The church is not a parenthesis, what a strange thing to say, going against all scripture which tell us that the church was the mystery kept hidden in past ages but now made known.

Ephesians ch.1.vs. 9-10

For He has made known to us in all wisdom and insight the mystery of His will according to His purpose which He sat forth in Christ as a plan for the fulness of time, to unite in Him all things whether things in heaven or things on earth.

When is this fulness of time, we are always taught [and not without good reason] that Christ's coming was in the fulness of time and yet we do not yet see all things, whether things in heaven or on earth united in Him.

J. N. Darby looked at scriptures in Isaiah which promised times of great earthly blessing and rightly concluded that these cannot refer to the church but must refer to a future restored nation of Isreal and this more than a hundred years before Isreal became a nation once more. So he concluded that the church must therefore be an interuption of God's plan, a parenthesis, this is far from correct.

Micah ch.. 4. vs. 1-4.

It shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the Lord shall be established as the highest of the mountains and shall be raised up above the hills and peoples shall flow to it, and many nations shall come and say "come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob that He may teach us His ways and we may walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law [no wonder Satan hates Isreal] and the word of the Lord fro Jerusalem.

He shall judge between many peoples and shall decide for strong nations afar off.

And they shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up their swords against nation, neither shall they learn war any more but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree [is this what YOU long for?] and none shall make them afraid for the mouth of the Lord has spoken it.

This is the fulness of time Epesians spoke about, this IS the kingdom of God which Jesus said was nigh but which the Jews rejected, inasmuch as they rejected Him who is the King.

This is the milennial age, the age of righteousness, prosperity and peace which is prophesied by the prophets but which has not yet been fulfilled. This IS the good news the church should be announcing.

The millennial age is a world age, a gospel age still but an age when the gospel will be in triumph and not hidden as it now is [though not hidden to believers] Satan will be bound for a thousand years and all causes of sin taken out of the kingdom.

This age comes after the great rebellion, the great persecution and after the appearing and destruction of Antichrist, the saints of all the ages will have been raptured, they shall reign with their Lord from heaven.

The church is not the parenthesis, [bracketed, sectioned off, set aside] but Isreal now is. 

God can be a right Rough and Tumbler when He wants, Jacob found this out when he crossed over to Jabbok and when he was alone a man came and wrestled with him until the break of day. When the man saw that he did not prevail with Jacob he touched his thigh and put it out and Jacob ever after walked with a limp. It don't pay to mess with God, even though it may seem you are getting away with it.

I read about a preach who when he saw the local tearaway get up to leave the meeting in disgust jumped off his platform, the tearaway saw him coming and broke into a sprint and the preach gave chase. He caught him at the door by diving at his feet in a rugby tackle and said "I won't let you go until you surrender to God." the young tearaway did in fact get saved.

I want to share with you the utter gentleness of God, oh christian, you are sent out as lambs among ravening wolves. I think a lamb among ravening wolves might behave himself rather prudently.

The Welsh revival.

In 1904 the nation of Wales had drifted far, far from God and spiritual life was at a very low ebb when suddenly God's Spirit started to sweep across the people with mighty revival power. The churches were packed and prayer meetings would run for hours. Drinking and drunkeness declined to such an extent that bars and pubs had to close, the crime rate fell to almost zero and magistrates had no cases to hear.

Friendships were restored and family life was improved and everywhere the Presence of God was felt, in the streets and shops and on the public transport. Even the miner's pit ponies were affected, they became confused because their normally foul-mouthed handlers no longer yelled and swore at them.

And yet there was little preaching, singing and prayer would sweep across the people and folk would stand to give testimony of the wonderful things God was doing in their lives.

The global impact of the Welsh revival after a decade is estimated at 10 millions of people were swept into the kingdom of God.

Florrie Evans was just 14 years old, she witnessed the joy and godliness that her pastor Joseph Jenkins had, she followed him home one night and sought councel from him. His advice to her was that she should surrender her whole life to God, later in the week she got saved.

