For Many Are Called...

I heard a sermon recently where the speaker talked about evangelism in the current secular atheist environment. He noted that most non Christians don’t have much pre-existing knowledge about God, or Christianity, and that we often have to fill in the blanks for them. We can’t start assuming that they know what we would have accepted as normal in the past when even non Christians has a good basic understanding about the bible, the gospel and subjects like sin.

I have to say that it really chimed in with my own thoughts about the state of society as it is changing and the challenge for the Church to connect with people today. I have to admit to feeling very sad about the move away from God, the gospel and Christianity. Many folk not only don’t know about their need for salvation they don't care.

They are actively resistant any attempt to share Christ with them. Often citing science and atheism as valid reasons to reject the gospel and any outreach to them from the Church. They have become hardened toward Christ and are apparently content to die in their sins. All the while oblivious to their real plight where they are facing eternal separation from God their Creator.

The apostle Paul phrased it this way in Romans 1:28 “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting...” In their hearts the unbelieving  have an intuitive understanding of right and wrong and they only need to look at creation to realise that there is a creator. Again Paul puts it this way in Romans 1:19-20 “because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse...”

So non Christians in this era are somewhat lacking in even a rudimentary knowledge of the gospel and the word of God in the bible but God has given them an inherent ability to know right from wrong and at some level an awareness of their sin burden. This understanding is perhaps key in the thinking of any evangelist intent on witnessing to these poor desperate souls because some level non Christians know they need to deal with their sins.

Bear in mind that though I am speaking to other Christians intent on witnessing to the non Christian people around them. However, I would say to non Christians who are reading this piece that I am being objective rather than subjective in my analysis of folk who are not Christian. I would also add that Christians are people too and are largely faced with the same challenges that non Christians are. Except that they have the benefit of a relationship with God, in Christ Jesus, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in their hearts to assist them in daily life.

To Christians who are feeling warn down by the lack of knowledge of Christianity and the lack of interest in salvation exhibited by most non Christians. I would suggest to them not to get too depressed about this as Christ Jesus said that there would be a great turning away in the End Times (Matthew 24:10). We have certainly seen this over the last fifty years in the Western World.

 
However, in the Middle East, Africa and Asia there are many converts to Christ Jesus even in the face of great persecution at this time. God is active and many are coming to Salvation.
If things are not happening in our countries perhaps we need to chasten ourselves and get down on our knees beseeching God to pour out the Holy Spirit in our land. God promised the nation of Israel in II Chronicles 7:14  “ If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” This is a promise to Israel but I feel it could well apply to the Church in our time.

Even we Christians are to some extent consumed by worldliness and we need to separate from the world and become earnest in our desire to see the gospel preached to poor retched folk who don’t know the Lord. We need to pray that the Father would draw them near to Christ in the process of hearing the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ and of His redemptive work on the Cross at Calvary. Where He bore the sins of the World that those who believe on His name may be saved.

Finally, I would say that, yes, we live in perilous times but we also live in times where the gospel will be preached abroad and countless people will be saved in Christ Jesus. We have an opportunity to ask God to consecrate us to Him and to prepare us for the battle that will be fought for the hearts and minds of men and women in our time. Lord Jesus Come Quickly Amen.

An Imperfect Christian

 

I often think if only people would hear the gospel and repent. I look around me and think what am I doing here? I pray for people and nothing seems to happen. That’s not entirely true a lot of my prayers are answered but some of them just seem to be on hold.

I must confess to being an imperfect Christian. It’s not uncommon you know. Many Christians, if not all Christians, are just people. Yes they believe on Jesus and read the Bible but despite what they may think they are not perfect. Actually, they may be in denial and not realising that they are not any different from other people and that there are non Christian people who are very generous, very loving, very philanthropic and very decent people.

The bible speaks of these people II Timothy 3:5 “Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.” The apostle Paul is quite hard on these people but myself I am in awe of them. I am a Christian and have all of the blessings of God and yet my life is not perfect in any way. Instead of being spiritually and angel I feel my self to be a spiritual leper. There are many ordinary folk who live far more righteous lives than I do. If only they could believe on Christ and surrender their sins to Him. Imagine their potential as Christians.

