To the Cross

Archeaology time and time again has shown the accuracy of the New Testament: For example in John 5: 1- 15 we hear that Jesus healed a man by the Pool at Bethsaida. In John's account it describes the pool as having five colonaided porches (porticoes). For many years people argued that John was inaccurate in his recording because no such pool had been found in Bethsaida. More recently however archaologists have discovered this pool which has 'yes you guessed it' five porticoes! For me one of the most interesting discoveries was that of the dead sea scrolls. Lee Strobel in his book: 'The Case For Christ' explains: "The gospel of Matthew describes how John the Baptist, imprisoned and wrestling with lingering doubts about Jesus' identity, sent his followers to ask Jesus this monumental question: 'Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?' (Matt. 11.3). He was seeking a straight answer about whether Jesus was the long awaited Mes...

The greatest challenge that I have received on my blog was by an anonimous person who responded to one of my posts about abortion. He asked if I was on the adoption register. It certainly made me think. Statistics show that there are around 4,000 children waiting to be adopted in the UK at any one time. I do believe that (although not every Christian family is called to adopt a child) it is certainly something that more Christian families should consider.

Morality itself, in the truest sense (what is right and just), can not exist without someone who has absolute authority to declare what is right and just. Since everyone falls short of the absolute moral standard (who has ever kept the 10 commandments?) no person can claim to have that absolute authority! This authority belongs to the Author of Life alone!

'He is a compulsive liar and compulsive thief, who has no sense of remorse whatsoever!' A judgement poured out by the angry authoritiies on someone whose wayward ways had caused havoc in a particular organisation. And in many ways I could not disagree with their verdict and fully understood their anger. But what if the ones giving this verdict had in an earlier discussion agreed that effectively all we are is a product of an accident of colliding molecules. How justified would their anger at this man be? How justified their judgement? How can a conglemerate of molecules lie? After all if I angrily shouted 'YOU LIAR!' at a chair that on the face of it looked quite stable and therefore promised to hold me but collapsed on my sitting upon it, then you could quite reasonably call me stupid. Things (a table, a chair, a set of atoms or molecules)can not lie! For anyone to be convicted of a crime the presence of 'mens rea' (a guilty mind) has to be proven. It is the ...

When I look at the blood All I see is love, love, love. When I stop at the cross I can see the love of God But I can't see competition I can't see hierachy I can't see pride or prejudice or the abuse of authority I can't see lust for power I can't see manipulation I can't see rage or anger or selfish ambition But I can't see unforgiveness I can't see hate or envy I can't see stupid fighting or bitterness,or jealousy. I can't see empire building I can't see self importance I can't see back stabbing Or vanity or arrogance. I see: surrender, sacrifice, salvation, humility, righteousness, faithfulness, grace, forgiveness Love Love Love........ When I Stop!....at the cross I can see the love of God. Godfrey Birtill 2004 © Whitefield Music UK Admin Copycare

This early Christmas morning we are going to think of people who saw baby Jesus for who he really was: Isaiah: The Shepherds and Jesus' mother Mary. Isaiah prophecied the coming of Jesus more than 700 yrs before his arrival - doesn't that blow you mind? In Isaiah 7 (not read this evening): Isaiah filled with God's Holy Spirit sees with his mind's eye a virgin who is impregnated with child giving birth to a son: Immanuel : GOD WITH US! Somehow within a tiny baby Isaiah sees and declares that the great God who flung billions of stars into space, the majestic God who created universe the planets, the earth, the skies the seas, the incredable God who created the animals and the plants .. the God who created you: - Isaiah saw this majestic all powerful great big God somehow becomingsmall (God incarnate! God made flesh! ) 700 yrs later John records this Gospel – this good news event like this: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. THro...

Brigham Young is consideredas a major prophet and leader of the Church of the Latter Day Saints. His racist words and views are self condemming. Young said, "You see some classes of the human family that are black, uncouth, uncomely, disagreeable and low in their habits, wild, and seemingly deprived of nearly all the blessings of the intelligence that is generally bestowed upon mankind …. Cain slew his brother. Cain might have been killed, and that would have put a termination to that line of human beings. This was not to be, and the Lord put a mark upon him, which is the flat nose and black skin. Trace mankind down to after the flood, and then another curse is pronounced upon the same race - that they should be the ‘servant of servants’ This too appears to be the teaching of Joseph Smith the organisation's founder. My conclusion is that not only were they false prophets but appear to be quite evil!