Preaching with a purpose

  What should we ordinary folk do when we hear of wars and rumours of wars?  Jesus said we should look up because our redemption draws near. We feel helpless in these situations, unable to influence our governments.  We feel like pawns in a game, but if we look up to Jesus and ask for His wisdom in what we do we can use prayer and trust in God, who is working out His will for the best even when it seems not to be the case. The ability to sort out the mess in the Middle East is with God alone, so let's trust Him to work out His purposes.  The super powers think they have a solution but only God has. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto thy own understanding.  In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct thy path." Good advice for us all, small or great.

Many people know the story of Martha being very busy with the housework and complaining that her sister Mary was sitting by Jesus listening to him teaching. Jesus told her that Mary had chosen something better and it would not be taken away from her.  Many do not go on to read that when the brother of the sisters, Lazarus died, it was Martha who first went out to meet Jesus, while Mary stayed in the house. She said to Jesus that she knew her brother would not have died if Jesus had been there at the time. Jesus told her that Lazarus would rise again and she agreed that he would at the end of time.  Then Jesus said,"I am the resurrection and the life.  He who believes in me will live, even though he dies, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die."  He asked if she believed this. And then it was that Martha made a declaration as profound as Peter's."Yes Lord,I believe that you are the Christ, the son of God, who was to come into the world."  This puts M

In John 10 we read of the Good Shepherd, Jesus. We read in verse 4,"his sheep follow him because they know his voice." It is obvious from this that the sheep who are not his will not follow.  At this time many church groups are trying to attract people from outside the church, but instead of setting forth the voice and words of Jesus they use gimmicks.  Only the voice of Jesus spoken by his servants will attract the true sheep. Nothing else will attract and there are some bewildered sheep who are being given clowns to watch(literally) when they need to here the voice of Jesus. Let your voice speak only the words of Jesus.

  In our day has come to pass the prophecy of Amos.  In Amos 8 v 11 - 12 we read, "Behold the days are coming" says the Lord God"That I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord.  They shall wander from sea to sea and from north to east;they shall run to and fro seeking the word of the Lord and shall not find it."   This is so true of Britain today. I took a funeral service recently and used two or three pieces of scripture only to be asked if I was a humanist. People do not even realize when they are hearing scripture.  It brought home to me how blessed I am in that I hear good teaching from the Bible alone, on a weekly basis.  I have found an oasis.  Many churches today are not founded on the word of God.  Many are hungry and don't know why.  Those of us who have the truth brought to us regularly must pass it on to others.

Just remember your body didn't ask to be overweight, you did it.  So now that you want to lose weight be kind to your body, don't punish it.  Lose weight slowly.  Crash dieting can seriously damage your health. Eat lots of fruit and vegetables but you must also include a certain amount of fat.  Your body needs to be fed. When you have lost a few pounds and then you get stuck on a plateau, don't panic, it's good to be able to maintain a steady weight and after a couple of weeks you will lose weight again. Do it gently and kindly.  Exercise helps but there again it is important not to overdo things. I am dieting and have reached a plateau.  Any minute I shall make a breakthrough and start to lose a little more weight. All these things should be side issues; spiritual health is far more important.

Many churches today seem to be encouraging people to be good and all will be well.  But God requires perfection from us.  No amount of good things that we can do will put us right with God.  However God has supplied the solution for us.  Jesus lived a perfect life and is Himself perfection.  If we put our trust entirely in Him and realize that all our righteousnesses, the good things we do, are like filthy rags.  We are totally bankrupt before God and need to repent and put our trust in what He has done for us.  This salvation is available to all who will put their trust in Him, no matter what their religious background or place in theworld. This is not a white man's religion but open to all who will believe.

Occasionally I take a funeral service.  Although I believe in heaven and hell I do not think a funeral is a time when one should judge the spiritual state of the deceased. After all only God knows that and it is not for us to interfere.  In such services I declare the gospel in a positive way hoping that the living will benefit, but there is no hint of detriment to the deceased. Some preachers make themselves odious by being judgmental.  I declare the truth by using scripture and give a dignified farewell to the beloved relative.

  Today we had planned to be beside the river on the meadow with the Salvation Army Band accompanying the hymns.  Instead we had to flee the rain and hold our service in the village hall.  We had a happy time with the band playing beautifully and our own Occasional Singers leading the singing. In Britain we often have to have a Plan B with the vicissitudes of our weather.  Perhaps that is what makes us so resourceful. God is never cought out by a change of plan.  He knows the end from the beginning.  Your life might seem to be in a mess, just commit it to God and He will make something beautiful from it.

We all hate to go through difficult times, but these are the times when we learn so much and develop in character. We like to be safe and cozy, but this makes us fat and lazy . Difficult times stretch us and mold us and make something more wonderful of us. In the book of James we read that we should rejoice when difficult times come because our faith is being strengthened.  It makes us persevere and builds our character.  So don't be down-hearted when these times come, they are for your own good and will bring you nearer to God.