Reprinted periodically - The Gospel and How do I become a Christian

 

 The Gospel

In the beginning, God, (God the Father, Jesus Christ his only Son and the Holy Spirit), created the heavens and the earth and everything in it, including the first man, Adam and the first woman, Eve. God created humans to live in relationship with Him, but gave them free will to either obey Him or be disobedient. Satan, the devil, whom the Bible identifies as a fallen angel, tempted Eve to sin by disobeying God and she in turn tempted Adam to also disobey God. For their disobedience Adam and Eve were cast away from God’s presence and the wonderful life God had created for them and through them all their descendents were destined to be born sinful.

Yet throughout history there have been men and women who sought after God. Humanity became so depraved that God destroyed the earth with a global flood, but saved Noah and his family. Through Abraham God established the nation of Israel, who would be God’s favoured people. Moses, Abraham’s descendent, led the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt and received the Ten Commandments and many laws of conduct. Because of the sinful nature of man, these laws were not kept, and a system of animal sacrifices was instituted to make atonement for the sins of the people. However, the people both individually and as a nation continued in a cycle of falling away from God and returning to Him.

During the history of the nation of Israel there were prophets who foretold that a Saviour would be born, to save humanity from its sinfulness. Their prophecies were fulfilled when Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. Jesus is the only Son of God. He was sent to this earth and lived amongst us as a human, without losing His divine nature. In all things Jesus honoured and obeyed His Father, God. During His ministry on earth, Jesus performed many miracles and taught us regarding God’s nature and way of living. He was tempted by Satan but was without sin. He travelled with a group of disciples who were the foundation of the church – God’s people on earth.

In the same way that animals had been sacrificed to make atonement for man’s sin, it was the purpose of God to send Jesus to earth to become a total sacrifice, once and for all time, for fallen humanity. As was His destiny, Jesus was arrested, tried for heresy and crucified on a hill outside Jerusalem called Calvary. At the time of Christ’s death the curtain in the Jewish temple was torn apart, symbolising that the old system of God only being able to be approached by certain people and in certain places, was finished.

Now all could come into right relationship with God through the shed blood of Jesus, by committing their lives to Him in repentance and faith.

The Bible tells us that Jesus descended into hell and has total dominion over Satan and evil. On the third day Christ rose from the dead and appeared to his disciples and many others on earth. He gave his disciples the “great commission” to go into all nations and preach the gospel. Forty days after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven.

After Jesus ascended to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit to the earth at Pentecost (ten days after Jesus’ ascension). The Holy Spirit is not only alive in the world, but indwells in those who have committed themselves wholly to God and gives such attributes as comfort, counsel, power and discernment. God's temple is now not a building, but the people in whom His spirit dwells. In the same way the church is not a building but the body of Christian believers on earth.

The Bible tells of spiritual battles between good and evil in both earthly and heavenly realms. It includes indications of great tribulation yet to come. We are told that Christ will return to this earth, the second coming, when He will defeat the evil forces raging in the world and will judge the living and the dead.

We who have committed our lives to Christ still struggle in our humanity with temptation to sin, and must choose daily to live in obedience to His will. We grow in our faith through prayer, study and reflection of God’s word, the Bible; and by meeting regularly in fellowship with other Christians.

All this is a fairly factual summary of some of the content of the Bible. But most of all, our lives as Christians are lives that are transformed. We know a love that surpasses anything. We know a deep joy within our spirits springing from God's Holy Spirit within us. We know a power beyond ourselves which touches others and transforms them too. We have a confidence that even when life is difficult and deeply sad and broken and disappointing, we have a relationship which sustains and comforts and gives us hope. God is faithful and He has the best in store. Christianity is not a killjoy set of rules which will spoil your fun. It's the most fantastic life you could ever hope to imagine....and then some more.

How do I become a Christian?

The Bible tells us that there is only one way to relationship with God and that is through Jesus Christ:

"Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)

“Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. (John 14:5-6)

To become a Christian, you need to believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to honour God and for the forgiveness of sin and that He rose again and ascended to His Father God.

You also need to admit or confess that you are a sinner in need of God’s forgiveness through Christ. This is known as repentance. Repentance involves confessing that we have done wrong, saying sorry to God and committing to living a life in obedience to God's ways. Becoming a Christian does not make you suddenly perfect. We all still struggle with temptations and failures in this earthly life and continually need God's grace and forgiveness. Repentance does mean that we look to God for wisdom and guidance to resist temptation.

You then need to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. Just as a wedding ceremony begins a marriage, so a prayer of confession and faith can begin, but is just the beginning, of a relationship with God. An ongoing relationship includes learning about God through Bible study; baptism, conversations with God through prayer, and encouragement through Christian fellowship in a caring church.

The following is a prayer which could be used to begin this relationship. You may wish to pray it alone, personally, or you may wish to discuss your decision with a Christian friend or pastor first to fully understand:

Dear Heavenly Father God,

I come before You acknowledging You as the only one God- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Thank You, Father God, for sending Your only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross, honouring You and making a way for sinful people to come back into relationship with You. I acknowledge that I am a sinner. Please forgive my sin and cleanse me I pray. I receive Jesus Christ into my life to be my Lord and Saviour for the rest of my days. May You give me strength through the power of the Holy Spirit to live my life as a Christian. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and Saviour. Amen

May God bless you with an ever-increasing knowledge of His wonderful presence and endless love as you continue to seek and serve Him.