The following Sunday Pastor Jenkins opened the Sunday morning for testimonies, a long awkward silence ensued, presently young Florrie rose to her feet and said shyly "well if no-one else will, I must say I love the Lord Jesus Christ with all my heart."

It struck like a lightening bolt, the Spirit of God swept over the people and one after another stood to either commit or re-commit their lives to the Lord.

Those that were saved or renewed visited other churches and that's how the work spread over all of Wales. Evan Roberts when he visited later that year was profoundly affected by what he saw and became a notable figure in the revival.

The Reformation.

The reformation was the reformation but it was also a revival, it began with the revelation of the true meaning of "The righteousness of God" as opposed to what people thought it meant. The understanding was that it meant God's holiness in contrast to man's wickedness whereas it really means the righteousness that God freely imparts to all who will simply trust Christ to save them.

When Martin Luther discovered this he stopped doing all the nonsense things he was doing to try to appease God's holiness.

Of course all this ran counter to the teachings and practices of the Roman church especially their selling indulgences to fund the building of the [then] new Cistine chapel.

That's when the thunder and lightening bolts started with men hurling curses and damnation and anathemas at each other. The vitriol and wrath that entered the work of the reformation didn't come from God it came from men. It has remained in a huge slice of evangelicalism to this day.

One day Jesus was going through a village on His way to Jerusalem when a large commitee met Him and barred His way. The disciples said "Lord shall we call fire down from heaven upon them as Elijah did?" but Jesus rebuked it and said "ye know not of what spirit ye are for the Son of Man has not come to destroy men's lives but to save men's lives."

Does that mean we should not warn about hell? or the danger of going there? of course we should.

But I want to tell you something, God is Love, God is a Dove. He is gentle and kind. I think ol' Zacheus would have fallen plumb out of that tree he had climbed into to catch a glimpse of Jesus as He passed by if the Lord had spoken to him in the way that many evangelicals speak to people, Jesus was kind and gracious to him even though He knew Zacheus was a rascal.

Friends believe in God's kindness, believe in God's gentleness, believe that if you would come to Him this very moment in prayer He will graciously receive you. He will pardon your sins and reach out to help you in whatever need you may have. After all God only can forgive sinners, He can't forgive folk who are holy so the bigger the sinner you are the more you will be forgiven and He will grant YOU His peace and joy today if you will believe. 

It makes no difference if you are a hetrosexual sinner or a homosexual sinner, there is no prejudice or discrimination with God. He treats everybody the same, there is forgiveness and peace offered to all freely at the cross.

Murderers, even child murderers, thieves, liars will all find that "the Lord," as it is written, "is kind and gracious to all who call upon Him in sincerity and truth."

St Paul says in 1 corintians ch. 6. vs. 9-11.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? do not be deceived, neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor revilers will inherit the kingdom of God. And SUCH WERE SOME OF YOU, but you were washed, you were made clean, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

There simply is no sin or class of sinners that God will not freely forgive and clean up, no heart too black, no case too hopeless. All He requires is that we do come and in coming we come to the cross for that is where our sins were put away, paid for, nailed with Him to the tree.

Therefore there is no longer any need for us to be separated from God or to keep distance, friendship can be restored.

Is that too simple? too easy a thing? has God made peace and pardon too cheap so that people simply scorn His offer as worthless?

Dear reader friendship with God is the sweetest joy you will have this side of eternity, the love He gives is precious beyond all price and beyond words to describe it but you can have it free this very hour if you will. Yes it must be free-without cost-you cannot buy it, if you try to God will turn you away, if you try to buy ANY of God's blessings He will turn you away disappointed believe me when I tell you that.

I am very sorry that money has gotten mixed up with many a healing ministry, the mere idea or suggestion that you can come to God with money in your hand and that He will show you favour is anathema with God, He will turn you away-this is the graveyard of many and many a ministry that started out in power and sometimes great power, but as soon as money comes in with fund-raising under what guise so-ever, call it love-gift or ministry offering or partnership evangelism or whatever name you like if it gets mixed up with the ministration of the gospel it is wrong and the power of God will leave that ministry, the anointing will lift and all that will remain is excitement and shouting and hoo ha. 

