The Good News

The Good News is a free Bible-based periodical delivered to thousands of homes in the Vernon, BC area. It is aimed to incite thoughtful minds to rejuvinate themselves in the things of the word of God.

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Bible Beginnings

• The Miracle of the Bible
• more coming soon!

Lifestyle

• The Christian in the Workplace
• A Taxing Question
• Building a Godly Home
• Watch What You Say
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Bible Truth

• Jesus: Son of God, Son of Man
• The Man Who Was Promised the World
• World Changes Imminent
• Look Into Your Heart And See What God Sees
• The Blood of Christ
• Are Humans Basically Good?
• Do Christians Really Understand John 3:16?
• Do All Roads Lead to God?
• more coming soon!

Bible Prophecy

• A World At Peace
• Hope in an Age of Terror
• Israel's Next King to Reign
• Israel's War
• more coming soon!

Archeology, Geology and the Bible

• Written in Stone: Proof for Bible Truth
• Tyre: A Place of Nets
• Did The Earth Really Take Billions of Years to Form Itself?
• Did The Walls Really Come Tumblin' Down?
• more coming soon!

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• Read the Context!
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September - October 2005: Hope in an Age of Terror

October - November 2005: Someone's Making a Monkey Out of You

December 2005 - January 2006: The Man Who Was Promised the World

April - May 2006: Look Into Your Heart - And See What God Sees

June - July 2006: Building A Godly Home

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Throughout the world today it is estimated that there are around 4200 different religions of which Christianity is only one. Christianity alone, which has the largest number of adherents (around 2 billion), has thousands of different denominations.

With this diversity in mind, we sometimes hear statements which are designed to include everyone and every religion so that people can believe what they want.“It doesn’t really matter what you believe - all roads lead to God.”

Is this statement right? Do all 4200 religions lead to God? Specifically from a Christian perspective, do all the denominations of Christianity really lead to God? Do even a few of them? The root question is, “Does it matter what you believe?”

Let’s turn to the Bible to see what God has written for us regarding this. First of all, in Ephesians 4:4-6 we read: “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all…”

In these verses, the word “one” occurs over and over. “One faith” doesn’t apply to more than “one” religious denomination, let alone thousands of Christian denominations! Neither do “one body” (referring to a body of believers) or “one baptism” (how we are baptized, and more importantly, what or who we are baptized into and why).

In the Bible, we see that it is very important to God what we believe. God has no toleration for belief in anything other than what he has commanded. God is a loving and merciful God, but only to those who will search out, understand, and believe the “one faith” which is in His Word, the Bible. In the Old Testament, we see that God judged Israel when they strayed from His commandments, and blessed them when they obeyed (Deuteronomy 28). Christ in his ministry did not accept everyone as they were, but only those who believed and obeyed his commandments, which were the commandments of God, his father in heaven. In fact, in direct contrast to the statement “all roads lead to God”, Christ said in Matthew 7:13-14: “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”

There is only one road that leads to life (to God). That road has a narrow gate and is a difficult road which few find. Thus, even the Son of God himself tells us very clearly that all roads do not lead to God.

Let’s consider the example of Cornelius in Acts 10 to show us that being sincere and fearing God is not good enough if you don’t believe the right thing. We read that Cornelius was “a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always.” Certainly someone like this would be fully accepted by God. But we see in verses 4-6 that while God had seen his devotion, there was something more that he needed to do. As we see in the chapter, he needed to believe the Gospel and be baptized.

In Cornelius, then, we see someone who was very sincere, but it wasn’t enough - he had to come to a right understanding of the Gospel, which is the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ (Acts 8:12).

There is only one road that leads to God. This one road, or “one faith”, is found in God’s Word, the Bible. To get on this one road requires diligent and careful reading and study of the Bible with sincere prayer to come to knowledge and understanding of it. To stay on that road requires fully following that way in obeying what God has commanded us to do. If we do this, we will have eternal life.

Are the early chapters of the Bible mere myths?

Many people are convinced that the Bible is full of myths, but on what is that conviction based? Unfortunately, it is often based on out-of-date information against the Bible.

Millions of intelligent people, making ‘informed’ decisions based on misinformation, continue to propagate the taunts and criticisms of the Bible without realizing how hopelessly outdated they have become.

For example, archaeologists for many years told the world that there was no Ur of the Chaldees, the city which, according to the Bible, the patriarch Abraham came from (Genesis 11:28). Ur was a famous example of a Biblical “myth” until 1924, when it was suddenly uncovered, with all its ancient glory, in the exact location that the Bible claimed it would be. Beautiful artifacts from the city can now be seen at the British Museum.

Another such example is Jericho.

In the famous Bible record, dated to be around 1400 BC, the Late Bronze Age, the Israelites and their captain Joshua marched around Jericho for seven days. On the seventh day, they marched around the city seven times, and then, with a blow of trumpets and a shout, the great walls of the heavily fortified city simply collapsed. Joshua and his soldiers then took the city and burned it to the ground.

In 1957, however, British archaeologist Kathleen Kenyon wrote in her book Digging Up Jericho, that she was not able to find evidence for a wall surrounding the ruins of ancient Jericho in the time that Joshua would have been in the area.

However, she did find walls. They were thick, heavily fortified walls that had been broken down and then burnt by fire. In the city, she found a layer of burnt debris and ash a meter thick. She dated these walls to be from around 1550 BC, and assumed that they had been destroyed by the Egyptians, 150 years before the Israelites came into the land.

Since 1997, however, modern archaeologists have thrown monkey-wrenches into her dating of these walls. Not only does modern carbon-14 dating (generally reliable for materials up to 4,000 years old) of artifacts found correlate the time of the destruction of the city to be about 1410 BC, but there were Egyptian amulets found in the city cemetery, bearing the names of Pharaohs that ruled some time after the time of her supposed destruction, and who in fact ruled during the approximate time frame of Joshua’s conquest, about 1500 BC to 1380 BC.