I guess what it comes down to is that “If I can be a Christian, then anyone can be a Christian.” “If I can fellowship with God in Christ Jesus and my sins can be forgiven,” “Then anyone can be forgiven and inherit eternal life?”In fact, I John 1:9 says “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is a promise of God. I must say that I ask for this promise of God often myself.

However, it comes down to my preparedness to trust God and to surrender control of my life to Him. That my friends, is a work in progress. The question here is of trust and obedience to the will of God. Another question is how much of my will is in alignment with God’s will? If I’m honest we’re probably talking single digit percentages here.

So in the end it is about waiting on God. It is the realisation that He has a plan and only He can give me the power to be reformed in nature. Only through the work of the Spirit can I be holy and sanctified. In the end it is walking in the Spirit not the flesh. It is only possible if God sanctifies me as He justified me through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. And so it falls to each man, and woman, to take up their cross and follow the Savior, Jesus Christ. Who is Lord of All.

Waking Up The World

 

John Bunyan in his priceless literary work 'The Pilgrims Progress' rightly identifies that many people in the World are asleep and they don't want to wake up and acknowledge that they are dying in their sins. They are seemingly unaware that their inaction is leading them to certain doom.

 

Most of us think that we aren't really sinners. We do what we do and we know that some of our decisions are not great but most of the time we do our best to be good. So how can God be so inflexible toward us and the wrong choices we make?

 

Frankly, I can't give you an answer on that question. Isaiah 55 verses 7 - 9 says this "Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. From <https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah+55&version=NKJV>

 

So, God insists as our Creator that He won't tolerate unrighteousness and that the wicked must forsake His way. However, if He seems inflexible it is because His thoughts are not our thoughts and His ways not our ways. Such is the distance between our thoughts and our ways and His thoughts and His ways that the distance is stellar. We are light years apart in our thinking and our ways and His.

 

Thus we can grumble about God's inflexibility and complain that God just needs to chill out because that is never going to happen. Infact God is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). He never changes and if He has high standards they won't be getting lower anytime soon. Infact He will never compromise His standards.

 

Here's the rub then. The issue that separates us from God is our sin. It doesn't make any difference if we don't think that is the case or we think that is unfair. It is the case. Because God loves you He has given His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross at Calvary as a blood sacrifice for your sins. All you need to do is believe on Jesus as your saviour and repent. Change your ways. Then those sins of yours will be wiped away and you will have eternal life in the coming Kingdom of God.

 

However, you need to wise up and realise that God is the Creator. You can ignore God and you can cast my advice aside but if you do this will cost you eternally. You will face certain judgement and the second death. It is time to wake up people. The world is changing rapidly and not for the good. The freedom we have enjoyed in the past is about to be removed. We will face famine and oppression and the Aotearoa of the last century will pass away into history.

 

Our little bastion of milk and honey will be finished and a new time of turmoil and uprising will come upon us. It will be a challenging and perilous time. The reason I say this is that it will be so bad that people will die of fear. Now I'm not saying this to scare you. I'm sure if you're honest with yourselves you can see the beginnings of this happening in front of your eyes. We are already facing shortages of some foods and energy is rising in price. It will soon become apparent to you that God is your only real option. When you realise that, you will have a decision to make. Confess your sins and believe on Jesus or reject Him and take your chances on my being a false prophet or, just plain wrong?

Woe unto those who say evil is good and good is evil...

I guess most people have heard something of Critical Race Theory, George Soros and ANTIFA. Critical Race Theory basically views people in society as The Oppressors and The Oppressed.

The Oppressors are those who have the greatest amount of power in society because they are born into the dominant discourse. Their class naturally have control of society and dominate resource management and decision making to their ultimate benefit. Because they are The Oppressors they can have no knowledge of what it is to be The Oppressed. Therefore they must be opposed, marginalized and cancelled. You’ve heard of Cancel Culture?

The Oppressed are the only ones in society that have knowledge of oppression. Only the oppressed can know truly how the evil the thinking of The Oppressor actually is and can criticise the actions of The Oppressor so that their ideas and policies can be excised and cancelled from culture and society as a whole.

Thus the focus of modern Communism is not on distribution of wealth but on controlling the individual citizens thought. On stating what people should think and making sure that they behave in a state proscribed manner. That a person is a good citizen. This is apparently the failing of Communism previously that it focused broadly on the wealth of the proletariat and distribution of resources rather than evolution, atheism and secular science as it applies to individual thought.