"Freely you have received freely give" Jesus said.

God has been saying to me a word for years and I never understood it, I cry to Him about these "faith power" ministries and He  always answered the same word "In one day they will all come to an end, at a stroke." I never understood it until the downturn and the credit crunch hit and what is looming just on the horizon the complete failure of money or mammon as the bible calls it, this is more than an economic crisis friends this is collapse and it's just around the corner.

Does that mean christians should not give to the gospel? now see this for it's such a narrow line, friends if you are saved giving to the gospel is the wisest thing you could do with your money, giving to christian ministry, giving to the poor, the hungry, the naked, the homeless but let it never, NEVER get mixed up with the ministration of the gospel.

Will God prosper you if you give to the gospel and to christian ministry? sure He will.

But if you are seeking the Lord for blessing, if you need healing, if you need pardon and the peace and joy that salvation brings then it will better for you to keep your money in your pocket for these things can only be received freely through faith, they can not be earned and they can not be bought.

The price for these things have been paid FOR you on YOUR behalf by Jesus, sins washed away, sickness borne, the chastisement for OUR peace was laid on Him.

You come, come this minute to Him and PROVE Him whether or not it is true.

Say "Lord Jesus I accept that You did pay the price, the ransome price, for my sins. the price was death but You died for me, You took my place. I accept you as Lord and ask You to come into my heart today as Saviour, Healer and Provider. Amen."   

When God created man He created him a spiritual person, God breathed into him the breath of life and man became a living soul.

The man was to govern his life and conduct his affairs according to his spiritual life. But when he fell his spirit died and man and woman is born into this world to this very day spiritually dead, slain in trespasses and sin, this is why God seems remote to us even non-existent. He lives now not according to spiritual principles but according to his soulish nature where of course his emotions are seated.

Somebody recently was discussing with me the subject of "falling in love" I'm sure most of you know what that is all about, "what could be wrong with falling in love??" Look let's be honest, for every nice story of people falling in love there are 10, 000 horror stories of failed romances and broken hearts, if that were not so Hollywood and Bollywood and the music industry would be out of business since yesterday.

Falling in love in it's initial stages at least might be a very nice experience but just look at the heartache, the suicides and murders committed, the utter loneliness of someone whose spouse of many years has "fallen in love" with a younger person. Nice is not always good.

When we are born again our spirits are made alive again within us, we are re-created once more in God's image and we have the ability once more for our spirits to take control of our lives and govern our decisions. We are no longer at the mercy of the whims and infatuations of our soulish nature or the wayward desires of our fleshly bodies.

Our bodies will die and are dying because of sin but our souls wherein is our life is saved although these are still subject to the pull and temptations of the world.

Because we love God, we love His word, the same word which first brought us the message of this new life we have, God is no longer afar off and remote He is very near even in our hearts to live and to die with Him. It is this love, this joy of fellowship with Him which will keep us following His word.

I may not understand always why He says a thing is wrong, that is not my first consideration, He may show it He may not but I am always sure that He knows best. Nice is not always good. The original question about "falling in love" or infatuation, which is what it really is, was concerning homosexual love, what? my friend was asking, could possibly be wrong with two people falling in love? My purpose in sharing Christ is not to judge anyone, even if it were possible for me to legislate and command that everyone should live according to His way I would not wish to do so for it is a matter of personal choice, but I will bear witness to Him in the hope that others will come to Him and find what I have found, that His teachings [sometimes hard to follow] bring deep inner peace and joy.

May YOU come this very hour to Him and recieve the true love-life He has for you.    

I know it is something that really angers and frustrates atheists that anybody at all in this 21st century let alone that countless millions in every nation and culture should place their unswerving faith in a book that they think is discredited and disproven.

The reason for this faith is easily explained, for christians come to believe that the bible is God's word written down by a kind of reverse mechanism, they don't begin at genesis and think "oh yeah this is so true" but they first come to faith through some good news message, in my case the word that God made especially alive to me was "Jesus Christ the same, yesterday, and today and forever." hebrews ch. 13. v. 8. for others it may be another scripture like "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that who-so-ever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." John ch. 3. v. 16.