Although this new dating for Jericho’s destruction is not conclusive evidence for its destruction by the Biblical Joshua and the Israelites, the Bible has been clearly vindicated against Kathleen Kenyon’s original dogmatic conclusions, a pattern that has repeated itself not just with Ur and Jericho, but with dozens of other Biblical people and places. How can we be dogmatically against the Bible based on current archaeological findings? History’s track record shows that, in time, the Bible’s “myths” will rise from their ridicule.

For its size, it is about the strongest muscle in the body. It is small yet powerful and, while it is vital to our survival, it has the power to build up or tear down. We use it every moment of every day, yet it is the hardest thing to control. Perhaps this is why the wise man Solomon in the Proverbs writes: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (18:21)

The tongue (what we say) has the power to bring life or death. Take the example of Jesus. In John 6:63, he says, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” Truly the words of the Lord can bring life to all who hear and do the things he says. His message was about eh Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and how we can be blessed with eternal life... if we listen.

The prophet Isaiah says of Jesus in chapter 53:7, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth”. Jesus didn’t complain or speak reproachfully even of those who were beating him and crucifying him. He quietly accepted the will of God.

How about the words that you speak? Does your tongue contain words of life or of death? What do you use it for? Here is the challenge. Jesus says that, “Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.” What we say and talk about is a reflection of what is important to us. We can bring life to people by talking about the blessings of the message of the Bible or we can bring death by the hurtful things we say.

One of the writers of the Bible describes the tongue as a “fire”!And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that is defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. But the tongue can no man tame; is is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:6-8). We have seen forest fires in the area over the past few years, and the destruction and devastation it brings. Did you ever think that what we say could have this effect? James says earlier, “If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.”

Since we speak out of the “abundance of our hearts”, the best way to control what we say and to use our tongues as a power for life, we must fill our hearts with the Message of God – the Gospel of the Kingdom and the Name of Jesus Christ. Read the Bible, and let IT guide everything you think, do and SAY.

Once again, the world holds its collective breath as war breaks out in the Middle East. The reaction of the world powers is exactly as the Bible prophets have predicted in the Old Testament book of Ezekiel, chapter 38. Europe and Russia criticize Israel; England, Canada and the United States back Israel’s right to defend itself while urging restraint.

In this conflict, the world press has focused much of the blame on Israel. The facts are that after Israel withdrew from Gaza (approximately a year ago), and Lebanon (6 years ago), Hamas and Hezbollah, the two resistance forces in those areas, entered Israel and kidnapped Israel’s soldiers, forcing Israel to once again defend itself. Both Hamas and Hezbollah are considered terrorist organizations, but the world press does not seem to condemn them as easily as it does Israel.

UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Louise Arbour, has stated that the actions of Israel could lead to charges of war crimes, yet nothing has really been said about Hezbollah and its backers, Iran and Syria.

The civilian casualties in the conflict are disproportionate because the people of Lebanon have allowed Hezbollah terrorists to set up missile launching sites in the top floors of apartment buildings, school yards and private gardens. Israel has directed its attacks at these sites, and because Hezbollah has used the public as a human shields, sadly the loss of human civilian life has been great. On the other hand, the missiles fired by Hezbollah are not targeted at military installations or government offices, but, to instill the greatest amount of fear in the Israeli people themselves, deliberately at known Israeli civilian areas. What other alternative does Israel have in this situation but to respond?

These events in the Middle East are prophetic events leading up to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ and the establishments of the Kingdom of God on earth. “And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all the burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered against it.” (Zechariah 12:3). The prophecy in Zechariah goes on to say that “In that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem: and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God (mighty ones), as the angel of the Lord before them.” David was the greatest king of the ancient kingdom of Israel. He defeated the enemies of Israel, expanded its borders, and brought peace and prosperity to the land of Israel.

Could the nations of the world accomplish what this passage is saying? The United Nations is powerless to bring peace into the land. As the prophet Jeremiah records, “O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” (Jeremiah 10:23). Only Divine intervention, as the passage specifically says, will bring peace to the land.

As the situation stands today, there are two peoples in the land, the Jews of course and the Arabs. Both claim a right to the land. What does the Bible say as to whose land it is? The land was given by promise to Abraham the father of the Jewish nation in Genesis 13:14. But Abraham was the father of two sons – he was the father of both Ishmael, the father of the Arabs, and Isaac, the father of the Jews! Isaac, however, is the “son of promise”, and Ishmael the “son of flesh” (Galatians 4). The land was promised to Isaac, just as it had been to his father (Genesis 26:3-4). The promise of the land came through Isaac to his son Jacob, who was the father of twelve sons, who became the heads of the family of Israel. Ishmael became the father of the Arab nations (Genesis 16:11-12).

Both peoples have a future in the land of Israel. Both have an important role to play in the purpose of God when Christ returns to the earth and establishes the Kingdom of God on earth. The prophet Isaiah tells us that the kingdom will be a kingdom with the Lord Jesus Christ sitting upon the throne of David, in Jerusalem (Isaiah 11:6-7, 2 Samuel 2:5). The government in those days will be judgment and justice for ever. The Bible tells us how some of the Arabs, or “Dedanim” and “Teman”, as they are termed, will provide food and sanctuary to the Jews as they flee from the land in the face of the “Gogian” invasion from the north (Isaiah 21:13-15, Genesis 25:3, Genesis 25:15, 1 Chron. 1:19).

The conflict is but the birth pangs of a far greater conflict yet to be unfolded in the land of Israel – we are simply seeing the beginnings of what God has prophesied. It will lead to not simply some Arabs against Israel, but a far greater force, headed by “the king of the north”, which will cause God to intervene to establish the Kingdom of God on earth. The speed at which it all is happening is exciting and encouraging – the return is near.