The greatest foe to modern Communism is the white man and the Christian. Enshrined in the thinking of European race and Christians is all that is oppressive, discriminatory and intolerant. What’s more the Pakeha European or Christian is born into this oppressive mindset and cannot be liberated of it.

The Oppressed on the other hand because of their victimisation are born into an understanding mindset that has the true knowledge of what needs to change in society to develop a tolerant and understanding society. What’s more the more types of oppression you undergo the more wisdom you are said to have acquired. For instance the trans-gender, black woman has far more knowledge of oppression than the white gay man because she naturally has more perspectives of oppression.

I don’t know very much about George Soros other than he is inordinately wealthy and is said to support the cause of Socialism globally. It is also said that he has created groups like ANTIFA around world as a paramilitary support to Communist Activists with the ultimate aim of promoting Marxist government in many countries. Ultimately the complete breakdown of global democracy and its replacement with Communism

ANTIFA in the United States seem to be well educated in socialist activism and the strategies they can use to intimidate free thinking citizens. They also seem to be a well trained paramilitary organisation with no qualms about beating verbally or physically anyone that opposes them.


So what is the underlying truth of all of this Critical Race Theory and the move toward an Atheist, Secular, Communist State? Well sixteen hundred years ago the Emperor Constantine is said to have replaced Paganism with Christianity. This was not entirely the case as Paganism simply continued to exist amongst Christianity and what the bible describes as the Mystery of Iniquity has continued unabated throughout the Church Age.

However, where true bible believing Christians have existed the hand of God has come down hard on Paganism and their agenda has been sorely pressed by the prayers and evangelism of faithful believers. It is fair to say they are somewhat irritated by this state of affairs and are seeking revenge against the Church.

It is also notable that the mainstays of secular socialism are rooted in Paganism. The LGBTQ+ movement comprising Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Trans-gender and Questioning which is a mainstay of activism in secular socialism is also woven into the fabric of Paganism. Worthy of mention is the political focus on abortion and euthanasia both of which existed in Pagan cultures in the past with infant sacrifice and senicide. However, with Paganism driven underground these groups have not been tolerated by the Church. Although they have flourished in certain areas of society all along.

Lately and In the background the New Age Movement has also infiltrated the Liberal Church drawing many Christians into Yoga; To seek spiritual Enlightenment; Inner Peace; Self as God and so forth. Outside of the Church this same movement has acted as vehicle for Wican, Spiritualism, Satanism and the Marshal Arts Movement to educate followers in New Age Philosophy in the same way as has been achieved in Liberal Christianity.

Meanwhile, Atheism, Secular Socialism and Critical Race Theory are a cover to bring back into greater society the stalwarts of Paganism (LGBTQ+). Where they were hidden in plain sight they are now overtly proud and visible. They are also the means to bring the proletariat under the power of the fledgling hammer of emerging Communism. Withe the intention to attack the Christian enemy and render them speechless and powerless.

This state of affairs coincides with a falling away from Christianity as Atheism and Paganism take hold in much of the world. This falling away was prophesied by Christ Jesus in Matthew 24 verse 10. It is important not to lose heart, though, because Jesus said this must happen before the time of the end, the judgement and His return to establish the Kingdom of God.

What I would leave you with is to advise you to “Keep the Faith.” In this time the Mystery of Iniquity believe that they will win the battle against the Living God, His son Christ Jesus and the Church. They believe that they are in control. However, just as in the past this is an illusion and Yahweh has the outcome of this war under control. Christians across the world just need to hold fast to the word of God and His promises while putting on the Full Armour of God and, making all prayer and supplication as it says in Ephesians chapter 6 verses 10 - 20. To restate my position Yahweh is in control and His will is to be played out as He has stated in the Word of God, to the glory of God.

God Answers Prayer

When I was seven years old I had an obsession about logging trucks. One of my brothers drove one for a living and I was enraptured with the size and sound of them. Fair to say I would have been a logging truck if I could have and that I sounded like one when I was riding my push bike.

Anyway, one weekend I managed to go on a trip with my mother and stepfather. Much to his chagrin as I remember. Yes, our relationship was that good. Anyway to stay in Mum’s good books as he put it. He decided to throw me a bone and thought that he knew where he might get a scale model logging truck.