When we do come to Jesus we find to our absolute delight that these words are indeed true.

God's words have power to create, first by creating faith in our hearts to believe then through our faith He brings His word to pass in our lives and in our experience.

When He talks about peace, joy, when He promises to answer prayer, when He promises us a brand new life, "[she] that believeth in Me, as the scripture hath said, out of [her] belly will flow rivers of living water."

I want to tell you something that may shock you, God loves you, He wants to be your Friend. You say "but I'm a terrible person," that's right so am I but God valued ME so much He sent Jesus to bear away my sins on the cross. That is how much He loves YOU, don't keep distance from Him, come to Him right this moment in prayer and PROVE for yourself that His word is good and His promise is real.

Now when we do come to Jesus in this way and we do make the discovery that what we have read or heard is indeed true it is then that we come to accept and believe that the other parts of the bible are true also-all of it.

And this faith is as solid as a rock, no wonder christians seem dogmatical, we know, we have put it to the test, we live it.

If you have diamonds all the nay saying in the world will never convince you that diamonds do not exist, but our faith is more tangeable than diamonds, you may hold a diamond in your hand, be careful that you do not lose it or that somebody does not rob you of it, but we have Jesus dwelling in our hearts.

May you recieve Him as your Lord today and may His peace and joy fill your heart.  

There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek but glory and honour and peace for every one who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek for God shows no partiality. Romans ch:2. vs:9-11.

Almost nothing gives me more joy than to read about a Jewish person who has discovered Jesus Christ as the true Messiah. I was reading the story of sixties pop queen singer Helen Shapiro [pictured above] her long search for inner satisfaction ended in 1987 when she recieved Jesus as her personal Saviour.

My neighbour next door was a jewish lady, a really lovely person. When I got saved I made such a racket jumping up and down, running across my room jumping and clapping and shouting "hooray, hooray Jesus." well my neighbour came running to the door knocking, she was afraid something was happening "are you ok?" she shouted through the door "what's going on in there?" When I opened up she was staggered by the radiance of my face [a radiance I had no control over for several weeks, everywhere I went, this radiance, I tried pressing my cheeks down cos in a way it was embarassing but the next second my face was lit up again in a smile] and all I could say to her "it's true Jesus is truly the Son of God, I just asked Him into my heart." she was amazed and over the weeks ahead I had the joy of sharing with her what was going on with me as it happened, and plenty was happening.

One of the things that surprises Jewish people, and Helen Shapiro shares this in her story, is that Jesus is everywhere pictured in their bible, our old testament, it's not only the psalms and prophets that tell of Him. God promised in the Garden of Eden that He would send a Saviour and He showed what He would be like "the seed of the woman, One who would crush the serpent's head" but at personal cost to Himself for the serpent "would bruise His heel."

It was based upon this prophecy that the blood sacrifice was established the lamb of God which was made the dying substitute for our sins. Abel offered the right sacrifice but Cain offered the works of the flesh.

Jesus is pictured in the story of Isaac and Abraham, even carrying his own woodpile to the sacrifice, Abraham was demonstrating his faith in God's ability to raise the dead for God had made many promises regarding Isaac which neccessitated Isaac being alive.

Then of course there is Joseph, what a picture of Christ he is, God showed him in a dream how that all Isreal would bow to him as Lord but this made his brothers hate him the more and they could not speak peaceably to him and when the opportunity arose they rose up against Joseph and had it not been for Reuben would have slain him. As it was they cast Joseph into a pit and brought his robe dipped in goats blood to Jacob their father and so far as Isreal was concerned at least Joseph was no more.

Three days Joseph was in the pit when a band of merchants found him and brought him into Egypt. But Joseph became Lord in Egypt and by the introduction of the tithe he became saviour of the whole world in a time of famine.