While quite possibly the most commonly quotes Bible verse in Christianity, John chapter three verse sixteen is equally and ironically one of the least understood. Consider: “For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” If this is critical to eternal life, then we should make sure that we have it straight.

Notice that the verse started with, “For God so loved the world...”. The “for” implies that verse sixteen is actually the conclusion of an argument Jesus had been developing in previous verses. Beginning at verse fourteen, we find, “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, EVEN SO must the son of Man be lifted up: THAT whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. FOR God so loved the world...”

Jesus is expecting the reader to go back to the Old Testament of the Bible and familiarize themselves with the context of this reference to Moses.

In Numbers chapter twenty-one, we find the account Jesus was referring to. Earlier in Numbers, we read that God had mercifully and miraculously led His people up out of Egypt, but that despite this great deliverance, His people were quick to rebel, complain, disobey and blaspheme God because of all the troubles they encountered.

After one of these instances of complaining, God sent vipers amongst the people, which bit the people and caused some of them to die. The people realized their error: “We have sinned,” they said, “for we have spoken against the LORD... take away the serpents from us.” God then told Moses, their leader, to build a brass serpent and set it up on a pole. Everyone that was bitten could look on this serpent and live. (Numbers 21:5-7)

God used this event as an object lesson. He wanted to teach them about what type of character he wanted them to develop. Their naturally selfish thinking lead to their death. They had to do with their own natural desires what Moses did with this brass serpent: pin them to a stake. In every trial and decision, they were to be reminded to react in a Godly way, not in a selfish, human way. They were to acknowledge that God was right, and that they had to put an end to that way of thinking, because naturally, “in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing” (Romans 7:18).

Jesus was specifically created as Son of God AND Son of Mary (Luke 1:26-28, Galatians 4:4-5, Job 25:4), which means that he inherited from Mary the same, selfish human nature that we have. In Hebrews 4, we read that he was “touched by our infirmities, but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He never, ever, sinned. Every day, in every trial, he ‘crucified’ that human nature (that which comes naturally to us), denying that way of thinking. He obediently submitted to the cruxifiction on the cross to show to all mankind what must be done daily to selfishness – it must be destroyed.

Jesus was telling us that like God’s people had to look on the brass serpent impaled on the stake to live, we must look to his own perfect example of obedience to God and nail selfishness to the cross, like the serpent on the pole!

In the beginning, it was formless and covered in water. Suddenly a great power erupted from the depths, spewing magma and causing earth to break through the previously undisturbed surface. Cliffs gave way to the surf, leaving smooth stones and beaches. In time, plants sprouted on the surface and life began to flutter upon its newly formed peaks. This genesis, however, did not happen 6 billion years ago, nor did it take millennia to be accomplished. In this case, it all took place in only a few years.

In 1963, an undersea volcano began to spew magma in the North Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Iceland, demonstrating that incredible geographic changes can be accomplished in a very short time. This volcanic eruption, which lasted 3 and a half years, left behind an island named “Surtsey”, which baffled geologists.

Writing only a year after the volcano began, an Icelandic geologist, Sigurdur Thorarinsson, wrote in his book Surtsey: The New Island in the North Atlantic:

“An Icelander who has studied geology and geomorphology at foreign universities is later taught by experience in his own homeland that the time scale he had been trained to attach to geological developments is misleading when assessments are made of the forces—constructive and destructive—which have molded and are still molding the face of Iceland. What elsewhere may take thousands of years may be accomplished here in one century. All the same he is amazed whenever he comes to Surtsey, because the same development may take a few weeks or even days here.

“On Surtsey, only a few months sufficed for a landscape to be created which was so varied and mature that it was almost beyond belief... There were gravel banks and lagoons, impressive cliffs ... There were hollows, glens and soft undulating land.”

Since then, trees, plants and wildlife have established their home on this new land.

Should we be surprised at the suddenness with which these changes took place? The Bible tells us that this has happened before.

Speaking of creation, we are told that “In six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day” (Exodus 20:11). That occured only 6000 years ago, according to Bible chronology. Even more recently, regarding the flood which took place some 4500 years ago, the Bible says, “The mountains rose, the valleys sank down to the place which thou didst appoint for them. Thou didst set a bound which they should not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth.” (Psalm 104:8, 9) These events have been scoffed at as impossible, the work of fantasy.

Perhaps no longer.

With the rising of Surtsey only 40 years ago, the earth has demonstrated that such amazing, rapid, changes do happen. What was considered impossible to man has been proven by God.

Joshua, a great and faithful leader in Old Testament times, who led Israel in the Promised Land, challenged God’s people to “choose you this day whom you will serve... as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Joshua 24:15). Such a commitment was not to be taken lightly. All blessings promised by God are associated with living Godly lives in obedience to His moral and doctrinal instructions, for “he is a jealous God”. He expects us to make changes in our lives if we are to be recipients of His blessing both in this life, including forgiveness of sins, and in eternal life to come.

So how exactly do we go about Joshua’s example of leading and participation in a stable, Godly home? The following are a few Bible passages worth reading for guidance. Consider them each in their contexts and watch for more detailed articles on the subject in future issues of The Good News, Lord willing.

Husbands and Wives

The reported failure rate of marriages today is staggering, and largely results from dissatisfied parties not getting what they wanted or expected out of a relationship. Ephesians chapter 5 reveals the secret for a successful marriage in the Lord, one that fosters mutual love, trust, confidence, peace, happiness, and a stable and nurturing environment for children. Although marriage brings many blessings in this life, this chapter in Ephesians points out that marriage is ultimately a living object lesson or role play of loftier things, and a recognition of the deeper principles are key to the success of marriage on the natural and practical plane.

