Son. This becomes obvious when we consider that when Ananias lied to the Spirit, he lied to God.

Read about this in Acts 5:1-4 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession. And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet. But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

When the Bible says the Spirit indwells Christians, it is not referring to a physical location (is He in your heart, stomach or liver?). The indwelling of the Spirit is not talking about a physical location but a working relationship the Spirit has with all Christians.

Jesus said that if we abide in Him, He will abide in us. It would be well at this point to read the opening seventeen verses of chapter 15 of John’s Gospel. Jesus uses this word “abide” many times - abide in His Word, abide in His love and abide in HIM.

Charles B.J. Root’s lovely old hymn says it all.

Abiding, oh so wondrous sweet!
I'm resting at the Saviour's feet;
I trust in Him; I'm satisfied,
I'm resting in the Crucified!

Abiding, abiding,
Oh how wondrous sweet!
I'm resting, resting,
At the Saviour's feet.

He speaks, and by His word is given
His peace, a rich foretaste of heaven;
Not as the world, He peace doth give:
'Tis through this hope my soul shall live.

I live but through His grace alone;
By whom the mighty work is done;
Dead to myself, alive to Him,
I count all loss His rest to win.

Now rest, my heart, the work is done,
I'm saved by faith through Christ the Son!
Let every power my soul employ,
To tell the world my peace and joy.

How these hymn-writing saints of old knew the reality of the indwelling Christ.
Grace Clement writes:

Dwelling in the secret place
Overshadowed by His grace,
Looking up into his face,
Seeing only Jesus..

Dwelling there, how truly blest!
Leaving all, how sweet to rest
Head upon my Saviour’s breast,
Seeing only Jesus

Resting there, no more to roam,
Drawing near to heaven and home,
Waiting there until He come,
Seeing only Jesus.

We await Christ’s final coming to the earth with power and great glory.

Yes, He is coming to Jerusalem to dwell amongst His people, both Jews and Gentiles.

The final chapters of the Bible in the Book of the Revelation state that He will come to dwell in Jerusalem to rule and to reign as Lord over all the earth. Then the final dwelling place of God will be with those who belong to Him and will hear the cry go up “the dwelling place (tabernacle) of God is with men” Revelation 21:3.

Well might we cry "Even so come Lord Jesus".

The troubled Lord of Glory

The troubled Lord of Glory!

Recently I attended a funeral service and heard the words from John’s Gospel that tell of Jesus Christ being troubled at the graveside of his friend Lazarus.
In scripture we are told that Jesus is troubled, troubled in body in John 11:33; troubled in soul John 12:27; and troubled in spirit John 13:21.

But how do groaning and trouble of mind belong to the person of the Son of God? Some would reckon it absurd to say that Christ, as one of the number of human beings, was subject to human passions. We have no problem if we say that the Son of God, having clothed Himself with our flesh, of His own accord clothed himself also with human feelings, so that He did not differ at all from His brothers, sin only excepted. In this way we detract nothing from the glory of Christ, when we say that it was a voluntary submission, by which He was brought to resemble us in the feelings of the soul.

It is of some comfort to know that the Lord of Glory was troubled. The New Testament Greek word is tar-as’-so meaning an inner restlessness and a deep commotion of the inward parts. Faced with the prospect of His own death in His own words He declares “Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour . . . .” John 12:27. We can be sure that death was not a sport and amusement to Christ, but that He endured the severest torments on our account.

The Book of Hebrews tells of Christ’s agony in the Garden of Gethsemane with these words “Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that He feared; though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered; and being made perfect, He became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey Him;” Hebrews 5:7-9.

What great comfort it is having tried to understand all that our Saviour experienced to hear His words in the opening of chapter 14 of John’s Gospel. “let not your heart be troubled”.

In our personal preparation for the approach of our Easter celebrations let us wonder afresh at all that He suffered to secure our salvation.


Give me a sight, O Saviour,
Of Thy wondrous love to me,
Of the love that brought Thee down to earth,
To die on Calvary.

Refrain:
Oh, make me understand it,
Help me to take it in,
What it meant to Thee, the Holy One,
To bear away my sin.

Was it the nails, O Saviour,
That bound Thee to the tree?
Nay, 'twas Thine everlasting love,
Thy love for me, for me.

Oh, wonder of all wonders,
That through Thy death for me,
My open sins, my secret sins,
Can all forgiven be.

Then melt my heart, O Saviour,
Bend me, yea, break me down,
Until I own Thee Conqueror,
And Lord and Sovereign crown.

Katherine A.M. Kelly 1869 -1942

The problem of missing the target.