A great cheer went around the world in 1917 among bible believing christians at the Balfour declaration and once again in 1948 when Isreal declared itself a nation once more. We all recognise or should recognise that these events were the fulfilment of ancient prophecies regarding Isreal and herald the hoving into view of the end-times, God has by no means finished His dealings with His ancient people.

There yet will come a time when in a time of acute tribulation "they will look upon Him who they have pierced and mourn for Him as for a firstborn son." Zechariah. ch:12. v. 10.

"Who killed Jesus Christ? was it the Jews? or was it the Romans?" this was one of the many question my dear Jewish neighbour asked me. I did not know what a touchy deal this was. The answer is that neither Jew or Roman was responsible for Christ's death but God only as Peter says in Acts ch:2 v. 23. Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. I don't care who the catholics blamed or who Luther blamed, it has always been so in the bible that the cross was God's plan for when Jesus died on the cross He was bearing away our sins, The Lamb of God Who taketh away the sin of the world. Apart from the Jewish nation there would have been no salvation, no redemption.

This is the debt of gratitude the nations of the world owe to Isreal.

May YOU recieve Him today as your Lord and be blessed.    

*

Helen's story. http://www.mannamusic.co.uk/walkingback/walkingback.htm 

I will never forget the first miracle I witnessed, it was at a large meeting in London, there were several thousand people in attendance. The Preach [who was noted for his healing ministry] had told the people not to expect to see any miracles on the first night of the 2 weeks of meetings as people usually need to understand first how God heals.

After the sermon he closed the meeting with prayer and was leaving the platform, my attention was focussed on a commotion beginning to take place several rows ahead, a little girl had come to the meeting with a huge amplification belt strapped to her chest, she was a deaf mute, she was 6 years old, a little blonde darling, she had never heard a sound in her life, never made a sound. Suddenly during the prayer her ears had come open and she could hear the noise of people around her, I can never forget her for her face was lit up like a little angel.

The Preach who was walking off the platform stopped and he came back to the microphone and announced that a miracle had taken place, somebody who had come to the meeting deaf [he said] had been healed.

The lady who had brought the little girl by this time was making her way to the front and they were brought to the platform. The little girl could hear perfectly and there she made her very first vocal sounds to the delight of the crowd.

The second night of the meetings the Preach had been on the platform just 10 minutes when he had to quit preaching. People were getting healed all over the place, absolute pandemonium broke out as people started to come out of wheelchairs, take off medical casts and braces and discard crutches.

Many people do not like too much emotion, especially British people but let me tell you British people re-act exactly the same as people anywhere in the world when they are healed especially if they have been in pain and disabled for many years, there are laughter and tears and much clapping and applause as people come to the platform to show what God has done for them.

I was astonished by the sheer numbers and said "oh Lord is this really happening?"

A dear West Indian lady who had been stood behind me on crutches suddenly let out a whoop and a hallelujah and threw away her crutches and started to run up and down the aisle she got healed.

I have personally prayed for a man who was scheduled the next morning to have his arm amputated but when he awoke the next day the gangarene was in his bed, his arm was perfectly healed.

It's too late to tell me that Jesus is not real or that He was only an historic person, a good man and a teacher. I have seen with my own eyes and I know. A poor man came to Him in the bible with his son and cried out "oh Lord if You can do anything for us please help us," Jesus replied "if you can only believe, all things are possible to him who believes."

Jesus will forgive every sin and he will heal every kind of disease but unbelievers will get nowt from Him.

You come to Him this very hour in prayer and prove He is real, don't come disbelieving come believing and recieve blessing.

[Read my little treatise God Imputer on this page http://www.journalhome.com/SEESUSANNE/57073/god-imputer.html 

I was listening to a preacher who was saying that christians ought to make more reliance on intellectual and logical arguments instead of the supernatural in witnessing of their faith to  unbelievers.

I was unconciously shaking my head sadly so I got earwigged after the meeting which gave me the opportunity to vent.

It is perfectly logical and reasonable to believe in God-you may not but at least you accept that others do and can put forward reasonable and valid arguments for why they believe as they do, arguments which you may or may not be able to counter.