So we went to see a friend on a farm at Taupo and on the way back to Matamata through Rotorua. We stopped at the shops on Devon Street corner to ask if anyone knew the where abouts of the owner of the bookshop that used to be there? As it happened someone did know that whereabouts. It turned out he lived in near by.

We made our way to the residence. It was about six thirty in the evening as I remember and rapidly getting dark. We parked outside the residence, which was quite rural in 1968, and stepfather walked in to find the owner of the bookshop. He found him and talked to him for half an hour and then came back to the car. It turned out he didn’t make logging trucks anymore and wasn’t prepared to part with any that he still owned. Fair enough.

However, stepfather waxed lyrical about the quality of the man and his lovely daughters. One of which was about my age.  As we prepared to drive away I asked if I might meet the man and see the logging trucks. To which stepfather replied that the man wouldn’t want a boy like me around his family and refused to even entertain the idea of taking me to see them.

As we drove away resentment smoldered in my heart and I made a very specific prayer to the Lord. Father, could the daughter that was my age be my wife one day? We drove home and I forgot about the whole incident. Life happened and I thought nothing of it.

The next year I was sent to boarding school so as to give Mother and Stepfather the space to make this marriage work. After two years the marriage was all over and I came home to attend Intermediate School and after another two years I attended High School for a term before shifting to the Rotorua area where I attended High School.

I really enjoyed living in the Rotorua Area. The people were incredibly easy going and inordinately capable. High School was very relaxed but the teachers were again inordinately capable and fairly easy going. I learned a lot from them and owe a lot to them.

My Christian life flourished as well. I had been fortunate in the intervening years since 1968. Boarding School had involved attending Anglican Chapel six days a week and when I left my siblings were all becoming strong young Christians and I learnt a lot about scripture and doctrine from them.

When we shifted to Rotorua my sister gave me a Scofield King James Version Bible and I read that every evening. It was a wonderful help text and although I had a propensity to sin I think it helped me to have a strong enough faith to continue to make progress.

The reason I mention my Christian life was that I was walking out of school one Friday afternoon and I looked at a friend of mine and had the strangest experience. I had a strong feeling that he was going to be somehow connected to my future. It was an unsettling incident and I consigned it to being just weird and forgot about it as best I could.

Around that time a couple of young men came to the high school I was attending and became friends. Being rural lads we had a lot in common and it turned out that when they mentioned my surname to their father he remembered a young chap working for them with that name. They asked me if I had a brother who had worked for them some years before. I did some research and it turned out one of my brothers had worked for them on a farm they were share milking on in the mid sixties. .

One of the two young men left high school fairly soon after that to begin an automotive apprenticeship. The other stayed on for another year, 1978 if I remember correctly. He was always telling me about his beautiful cousin and one day introduced me to her when she came to the school on the back of her boyfriends motorbike. My friend ignored her boyfriend and introduced me to her as if recommending me to her as a replacement boyfriend. Quite and awkward interlude as I recollect.

I left school at the end of 1978 and worked on the family farm. I was always interested in enduro motorbikes and I  had several friends who also liked bashing around on bikes as well. Among them were my two friends from school. We had a couple of other dear friends from school days who joined us more often than not on the crop paddocks on one of the farms that our families owned.

The cousins of the girl I met were always talking about how she was going an telling me I should meet her and go out with her. I hadn’t really met her so I wasn’t particularly interested in their overtures. Time went by and we arrived at New Years Eve 1981. I took the opportunity to dance with the lady concerned at the local New Years dance celebration and over time we became an item. We went out together for a couple of years and I finally popped the question and we were married in the autumn of 1984.

It wasn’t until some years after we married that I thought of the prayer I had made as a seven year old in 1968 asking God if that girl could one day be my wife. I gradually recalled that the residence we went to then was my wife’s family home. Her parents had owned the bookshop and the model logging truck was still there.

The boy that I felt sure was connected to my life was her boyfriend with the motorbike. Her cousins were integral in encouraging me to pursue her and the connection of their family to mine through my brother working for their father played its part as well. Not to mention that if my family hadn’t moved to Rotorua area none of this would have happened.