“...Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God,” A husband and wife are to emulate the respect and humble, self-sacrificing service between Jesus Christ and his followers respectively. Recognizing this will be a conscience-pricking guide to dealing with pride, stress, selfishness, impatience, and hurt, to which we might otherwise respond in an ungodly way. If the husband determinedly fulfills to his wife the self-sacrificing role of Christ to the church, and the wife to her husband the respect that the church has for Christ, they each in turn will inspire the other to more lovingly and perfectly fulfill their own responsibilities to each other.

Yes, it is an investment indeed that may take some time to yield the desired fruit, but Christ was prepared to lay down his own life for us, ‘while we were yet sinners’! What are you prepared to do for your spouse, and ultimately for Christ? V33 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Nevertheless, let everyone of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.”

Teach thy Children

In Deuteronomy 6:3-9 we find that guiding a Godly home is not simply a Sunday morning event, but rather an entire way of life. Parents are to teach the children of God’s ways diligently, talking to them when you sit in your house, when you are going somewhere, at the close of the day, and when you rise in the morning.

It is no secret that child and teen delinquency is largely influenced by the quantity and quality of parental involvement in their children’s lives. How precious a parent-child relationship is when fostered with Scripture’s definition of responsible parenting, and what a life-lasting gift in the healthy attention to the ways of God in the at communication.

“And you shall love the LORD your God”

One thing seems to be clear when these things are considered: God needs to be at the center of everything we do. We need to live that love by showing our whole family how important God is to us. If we really are trying to Love God and his son the Lord Jesus Christ then that love will be reflected in all we do and will help to be impressed on our whole household.

Joshua’s words echo down to us from history, “choose this day whom you will serve... as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

In the time it takes to finish reading this sentence, hundreds of thousands of people around the globe will be neglected, maliciously treated, abused, robbed, beaten, stabbed sexually molested, shot, and murdered. Every day we are bombarded with images of pain and suffering caused by one group of human beings who are afflicting another group of human beings. We shake our heads and wonder with amazement as to why the human race cannot seeem to get along with one another!

Through it all we still hold on to the idea that humans are baically good and, if just given the chance, would create a world of peace and harmony for all who inhabit this earth. This has never been the case, nor will it ever be as long as humans rely on their own understanding to direct their steps. Even children, as we well might know, are a testimony to this. Without direct parental intervention, no child will ever relinquish their favorite toy to another child with soft words of “Yours, yours.” Rather, the child would be much more likely to recoil, toy in hand, with sharp words of, “No, MINE!” Now, if by nature we are basically good, why would simple acts of selflessness have to be taught? Shouldn’t acts of kindness come naturally to children?

In the Bible, the Lord Jesus Christ taught that, “That which proceeds out of man[kind], that is what defiles a man. For from WITHIN, out of the HEARTS of [mankind], proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these things proceed from within and defile the man [or woman].” (Mark 7:20-23)

It is clear from this passage that we are all naturally evil, and left to our own devices, we are capable of horrible things. However, this does not mean that we are doomed. There is hope! That hope comes from recognizing the state of desperate need we have to be delivered from “this body of sin.” (Romans 6) Then, we need to turn to our Creator and follow His life-giving instructions, and use that divine wisdom in God’s holy scripture to overcome our wicked nature. There is much consolation in knowing that there are a great number of people who have fought the good fight and lived a life of fulfilling service to God rather than selfish ambition. Read the Bible and see that these things are true!

Imagine, a world at peace.

A world with no more fighting or wars, where criminals no longer threaten the lives and well being of others, a place in which tears and sorrow no longer exist, where hospitals are no longer needed because pain and suffering have been eliminated.

These ideals are not just those of the far-out-thinking of the Utopian idealist, but rather a part of the overall plan of God, the God of the Bible.

We may ask ourselves, did God actually have an end purpose in mind when he created the earth? Or was his purpose simply to create the earth and then leave it to its own vices?

The Bible gives us our answers.

Approximately 2,500 years ago, a God-driven prophet named Isaiah said: “This thing says the LORD that created the heavens, and formed the earth: he created it not in vain but formed it to be inhabited.” (Isaiah 45:18). God did indeed have a purpose with the earth, but what exactly, we might ask, does it mean when Isaiah said that God formed the earth to be inhabited? If that’s all, then He did indeed leave us to our own devices!

However, the book of the prophet Isaiah and the whole Bible is full of detailed descriptions of a new world order (Isaiah 2:2-4; 35; 61; 65). In the book of Numbers, God said: “as truly as I live, all the earth will be filled with the glory of the LORD.” (14:21) His glory, as he goes on to say in the book of Exodus, is God’s wonderful character, His personality: “merciful, gracious, patient, full of truth and righteousness; forgiving and yet accurate in judgement and justice.” (33:18,19; 34:6,7)

God has promised to you and me that there will come a time when the whole world will be filled with people reflecting God’s ways, the way of mercy, goodness and justice.

"And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” – Jesus Christ (Luke 21:25-28)

Certainly the events of the last three years can be seen in these words. The terror campaigns of Al Qaeda and the inability of the nations to defend themselves from terror has indeed shaken modern society.

In recent years, there has been a surge in deliberate terrorism:

September 11 2001 - World Trade Centre and Pentagon targeted, demolishing US international banking center and reducing the chief American military command center to chaos.

October 12 2002 – A Bali night club, known to be frequented by many Australians and Americans, allies in the war on terror, destroyed.

March 11 2004 - Spanish rail bombed, tipping the scales of the Spanish governmental election and resulting in the withdrawal of Spanish troops from Iraq by the new government.

July 07 2005 - London underground bombing. United Kingdom known as the US’ greatest ally in the war against terror.

These acts of terror are directed at the Western nations for their support of the United States and their policies in the Middle East, especially for their support of Israel. As British Prime Minister Tony Blair put it, “[The terrorists] are trying to use the slaughter of innocent people to cow us, to frighten us out of doing the things that we want to do.”