But the gospel is not reasonable or logical it makes no appeal what-so-ever to human intellect, what? that a child should be born to a virgin? and that this child should Himself be God the Creator? that He should be nailed to a tree until His life-blood run to the ground? and that by this means God should make reconciliation with His rebellious creatures? that after three days in the tomb God should raise His Son from the dead? no no these are not reasonable or logical arguments at all, they make no appeal even to my limited education.

Some people [even well educated people] believe these truths because they were taught them from earliest childhood, I am an example of that, John Wesley is an even better example for he was highly educated with a razor sharp intellect.

When Wesley graduated from Oxford he set sail for America as a missionary to the native Americans but he was not at that time saved, he did not have living faith. He failed in America, in fact he very nearly got run out on a rail. He came back to England under a cloud.

It was on board the return ship that he met a bunch of simple Moravian christians and in fellowshipping with them he witnessed that they had something he did not have. He did not know it then but he was witnessing the inner life of Christ in the soul, he was witnessing a new [to him] kind of faith, a LIVING faith.

You may one day look through the eyes of wonder at the creation all around you and you may well come to an understanding and apprehension that all you see must be the work of a Master Creator of infinite wisdom and power. But this not the faith of the christian by which he is saved, in which he stands. This is not the living faith I am talking about.

Days later John Wesley testified at a meeting in Aldersgate St London that "my heart was strengely warmed and I knew in my soul that He had borne away my sins, even mine."

From that day forward Wesley became with his brother Charles, who had already come into this faith, an announcer of the new birth and their message spread throughout the length and breadth of these British Isles in times when the church was at a lower ebb than she is today, and there was all kind of evil and oppression in the land.

May God bless you this day and grant to you the peace and joy that come with believing in His Son Jesus Christ.  

I have heard so much about the blind faith christians are supposed to have, my faith has never been blind. Hebrews. ch:11. v.1. explains what faith is, Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. St Paul in Romans ch: 10. v. 17 further explains, Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

If you will hear the message of Christ, if you will humble yourself to listen to it, God will put faith in your heart to believe it. This imparted faith is rock solid, you cannot see it, you cannot see happiness in the heart but it is real. And then having recieved this gift of faith you can step out and claim the blessings God's word has promised to you.

Now God is extraordinarily patient and merciful, He sometimes seems [but it is only seems] to change the order of things like when fierce and arrogant Saul, breathing out hatred against the christians on his way to Damascus when suddenly a light shone brighter than the noon-day sun and knocked him off his horse. But he still had to seek out Ananias to be instructed in the way so that he could recieve faith to be saved.

This is God's way this is the way He works, first He sends His word and if we will be humble enough to listen to it He sends faith into our hearts to recieve the blessings He has promised. 

I pray YOU will be blessed this very hour, The Lord is gracious to all who call upon Him in sincerity and truth.   

Beloved I willest above all things that thou mayest be in health and prosper even as thy soul prospereth

*

That's God's will, someone will object and say "no, no this is only what St. John wished for his readers," listen St. John is the disciple whom Jesus loved, who rested in Christ's bosom at the table, he is not about to will anything for you that God  doesn't will. Of course God wants YOU to be in health and prosper, why wouldn't he?

I am not American, I hear so much about false preachers in what is called the "faith movement" I don't know about any of that, I only heard Benny Hinn preach once on a video and he preached forgiveness at the cross the resurrection and new life in Christ, taking St paul as my example he said many people are preaching the gospel for all kinds of reasons but he said I only rejoice that Christ is being preached.

I read the many detractors of " health and prosperity" preachers but I have yet to read a sensible cogent argument against the teaching, it seems to me that those who hate the doctrine have their eyes fixed just as firmly upon the man preaching as those who seem to fawn over them.

Does God provide? of course He does every saint knows it, well is His provision abundant or niggardly? what's the difference between abundant provision and prosperity?

Jesus demonstrated in His miracles that God's provision is abundant He does exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ask or think.

