Chronicles Of An Evangelist

What Type Of Religion Is Christianity? The True One.

2012-01-14T12:01:00.001Z

A new video has been ripping up a storm on social networks everywhere: Why I Hate Religion, But Love Jesus || Spoken Word

Before I pen my own thoughts on this hugely popular viral video, I will point out that I'm certainly not the first to do so. A number of people have already expressed themselves clearly on the subject. You can read their thoughts by clicking here and here. I wish to add just a little to what has already been said. Firstly, as Christians we live our lives in the hope of winning as many people to Jesus as we can. This means we are to be discerning in how we live, it means we are to make sacrifices - we give up certain freedoms in life to gain the heart and mind of another. We put others first and we are by default sensitive of others. I do agree there comes a time in life when we need to be more assertive and firm, but that should be the exception rather than the rule. Before we go of on a tirade about something, we need to stop and think about who is watching and who is listening. There is very little evidence that Jeff Bethke has done that.

You see, what does the religious person think when he hears "Christian Jeff" stand up and say, "I hate religion"? What does he think when a seemingly "religious Christian" stands up and says that Christ came to abolish religion? Isn't Christianity a religion? And why would I give the time of day to someone who wants to come along and abolish what I hold dear?

Jesus did not attack religion, He attacked religious abuses carried out by people who claimed to be religiously pure in God's eyes. That's the difference. Unfortunately, Jeff Bethke is misleading and confusing. After all, in the eyes of the world, Christianity is a recognised world religion. So let us show the world, with the conduct of our lives and our message, that it is the only true and pure religion that is to be accepted and embraced by this world.

The Bible tells us in the Book of James:

Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.(James 1:27)

I am a Christian and I am also religious. By God's grace I am living a religious life of purity and truth before the eyes of my Lord.

Soli Deo Gloria.

Open-Air Preaching, Leicester Square

2012-01-13T04:47:00.000Z

Below is a video filmed last week of the message I preached. To read the full report from the night click here.

John 10:30 - "I and the Father are one."

2012-01-12T01:43:00.000Z

This past Friday night, while witnessing in Leicester Square, I spoke with a Muslim chap regarding the deity of Christ. Our conversation was brief and touched on John 10:30. Although we were not able to talk for long (as by this time it was getting quite late) we did exchange contact details. The next day I received a text from him, which reads as follows:

Hi,

thank you very much for your time yesterday, as discussed, please see references below.

John 10:30 "I and the Father are one.”

This word 'one' and example is also used in John 17:21-23

New International Version (NIV)

John 17:21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.

John 17:22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—

John 17:23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

This word 'one' Jesus (peace be upon him) is referring to in the above includes the disciples and the Father are oneness in purpose and message not in the physical body form, shape or size.

Check out these fantastic explanations on YouTube:

I and my Father are One:

John 10:30. Ahmed Deedat.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DY9Uo5qN3n0

I & My Father are One - What does it Mean? Ahmed Deedat. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnP1vVlQZ1I

Contexts of the verse I and my Father are One? Dr Zakir Naik.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nl6C8HVJ2M

How would you respond with a counter challenge?

Best regards,

Ash

My response is below...

Hi Ash,

Thank you for your email.

With regard to John 10:30, you wrote:

“This word 'one' and example is also used in John 17:21-23

Correct. The Greek word ἓν is used in John 10:30 and John 17:21-23.

You also wrote:

“This word 'one' Jesus (peace be upon him) is referring to in the above includes the disciples and the Father are oneness in purpose and message not in the physical body form, shape or size.”

Firstly, let us see the whole of John 10:30 as it appears in the Greek language:

ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. - “I and the Father are one.”

The word ἕν is translated “one.”

The word ἐσμεν is the first person plural of “to be” and so it is translated “are.”

The phrase ἕν ἐσμεν (hen esmen) is a significant statement, which clearly has trinitarian implications. ἕν is neuter (in the Greek grammatical sense), not masculine (again, in the grammatical sense), so the assertion is not that Jesus and the Father are one person, but one “thing.” Identity of the two persons is not what is asserted, but essential unity (unity of essence).

I hope this make sense to you. It is very significant. The Bible is clear that within the one Being that is God, there exists eternally three coequal persons, namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (The Forgotten Trinity, Dr. James White, pg. 26). So Jesus is not saying in John 10:30 that He is the Father. Rather He is saying that He is of the same essence as the Father.

Let us now look at the beginning of John 17:21 in the Greek:

ἵνα πάντες ἓν ὦσιν. - “...that they may all be one.”

Notice the return of the word ἓν. Again it is neuter, which means that Jesus is praying to the Father asking that His disciples would be one in essence/purpose. In John 17:21 Jesus is praying to the Father asking that His disciples would be one, whereas in John 10:30 He is stating that He and the Father are one.

In the first video Ahmed Deedat picks on the fact that Jesus quotes from an Old Testament psalm, in which God says to men, “I said, you are gods.” (Psalm 82:6). Ahmed Deedat seems to be saying that this is “just Jewish language,” and that Jesus is only saying He is “the Son of God.” Dr. Zakir Naik in his video mentions that two people can be said to be one, but it does not mean they are one. I disagree with both Ahmed Deedat and Dr. Zakir Naik.

Jesus’ point in quoting Psalm 82:6 is that if human judges (Psalm 82:2–4) can in some sense be called gods (in light of their role as representatives of God), this designation is even more appropriate for the one who truly is the Son of God (John 10:33, 35–36).

Take note that the title “Son of God” is a title given to Jesus which describes the relationship that exists between the Father and the Son. Jesus is not a created being, the Father has not reproduced another being which is Deity. Jesus made it clear that He was God through all that He did and said.

I do hope all I have said is understandable to you. I look forward to your response.

Kind regards,

Rob

Ash has responded by asking me to meet with him over coffee in order to discuss things further. I'm greatly encouraged by this and hope to share God's truth with him in greater detail.

Please pray for me.

Chinese Food For Thought

2011-11-06T16:37:00.032Z

We had a number of people join us for outreach this past Friday, at least five new people, which was so encouraging. After a great time of fellowship in the cafe we headed out to our new spot near China Town. There was roughly twenty of us and so we were in for a great night!

I preached for a good 30 minutes. This is quite long and the reason was largely due to the hecklers in the crowd. One gentleman in particular, which you will be able to see in the video above, had a number of questions and charges to lay against Christianity and Jesus Christ. One of his questions centred around the life of Christ before he entered his ministry. He asked, “What did Jesus do for the thirty years undocumented in the Bible?” I asked him to elaborate and he said, “The part between the two years before his death and his birth, what was he doing? The Son of God surely should have been doing good things.” I responded by saying, “He was growing up.” He then responded by saying, “Oh, the Son of God had to grow up did he?” I recognise that I could have done a better job in answering his question, however it allowed me to emphasise something very important. Jesus became a man so that we could relate to Him (He subjected Himself to human existence. He slept, ate, walked, etc, even though He was God) and also, more importantly, He became a human being so that He would be the perfect representative for mankind. Man has sinned, which means man is culpable. The only hope for humanity is a substitute willing to take our place. But what kind of substitute? The Bible tells the only acceptable substitute is one who is both fully God and fully man. Why is this? The Heidelberg Catechism of 1619 A.D. explains it so well:

Qu. Can any mere creature pay for us?

A. No. In the first place, God will not punish another creature for the sin which man has committed.[1] Furthermore, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it.[2]

[1] Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18. [2] Ps. 130:3; Nah. 1:6.

Qu. What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek?

A. One who is a true[1] and righteous[2] man, and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is at the same time true God.[3]

[1] I Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:17. [2] Is. 53:9; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26. [3] Is. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1; Rom. 8:3, 4.

Qu. Why must He be a true and righteous man?

A. He must be a true man because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should pay for sin.[1] He must be a righteous man because one who himself is a sinner cannot pay for others.[2]

[1] Rom: 5:12, 15; I Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:14-16. [2] Heb. 7:26, 27; I Pet. 3:18.

Qu. Why must He at the same time be true God?

A. He must be true God so that by the power of His divine nature[1] He might bear in His human nature the burden of God's wrath,[2] and might obtain for us and restore to us righteousness and life.[3]

[1] Is. 9:5. [2] Deut. 4:24; Nah. 1:6; Ps. 130:3. [3] Is. 53:5, 11; John 3:16; II Cor. 5:21.

Qu. But who is that Mediator who at the same time is true God and a true and righteous man?

A. Our Lord Jesus Christ,[1] whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).

[1] Matt. 1:21-23; Luke 2:11; I Tim. 2:5; 3:16.