Supporting the State of Israel is in direct opposition to the wishes of Al Qaeda and its founder Osama Bin Ladin, who wish to see Israel destroyed and all Western Nations leave the territory of the Middle East. As Al Qaeda’s number two Ayman al Zawahri said himself September 1st, 2005: “We have warned over and over again and we repeat the warning that we shall respond to anyone who participates in the aggression against Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine in kind.”

With this great power struggle continuing, and both sides promising to conquer the other, it seems that the world is spiraling out of control. But there is hope. The Bible tells us that God “rules in the kingdom of men”, and that he is working through these world events to accomplish his purpose. (Daniel 4:25; 2:44).

To show us that He is in control, God has warned us of what to expect so we would be encouraged to prepare for his son’s return to the earth. Jesus Christ’s instruction was to “take heed” and prepare now so that when we see these things happening around us we are ready when he comes:

“Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.” (Luke 21:36)

The Lord Jesus Christ was born of a virgin woman, a virgin named Mary, impossible, yet possible because God, not a man, was his Father.

As the Son of God, Jesus showed man what God was like. His character was like God’s; he had the same love, compassion, mercy, grace, truth and forgiveness as God. As Jesus himself said: “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also” (John 14:7). Jesus showed us what God is like and what God expects us to be like. God’s purpose is to fill the earth with men and women that have these characteristics, who show in their own lives the characteristics of God that Jesus showed in his life.

As the Son of Mary, Jesus inherited all the weaknesses man is subject to, yet as the Son of God he learned and was obedient to God’s ways better than any man (Philippians 2; Hebrews 2:14). Prophesying about Jesus, Isaiah wrote: “The spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD; and shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD.” (11:2,3) All mankind sins and comes short of the glory of God, but Jesus Christ never committed any sin.

As sinful as we are, there is no way we can earn eternal life, It was only through God giving his Son as the means of redemption from our sins through his crucifixion that we can receive God’s gift.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believes on him is not condemned: but he that believes not is condemned already because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:16-18)

God said of Jesus: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.” He was beloved because he was obedient in all aspects of his life, from birth to baptism to ministry to death. Then, because of this complete obedience, God “raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”

This is what the gospel is all about. It’s the “glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, God has fulfilled the same unto us their children” (Acts 13:32,33). It provides us a hope that if we live a life of obedience we too have the opportunity to be among those who will be raised from the dead, given eternal life and be among the men and women who fill the earth with God’s character perfectly, becoming sons and daughters of God.

Have you ever tried reading the Bible and just didn’t seem to get it? Ever been discouraged at the size of the book – not knowing where to start? You’re not alone! It is a big book written by the Creator of heaven and earth and so it stands to reason that it will take a bit more effort than just picking up a novel or newspaper. The difference is this – while novels and such may entertain us for a little while, the Bible has the potential to bring us eternal happiness and contentment. A grand and wonderful claim for you and your family.

Here are several tips for getting started with Bible study:

1. Determine why you want to read the Bible:
   (Here’s a suggestion: “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. John 17:3)
2. Pray:
   Each time you begin to read, ask God for help in understanding. God has invited us to do just that: “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not, and it shall be given him.” (James 1:5)
3. Be Patient and Persistant:
   Remember it is a big book, and it will take time – there is no shortcut to understanding the Bible. Give it time, consistant time. It is helpful to devote time each day to reading – even 15 minutes a day – you will be amazed at how far you get! The wise man Solomon in the book of Proverbs describes our efforts to read and know God as searching for hid treasure – not necessarily easy, but wonderfully rewarding. So keep digging! (Proverbs 2:1-5)
4. Ask Questions:
   Get used to asking questions – even write them down - you will be surprised how often the answer comes up within the next few pages or chapters. If you have trouble, contact us and maybe we can help (contact information on front page).
5. Be Organised:
   Determine a consistant way to ready the Bible. Many Bibles have a suggested reading planner to help get through the Bible in a set time. If you don’t have one contact us and we will be happy to send you a free planner that we’ve found helpful (contact information on front page).
6. Dictionary/Concordance:
   Keep a dictionary – preferably a Bible dictionary or concordance with you so when you get to any difficult words, you can look them up and get a better understanding of the passage.
7. Patience:
   Did we mention patience? Again, this is so important; give it time and you will see the joy of coming to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ and building your faith in them. Reading the Bible is the only way! Romans tells us that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (10:17).

Be encouraged, stick it out and read your Bible today!

With a little math, we find that the average Joe spends about 2000 hours per year at his or her workplace. This time is invaluable to a Christian; it is a time to show to all around the ways of God.

If we turn to Colossians 3:22-23, we see that Paul’s inspired commandment to servants was for them to “obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men.”

In other words, we must work for our bosses or customers as if we are working for God and his son Jesus Christ. We must put 100% into our jobs, even when no one is watching. God asks us to be honest and full of integrity, trustworthy, patient, using clean speech, not taking part in rude or foolish joking, and never being lazy on the job. (Proverbs 15:8; 21:25; Ephesians 5:3-4).

This is a difficult command, but, reading on in Colossians 3, we find we are given an incentive: “from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance [the kingdom]; for you serve the Lord Christ. But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done…” (Colossians 3:24-25). Not only must we answer to our bosses or customers for our conduct at work, but to God.

Although God insists that we be diligent on the job, he also requires that we balance work with our other, equally valid, responsibilities to God. As Jesus himself said: “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21)

Two hundred years ago, an amazing archaeological discovery was made in an area which is now modern day Jordan.

The weathered rock lay undisturbed for over 2 millennia, its secrets hidden on its mysterious black surface until 1868, when a passing German missionary was alerted to its presence by a friendly local Sheik.

The four-by-two foot black basalt stone contains a record of King Mesha, ruler of the nation to the east of the ancient Kingdom of Israel, the Kingdom of Moab.