Look at people languishing in poverty, are they being blest? wherever the gospel has gone into whatever nation it has been recieved, prosperity has followed, and where it is rejected the people languish in poverty still, even though christian aid, tearfund and the salvation army and a whole host of christian organisations are lining up on the borders of those countries just itching for the opportunity to go in and feed their children.

Poverty is a curse, it started the day Adam and Eve rebelled against God and were chucked out of the garden of abundance.

God does not use poverty or sickness to teach man, to know what God's will is and what He is like you have to look at Jesus and He is a Healer and a Provider and He doeth all things exceedingly well.

Does that mean if you are poor or sick you are a rascal? no, a thousand times no, but never lose sight of the fact that God loves you and that His will for you is good. read my post on this page God Imputer and may the Lord bless you this day.   

St. Paul was a braggart did you know that? he was always at it, you talk about crow artist, well I like to throw a little crow myself sometimes.

It amuses me sometimes when I read stories of christians who are forbidden to wear cross pendants or bracelets, often it becomes a matter of litigation, and yet when christians are talking about their faith, and the subject turns to the message of the cross they oftimes become coy.

They like rather to show forth Christ as Victor which is O.K. for so He was, but before He was Victor He was Victim.

They like to talk about the new birth and new life which is good for Jesus does impart those most precious gifts to all who will come to Him in simple believing faith. But in order to be able to grant to us new life and a new birth He first must die.

He was not dying on His behalf but on our behalf.

God did not make His appearance on this earth with a great show of power or with majesty and comeliness but in weakness and in sorrow and pain.

He came in weakness that we might become strong in Him, the sorrow and pain He bore was actually our sorrow and pain not His. This new life He brings to us is a new life of joy and peace.

This is the message of the cross, this is what St. Paul was always boasting about saying stuff like "in the cross of Christ I glory [that is I boast]"

It is the message St. Peter told and it worked, it's the message multiplied millions down through the centuries have believed and for those who believed it worked.

It is the message I believed and now tell you "I was sad and sinful but I came to the cross and recieved forgiveness with peace and joy and a brand new life."

This message works and it will work for you too.    

There are seventy millions of souls

in the United Kingdom today

when Glorianna reigned just five

and when William crossed from France, they say,

were less than one million for him to conquer.

People migrating outward

from India perhaps.

In view of this it becomes very hard,

if placed alongside the evidence

of man's history beneath our feet

[which really doesn't go down far]

not to conclude that it was pure deceit

to exchange facts for a theory

as the evolutionists have done.

Lord You were beautiful

beautiful to behold

in Your shame Lord

and in weakness

God's love unfold.

*

There stood where I should have stood

in Your love You took my place

in Your Person You were bearing

all of my disgrace

(I never would have known

 the cost to You.

You paid to set me free)

*

No, not in majesty

comeliness to behold

but in pain Lord

and in sorrow

God's love unfold.

*

There stood a felon in bonds

so that I might go free

oh I love You Lord Jesus

on Calvary's tree.

*

Yes You are beautiful

beautiful to behold

not in power

but in weakness

Gods's love unfold

*

So very beautiful

my eyes behold.

*

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=G7iJC0VfxX4

To listen to the tune Cavatina 

I'm not going to say about visions or dreams I may have had or voices I may have heard, God has plenty enough to say in the bible if people will not heed it then neither will they take notice even if someone was to arise from the grave to tell them, people walk around puffed up with conceit and vain philosophies but the words that God has spoken to man have ever been the words that have come to pass from the day He first told man, "thou art dust, from the dust I made you and to the dust thou shalt return."

Multiplied millions have proved as I have that the words of Jesus are true when He says "He that believeth in me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." Oh the wonderful joy of being born again, of having the indwelling life of Jesus in the soul by the Holy Spirit.

In speaking about God's word Jesus said it was like seed, good seed will produce a good harvest, but He also spoke about the enemy's seed, they grow together side by side in the earlier stages of growth they are indistinguishable from the good seed, only as they take root and come to maturity do their baneful presence become clear, people say "why doesn't God just destroy wicked people? if He's so powerful" He could do that, but He is also wise and has regard for His children, He says "no, wait until harvest. lest in rooting up the tares ye also root up the wheat."