Ephesians 3:14-20 :

^"For this reason I kneel before the Father,  from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name.  I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ,  and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen

No Christmas Tree

 

No Christmas tree

Not enough to eat

Worrying about

How to pay the rent

No work in sight

Bills coming in

And how to make Christmas happy

For the children

 

The sirens sound again

We huddle in a cellar

School lessons held underground

The sound of war

Over our heads

Wondering if

Our homes will still be there.

Praying that

In the cold of winter

The power will stay on.

 

Behind bars

My body wracked with pain

Mocked by those around me

For loving You Jesus.

 

Is he alive or dead?

We don’t know

In a faraway prison

For preaching the gospel

Our breadwinner is gone

And we get by

On handouts from those who will share.

 

Lord Jesus, we know that this is not the end

Just as You suffered, You died

And that was not the end,

For You rose in Your glory, and reign.

Hope of the world, lover of the poor,

Light of the world, shine.

And may those who love You

Be Your hands and feet this Christmas.

 

© Josephine Collett 23/12/2022

 

(Author's note: the conditions in verse 2 are taken directly from a pastoral report from the Ukraine.)

Book Review – The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The Poise, Grace and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown by Dudley Delffs

 

Although not unexpected, the death of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in September this year was a shock to the whole world, and many of us felt a profound sense of grief on her passing. This grief was somewhat tempered however by a sense of gratitude that the world for so long had been inspired by a remarkable monarch. As the eulogies were sifted through, her many noteworthy characteristics were reiterated- including a deep sense of duty, modesty, intelligence, wit, compassion. Perhaps underscoring all of these was noted her Christian faith.

Dudley Delffs, in this slim but eloquent volume provides a compact history lesson of the circumstances surrounding the Queen’s ascension to the throne in 1952 and some of the important historical events during her reign. Queen Elizabeth II made no secret of her Christian faith and the importance she placed on it to guide her both personally and in her public commitments. Mr Delffs provides some background on some of the lesser-known affiliations which the Queen had with Christian organisations.

In ten chapters the author considers various aspects of the Queen’s life and how her faith resulted in actions- e.g., “Service and sacrifice: Showing Humility and Respect toward all People”; and “Comfort and Compassion: Mourning Life’s Losses by Consoling Others”. The Queen not only believed in Jesus Christ, her actions demonstrated that faith and love, and some personal anecdotes are included to support this.

This book was written prior to the Queen’s passing and as we enter into a new era with King Charles III it is interesting to look back and consider what has gone before, not just for the Royal Family but for us all. The Queen’s faith was central to her life and sustained her in the best and worst of times. So it can be for us all.

 

The Faith of Queen Elizabeth: The Poise, Grace and Quiet Strength Behind the Crown by Dudley Delffs  Zondervan 2019

 

 

Lessons from my garden

 

Weeds

I’ve just spent much of the day digging up weeds from the garden. It’s been raining solidly for a few days, and today’s lull has enabled me to do so more easily than usual. As I worked away, I contemplated how the things in nature can often reflect or symbolise spiritual characteristics. Jesus is very often in my thoughts, but never more so than when I’m in the garden, enjoying God’s creation.

Weeds are like sin. They’re persistent. They are always present. They spoil things, threaten the health of a plant and in the worst-case scenario, they can kill it.

My mother taught me to weed when I was a little girl. You have to be able to identify weeds from flower shoots or seedlings. You have to firmly pull or dig out the whole weed, roots included. You have to shake off the soil, the good stuff, from around the roots. Finally, you have to dispose of the weed where it can’t shed any seeds or take root again.

So it is with sin. Weeds are usually the first thing to appear on empty ground. Give space for sin in your life and the temptations will come thick and fast, shedding their seeds of further temptation.

^“Idle hands are the devil’s workshop; idle lips are his mouthpiece.” (Proverbs 16:27). Empty spaces in our lives e.g. having little to do, having lots of time, not connecting with others, can lead to wrong ways of thinking and wrong actions.

If you just pull the foliage off a weed and leave the roots, the area will look fine for a while, but it doesn’t take long for the weeds to reappear. Pull a weed out with the roots and it will soon be dead. Persistent sins need to be rooted out. Don’t just take a couple of corrective steps, acknowledge your problem and seek deep cleansing and healing. This might involve drastic changes. It might need you to seek someone to whom you can be accountable. It may require therapy.

“…If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have two hands and two feet and be thrown into the eternal fire. 9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into the fire of hell.” (Matthew 18:8,9)

Mulching is a good way to tackle weeds or prevent them. My garden mulcher is one of my favourite tools.  I mulch with shredded cardboard and shredded clippings. I see the Bible as a ready source of spiritual mulch. That little, sneaky tempting voice of Satan is no match for the mighty word of God. It can be a great covering in times of temptation. As the psalmist says:

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. Praise be to you, LORD; teach me your decrees. With my lips I recount all the laws that come from your mouth. I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. I meditate on your precepts and consider your ways. I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word.” (Psalm 119:11-16)

Another way of tackling weeds is to ensure that the healthy plants that you want in your garden crowd them out. Ground covers and lots of plantings are an excellent way of doing this. Satan is not so happy or effective when a Christian’s life in the spirit is flourishing. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” – Paul writes to the believers in Colossae (Colossians 3:23). Let the focus of your mind and deeds be on God: “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Prayer and Christian fellowship, as well as studying God’s word will help our faith to grow.

We all sin and fall short. Sin and temptation are always with us. Praise God that through Christ we have a Saviour who has set us free from the bondage of sin and death and daily invites us to share a new life, the best life with Him.