Turning back to the objections from my heckler, it is important to note a few things. Firstly, the time between Jesus’ birth and the commencement of His ministry is documented in Scripture. See Luke 2:41-52. At the age of twelve He was aware of who He was and that it was necessary for Him to spend time in His “Father’s house” (the Temple). Secondly, the Bible is not obligated to give us a detailed account of his entire childhood and early adulthood. We know that as He grew up He “increased in wisdom and in stature and in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). Clearly He lived a life that was set apart from the rest of humanity. However it was not until He reached the age of thirty that He entered into His ministry in a far more significant way. There is no problem with this, for it makes sense that He would be of a mature age with adequate life experience when the time eventually came.

We all got into conversation with people after I had finished preaching. I spoke with a young girl who seemed certain that God is not the Creator of the universe and that there is another explanation, although “we don’t know what it is.” I reasoned with her logically and offered to her three hypothesis for our existence:

The universe created itself.
The universe has always existed.
The universe was created by a supreme being.

I explained that option 1 is impossible, since for something to create itself it would mean that it existed before it existed. This of course is absurd. Option 2 has been accepted almost universally by the scientific community as false since the laws of thermodynamics show us that the universe must have had a beginning. This leaves option 3 as the only rationale explanation for our existence. She didn’t like this but it was obvious she saw the logic to what I was saying. I reasoned with her some more and explained that there truly is a God before whom we must one day stand and give an account.

Although the spot we have chosen is great for open-air preaching, it is tricky with regard to one-to-one witnessing, as the road we are in is opened for traffic at roughly 10:00pm. It became quite difficult and so we decided to move back down to Leicester Square. Arriving back at the Square we continued to witness to people and hand out tracts. It was a great time and I was so encouraged to join with so many brothers and sisters in making Christ’s name known. Lord may you open the hearts of the people to hear and respond to your Word. Grant repentance and faith Lord to the lost people of London!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Bombardier Beetle Defies Evolution

2010-05-26T14:00:00.011+01:00

In response to the above video an evolutionist wrote: “Evolution by natural selection is *not* random chance.” The video itself does not mention the words “random chance” although it does talk about slow gradual processes being unable to justify evolution. This is true. Natural selection simply cannot be the power behind evolution.

Regarding natural selection and the proposed idea that it is the driving force behind evolution, let’s consider a few things.While it is true that natural selection is very much an observable truth, it must be pointed out that it is indeed random and not ordered & definite. Natural selection (which is really just gene reshuffling) generates varying “species” within any one kind of creature group (e.g. The “Dog Kind” - Poodles, Jack Russells, Dingos, Coyotes, etc). The genetic material in question is limited to the “creature group,” in this case the Dog Kind, and so what we see through natural selection is a vast myriad of animals produced that fit within this group. Of course, we see artificial selection as well, animals produced through the intervention of man, e.g. the Mule. Yet all the while we are seeing variation that results in different species that are bound within a creature group. This is why different species of dogs can still mate, however you will be hard pressed to find a dog mating with a cat.

Notice that the Bible says that God created creatures according to their kinds (Genesis 1:24). This means that they reproduced according to their kinds. Today this still happens. There are many animals in Africa, for example, that live in proximity and share the same environment, yet we see them reproducing according to their own kinds. The Bible is not a book of make-believe stories, and the world we see today certainly makes sense within a biblical/creationist worldview.

Audio of Open-Air Preaching (Leicester Square, 14th May 2010)

2010-05-19T18:07:00.004+01:00

Is It Time For God To Show Himself?

2010-05-18T18:48:00.004+01:00

Recently at work a colleague started to ask me questions regarding my faith. The conversation started off quite peaceably and he even said that he admired me for my faith. He mentioned that he had no faith so I quickly corrected him, for people exercise faith every day, whether it be in the mechanics of an elevator or in the skills of a bus driver. Granted, it is not faith in God, but it is still faith.

As the conversation progressed I continued to make a case for God's existence. It was interesting to note the change in demeanour of my colleague as I did this. He had been quite pleasant to me until now. However, he was starting to dig in as I talked. Then he came out with this statement: “It's time for God to show Himself.”

Many people will be quick to say that they will believe in God if He would show Himself to them in all His glory. But is this really the case? Would they believe in Him to the degree that they would surrender their lives to Him? There are two things to consider in answering this. Firstly, we see in Scripture examples of people not believing, even after seeing great miracles performed by God (John 12:37). Secondly, the Bible makes it clear that a person cannot submit to God and trust in Him completely unless God first does a supernatural work in His heart (John 6:44). It is not that a man will not believe in God, rather it is that he cannot believe in God (Romans 8:7). He is dead in his sin and must first be made alive (Ephesians 2:4-5). God must cause him to be born again (1 Peter 1:3).

I responded to my colleague by telling him that God had already shown Himself to this world and people still did not believe (John 1:11). Besides all this, His creation alone is sure proof of His existence, and it leaves all people without excuse before Him (Romans 1:20). He dismissed this and said that Jesus's death was too long ago to count, and that modern science had provided a far better and rationale answer for our existence.

It was a response I have heard time and time again. If I'd had the time to sit down with him and if he was willing to listen I could respond appropriately to his objections. But my window was short and we were already talking on work time, so I simply said: “Ultimately people do not believe in God because they don't want to believe in God. Evolution is embraced because to admit that there is a God is to admit that one day you will have to stand accountable before Him. God has already offered salvation to all who trust in Jesus Christ. God has indeed shown Himself, and His creation and His Word is a testimony to the truth of He is and what He has done.”

I praise God for this window of opportunity. I didn't get to say a lot, but the Lord uses many to sow, and He uses many to reap.

Do pray for my colleague and those who were listening near by.

Buddha is Dead, But Jesus is Alive!

2010-05-16T17:07:00.036+01:00

Operation 513 London Report (14th May 2010)

The team was back out on Friday evening armed with the Word of God and the strength of the Lord. After meeting for a time of fellowship, devotions and prayer in our favourite cafe we headed into the square. Straight away we noticed that there were some festivities happening and it soon became clear that it was a celebration of Buddha’s birthday. I found this to be particularly interesting.

Andrew stood up first to preach. It’s really great to see him preaching with such boldness and confidence, and with a deep burden on his heart to see people saved. He’s still growing as a preacher but through the Lord’s help I think he’s doing a great job.

I stood up to preach next. Depending on crowd interaction I decided not to preach for too long in one sitting, but instead decided to preach a second time later on. I think this gives the rest of the team a bit more opportunity to get into one-to-one conversations. As it happened I didn’t preach for a second time, as I was engaged in a number of conversations, but I think it’s a good way to go and it’s something I will implement again next week.

During my message I spoke of the fact that there have been many great men through the years and many have accomplished great feats in the eyes of the world. People have been influenced by world leaders, particularly regarding world religions. However, they are all dead. Buddha himself is dead, but Jesus Christ is not dead. He has risen and is alive for evermore, and in Jesus Christ is there freedom from sin and death for all who trust in Him.

After I finished preaching I was pleased to see that the team was involved in conversation with people who had stopped to listen to the preaching. I managed to have a number of conversations throughout the evening.

Rowina and Ayo sharing the Gospel (in the background is a banner that says "Buddha's Birthday")

I spoke with a man named Derek, who is from Trinidad and Tobago. He professed to be a believer so I asked him a few questions regarding his conversion. I asked him if he was saved because of something he has done or because of something God has done for him. I was hoping to hear the latter, but instead he answered with the former. This of course concerned me so I shared the Gospel with him and stressed that salvation is by grace alone and that no amount of good works can save us. I had only a brief time with him but my prayer is that the Lord will impress upon his heart the truth of the Gospel. Do pray for him.

Next I spoke with a young woman from Egypt. She expressed a religious disposition and I surmised that she was Muslim, and although I did not ask her this she told me that she was. As we were talking she mentioned that we were not very different and that Christianity and Islam are very similar. I agreed with her that there are some similarities but I also stressed that there are some fundamental differences. As an example I told her that in Islam a person can earn salvation, whereas according to the Bible it is impossible to earn salvation. This really surprised her and she said that she had never heard this before. As I began to explain to her why this is the case her friends arrived. My window of opportunity had closed, as they all had movie tickets to see a film and needed to head off. I gave them all an in-depth Gospel tract and so do pray with me that they would read it and think upon its message.

Afterwards I spoke with Mohammed, a Muslim gentleman who comes to Leicester Square often to engage in conversation with us. Barney had already been speaking with him and I also noticed that he had a friend with him. We got talking and during our conversation I had to answer a number of false claims that are often made by Muslims. One in particular concerned the notion that the Bible speaks of the coming of Mohammed, who Muslims believe to be the last prophet sent by God. The proof text given for this was Deuteronomy 18:15 which reads: “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your brothers—it is to him you shall listen.” Here in this context Moses is talking of a future prophet, and although the identity of this prophet is not confirmed in this verse, later we read in Acts that he is aligned with the Messiah, that is, Jesus Christ (see Acts 3:22-24; 7:37). This verse is most definitely not speaking of Mohammed.