The ancient stone memorializes a successful revolt against Israel in about 850 BC: “I am Mesha, son of Chemosh, king of Moab ... As for Omri king of Israel, he oppressed Moab many days ... And his son succeeded him, and he also said: I will cast down Moab. In my days, he spoke, but I triumphed over his house. And Chemosh said to me: Go! Bring Nebo against Israel. So I went by night and fought from sunrise until noon. taking it and slaying all...”

This same event told of by the stele can actually be found in the Bible in 2 Kings 3: “And Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster, and rendered unto the king of Israel an hundred thousand lambs, and an hundred thousand rams, with the wool. But it came to pass, when Ahab [the son of Omri] was dead, that the king of Moab rebelled against the king of Israel.” (2 Kings 3:4,5)

Significantly, this Moabite stone mentions several Biblical characters, including Omri and David, kings of Israel, and YHWH the God of their nation (1 Kings 16:23; 2 Samuel 8:2). These are characters Bible readers have taken for granted, but even outside of the Bible they are still as real as ever.

The language of the Mesha Stele bears few differences from the language of the Israelites, Hebrew, and carries the same grammar, language idioms and even syntax. This isn’t surprising, as the Bible tells us that the Moabites and the Israelites are in fact distantly related; the Moabites were descendants of a man named Lot, and this Lot was the nephew of the patriarch Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel (Genesis 19:30, 37; Genesis 12:5).

This important find was almost lost when the precious stone was broken into many pieces soon after the missionary discovered it. Thankfully, however, prior to this, an imprint of the text had been made, from which the message of the stone could be translated. Over time, most of the fragments were recovered and pieced together with the help of the imprint.

Today, the restored stone can be seen in the Louvre museum in Paris, an exciting piece of evidence testifying quietly, yet resoundingly, of Bible truth.

Throughout history, there have been many people, groups and organizations who have tried to “take over the world” by their own might.

We can list the many ancient world empires which have covered much of the ‘then-known’ world, such as Babylon, Greece and Rome. Even more recently, we have had examples such as Hitler who, driven on by his belief in the superiority of the German people tried to establish his reign. Will anyone ever actually succeed in having control over the whole globe?

Nearly 4,000 years ago, there was a man named Abraham. God called him out of his native city and country and took him to a place that he’d never been to before. In fact, Abraham didn’t even know where God was taking him! But he started his journey of faith, trusting in God to be his guide. (Genesis 11, Hebrews 12)

As a result of this faithfulness, God promised him some specific things. God promised him that his descendants would one day fill the earth, and God promised him that one day the land that God had directed him to would be his, and his descendant’s. Most importantly, God promised Abraham a “seed”, a special descendant, through whom “all nations of the world would be blessed” (Genesis 12, 13, 15, 17, 22).

We need not guess at the whos and hows. The Bible tells us that this promised “seed” was Christ: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘and to seeds’, as of many, but as of one, ‘and to your seed’, who is Christ.” (Galatians 3:16) Through Abraham’s lineage was born Mary, and through Mary was born Jesus, Abraham’s special, promised descendant.

As Galatians goes on to explain, it is through this Jesus Christ that the whole earth has the opportunity to believe on God and to be faithful to him, like Abraham, and be saved: “... if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Galatians 3:29) The whole world will one day be given to Jesus, and the question is, will we be part of it?

“Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”

This was the message in a day of crisis when the foundations of society were being shaken, when a prophet of old time had a word from the Lord for the people of his day. The prophet was Jeremiah; the crisis, the overthrow of God’s ancient Kingdom of Israel.

Some six centuries later, a greater prophet than Jeremiah – the Son of God – invited men to come to him and learn of him, and he promised, “Ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:29).

The world today faces a crisis – greater than any in the past, for all the world is inevitably involved. The word of God has its message for today; the light of God’s revelation is the one source of information about what lies immediately ahead. World changes are imminent. An old order is passing, and a new era is at hand. Troubles with perplexity and anxiety will increase as this era closes. By seeking the “old paths” of God’s word, however, we may secure rest for our souls now, and life for ever in the Kingdom of God that is coming.

A renewed earth will be the abiding home of all who now seek out God’s way. The Bible deals with man’s life on earth in the past, the present and the future. “The earth shall be full of the glory of the LORD” – this statement sums up the purpose of God with the earth and all upon it. (Num.14:21)

“...thus says the Lord GOD, ‘Remove the turban and take off the crown; this will no longer be the same. Exalt that which is low and abase that which is high. ‘A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, I will make it. This also will be no more until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.’”

These were the words of the Most High God that he spoke through his prophet Ezekiel. The context of these words in Ezekiel 21 (verses 26 to 27) is a warning of how God was going to allow the sword of the king of Babylon to punish the unrepentant and wicked king of Israel for his iniquity and transgressions, and that Israel’s kingdom would be laid waste. The kingdom of Israel, he continues, would not be reinstituted “until He comes whose right it is, and I will give it to Him.”

Well, naturally, this begs the question, doesn’t it. Who is this that is spoken of? And why will he rule the kingdom of Israel?

The first question is the easier to answer. All we have to do is go to the first chapter of Luke’s gospel and read verses 31 to 33, where the angel Gabriel tells the faithful Jewish virgin, Mary: “And behold, you will concieve in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.”

Even before His conception, Jesus was promised a throne in Israel, and a kingdom which wold last forever. He did not reign at His first advent and is not reigning now, so does this mean that the Bible is wrong? No, the Bible says that God raised him from the dead and that although now he is in heaven with his father, he will return to reign at some future time (Acts 3:20-21). We can draw this same conclusion when we consider the promises made to King David when God said to him, “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before you [i.e. in his presence] forever; your throne shall be established forever” (2 Samuel 7:16). King David has died and is currently sleeping in the dust waiting this time of “forever” (Acts 2:30) and there hasn’t been a king sitting on David’s throne since 586 B.C. Since the Bible tells us that he has to witness the establishment of this eternal rule, we must conclude that it hasn’t happened yet. David still has to be raised from the dead!