Observing a bowman giving his demonstration at Warwick Castle I heard him call the arrow which missed the target a “sinner”.
Once in Norway when I stepped over the boundary marker into a private garden I became a “trespasser”. In fact the older I get the more I am conscious of sin within myself and one Bible verse is a constant challenge for it states that the person who “knows to do good and does not do it," to that person it is SIN. (James 4:17)

What is sin? It is missing the mark, it overstepping the mark, in fact it is not doing what is right.
The following footnotes are interesting, and instructive. It reports the literal meanings of the Hebrew and Greek words variously rendered "sin," "sinner," etc. They disclose the true nature of sin in its various manifestations.

What SIN IS:
(1) Transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil.
(Psalm. 51:1 Romans 2:23)
(2) Iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not (Romans 1 :21-23)
(3) Error, a departure from what is right (Romans 1:18; 1 John 3:4)
(4) Missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard (Romans 3:23)
(5) Trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority (Ephesians 2: 1)
(6) Lawlessness or spiritual anarchy (1 Timothy 1:9)
(7) Unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9).

More about SIN.
(I) Originated with Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14)
(2) Entered the world through Adam (Romans 5: 12)
(3) Was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted. (Romans 3:23; I Peter 2:22)
(4) Incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death (Genesis 2:17, 3:19; Ezekiel 18:4-20; Romans 6:23)
(5) Has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ (Acts 4:12; Hebrews 9-26) availed of by faith (Acts 13:38-39).

So to summarize, sin is an act, the violation of living in obedience to the revealed will of God.
It is a state, the absence of righteousness and also a nature of enmity toward God

Christians can sin in thought, word, action, inaction, and small faith.
But praise God there is forgiveness and cleansing, from Him - see Proverbs 28:13; 1 John 1:9. The old nature wars against the new nature of the believer - see Galatians. 5: 17. But the believer is helped to obey God's instructions, by the Holy Spirit of God, who fills those who are yielded.

What an Inheritance.

1 Peter chapter 1 verses 3 to 6

The French Protestant theologian, John Calvin (1509-1564) wrote about this passage.

“To an inheritance. The three words which follow are intended to amplify God’s grace; for Peter had this object in view, to impress our minds thoroughly as to its excellency. Moreover, these two clauses, "to an inheritance incorruptible," . . . and "to salvation ready to be revealed," I deem as being in apposition, the latter being explanatory of the former; for he expresses the same thing in two ways. Every word which follows is weighty. The inheritance is said to be reserved, or preserved, that we may know that it is beyond the reach of danger. For, were it not in God’s hand, it might be exposed to endless dangers. If it were in this world, how could we regard it as safe amidst so many changes? That he might then free us from every fear, he testifies that our salvation is placed in safety beyond the harms which Satan can do.”

It cannot be defiled by death.
It cannot be soiled by sin.
It cannot be eroded by time.
Death cannot destroy it.
Sin cannot desecrate it.
Time cannot alter it
Satan cannot touch it.
What is more, it is being kept for those who are being kept by the LORD.

And this is only there for those who have fully put their trust in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. For He who died upon the Cross and rose alive from the dead promises to save and to sustain and to keep. WONDERFUL.

Enjoy the thought of it NOW.

Our inheritance is:
Incorruptible: It is Test Proof.
Undefiled: It is Tarnish proof.
Does not fade away: It is Time Proof.
Reserved in heaven: It is Tamper proof.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” NKJV

The birth of Tourism!


In Britain every January there is a time of activity among most of the population as holiday travel occupies the thoughts of those with the money to spend.
While today's sun seekers are frequently seen as hedonistic escapists, stereotyped as irresponsible, drunken and loutish, the originator of the package holiday was a staunch teetotal, anti-smoking Victorian Nonconformist steeped in the Protestant work ethic.

This article is about the man who is regarded as “the father of tourism”, a forgotten hero of the 19th century. Thomas Cook was born in Melbourne, on the border of Leicestershire and Derbyshire, in a time of great change. Driven by his Baptist faith and passion for the Temperance movement he was a power house of activity. I have just finished reading Jill Hamilton’s book “Thomas Cook, The Holiday Maker” which is interesting since it views this man’s life from a non-Christian stand point.

The minister who baptised Thomas at the age of 17, was Rev. H. Joseph Foulkes Winks. Winks was an articulate pulpit man and prolific printer who became a father figure to Thomas. A true campaigner for right he was active in helping to abolish cock fighting, dog fighting and he was nicked named “Gibbet Parson Winks”, as he campaigned against the use of the gibbet , the wooden structure from which criminals were hung. Eventually Winks moved his printing enterprise to the High Street in Leicester and in 1839 was appointed the Pastor of Carley Street Baptist Church where he served until his death aged 72 in 1860.