Later on I got to talk with two young men that believe in evolution. We spoke at length about natural selection and I stressed to them that natural selection is incapable of increasing or providing new information for the genome of a cell, which is what is necessary for evolution to be true. We got only so far in our conversation and as time was getting on I asked if they would like to continue the conversation through email. They agreed and so do pray that I would be able to continue to reason with them concerning the truth of God’s Word.

We all had some great opportunities and so praise the Lord for a good night.

Soli Deo Gloria!

All Charges Dropped Against Street Preacher and Friend, Dale McAlpine

2010-05-16T15:03:00.009+01:00

In my last post I spoke of a good friend of mine who was arrested back in April while ministering the Gospel in his home town of Workington. He was arrested for saying that homosexuality is a sin and was charged with harassment, alarm and distress, which falls under section 5 of the public order act.

Many I’m sure have been praying for Dale and as a result we can now greatly rejoice. Cumbria Police have decided to drop all charges. You can read about it by clicking here. You can also watch a video where Dale speaks of his relief at the charges being dropped.

Let’s all give thanks to the Lord!

Trust Not in Man, Trust in God!

2010-05-16T14:28:00.021+01:00

Operation 513 London Report (7th May 2010)

Tonight was a great night of ministry. Meeting at Cafe Nero before heading into the square we enjoyed a blessed time of fellowship and prayer. Barney spoke with us about the importance of standing biblically on the issue of homosexuality. There is a good reason for this.

Recently, a good friend of mine and fellow open-air preacher, Dale McAlpine, was arrested while preaching in his home town of Workington. It involved speaking about homosexuality and the charge was that he had caused harassment, alarm and distress, which falls under section 5 of the public order act. A person is guilty of this offence if he:

(a) Uses threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour, or disorderly behaviour, or

(b) Displays any writing, sign or other visible representation which is threatening, abusive or insulting, within the hearing or sight of a person likely to be caused harassment, alarm or distress thereby.

Having spoken to Dale, clearly these charges are completely fabricated and untrue. While he was preaching from a ladder Dale did not mention the sin of homosexual practise at all. He was approached by a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), who told him that if he said homosexual conduct was “sinful” it would be a crime. Dale correctly responded by stating to the PCSO that it is not a crime to describe homosexual practise as a “sin.” Police officers arrived later on the scene and Dale was arrested.

Dale is due to stand trial, yet we are confident that he will be found innocent of all charges. He is currently being represented by The Christian Institute. A trial date has yet to be set. You can visit www.christian.org.uk to learn of any new developments.

Barney gave us a good summary of how we ought to defend our position should any of us be pulled up by the police:

1) The Bible teaches that God loves sinners (Mark 2:17).

The Bible teaches that homosexual practise is sinful (Romans 1:26-27; 1 Corinthians 6:9-11).
The Bible teaches that everyone who repents from their life of sin and turns to follow Jesus will be saved from the eternal punishment they deserve (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

After we headed into the square we quickly got ready and then Andrew stood up to preach. It was great to have him back with us after he had recently gone back to Australia to visit with his family. After preaching a solid message on the Gospel and the importance of turning to Christ, I stood up to preach.

Andrew preaching open-air.

I asked people where their hope resides. Recently the U.K. had a General Election and people are looking to a new government to bring us out of the many problems that the country is facing. But ultimately our hope needs to be in God and not man. The Bible says, “It is better to take refuge in the Lord, than to trust in man” (Psalm 118:8). During my message I was able to engage with a young man named Aiden and I took him through the good person test and into the Gospel. He seemed to listen with a keen interest.

After I had finished preaching we all got busy talking with people one-to-one and handing out Gospel tracts. I got talking with a young man named Constantine. He is from Greece and grew up Greek Orthodox. Our conversation became quite philosophical and we spent some time wrangling over the issue of morality and how we can make sense of the belief that says there is no God even though we have an absolute morality in this world. Where did this absolute morality come from and why is it that universally we know things to be wrong at a fundamental moral level if there is no ultimate standard that tells us what is right and what is wrong? We are all moral agents and so for sure there is a Moral Law Giver.

Towards the end of the evening Aiden and his friend Frank came up to me just to say thanks for my message and that it was certainly going to make them think. We gave them all some in-depth Gospel tracts and that told them to really think upon the things they had heard. Do pray for them.

Soli Deo Gloria!

If They Persecuted Me, They Will Also Persecute You.

2010-04-30T15:13:00.012+01:00

Operation 513 London Report (23rd April 2010)

Leicester Square in London continues to be our location of choice for sharing the Gospel with as many people as we can. Friday night was some night indeed. Arriving in the Square we opened in prayer and then set about getting ready.

As he has done in recent weeks Barney stood up to give a little intro before I stepped up to preach. As he was preaching some men in the crowd stopped to mock and sneer and poke fun at what Barney was saying. I was standing right next to them at the time and perhaps they were a little surprised when I stepped up to preach after Barney had finished. No sooner had I said a few words that one of the men who had mocked Barney starting to fly into a tirade of insults and abuse. He was incredibly rude and foul mouthed and was intent on doing nothing but attacking me and the message I was proclaiming. He could see that I had a Bible in my hand and began making wild accusations against the Bible, even though by that time I hadn’t even quoted a verse. It soon became very difficult to preach since he began to stir up the crowd against what I was saying, or at least was trying to say. It made me think of the book of Acts and the many times that the Jews stirred up the crowd against the apostles. This seemed no different. About twenty minutes in my Assistant Pastor, Stuart, arrived and his timing was impeccable. We were a bit thin on the ground and to have another man on the team was a great help. By this time I couldn’t continue preaching and so we all began to engage with people in one-to-one conversations.

The conversations remained heated as there were many people in the crowd that had become part of the “anger mob.” We all did our best to be gentle, but also firm. I personally had to defend my ground quite strongly and when someone squares right up to you, you can’t help wondering what his next reaction is going to be. There were police in the Square, which is normal, but I don’t think these chaps cared much about that. It was St. Georges Day as well, which is England’s National Day. Friday nights always result in alcohol consumption, but I think this night meant an even greater amount. I think this added to the fire. It struck me that I wasn’t scared at all. I certainly don’t say that to boast, but it is something I can honestly say. I had guys around me that were anything but peaceable, yet I had a sure confidence that God was with me and that should I take a beating then so be it. This was front line Gospel work and when we engage the world with the Gospel we shouldn’t be surprised when we meet with hostility. Jesus said, “If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).

As the evening progressed we all started to get the upper hand in our conversations, in the sense that we were able to diffuse the situation as we spoke calmly and firmly with people. I was called all things under the sun for believing there is a God, but I responded by showing them how foolish they were for believing that blind chance somehow engineered the universe we live in. They didn’t like it when I called them foolish but I think they were starting to see that we had some backbone and that we did have answers to the accusations they were mounting against us. Towards the end of the evening I got talking with a chap called Neil. He came up to me and said that he was part of the crowd that mocked and laughed at me in the beginning, but actually he really respected me for standing up and making a stand for what I believed in. He had grown up Catholic and had a lot of questions he wanted to ask. As we were talking his friend came up and started to be a real obstacle to our conversation. I have seen this so many times before. You will get one person who is genuinely interested but a friend they are with serves to be nothing more than a hindrance. What was quite interesting to see though was Neil coming against his friend, pleading with him to let me speak. At one point he said to his friend something very true: “If there is no God, why do we have good and evil, right and wrong? Where did that even come from?” I stood there marvelling. Here was a chap who wasn’t born-again, yet he could reason rationally enough to make this conclusion. I continued to talk with Neil for some time. He had many questions so I took his email address and said that I would contact him so that we could continue our conversation. I have since done so but he has not yet emailed me back, do pray that he would so that I can continue sharing with him God’s truth.

It was certainly some night. I can say on a personal level this is probably the most anger and hatred I have ever experienced towards the preaching of the Gospel. Yet we rejoice! Jesus said: “Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11-12).

Soli Deo Gloria!!

"Churches Today Have Become Sissified!" Phil Johnson, Shepherds Conference 2010

2010-03-06T21:06:00.003Z

The God Centered Gospel vs. A Man Centered Gospel

2010-03-05T12:38:00.007Z

What is the Gospel?

2010-03-05T10:44:00.029Z

Let’s begin with the word “evangelism.”

Consider the following words: Gospel, Evangel & Euaggelion (yoo-ang-ghel'-ee-on)

The word “gospel” is Anglo-Saxon in origin and means “God’s spell,” i.e. word of God, or rather, “good spell,” i.e. good news. It is the rendering of the Greek word “euaggelion,” which literally means “good tidings.”

From the Greek word euaggelion we get the English word “evangel.” The good news of Jesus Christ has become known to us in the English language as the “gospel” but it could just as easy have become know as the “evangel.”

The word “evangelism” is an expansion of the word “evangel.” It is therefore clear to see that at the centre of evangelism is the good news of Jesus Christ (the Gospel).