So what is this seed of the enemy, and although I believe in the end-time harvest I also believe  there is a generational harvest when the seeds that have been sown in the world in YOU and in me come to fruition, I know what God's seed is, it is peace and joy and love "a well of water dwelling in you that will spring up into everlasting life." all these things are brought to  us purely by believing God's word and allowing it to be planted in our hearts, it's what God speaks to His children about.

The devil's seed is different it speaks hate, rebellion, lust which brings hurt and sorrow, greed for pleasure which cause destructive habits, his word speaks murder and wickedness. He spreads his word through his servants, through books and films and music etc planting in the hearts of men and women thoughts and dreams and evil aspirations which they then set about to accomplish in their lives. You are so wise why don't you look around you? go and buy a newspaper or turn on the telly and see if that is not just exactly what is happening all around you. What do you like to read? or watch, what words in the form of thoughts do you entertain and dwell on?

I do not know one single war in history caused by faith in Jesus Christ, oh there have been plenty waged by people who use His name as a cloak, just to take the Irish example since I am British of Irish catholic stock, The English protestants were planted in Ireland centuries ago for the sole purpose of subjugating the native Irish who happened to be catholic, thank God a measure of  peace has come to Ireland, they are not at present blowing each other up, may God add His blessing and cause a true and lasting peace. But the feud came from oppression, my great grand sire came to England because wherever he went for a job [the protestants held all the places of employers and power in N. Ireland] as soon as he gave his name and told where he was from they knew he was catholic and he would not get the job. Those employers may have been protestant by religion and acted under that banner but they were never christian, how can you know? because they were oppressing the poor which thing God abhors. That is what causes war it is all about possessions and territories and wealth and the witholding of it from others, don't tell me Jesus ever caused a war or that true faith in Him ever caused a war.

But you say what is this generational harvest thingy? it is when all that has been planted in the hearts of men and women over a long period of time suddenly comes to fruition and erupts. Now if you think that all that happened in the 2nd world war was the harvest of what people were imbibing to themselves in the inter war period, and all that happened in the 1st world war the coming to fruition of what people were imbibing to themselves in that generation prior, whatever do you think is in store for the next eruption? with all that people have been greedily imbibing to themselves these last 60 more years and folks don't kid yourselves it is going to come.

Does repentance in the light of this seem so abhorrent a word, distasteful? I tell you it is the only hope for this generation, get that wickedness washed out by the blood of Jesus, do you want a victim? Behold the Victim, you enjoy to see pain and suffering? I show you Jesus, but what He suffered He suffered for you in your place, else believe me the overwhelming odds are that in the next harvest, it's just a little down the road believe me when I tell you that, the odds are that you will not be in the place of the oppressor but the place of those who are oppressed.

May the joy of the Lord be yours this day and always.  

And you will say to me "but it's not christmas" but what is a girl to do? if a poem comes you've gotta get that poem down. In the bleak mid winter was penned by Christina Geogina Rossetti [1830-94] I have retained her 1st and 4th stanzas and part of her 2nd.
*
In the bleak mid winter
frosty wind makes moan
earth stood hard as iron
water as a stone
snow had fallen, snow on snow
snow on snow
in the bleak mid winter
long so long ago
*
Lay Him in a manger
though He is Lord of all
poverty will teach Him
to hear us when we call
in the bleak mid winter
a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty
Jesus Christ
*
I never would have known Him
though He was sent for me
if He had come in splendour
with might and majesty
this is heaven's wonder
that such a one as He
with love so warm and tender
should stoop so low for me
*
What then can I give Him?
poor as I am
if I were a shepherd
I would bring a lamb
if I were a wise man
I would do my part
yet what can I give Him?
give to Him my heart
*
Oh that I could love Him
and show Him all His worth
but I am only human
a child of this earth
when He comes in glory
then my tongue shall tell
I will kneel before Him
in the angel swell
*

Here is the carol as penned by Christina Georgina Rossetti sung beautifully by Corrinne May.
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ZC9C5kHL884&feature=related