To answer the second question we have to again consider the context of Ezekiel 21. While God judged that the proud king in Jerusalem ought to be abased because of the multitude of his sins, He also purposed that one would come who was worthy to rule the kingdom of his chosen people. The prophet Isaiah talks about this worthy man in the 9th chapter of his prophecy, in the 7th verse. He says, “There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness from then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.” A king cannot rule in justice or righteousness if these are foreign concepts to him. He must have practiced these virtues while he was waiting for the time to inherit his throne. Only one man has ever practiced righteousness perfectly in accordance to God’s will and that man is the Lord Jesus Christ! Because of His life of faithful obedience, His father has therefore deemed Him worthy of reigning over His chosen ones in the future age to come.

Bible study isn’t just for teachers, you know! And it isn’t just about getting knowlege and getting a doctorate in theology. Is it about coming to know God and his son Jesus Christ (John 17:3).

Anyone can study God’s word. And must. It is vitally important that we do it. Why must we try to really understand God and His son? Two verses in the Bible help answer this for us:

Hebrews 11:6 – “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”

Romans 10:17 – “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

The Bible is all about God and Jesus Christ, and without studying it, we will never truly please Him. So you sit down to read and try to understand your Bible and you come across a section that might seem confusing or triggers questions in your mind. What do you do? Well, one of the important things to remember is that the answers to all Bible questions are to be found in the Bible. Remember – it is God’s message from heaven. The second thing to remember is one word: context. Reread the pages before and after the section and you’ll be surprised how often you will find the answer nearby. Here is an example of how context can help and where taking a verse out of context can be very dangerous.

Example 1: There is a phrase in the Bible that says, “There is no God.” “What!”, you say, “But I thought the Bible said....!” PROBLEM: the phrase is out of context! It is from Psalm 14:1, where it actually says, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God...” – a slightly different meaning!

Example 2: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12-13) A strange passage if read without its context. Who or what is Lucifer? What does it mean to fall from heaven? Let’s turn to the context. Let’s read from verse 4: “That thou shalt take up this proverb against the king of Babylon and say, How has the oppressor ceased! The golden city ceased ... They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake the kingdoms?” The context gives the answer! It is the King of Babylon, that ancient kingdom that once opressed God’s people, who is called “Lucifer”. In the passage, God is prophesying about judgements to come upon Babylon because they have been lifted up with pride. Though once the “glory of the kingdoms” (3:19), it would be brought low and never be inhabited. A simple section when read in its context.

So next time you hear anything about Lucifer, remember - it was the King of Babylon being referred to. But don’t take my word for it, READ THE CONTEXT!

“Teacher, we know that you are true, and care for no man; for you do not regard the position of men, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” (Mark 12:14-15)

At the time of Christ, the land of Israel was a part of the Roman Empire and Rome taxed its provinces. As the Romans didn’t care about the God of Israel, the Jews of his day wanted to know if he supported paying tribute to them.

Jesus’ reply in Mark 12:15 was: “Bring me a coin, and let me look at it”. And they brought one. And he said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to him, “Caesar’s.” Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”

So what do we give to the government of the country? We willingly give the taxes asked of us. And how and what do we give to God? When Jesus asked to see the coin his question was, “Whose image and superscription has it?” The Bible tells us that “God created man in his own image.” (Gen 1:27). So herein lies the biggest lesson. Jesus is telling us to pay our taxes, but more importantly to give to God what’s His. So if we were made in His image and in His likeness (Gen. 1:26), we should give our whole being back to God in service to Him!

The true intents of our hearts are what we keep locked away from everyone. They can lie hidden at the back of our minds, safe from friends and enemies alike, but God knows. The creator of the heavens and the earth, we are told, “searches all hearts and examines deepest motives.” What does he see?

Sadly, it’s not a pretty sight. In Jeremiah 17:9, the preceding verse to the one just quoted, he says that “the heart is the most deceitful thing there is” and that it “is desperately wicked”. God is telling us that we’re naturally selfish, we naturally want our own way, we look out for number one.

Blaming an external object for our own choices is really a waste of time and doesn’t hit the root of our problems. The Lord Jesus Christ faced this same problem in his time. The religious leaders of his day were constantly focusing on external things which would “infect the person”, and the effect was that they lost sight of the deeper issue. Jesus explained in Mark 7:20 that, which comes out of a man defiles a man.” He continued to say that, “out of the hearts of men proceed evil thoughts of lusts, theft, murder, adultery, wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride and all other folly. All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God.”

Every evil action comes from an evil thought. That means that if we want to get to the root of our struggle, we have to start dealing with our hearts.

We’ve been told that, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, and that’s the way God thinks. God’s word, the Bible, is so different from today’s laws where the focus is on treating the results of our actions. We put people in jail after they have done wrong, but God says, “hold it, let’s stop things before they get started.” Let’s start with our hearts so we don’t have to get ourselves into the trouble in the first place.

The Bible provides us with a recipe for overcoming this way of thinking; the challenge is that the preparation time is 70 years or more. Some of these ingredients are outlined in 2 Peter 1:3-8. There we are told that God has given us amazing promises through which we can live forever and no longer struggle with that way of thinking that God doesn’t like. To be given these promises we are told to work on this recipe: apply diligence (that means hard work!), knowledge (that only comes from reading God’s word), belief in God and his promises (What are they?), honest and moral thinking, more knowledge, self-control, patience, showing God’s characteristics, kindness and selfless love for others.

God calls this total change in lifestyle ‘repentance’. In fact, that’s the message Jesus told his followers to tell everyone about. Repent (change your thinking and way of life), believe in God and his promises and be baptized! (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:37, 38)

If we’re honest with ourselves we’ll be working on that every day of our lives, and as they say, practice makes perfect. And remember, always check the recipe!