So What is Evangelism?

Evangelism can be defined as communicating (whether in oral, written or picture form) the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Further to what we have seen above, evangelism is the practise, the employment, of the word “evangel” in action. This of course leads us to our main question: What is the Gospel?

The Bible tells us that the Gospel is the power of God unto salvation

(Rom. 1:16). But why is it the power of God unto salvation?

The following definition allows us to answer that question.

The Gospel is the good news that, because of Jesus Christ,

sinners can be saved from the wrath and judgment of a holy God.

Why is there wrath and judgment?

There is wrath and judgment because man has sinned against a holy God (Romans 2:5, 3:23).

How is God holy?

God is holy in that He is set apart from the rest of His creation in both power and perfection (Exodus 15:11; Psalm 145:17; 1 Samuel 2:2).

How are people sinners?

People are sinners because they have broken God’s holy law (1 John 3:4).

Why do people need to be saved?

Unless people are saved they will suffer eternal punishment in hell (Romans 6:23). See also Luke 12:4-5; 2 Corinthians 5:11

Why is it Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ alone that saves people?

God sent Jesus as His chosen Christ (anointed one) to save His people from their sins (Matt. 1:21). Because He is the perfect substitute, Jesus satisfies fully the justice of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). In so doing He brings forgiveness to all who cry out for mercy (Romans 10:13).

To truly understand and appreciate what the Gospel is it is necessary

to first build an understanding of the nature of God and the nature of man.

WHAT IS GOD LIKE?

The Bible tells us that God is holy. This does not just mean pure and sinless, it means he is altogether unlike us in every way. But for our purposes here we are focusing on the fact that He is indeed without sin: pure. The Bible tells us; “God is not a man, that He should lie” (Numbers 23:19). God is set apart in both power and perfection (Exodus 15:11; Psalm 145:17; 1 Samuel 2:2).

Consider the holiness of God: Habakkuk 1:13 says, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, and You cannot look on wickedness with favour.” Isaiah 59:2 says, “Behold, the LORD’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear.”

The Bible also says that God is just: Psalm 11:7, “For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteousness; The upright will behold His face.” Isaiah 5:16 says, “But the LORD of hosts will be exalted in judgment, and the holy God will show Himself holy in righteousness.” Lastly, let’s look at Psalm 7:11-12, “God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. If a man does not repent, He will sharpen His sword; He has bent His bow and made it ready.”

WHAT IS MAN LIKE?

Consider man: When God first created man he was good, he had been created in the very image of God meaning that in a moral sense he was good, i.e. sinless. But then came the Fall. No longer was man sinless, now he was very much a sinner, for he had sinned.

The Fall had a severe affect on man. Every disposition of his mind was taken over by sin. Every human faculty (sense, ability, power) is affected by sin. Every faculty man has is affected by the Fall, every faculty man has is predisposed to unholiness: our minds, our will, our emotions, our memory, our conscience, all of these things are affected and impacted and are predisposed towards corruption and evil.

Is their Biblical support for this? Turn to Genesis 6:5: “The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The word “intention” in the Hebrew signifies not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires of the heart.

Genesis 8:21: “The LORD said in his heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth.”

See: Job 15:15-16; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 15:19; Mark 7:21-23; Luke 18:19; Romans 3:10; Romans 7:18; Eph. 2:1-3; Titus 3:3. See also Psalm 143:2 & Proverbs 20:9.

We call this the Doctrine of Total Depravity. The doctrine of total depravity does not mean man is as bad as he could be, nor does it mean that every unregenerate man is equally bad, there are obviously some people who are worse than others; what it does mean is that the Fall of Adam and original sin does impact every part of man’s being, namely his mind, his heart and his will. (Original sin is not the first sin. Original sin does not refer specifically to the sin of Adam and Eve. Original sin refers to the result of the sin of Adam and Eve. Original sin is the punishment God gives for the first sin.)

Every single person is born dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1; Colossians 2:13). We are born in sin. A man is not a sinner because he sins, a man sins because he’s a sinner. That is who we are.

We are all born with an innate ability to sense right and wrong. We do so by using our conscience. The conscience is a human faculty that informs us of our actions, whether we have acted rightly or wrongly by the standards that we know. If we ignore what our conscience tells us we are left feeling guilty, ashamed and even depressed.

When an aeroplane descends dangerously the radar informs the pilot that he needs to “pull up.” It is the job of the conscience to tell us when we “need to pull up.” However, unless the “radar” informs the conscience we will never know when we are to pull up. The only true and certain radar that informs the conscience rightly is the Word of God. Since sinful man despises God’s Word what we have is a conscience that does not work.

Why does a child need to be disciplined? It is because the conscience must be informed. In order for the conscience to act it must be informed. A child is born evil. He is not born innocent. He may be born without the necessary cognitive ability to function completely but give him time and he will learn. With maturity comes what? Sin. If a child is left to his own devises he does not lose his conscience, rather his conscience becomes defiled in that it does not alert him with feelings of guilt and shame when he does evil.

The Bible says: “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.” (Romans 1:18). Even with the conscience that informs us of our actions so that we can be kept from evil man still lives ungodly lives. This is because the carnal mind constantly seeks to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. That is the state that all people are in and because of this the wrath of God abides over all who are dead in their sin. Man is born dead in sin and is a slave to sin.

SO HERE WE SEE THE PLIGHT OF MAN. A holy, righteous God seeks holiness and righteousness from His people but instead wicked and evil hearts surround Him. Good triumphs over evil and so the judgment of God will always triumph over the rebellion of man.

What is the key issue here? What is it that man lacks?

RIGHTEOUSNESS

It is true that many people in the world today do good, however, their good deeds are not acceptable to God because they are not done to please Him. They are performed to satisfy self. This is why the Bible says, “All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment.” (Isaiah 64:6)

So the issue facing man is dire. He has no RIGHTEOUSNESS and so JUSTICE must be exacted upon Him.

HOW THEN CAN PEOPLE BE SAVED?

At this point many will say, “But is not God merciful?” Yes He is, but He is also just. Sin must be punished. How then can we be saved?

John 6:35: Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”

Question: hunger and thirst for what? RIGHTEOUSNESS

See Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are those who hunger andthirstfor righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.”

The Bible also says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” (Matthew 5:4)

Mourn over what...? Mourn over sin.

See 2 CORINTHIANS 7:10 & 2 CORINTHIANS 5:21

“For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation,

not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”

Hatred of sin leads to mourning over sin. Mourning over sin leads to godly sorrow. Godly sorrow produces repentance. And repentance leads to salvation.

“He [God] made Him [Christ] who new no sin to be sin on our behalf,

so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

The above verse sums up a big part of what Christ came to do.

Christ did not come to abolish the law. He came to fulfil its requirements

(see Matthew 5:17 & Romans 8:4). He did what we cannot do

(we cannot keep to God’s standard), and as a result His righteousness

is accredited to our account so that we are accepted before God.

See Proverbs 17:15

“He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous,

both of them alike are an abomination to the LORD.”

If it is wrong to justify a wicked person, and all men are wicked, how is it that God is able to justify sinful man?

There is only one way. Man must become righteous.

Man’s only hope is for a righteous, sinless substitute to stand in his place, so that he himself might appear before God fully pardoned and fully righteous.

Jesus Christ is that substitute. By dying on a cross He has “...by one sacrifice made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Hebrews 10:14)

Consider the following, taken from the Heidelberg Catechism of 1619 A.D. (A Catechism is a set of instructions in the principles of Christianity using set questions and answers). I have found this to be quite helpful. To view the entire catechism visit this link: http://www.nicenecouncil.com/media/display.pl?media_file=71

Since, according to God's righteous judgment we deserve temporal and eternal punishment, how can we escape this punishment and be again received into favour?

God demands that His justice be satisfied.[1] Therefore full payment must be made either by ourselves or by another.[2]

[1] Ex. 20:5; 23:7; Rom. 2:1-11. [2] Is. 53:11; Rom. 8:3, 4.

Can we ourselves make this payment?

Certainly not. On the contrary, we daily increase our debt.[1]

[1] Ps. 130:3; Matt. 6:12; Rom. 2:4, 5.

Can any mere creature pay for us?

No. In the first place, God will not punish another creature for the sin which man has committed.[1] Furthermore, no mere creature can sustain the burden of God's eternal wrath against sin and deliver others from it.[2]

[1] Ezek. 18:4, 20; Heb. 2:14-18. [2] Ps. 130:3; Nah. 1:6.

What kind of mediator and deliverer must we seek?

One who is a true[1] and righteous[2] man, and yet more powerful than all creatures; that is, one who is at the same time true God.[3]

[1] I Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:17. [2] Is. 53:9; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 7:26. [3] Is. 7:14; 9:6; Jer. 23:6; John 1:1; Rom. 8:3, 4.