So there you have it, Yahweh answers prayer. I asked if that seven year old girl could be my wife one day. Sixteen years later we were married and as I write this piece we have now been married for thirty eight years and have successfully raised six children and have a number grandchildren. All of this from the prayer of a seven year old boy to his Lord and God in the name of Jesus Christ.

Christianity: Shonky Doctrines of Salvation and Limited Atonement

 

Over the last few years I have looked into a number of the most common Christian and Protestant sects and denominations and tried to come to a rational understanding of some pf what they teach and believe about biblical truth and Church Traditions.

I’ve looked into Calvinism, Wesleyan Arminianism, Seventh Day Adventism and Roman Catholicism. The really surprising thing is that when it comes to Salvation that essentially what they all believe, and teach, in one way or another is based on or amounts to Limited Atonement.

Calvinism obviously rocks Limited Atonement at part of Tulip although what I’m talking about here is the Covenant of Redemption. An agreement said to exist between God the father and the Lord Jesus Christ made in the time of the beginning. This covenant as I understand it is to decide who will be elected to the Church and predestined to Salvation or alternatively  predestined to damnation and eternal loss. I would argue that this is not the Limited Atonement of TULIP which states the God chooses whom he will save as it pleases Him. No the Covenant of Redemption almost seems to imply that Christ’s work on the Cross was only sufficient for a certain number of souls to be redeemed and no more? Limited capacity to save mankind might be a better description than Limited Atonement in this case.

Now when looking at the Wesleyans they would say that they don’t believe in Limited Atonement. Quite the opposite in fact. However, because of the Wesleyan infatuation with the Doctrine of Scriptural Holiness it seems that they actually do. Even if they don’t realise that they do? You see the bible teaches that we are drawn to Christ Jesus by the Father and Jesus says that those who are His sheep listen to His voice and are in His hand. No one can snatch them from His hand. Yet the Wesleyan’s would caution that sanctification is based on personal holiness and that there is a real danger to the unrepentant Christian, who is un holy, of losing their Salvation. They appear to be implying that Salvation equals Grace plus works of holiness. I wonder if what they are saying here that the redemptive work of Christ Jesus is in some way deficient? Perhaps it seems to them that He cannot honor His pledge not to allow his children to slip from His hand? So it would seem that we must resign ourselves to strive hard at holiness in the process of working out our salvation? Why? Well it seems that there’s something lacking in Christ’s work on the Cross. Limited Atonement?

The Adventist’s also teach Limited Atonement by virtue of their Doctrine of the Investigative Judgement. Essentially most of the Adventist doctrines are related to Limited Atonement in some form or other. For instance they believe that Christ is not the only begotten Son of God and is in fact the Arch Angel Michael. Michael is the Prince responsible for the people of Israel in the book of Daniel. If Jesus was a created angel and not the only begotten Son of God. Surely, it follows that his sacrifice would be limited in value. So salvation becomes Grace plus works otherwise very few people would make it to heaven. Hence Jesus is in the Inner Sanctuary in heaven since 1844 deciding whose names are in the book of life.

This also explains why the Adventist’s believe in soul sleep as well. Because Jesus is in the Inner Sanctuary deciding who will make it to heaven. It would be most inconvenient if folks were dying and turning up in heaven before Jesus had worked out who was actually saved.  

There is another one of their doctrines that tends to sour the patch as far as Salvation goes as well. The doctrine of the Sabbath. Adventist’s believe that the Sabbath is the Seal of God from the book of Revelation. If you don’t keep the Saturday Sabbath they believe that you won’t make it to Heaven. So atonement is limited to those who have kept the Saturday Sabbath.

If you put all of these doctrines together particularly the Doctrine of the Sabbath but even Christ being Michael the Arch Angel. It explains why they see themselves as being spiritual Israel and the 144000 of the 12 tribes of Israel in the book of Revelation. It also comes down to the fact that the Adventist’s have put themselves back under the Law of Moses by keeping the Saturday Sabbath.

Finally, lets briefly look at the Roman Catholic Church. Now the Catholic’s don’t concern themselves greatly with the bible as they are more concerned with Church Tradition and this can be found in detail in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Essentially, the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is bestowed on the believer by the Church herself and that obedience to the Church and her edicts is the most important aspect of finding Salvation and making it to heaven.