Hence the link with this writer who was converted in that same chapel in 1957 and who eventually became the Pastor from July 1985 to March 2000.

Thomas Cook spent some time as an Evangelist and travelled through three counties with the Gospel message. In 1829 he records that he clocked up 2,692 miles and over 2,106 were walked! Some of our present day preachers and full time pastors could learn much from this man’s dedication and endurance.

His involvement with the Temperance movement in Leicester was to lead him into organising travel to get supporters to large meetings in other towns. On 5 July 1841 the Leicester Chronicle reports that 500 respectably-dressed, and apparently happy teetotallers were taken from Campbell Street Railway Station, Leicester to Loughborough in one second-class carriage and nine third-class carriages.

Within two months of this Temperance train Thomas and his wife moved from Market Harborough into Leicester then regarded as the “Metropolis of Dissent”. Nonconformists were making their mark on society and no longer were town councils in the control of the landed gentry. While the men of vision were building the railways across the country, the men of faith were making a difference in the lives of the people.

The Leicester to Swannington Railway in 1832 was the third railway to be completed in Britain, soon the railway would be built joining Leicester to London and links made to other major cities. By 1850, 6,000 miles of railway track had been laid and travel became affordable for the working classes. With Thomas now working as a printer, as was his fellow Baptist Winks, he was advertising cheap travel by train to large cities, so the tourist industry was born with the masses seeing that travel was not just for the rich. Soon excursions were going to the Great Exhibition in London of 1850 and within a few years guided trips to Egypt and the Holy land. Tourism was born! Cook's aim was to bring cheap travel to the working classes,

In the year 1884-85, the Thomas Cook and son, John Mason Cook, transported the Anglo-Egyptian army on an expedition to rescue Charles Gordon from Khartoum.

For those wanting to do their own study I would commend the following websites.
www.thomascook.com/corporate/press.asp?page=studentpack
www.travellersinegypt.org/archives/2004/09/thomas_cook_son.html

and for some recommended reading
Thomas Cook: The Holiday-Maker by Jill Hamilton
Thomas Cook of Leicester by Robert Ingle

The more I look back into the lives of these old saints, the more I am aware of the impact that these men of faith had on the society in which they lived. And I am prompted to ask the question: “How am I influencing the people in my generation?”.

Am I making a difference?

Amazing Grace.
On Christmas morning 2006 we would do well to remember the Amazing Grace of Almighty God in sending into His world a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

John Newton on January 1st. 1773 wrote in his diary.
“This is the ninth New Year’s day I have seen in this place. I have reason to say the Lord crowneth every year with his goodness. I am still favoured with strength, and with some liberty for my public work and hope the Lord is still pleased to work by me, for the edification of his people already called, and the awakening of sinners.

“I preached this forenoon from 1 Chronicles 17:16,17. Hope I was enabled to speak with some liberty, but found my own heart sadly unaffected.”

This extract from John Newton’s diary on that New Year’s Day in 1773 confirms the date of both the sermon based on this text and its accompanying hymn – Amazing Grace.

The coming New Year, 2007 is the bicentenary of the death of John Newton, (he died on 21 December 1807) what an appropriate time to draw attention to the background and meaning of this wonderful hymn.

Amazing grace: King David’s story 1 Chronicles 17 verse 16 & 17
"And David the king came and sat before the LORD, and said, Who am I, O LORD God, and what is mine house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? And yet this was a small thing in thine eyes, O God; for thou hast also spoken of thy servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast regarded me according to the estate of a man of high degree, O LORD God."

In his sermon, Newton took three points from David’s life, using his customary reflections for a New Year: 1. look back 2. look around 3. look forward

1. The Lord reminded David in 1 Chronicles 17:7, “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people Israel.” David aside, said Newton, how about you and me? Where were we when the Lord began to show his love to us? Shouldn’t this remembrance fill us with humility and admiration?
Amazing grace… that saved a wretch like me!

2. The great promises God made to David filled him with wonder (v16). "Who am I, O Lord God… that you have brought me this far?” Just think, said Newton, of how many millions of dangers the Lord has preserved us from, before and since the day of our conversion, to bring us this far.
Through many dangers, toils and snares,I have already come.
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far.