Why must He be a true and righteous man?

He must be a true man because the justice of God requires that the same human nature which has sinned should pay for sin.[1] He must be a righteous man because one who himself is a sinner cannot pay for others.[2]

[1] Rom: 5:12, 15; I Cor. 15:21; Heb. 2:14-16. [2] Heb. 7:26, 27; I Pet. 3:18.

Why must He at the same time be true God?

He must be true God so that by the power of His divine nature [1] He might bear in His human nature the burden of God's wrath, [2] and might obtain for us and restore to us righteousness and life.[3]

[1] Is. 9:5. [2] Deut. 4:24; Nah. 1:6; Ps. 130:3. [3] Is. 53:5, 11; John 3:16; II Cor. 5:21.

But who is that Mediator who at the same time is true God and a true and righteous man?

Our Lord Jesus Christ,[1] whom God made our wisdom, our righteousness and sanctification and redemption (I Corinthians 1:30).

[1] Matt. 1:21-23; Luke 2:11; I Tim. 2:5; 3:16.

REPENTANCE AND FAITH

The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:9-13). What does this “calling upon the name of the Lord” look like?

Paul said to the Ephesian elders that his message was summed up this way:

“You yourselves knowhow I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lordwith all humility and withtears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks ofrepentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:18-21 emphasis added)

This was Paul’s message during his ministry: repentance towards God (turning from sin and turning to God) [AND] faith in Jesus Christ (see also Acts 17:29-31). It must be our message too.

To be saved a person must turn to God in repentance and trust in Jesus Christ alone. When a person exercises repentance and faith it shows that their heart is broken over their sin (see Psalm 51:17 & Psalm 34:18). It shows that they are crying out for mercy, which means they are forsaking themselves and are surrendering to the hope offered in Christ.

No one is saved through repentance alone. Scripture is clear that we are justified through faith alone (Rom. 1:17; 3:28), not repentance. However, the man who has faith in Christ is also the man who has repented of his sin. A man will not have faith in Christ if he has not first repented of his sin. Repentance and faith go together.

Luke 9:23 – To follow Jesus there are two things a person must be prepared to do:

Firstly: deny yourself (be prepared to give up the things you want)

Secondly: take up your cross (suffer on account of His name. See 2 Tim. 3:12 & Acts 14:22)

See LUKE 14:26-33. Do note that this passage uses hyperbole - a statement of extremes, contrasting love and hate for emphasis sake (Proverbs 13:24; 29:24).

Whoever wishes to follow Christ must be prepared to do deny themselves and take up their cross. There is a cost. However, God has, “...so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should notperish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

Through the redemptive work of Christ we are made new creatures in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God draws us (John 6:44), convicts us (John 14:8), regenerates us (Titus 3:5) and keeps us (1 Peter 1:5) through the power of His Holy Spirit, for salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, to the glory of God alone.

EPHESIANS 2:8-9

Forby grace you have been savedthrough faith. And this is not your own

doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

"Fairy Tales & Nonsese or A Reasonable Message?"

2009-12-30T18:42:00.020Z

Operation 513 London Report (18th Dec 2009)

It was a bitterly cold evening tonight as we headed out into the Square. Due to the holiday season a number of the team were away so we were a bit thin on the ground. But it was a joy and a blessing to be out to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

With my team acting as my “mock crowd” I stood up to preach. Just like the week before the Square had been turned into a carnival atmosphere. With all the noise and the cold, I knew it was going to be tough to bring in a crowd.

I decided to do a call out as people walked past. I was talking about morality and the common claim from people that they are good. As a couple of youngsters walked past I called out to one of them and said, “How about you sir, would you consider yourself a good person?” He responded with the affirmative and so we quickly got into conversation. His friend joined in too. Their names were Callum and Stanley. They objected to being not good concerning God’s standard of goodness. They were not convinced that God existed and so failed to see the relevance. They questioned why I was on a stepladder preaching to them. I had to keep plugging away with these two chaps, telling them that I too had fallen short of the glory of God. I made a case for the existence of God and spent some time talking about sin so that they could see they too had sinned and were guilty before God.

They stayed for some time and even when I came down off the ladder they stayed talking with me. We talked for a little while longer and I think Callum in particular (on the left in the above photo) was becoming far less objectionable as he listened. In the end they both thanked me for talking to them. I think their initial response when they saw me was, “Who is this religious nut standing on a stepladder talking about fairy tales and nonsense??” However after we had talked I’m convinced this mindset had been changed. They saw the reasonableness of what I was saying and I’m sure they felt I was still in control of my senses!

After they had left I looked around and saw that the whole team was in conversation. I noticed one chap who had stopped and was talking with a Christian from another ministry that comes to Leicester Square. I came a little closer and listened. The chap’s name was Lewis. After listening for a little while I introduced myself and thanked him for stopping to talk to us. He commented that I had “started something,” since all around him there were conversations between my team and people who had stopped to listen. Lewis seemed to be genuinely interested in the Gospel message and was certainly open to spiritual things. He said that he had had an experience of the supernatural at a time when he had taken narcotics. Often this is the case. Whatever experience he’d had, it was clear he was open to hearing the Word of God and this is a work of the Holy Spirit. He was open, but I did not sense that he was ready to make a commitment. He had a lot to think about. I did not say, “So, would you like to make a commitment?” However, I did tell him that his life could end at any time and unless he was right with the Lord he would go to hell. He appreciated this and agreed he had much to think about. I gave him my details and said he could email me any time. Please pray for him.

Below are a few more pictures from the evening.

In the picture below you can see Andrew and Elyske on the right in conversation with someone and you can also see in the centre of the picture Lesley (in her big fur coat!) in conversation as well.

It had really been a great night.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

"Father And Son Reconciled!" - Operation 513 London Report (11th Dec 2009)

2009-12-13T16:25:00.012Z

Tonight was a great evening. We began by meeting for a time of fellowship and devotions at Cafe Nero. It was wonderful to have a good turn out and everyone was excited to be out to share the Gospel.

We arrived in the Square and I began to get things organised for the night. Andrew was not with us, which meant that the preaching fell to me only. Our ministry is now quite facetted and along with the open-air preaching we also have the signboards that we use, along with the many gospel tracts that we hand out. Below is a picture of Rowina using one of the signboards, with the question: “Ask me what happens when we die.”

The boards work really well and the result has been that many conversations have been initiated by them. Our aim is for people to hear the Gospel, whether it be through an open-air preach or through one-to-one conversations. Of course, open-air preaching leads into one-to-one conversations and it’s wonderful when the two work together like that.

Street evangelism is very dynamic and each Friday night is always different. Often it’s a case of waiting to see how the evening plays out. That said, I do believe it important to have a structure to the evening. To this end I have decided that the open-air preaching ought to take place first. This is because it is a team exercise. When the preacher stands up to preach it makes a huge difference for him to have a “mock crowd” in front of him. People draw people and it is the aim of every open-air to draw in a crowd. In addition to this, the Christians in the crowd have the responsibility of observing those who take an interest in the preaching so that they can engage them in one-to-one conversation. This was the plan for Friday night, although events transpired in such a way that we had to abandon the plan. This is not a bad thing and it cannot be prevented, the key point is that we do have a plan for the evening so that we are focused and directed in what we are doing.

As I was getting ready to preach a man approached me and asked if I had preached yet. I was a bit surprised and so I asked him how he knew that I would be preaching. He said that he had seen me preach five times previously and that he had taken photos each time (the camera he had used was in his hand). I told him that I was almost ready to preach but had a few more things to do. He seemed pleased and asked if I could give him something to read as he waited, as he could see that we had various tracts and booklets, etc. Just before I stood up to preach he came to ask me about something he had read in the booklet I had given him. I had given him a Gospel of John and in the front of the booklet it says the following: “The Bible is the greatest work of literature, the most accurate record of ancient history, and the most profound book ever written.” He took issue with this and argued that the Bible could not be completely accurate and trustworthy, since it had been written by sinful man. I realised that the preaching would have to wait and that I needed to address his objection. I looked around and was pleased to see that my team had begun to engage people in conversation. The man I was talking to introduced himself as Patrick and as we continued to talk I recognised him from having spoken to Susi the week before. He seemed to believe in the existence of extraterrestrial life and that they had played a role in human history. As we were talking another man came up to us and pushed his way into the conversation. This can be a tricky thing to deal with and it does mean that you have to take control of what is happening, to the best of your ability.

The man who had joined our conversation asked concerning Andrew and I realised that they had spoken before. He had in his hand what appeared a Muslim booklet/tract that quoted various verses from the Bible, which called in to question the Deity of Christ, etc. He was becoming very difficult to deal with and I repeatedly had to ask him to be fair and allow me to respond to what he was saying. Patrick noticed too that he was not being fair and asked him the same. It did not help and eventually I had to say to him that I would no longer be talking to him, since he had no desire to be fair but instead wanted to dominate the conversation. I found it interesting when he said to me that he was not a Muslim and in fact did not hold to any religion, yet he seemed intent on showing Christianity to be full of supposed errors. My biggest concern was Patrick. I had given him my best attention and hoped that he appreciated this and also that he understood my decision to walk away from the conversation. I could no longer continue my conversation with Patrick without the man’s interference. Perhaps I could have tried something different and should I meet with him again I will certainly do my best to take greater control.