The Pope and the Cardinals decide the Churches position on any given matter in Church Councils. This results in the Catechism which helps the believer to know their responsibilities in regard to the matters of salvation.

The basis of Salvation for the Catholic believer is salvation by grace plus the works of the individual believer. Most believers will not make to heaven when they die and will spend
 time in purgatory until they eventually make it to heaven at a future date. Time drags in purgatory so 100 years there might seem like aeons of time.

In any case Christ’s atonement is very definitely limited with the Catholic Church as virtually no one makes it to heaven without time spent in purgatory to pay for their sins. The quality of the holiness shown by the individual believer is paramount in deciding how long they will spend in purgatory. So it’s grace plus works and not Christ’s work on the Cross alone that determines salvation for Catholics, How this all works is decided by the Holy Roman Catholic Church under the governance of the Pope and the Cardinals.

So, why is there such a problem with shonky doctrines and limited atonement? Well in the Garden of Eden the Serpent attacked the character of God right from the start. He manipulated Eve by saying to her that God had said she may not eat the fruit of any tree in the garden. To which she replied we may eat the fruit of any tree but not the tree in the center of the garden. He asked why and when she said that God told them that if they ate the fruit of that tree they would certainly die. He said oh you most certainly not die and God knows that if you eat the fruit of that tree you will be like God knowing the difference between good and evil. So the devil sowed the seed of doubt in Eve’s heart. Causing her not to trust God’s honesty.

That’s the same thing he’s doing here in the Church with doctrines of Limited Atonement. When a new denomination grows up around a series of doctrines. Satan always attacks the capacity of Christ’s redemptive work on the Cross. The result is always the same, for some reason Christ’s work is limited in it’s ability to atone for the sins of the lost. So one way or another mankind is going to have to supplement Grace with works or else the number of people who can be atoned for is quite small. Christ therefore didn’t sacrifice for all but for a very select group of elect people.

Poor old mankind just can’t possibly believe that he has a wonderful God who so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, that whosoever believes on Him shall not perish but will inherit eternal life. So provision is made for all to be saved even though not all will believe. Yes it’s going to be an elect remnant who are saved but despite God’s best efforts not because of them.

The greatest single factor that underpins all of these shonky doctrines of these various sects and denominations is not mans total depravity. Oh no, it’s the devil’s attack on the redemptive capacity of Christ Jesus sacrifice on the Cross. It’s Limited Atonement and it plays right into the human heart’s unwillingness to believe that God is so loving that He would provide salvation for all if all should choose to accept it. All mankind needs to understand is that it is Grace that provides the ability to accept or reject salvation. It’s simple faith really. So there you have it my personal explanation for shonky doctrines and limited atonement.

I Timothy 4:10 “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

How it is....

 

Christians are people of faith and believe strongly that God is in control of the events that are playing out on the Earth and in the greater Universe. That is not to say God permits all of the bad things that happen to good people. When asked about that Jesus was clear that an enemy was responsible for those events that befall innocent people. But beyond the activities of Satan and his followers the Earth is the Lord’s.

Today many people think that there is no God and the was no Creation. Rather that the Universe has existed for a very long time and that all of the things that it contains are the result of a Big Bang that began the Universe 13 billion years ago and which also explains all of the items that it contains. Stars, planets, quasars, black holes and even life. They believe that everything came from nothing and that even the laws of physics simply exist without overt cause. Chaos produces order apparently?

The reality of how it is? Quite simply, Yahweh is Lord of All. Regardless of whoever says what, the truth is the that Yahweh is the Creator of the Heavens and the Earth and He is Lord. He is literally the only being of consequence that you need to know about. There are those who worship philosophies like evolution or atheism. There are those who worship Satan through any number of deities under the Sun. But there is only one God, Yahweh who is known as the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Triune God. This is how it is.

You need to know about Salvation and how it is. There is only one name by which you must be saved under the Sun. Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Who so loved you He took your sin on Himself and shed His blood in sacrifice, on the Cross, to pay the price of your sin. So that if you believe on Christ Jesus you will not perish but will inherit eternal life. This is how it is. Believe it and live or deny it and perish.