3. David was overwhelmed at the Lord’s promise that his house would continue forever (v26). “O Lord, you are God! You have promised these good things to your servant.” Likewise, for each of us, said Newton.
The Lord has promised good to me

God’ promises hold even to eternity, Newton pointed out. “We are travelling home to God. We shall soon see Jesus, and never complain of sin, sorrow, temptation or desertion any more.
God, who called me here below.
Will be forever mine.

John Newton drew valuable lessons from David’s grateful response. “The Lord bestows many blessings upon his people, but unless he likewise gives them a thankful heart, they lose much of the comfort they might have in them.” His advice on these points was to “accommodate them to our own use as a proper subject for our meditations on the entrance of a new year.”

Newton’s full sermon is on the John Newton Project website http://www.johnnewton.org/ and is also spread across the first few daily thoughts in 365 days with Newton published by Day One Publications.

Faith's review and expectations 1 Chronicles 17:16,17

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That saved a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

'Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace those fears relieved;
How precious did that grace appear,
The hour I first believed!

Through many dangers, toils and snares,
I have already come;
'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,
And grace will lead me home.

The Lord has promised good to me,
His word my hope secures;
He will my shield and portion be,
As long as life endures.

Yes, when this flesh and heart shall fail
And mortal life shall cease;
I shall possess, within the veil,
A life of joy and peace.

The earth shall soon dissolve like snow,
The sun forbear to shine;
But God, who called me here below,
Will be forever mine.

John Newton, Olney Hymns, 1779, Book 1, Hymn 41

May we all have a Happy Christmas and a very happy and fruitful New Year as we experience more of His Amazing Grace so wonderfully displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ.

THOU WHO WAST RICH BEYOND ALL SPLENDOUR

One of our favourite carols, albeit in archaic language, was written during difficult times on the mission field in China. Frank Houghton was consecrated as Bishop of East Szechwan in 1937. Missionaries had been captured by the communist Red Army and released in poor health after over a year of suffering. Others had been captured never to be heard from again. In 1934 the young missionaries John and Betty Stam were captured and beheaded. The news of these sorrows had reached the mission's headquarters in Shanghai. Though this was a very dangerous time for both the Chinese Christians and the foreign missionaries, Frank decided he needed to begin a tour through the country to visit various missionary outposts. While travelling over the mountains of Szechwan, the powerful and comforting words of 2 Corinthians 8:9, "For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, that you through His poverrty might become rich" were transformed into this beautiful Christmas hymn.

Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor;
Thrones for a manger didst surrender,
Sapphire-paved courts for stable floor.
Thou who wast rich beyond all splendour,
All for love's sake becamest poor.

Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest Man;
Stooping so low, but sinners raising
Heavenward by Thine eternal plan.
Thou who art God beyond all praising,
All for love's sake becamest Man.

Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship thee.
Emmanuel, within us dwelling,
Make us what Thou wouldst have us be.
Thou who art love beyond all telling,
Saviour and King, we worship Thee.

- Frank Houghton (1894-1972)

In 1958, J.B.Philips gave to the world The New Testament in Modern English.

There is no such thing as “timeless English” but this 50 year old translation does get the message over to us of the need to be generous towards others. It appears that those in Corinth had not been that generous to Paul compared with those in the Macedonian churches who gave "to the limit of their means". This should challenge us in every area of our giving especially to those in His service.

2 Corinthians 8 verses 7 to 15
“Already you are well to the fore in every good quality - you have faith, you can express that faith in words; you have knowledge, enthusiasm and your love for us. Could you not add generosity to your virtues?
I don’t give you this as an order. It is only my suggestion, prompted by what I have seen in others of eagerness to help, that here is a way to prove the reality of your love.
Do you remember the generosity of Jesus Christ, the Lord of us all? He was rich, yet he became poor for your sakes so that his poverty might make you rich.
Here is my opinion in the matter. I think it would be a good thing for you, who were the first a year ago to think of helping, as well as the first to give, to carry through what you then intended to do. Finish it, then, as well as your means allow, and show that you can complete what you set out to do with as much readiness as you showed eagerness to begin.
The important thing is to be willing to give as much as we can - that is what God accepts, and no one is asked to give what he has not got. Of course, I don’t mean that others should be relieved to an extent that leaves you in distress.
It is a matter of share and share alike. At present your plenty should supply their need, and then at some future date their plenty may supply your need. In that way we share with each other, as the scripture says, He that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack.” Taken from the J.B. Phillips translation.

Christmas is a good time for showing generosity to others, sharing with those who have little or nothing. One message of Christmas is that of giving with the same generosity of spirit as God the Father did over 2,000 years ago in sending us His beloved Son into the world.

“He who was rich for our sakes became poor” and for a very good reason!