By now it was getting quite late but I still felt I had sufficient time to preach. Leicester Square has recently been transformed into an amusement park and so it’s a lot nosier with far more distractions. It makes open-air preaching certainly more of a challenge. I decided to still give it a go. Some other Christians had come to join us and I asked one of them if he wouldn’t mind standing by me as I preached. After a little while some people began to stop and listen. A young lad by the name of Francis saw it as an opportunity to have some fun at my expense but I played off of that and managed to turn it around a little bit. He didn’t quite like the fact that I caught him out with regards to his sin but he stayed to listen and I was pleased that he did. A little later another young man stopped to listen and he asked some genuine questions concerning the claims of Christianity, as well as the credibility of the Bible. I attempted to answer his questions as best I could and when he moved on he came and shook my hand and thanked me for my efforts. I had hoped that he would have stuck around but sometimes a person only wants to have their questions answered before they move on. It could be the beginning of the Lord drawing this man to Himself (John 6:44) and I do pray that the Lord would do just that. Unfortunately I did not get his name but please do pray that the Lord would continue to work in his life.

After I finished preaching we all continued to talk with as many people as we could. It was a very cold night but praise be to God that we were able to talk with a good number of people. After a little while we gathered together to talk about the night. Rowina seemed very excited and came to share some news with us. It turns out that during the open-air preaching two men who had stopped to listen are in fact father and son but had not seen each other in 17 years! The father had been arrested and sent to prison and so they had completely lost contact. Now, 17 years later they had been reconciled after stopping to listen to the Gospel being preached on a cold winter’s night right in the middle of London in Leicester Square! We also learned that the father became a Christian while in prison. How good is God?! I was speechless as I listened to Rowina. We serve a great God.

Tonight truly was a great evening. We praise the Lord for His faithfulness.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Operation 513 Europe - Special Outreach (14th - 18th July 2009)

2009-08-09T14:35:00.044+01:00

Our summer outreach has come and gone and looking back what an amazing time we had. It began on the Monday with the team arriving at our base of operations, Trinity Road Chapel. We all got settled in and spent a bit of time getting to know one another. Some of us of course already knew one another but others we were meeting for the first time. Rebecca had come all the way from Italy and Liz and her daughter Chloe had driven up from Hampshire. Matt had joined us from Plymouth and Andrew, Ben and Susi had come down from Essex. Our friend Robert from Africa joined us as he did last year and of course Dave and Anna Gee were with us from Sheffield. We also had people join us off and on during the week, those who could not commit to coming out each day.

Below are some photos from the first day preparations…

Each morning we would have a time of prayer and devotions and after breakfast we would head out, armed with Bibles, tracts, DVD’s, etc. It was such a blessing to have so much literature at our disposal. During the day we would head to places like Piccadilly Circus, St. Paul’s Cathedral and Covent Garden. Some open-air preaching was done during this time but the majority of our preaching we reserved for the evenings. Each night was spent in Leicester Square as it really is one of the best places for open-air and street evangelism.

On one of the nights David had a very long conversation with four Muslim girls. They listened, were interested, but disagreed and wanted to talk more. They came back on the Wednesday and brought their Father, Mother and most of their extended family. Dave was able to share the gospel with all of them, and even though it was not enthusiastically received, they heard the claims of Christ and the evidence that supports His exclusive claims and the contrast of the Bible with the Qu'ran. We pray that they will trust in the Saviour and not their good works and come to repentance and faith in Christ.

During one of the days at Covent Garden I was engaged with a young man named Lucas during an open-air preach. He had quite a few objections to Christianity and took an atheistic/evolutionary view to life. As we were talking a very angry heckler came my way and interrupted me a great deal and demanded that I talk with him. When I respectfully informed him that I was already talking with Lucas he dismissed that and when I said, "Sir, I am already talking with someone," his response was simply to become angrier and ask that I not call him "Sir," since he had never been knighted. It was obvious to me that anything I was going to say was going to fuel his anger. So I decided to refrain from talking altogether. Lucas stayed waiting, as did the rest of the crowd. In the past when I have been in similar situations and I have taken this approach the person has moved on. However this was not the case with our very angry heckler. So I decided to stop and come down from preaching. It was disappointing and my immediate concern was Lucas. However when I looked over I saw that he was still there. I went over to talk with him and we ended up having a one-to-one conversation for over an hour.

During the course of our conversation he came to understand why Jesus made the claims He did: that He is the only way to the Father and that there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved. He understood why Christianity presents itself as the only truth, through understanding man's great need, and that Jesus is only viable solution to man's dilemma. While I not excepting the command to repent and believe he did come to understand the Gospel and why Christianity is able to make such exclusive claims regarding man's salvation. It was quite amazing to see the change in him during out conversation and how he became more open as we talked. I am so grateful to the Lord that he can now make an informed decision regarding his eternal salvation. Do pray the Holy Spirit would draw him to the Son. He left with a gospel tract and said that he had enjoyed the conversation. I was very grateful to the Lord.

Ben preaching open-air (below).

The outreach saw some open-air preaching for the first time from both Ben and Steve (from the London team). This was so awesome to see. Both Ben and Steve have been coming down from Essex each Friday night for over six months and have been throwing themselves into sharing the gospel with people on the street. Both have shared enthusiastically how much they have learnt during this time and how passionate and excited they are to reach people with the gospel of Jesus Christ. I have seen how much they have both grown and when it comes to this kind of evangelism it has to be said that it simply cannot be learnt in a classroom or from a book. You simply have to step out and learn through doing.

Steve preaching open-air (right).

On the Thursday evening I had the great privilege of seeing two young lads make a profession of faith in Christ. With the rain pouring down the three of us stood under an umbrella and talked about the gospel. They listened and were certainly responsive and were clearly thankful for being helped to understand something they have never quite understood before. They are both young teenagers but they grasped the seriousness of the message and at the end were desirous of knowing the Lord. They both prayed by themselves for forgiveness and committed their lives to Christ. I have been in touch with them since then and have been greatly encouraged to hear that they have been reading their Bibles and a little booklet I gave them, called “Save Yourself Some Pain,” written by Ray Comfort. The booklet contains principles for new and growing Christians. I have not been able to meet up with them again since our time at Leicester Square but hopefully we will meet again soon.

That same night the heavens opened on us and the rain poured down. We all had to run for cover and do our best to see out the rain. It was quite an adventure trying to keep all the literature we had dry. Still, it was great fun and made for some great memories. It also gave us the opportunity to witness with those around us who had also run for cover.

“On one of the days at Covent Garden We had one 'interesting' meeting with a guy who claimed to work for the council and Police, who assured us we were not allowed to set up our bible table in a certain area as all the spots had already been taken. Dave and I got out the relevant Christian Institute documents (the law relating to Street Evangelism) and refuted his remarks, though he continued saying we were not allowed and if we didn’t move he would phone someone to move us on. However, 2 Police Community Support Officers came to our rescue. We explained the situation to them, and then they spoke with the man. It turned out he was just a magician doing a show, and was trying to move us out the way of his act in case we diverted attention away from them. The Police also said we could make a complaint against him for falsely impersonating a council worker. It was quite funny in the end, as he was wearing his bright red bowler hat, waistcoat and three quarter length trousers, with no ID, and so we should have guessed!” – Written by Matt Rolfe.

It had certainly been a great week. We praise God for His great favour My home church was so good to us and the ladies who did the catering were such a blessing. We pray that all those who heard the gospel that week will never forget the great message of the gospel and that they will look to the Saviour and be saved!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Michael Jackson's REAL cause of Death

2009-07-25T11:13:00.001+01:00

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (3rd April 2009)

2009-04-10T18:02:00.003+01:00

The team met as usual at our now local cafe for a time of fellowship, coffee, devotions and prayer. This has become an important time for us as we prepare for an evening of ministry.

Heading into the square I got ready to preach open-air. This afternoon I popped into Homebase and bought a new stepladder and it was great to get back up again to preach. During the first half of my message only a few people stopped to listen, which is fine. Whoever the Lord chooses to bring in is all in His hands. However, things were about to change…

A large group of young people walking past decided that my preaching warranted some investigation and so they strode up to me, all the while throwing questions and various taunts. They were all quite young, probably around 15 o 16 years of age. They were also fairly drunk, some more than others. I stayed standing on my ladder and engaged them in debate, but when they came up close and surrounded me I stood down. This is something that can be very frustrating and difficult to handle. It would be far better if they would stand back and “be the crowd.” However this happens from time to time and as yet, apart from firmly asking them to stand back, I have yet to find a working solution.