“And they shall lay thy stones and thy timber and thy dust in the midst of the water. And I will make thee like the top of a rock: thou shalt be a place to spread nets upon; thou shalt be built no more: for I the LORD have spoken it, saith the Lord GOD.” (Ezekiel 26:12, 14)

The prophet Ezekiel wrote this detailed prophecy concerning the destruction of the ancient city of Tyre about 500 years before Jesus Christ was born. Tyre, located on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, was the major merchant power at the time, considered the Queen of the Mediterranean Sea. Ezekiel prophesied that “many nations” would come against Tyre, and that, in the end, it would be totally destroyed, The first of these nations, Babylon, was described in Ezekiel 26:7, 9. Soon after Ezekiel prophesied these things, Babylon laid siege to and destroyed the mainland portion of the city of Tyre. Many of the people of Tyre fled by boat to an island just off the coast, where they rebuilt their city.

The time then came for the fulfillment of the verses quoted in our introduction. Two and a half centuries after Babylon destroyed Tyre, Alexander the Great swept through the then-known world with his great army and destroyed Tyre through the use of his now-famous causeway (its ruins can still be seen today!) to Tyre which he built by throwing the ruins of the old city of Tyre into the sea. Alexander’s army scraped away the island city, leaving it “like the top of a rock”:

“Alexander the Great, after a most memorable siege, captured the city of Tyre... and reduced it to ruins (332 BC). The city never recovered from this blow. The larger part of the site of the once brilliant maritime capital is now bare as the top of a rock – a place where the fishermen that still frequent the spot spread their nets to dry” (General History for Colleges and High Schools, P Myer).

Alexander’s victory was a direct fulfillment of Ezekiel’s prophecy, made 250 years earlier! To make this real for us, this is just like someone in the year 1750 accurately prophesying exactly how a city of today would be destroyed. This is not possible for man to do and shows that it is only through the power of God, who knows all things, that Ezekiel could have made this prophecy. We must fully believe that the Bible is inspired and act upon that belief – always reading and studying the Bible to find out what God requires of us.

What a miracle the Bible is! The very history and survival of the Book, the tremendous influence it has had upon the thinking of men and women and upon the course of world history makes the Bible a unique phenomenon. We can safely say that there is no other book to equal it.

Thousands of men and women – the vast majority long forgotten by the world – have had their lives directed by this Book that we call the Holy Scriptures. Their lives were directed by it because they had faith in it. They were convinced that these were the oracles of God.

The Bible itself teaches us that: “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” (Romans 10:17). The word of God is itself the very source of faith 0 and those who heart that word, understand and believe, it, are the only people who can develop that “faith” of which the Bible speaks.

Yes, there are those who also claim to speak God’s word – such as the Book of Mormon or the Pope – and countless other religious folk who believe that they have God’s Holy Spirit. When put to the test however (and we should try the spirits – 1 John 4:1), we soon discover the difference between human spiritual leadership and that which is obtainable from the Bible itself. How true are the words of Scripture:

“It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in princes... Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goes forth, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish!” (Psalm 118:8, 9; 146:3, 4)

Several leading preachers well-known on American TV shows (the so-called “tele-evangelists”) were the cause of much embarrassment to their vast congregations a few years ago, being involved in terrible scandals. What an exposure it was! It is probable that many people have been turned away from Christianity (or from what they thought was Christianity), by the behavior of these people.

Yet Scripture actually refers to such people! The Bible is shown to be truly God’s word even by such men! Read 2 peter chapter 2 and see the description of “false prophets” who “with feigned words make merchandise of you...” “Having eyes full of adultery, and cannot cease from sin.” “While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption” - and so on. Did not Jesus say that we could know them by their fruits?

The important principle that must be grasped is that all men are sinful creatures and totally unreliable – that is why we must look to the word of God itself as the source of faith.

In the list of faithful men and women given in Hebrews chapter 11, not one followed human leadership in spiritual matters. Their faith was in God and His word.

Consider the words of the apostle Paul to believers in Ephesus (Acts 20:23):

“I commend you to God, and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them that are sanctified.”

By the continual bathing of the mind with the word of God, people are “sanctified” (Ephesians 5:26); they are “set apart” for God’s own special purpose.

This will mean reformation in their lives. It mean denying oneself those things which are forbidden by the word. The way to do this – the way to overcome the world, is by faith (1 John 5:4). It is not easy, but it will be found that this faith works by love (Galatians 5:6).

Faith and love will grow as we are built up through the application of the word of God. Here is our leadership, here is the voice of the Master.

What a miracle the Bible is!

The Protestant churches have an empty cross, the Catholic Church has a symbol of a crucified Jesus. Which is the most accurate representation of the Lord Jesus Christ? The risen Lord, or the suffering saviour?

There is more behind the life, death and resurrection than simply saying that “Jesus died for us” - which He did. “Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21) His very death and resurrection is a reminder of what we need to do every day: “die to sin and live to righteousness” (1 Peter 2:24).

Jesus’ death on the cross should remind us that, “nothing good dwells within me”, and that the things that come from our hearts aren’t pleasing to God (Romans 7:18). We should be motivated to symbolically put to death all those things in our lives which God isn’t happy with.

His resurrection to perfection and immortality demonstrates a life that is now one hundred percent dedicated to serving God. Following his example, we need to do our best to serve God all our lives.

God wants us to not just look at a suffering saviour, or contemplate a risen Lord, he wants us to suffer with him and live to him. It wasn’t only on the cross that Jesus put aside his own wants in obedience to God’s will (died to sin and lived to righteousness), it was something he did every day, as he said to his Father, “I come to do thy will, O God.” (Hebrews 10:9)

“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)