You need to know about Sin and how it is. In the current iteration of Western Society we’ve shelved Christianity, or tried too. We’re more focused on discrimination against the different sects in society and things like the science and critical race theory. Terrible Christians say things like the bible says being gay is a sin and women should be in submission to their husbands. This we are told is hate speech and discrimination and of course should be against the law. The reality is that the word sin applies to the breaking of God’s Law. One sin is basically the same as another and attracts the same consequence. Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” So thanks to the sin of Adam and Eve we are all sinners. You man be gay or not in submission to your husband but I can tell you we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3.23). My sin is just as bad as yours and so is everyone else’s. We are all stand guilty before God are under sentence of death. That is unless you believe on Christ Jesus that He bore your sins on the Cross. In which case, He has imputed his righteousness to you and you stand before God justified. This is how sin is and how God empowers you to be successful in your Christian Life through repentance and baptism. Or not if you aren’t a Christian.

You need to know about Repentance, Baptism and Sanctification and how it is. Acts chapter 2 verse 38 says  “Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” To repent is to have a change of mind or behaviour and as a Christian is turn away from sin and wickedness. In the Old Testament the people were called to repentance but because of the condition of their hearts were not able to genuinely repent from their sins.

In the New Testament because of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ on the Cross, when accompanied by baptism as a declaration of obedience to God. Genuine Repentance becomes available to the believer because the helper (the Holy Spirit), resides in the believer’s heart. This enables the believer to be justified, genuinely repentant and the sanctification process to begin in the believers spiritual life.

Sanctification is being cleansed of sin and made holy by the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart and sees you made into a temple of the Living God during the course of this life. It is generally accepted the process of sanctification is completed at the time of death for the believer or saint concerned. So God undertakes that the believing Christian will be sanctified in time for the resurrection body and eternal life. The process starts with repentance from sin and believer baptism.

Believer Baptism is commanded in (Acts 2:38) and is the process of physical immersion in water and is symbolic in Judaism of ritual cleansing. It is also symbolic of dying to sin with Christ and just as death involves being buried in the Earth and the body being covered so in baptism being covered totally in water symbolises burial. Being lifted out of the water symbolises sharing in Christ’s resurrection unto the newness of life (Rom 6:3-5). In symbolising cleansing baptism represents sanctification of the new believer. This is how repentance, baptism and sanctification is. God did this for you because He loves you.

You need to know about the Love of God and how it is. John 3 verse 16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” God so loved you that He gave His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the Cross at Calvary to make provision for the sinners of this World to be saved. That is if they believe on Him and that His blood shed as a sacrifice on the cross is applied to their sins through God’s Grace.

1John chapter 1 verse 9 states “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” This is the mode by which Gods love is expressed toward us as He sanctifies us (Cleanses) from sin and draws us closer to Himself. In 1John 4 verses 7-11, the apostle John tells us more about God’s love. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” NASB This is how God’s Love is.

Finally, you need to know about Prophecy and about the time in which you live and how it is. This final concept that I want to share with you is about this time in which we live. It is always important to know about Salvation and Sin along with Justification and Sanctification and God’s love. However it is good to have a grasp on the World situation and where we are in the prophetic calendar of events as it were.

Most people living in New Zealand would understand the feeling of unease that has been with us since 2016. Back then our Prime Minister John Key suddenly stepped down. This resulted in a switch to socialism at the 2017 election with Jacindar Ardern’s government sweeping to power. Since then we’ve had weird events every three to six months. Measles epidemics, mass shootings, Covid pandemic, anti conservative agenda, anti have speech agenda, anti farmer agenda, climate change disasters and legislation for that climate agenda. Even here in New Zealand it has been fraught.

Overseas we have China building toward war in the South China Sea. The Ukraine War has seen NATO mobilise troops along the Ukraine and Russian Borders. While Russia have continued the war in Ukraine and at the same time mobilised their ICBM’s which can hit the United Kingdom in three minutes and hypersonic missiles which are capable of striking the USA in fifteen minutes. Very disturbing.

It seems to me that the Third World War is at hand folks. You may not think so but that’s how it seems and it appears it will be nuclear. Even if this doesn’t happen. If we are honest about the impacts of Climate Change and the effects of a global population of eight billion souls on the planet. The prospects of the survival of mankind are not looking good even in the medium term. I’m not an expert and I may be wrong but it seems like our prospects are not so good and that this could definitely be how it is??? What do you think?