A young girl, who was not fully drunk but clearly had been drinking, approached me and said that she had been blessed by some Christians the week before and that she was now a Christian. I asked her what had happened and she told me that that she had been led to “say a prayer” and that upon doing so she was now a Christian. Two emotions arose in me as she told me this: anger and sadness. I was angry because it was very obvious that the gospel had not been properly and clearly communicated to her. She was not able to tell me what it meant to be born-again, or even that a person needed to born-again. She did not know what repentance meant. The way she conducted herself and the speech coming out of her mouth was almost clear evidence to me that she was not saved. Yet she had been told that she was. This happens so many, many times in the church today. The heresy known as antinomianism has taken the form of “easy-believism”, this idea that it is easy to become a Christian. It is not easy; it is in fact very hard to become a Christian. This is because a person must be prepared to surrender their entire life, they must be willing to deny themselves, take up their cross daily, and follow Christ. (Luke 9:23) As John MacArthur has said many times, it is hard to believe. I would encourage you to watch a video where Kirk Cameron interviews John MacArthur about this very issue. Click on part 1 and part 2 to view.

I was angry because it is not our job as Christians to dumb down the message or make it more palatable. By removing those parts that are hard to say we in effect change the message. When we remove the offence from the gospel then we have removed the gospel. So I was angry and of course I was also sad. Here was a girl who had been told she was now a Christian. Here’s my question: how is that love? How is it love to lead a person into a false sense of security only to see them die and go to hell? This is something that needs to change in the body of Christ today. We must preach the true biblical gospel, or we should rather not preach at all. So I would ask you to pray for her. Her name is Mary. Just so you know, I share with her the truth of the gospel, although she was pulled away by her friends before I could finish. She did take an in-depth gospel tract and also a Bible, which she had asked for. Do pray for her.

I also spoke with a young man named Billy. He was not quite sober himself, but he listened to me and said that I made a lot of sense. He was not prepared to surrender to Christ there and then but he sure was made to think. I am always amazed at how simple the gospel is when it is communicated rightly. It may be an offence to many, however it is not difficult to grasp. Christ Jesus came to this earth to save sinners. The good news of the Gospel is that the Son of God has substituted Himself in our place, has incurred God’s wrath for our sin, so that we might go free. It is indeed a simple message, but a message that is most profound and most life changing. Nothing will ever come close to it. Many tracts and Bibles were given away and we had some great conversations. I did preach a second time and got in a conversation with a woman who believed in evolution. She was simply aghast when I told that evolution was an embarrassment to true science and was completely erroneous. I rebutted her arguments and told her that there is indeed a God who made this world, One who will judge both the living and the dead. On that day we must all be ready. (Hebrews 9:28)

Soli Deo Gloria!!

The Holiness of God - Part.2

2009-04-10T17:59:00.000+01:00

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (27th March 2009)

2009-03-30T00:04:00.005+01:00

By God’s grace and great favour we continue to head into London each week to minister the gospel in Leicester Square. In recent weeks we have had some fantastic conversations with people and have seen many Bibles, tracts and DVD’s distributed into the hands of men and women who do not know the Lord. On a very encouraging note I have seen someone attend my church after he stopped to listen to the gospel being preached and then spent some time talking with us afterwards. His name is Yang and he is from China. He is working in the UK and has been here less than six months. When we got talking with him he told us that he knew of Christianity but that he had no idea what it was all about. He was intrigued enough by the message to stop and listen, which was really something. Here was a man who had never heard the gospel before in his life and had never stepped foot in a church. When he attended my church he was quite surprised to learn that very few people in this country attend church, due to such a widespread lack of belief in God, as well as a failure to see the relevance of Christianity to their lives. Yang is very much intrigued by western culture and so his desire to find out more about Christianity is driven by that. It may be that the Lord uses this cultural curiosity to expose him to the truth that has been blinded from him. Whatever the Lord chooses to do, it is my hearts desire that he would come to a saving knowledge of the truth. He has said that he would like to attend church again and he plans on coming to us again next Sunday. Do pray for him.

On Friday night we headed into London minus a stepladder. I had left it on the train the week before and only realised what I had done when I was halfway down the road on the walk home. I have not had the opportunity to purchase another one just yet and so we spent our evening speaking with people one-to-one. Jannah spent some time talking with a group of young Muslim men. She admits that she finds Muslim’s to be quite difficult to talk to, largely due to their unreasonable behaviour. Often they will ask you a question without giving you the opportunity to answer. It is true that they wish to convert us, as we do them, however Islam is a religion that produces an aggressive and militant people. Jannah is experiencing that in many of the conversations she is having when talking with Muslim’s. Even so, she knows that there are some Muslim’s who will genuinely stop to listen and such was the case on Friday night. I was encouraged to hear from Jannah that she had been able to proclaim the gospel to those who did stop to listen.

Ben was able to talk with some young men as well. Although they listened to the gospel they were very indifferent to its message. This can be very discouraging, but we have to keep on sharing the message and trust the Lord that He will cause the seed that is sown to germinate and bring life. I told Ben not to be discouraged. We must simply do our best to drive home the seriousness of the message to those who would dismiss it, and then we must trust the Holy Spirit to open the eyes that are blind.

I had a very encouraging conversation with a young man named Edward. A friend was also with him; however her name has slipped my mind. I find this always to be frustrating but I can pray for them both knowing that the Lord knows exactly who they are. Both Edward and his friend stood to listen for at least half an hour as I shared the gospel with them. I could see I had their whole attention and they appeared to understand that if they were to die in their sins, apart from Christ, they would go to hell (John 8:24). At the end of the conversation I implored them to think carefully about this. They said that they would and Edward took the time to thank me for sharing with them. My heart really went out to them and nothing would please me more than to see them in heaven one day. Do pray for them.

We had a great evening. Closing in prayer we thanked the Lord for all the opportunities He gave us. As we make ourselves available to Him the Lord will open up opportunities for us. We must preach the word, in season and out of season (2 Timothy 4:2), for the Lord Himself has appointed us to make His name known.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Holiness: Separation from Worldliness

2009-03-14T21:09:00.016Z

Recently I watched a documentary of a young girl born into a large Christian family. The documentary was displayed on BBC 3, a rare thing indeed in secularised Britain today. Below is a short introductory clip from the documentary.

This young lady is a testament to the Lord's grace and a wonderful upbringing from her parents. It really is so very wonderful to see. If it appears "weird" to anyone it's only because godly behaviour and a strong moral character is so far removed from the normal everyday life of most people today. Accusations have been made against the family, particularly towards Deborah. People have said that she is “isolated from everything.” They have also said that the family is selfish for not being more community focused with the gospel.

The Bible says Christians should not love the world or the things of the world. (1 John 2:15) This is because worldly practises are evil. Yet Christians are to go out into the world and be a light. This family does this; it is certainly something they take seriously. The obvious example of this is Deborah, a young thirteen year old girl who is always ready to give an answer for the hope that lies within her. (1 Peter 3:15) She does not just wait for the world to come to her. No, she takes the hope of the gospel out into her community. This is a wonderful family and a family that models well the Christian life.

Something else that needs to be considered is where this family lives. They live on a farm out in the sticks and that's just the way it is. That is the family business. Deborah is restricted from a greater number of friends because of this. Even so it is quite clear that she is a very confident and mature young girl. Even Deborah's younger sister Kirsty, in the first few minutes of the program, displays a strong degree of confidence and maturity for one her age. The program does not display a girl who is opposed to having friends. It does not display a family that is opposed to societal interaction. What it does show is a Christian family that follows Christ. In Roman times Christians were persecuted because they were considered anti-social. The same attitude is in affect today. Christians do not become "reclusive" because they are anti-social; they simply refrain from participating in those things which are ungodly. The Drapper family is not selfish, it follows Christ.

Some have also used words like “religiosity” when referring to the family’s lifestyle. I think what they refer to as "religiosity" the Bible would call a life committed and devoted to following Christ. Deborah's ultimate authority in life is the Word of God. The same should be for every Christian. Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will obey Me." (John 14:15) This means that the Christian should live a holy and godly life. You cannot do many of the worldly things and still live a godly life. There are many things you can do, but there are also many things you will not do because you hate the darkness and love the light. Deborah's life is indeed a life that shows evidence of someone born-again because her life is modelled not after this world, but rather after Christ.

Others have questioned things like the genuineness of a six-year turning to Christ, as well Jesus using “scare tactics” in order to get people to follow Him. I would respond by saying that six is indeed a very young age. However, people mature at different levels. Consider Samuel, a young boy who ministered before the Lord. (1 Sam. 2:18) The gospel is also so simple a child can understand it. Regarding the next objection, consider these verses...

LUKE 12:5
But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him [God] who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him!

LUKE 13:1-5
There were some present at that very time who told him [Jesus] about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.”

The Christian life is often a lonely life. Often we are called to make big sacrifices. Deborah has not been coerced and forced into following Christ. She expressly said that she made the decision to become a Christian on her own terms, not because her parents forced her to. She was simply taught the truth and Jesus said, “And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32) As for the comment that she seems intent on scarring people, well, hell is scary and if people are indifferent to the terrors of hell then they should be scarred so that they will flee from the wrath that is to come and will turn and run to Christ. You may find the following link to a post on Deborah’s website quite interesting… http://deborahdrapper.com/275/

Intro to Islam

2009-03-10T19:22:00.003Z

Myths About Evolution

2009-03-09T23:25:00.002Z

Myth 7: Ape-Human DNA Similarities

The “slam dunk” proof for human evolution is, according to evolutionists, the claimed 98% similarity between human and chimp DNA and the evidence of chromosomal fusion. Textbooks tell us that this proves the common ancestry of humans and apes from ape-like beings that lived millions of years ago.

What makes this a myth, however, is that evolutionists forget to mention the problems with this claim. For one thing, the percentage of similarity may sound impressive (depending on which percentage you find), but this represents millions of letters of difference in the DNA. Factor in that many of the differences in the DNA are not represented in the “98% similarity” (such as deletions) and epigenetic differences and the chasm grows. Second, seeing the “history” of humans evolving from chimps in DNA and chromosomes requires a prior commitment to evolution. Evolutionists interpret the data to mean what they want it to mean in light of Darwin’s myth.

Though there are similarities between apes and humans, this too is strong evidence for a common Designer, who gave humanity characteristics unlike any other creature He made. But this doesn’t stop evolutionists, knowingly or not, from using flat-out propaganda as in myth #6.

– Answers in Genesis

The Holiness of God - Part.1

2009-03-06T16:20:00.001Z

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (27th February 2009)

2009-03-06T16:06:00.002Z

On Friday evening we had another big turn out! The team for the night: Carl, Wesley, Oliver, Paul (a friend of Oliver’s), Michael, James Crooke, Jannah, Susi, Steve, Ben, Adam, Katie, Lizzie (a friend from my church), Ashley (a friend of Nigel, who is a good friend of mine) and me. After meeting at Café Nero for a time of prayer and devotions we headed up to the square.

Carl stood up to preach first and preached faithfully, drawing people into discussing as they walked passed. Carl is really growing as an open-air preacher, and while his style is a little different to mine, he preaches faithfully the Word of God without shying away from the truth. After a while Carl tagged me in and so I stood up to preach the Word of God. After a short while a man began to heckle me concerning the existence of God. He maintained that he could never believe in something he had not seen. I told him that we cannot see the wind yet we know it exists. This of course is because we can feel the wind tangibly. I agree that we rarely feel the Lord in the same way, however we can see the effects of the Lord, just like we can see the effects of the wind. There are many things we believe in that we cannot see. It is not always necessary to have to see something or someone in order to know that that someone or something exists. I could, for example, see a painting without ever having seen the painter. Simple deductive logic will lead me to recognise the intelligent design of the painting, thus helping me to conclude that there must be a designer. I went on to explain to the crowd that the God who made this world commands that all men everywhere repent and believe the Gospel. It is not just God’s wish that all be saved, God commands that all turn from their sin in order to be saved.

After I finished preaching we all engaged in one-to-one conversations. I got talking with two Muslim men who both took a copy of The Jesus Film that we put out on the table. During our conversation it became apparent to me that both men were “pre-armed” with objections towards Christianity. The objection that the Bible is corrupt and has been changed multiple times of course came up. I explained that the Bible has not been changed, we simply have many translations of the Bible into the languages of today, from the Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek manuscripts that we have. They also questioned the divinity of Christ and so I took them to the Scriptures so that they could see that Jesus is clearly shown to be both fully man and fully God. As they left they both took an in-depth gospel tract, for which I was very pleased to see.

Many conversations were had by the team and it was so encouraging to see the gospel being proclaimed. Below is a little report that Michael has written showing his involvement during the evening.

My first encounter was with a guy called Naz, he was a really good natured person.

I took him through the 'good' test, he turned out to be guilty on all accounts but said that he would go to heaven; he believed that God would just forgive him because he had done good things. That led me to take him into a court of law. Throughout our encounter I had to keep taking him back to our own court of law because he was intent on justifying himself. He then wanted to know what the bible says about Hell; which I explained.

He then tried to turn it around by asking me if I had done those things, I told him that I was guilty of breaking all of those commandments and that was why we all need the Savoir.

He then wanted to know why there are so many other religions and how did we know we had the correct one. I explained that prophecy 100% proves the Bible is the word of God. I asked him if he could name who the president of America would be in 700 years time, where he would be born and how he would die. Obviously he couldn't.

I ended by telling him that when he lays his head on his pillow tonight that his conscience, that inner voice that he has no control over would probably start speaking to him. I asked him to think about the things we spoke about. He said he would.

I had two other encounters with Lucy and Angela. Again I gave them a million pound track and asked her the million pound question. She agreed to take the 'good' test. They were both guilty of breaking 4 out of the 10 commandments that I asked them. I went through our own court system with them and ended up sharing the Gospel with them.

The most interesting encounter happened on the way home. This encounter may have had the Lord’s hand in it.

James Crooke told me that he was leaving because he had to be up early in the morning. I was in two minds about leaving with him as I wanted to stay and try to witness to some more people, but I looked at the time and felt lead to leave with him as we both go the same way home.

We got to the station looked up at the board and saw that we had 6 minutes for James to get a ticket. The nearest machine had two people in front of him. Time was ticking so James ran around the corner. With sixty seconds to go James came running around the corner. We got on near the back of the train with about thirty seconds to go.

We both sat down, me next to a guy with some earphones on drinking a can of beer and James opposite me next to a lady. I proceeded to pass around some million pound note tracks and to add a bit of light humour, I told all the recipients that they were great when you get the change. I then handed one to the guy sitting next to me drinking the beer. He then looked at the back and said "what's this about" I took him through the good test and as usual he was guilty on all accounts. He said that he had been thinking about these things because his dad was a staunch Catholic and his Gran was a Christian and that she had spoken to him a few times and had been praying for him.

I said to him "speak to your Gran and your father" second thoughts only speak to your Gran and get you father to speak to your Gran. I also said that this could be a divine appointment bearing in mind that we had caught the train with seconds to spare and we could have ended up anywhere else on the train, but we ended up sitting next to him. James said "could we be the answer to his Gran’s prayers?"

He asked some questions on Catholicism and other religions which James explained to him. James also gave him his contact details and asked him to contact him if he had any other questions.

All in all it was a great night of evangelism.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (20th February 2009)

2009-03-04T22:44:00.022Z

Well the team just continues to grow and it is such an encouragement to see God adding to our numbers. On Friday evening we were back in Leicester Square. The team for the night: Carl, Wesley, my brother James, James Crooke, Oliver (James and Oliver have been once before so it was great to see them back), Steve, Ben, Susi, Jannah, Elyske, Petra, Lorenco (Petra's boyfriend) and me. We were also joined by my Pastor (Doug McMasters) and his wife Royale, their two sons Matt and Ben, Barney (a great friend from church), Katie (a young student over from Texas who is attending our church) and also some of the youth from my church. So we had a great presence in Leicester Square which was fantastic.

I stood up to preach first and God drew a crowd. Not long into my message, however, a young man came and stood in front of and began "preaching to the crowd." What he said made very little sense, however he emphasised man's right not to be told what to do and as a result drew applause from the crowd. At this point I was thinking "Oh brother!" I wanted to counter what he was saying, however I knew that if I did it would simply become a "slogging match" of sorts between us and so I let him say his thing so that he could move on. After he left I refuted his claims and made it clear that all gods are not the same, there is one true God who made this world and He makes the rules. He will judge us one day and He will call us all to account.

A little time after I got engaged in a dialogue with a man named David. He was rather senior in age and somewhat of an intellectual; he admitted that one could not truly be an atheist; however he maintained that the Bible was not a credible book and therefore Christianity was not trustworthy and valid. I explained to him that the Bible is indeed very credible and when we look at the manuscript evidence, the archaeological evidence, prophesies in the Bible, and the amazing statistics found in its pages, we are left believing it to be very credible. After wrangling with him intellectually I moved to address his conscience and took him through the good person test. This allowed me to open up God's law and then declare forth the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ.

David was quite gracious and did not become aggressive, he was a great heckler and he drew people in, which then allowed me to preach the gospel. After he left he took a Bible from me, which was really great. I spent the rest of the time pleading with the crowd to turn to the Lord in repentance in faith.

After I finished preaching open-air I joined with the rest of the team in talking with people one-to-one. I stood by the table that we put out, which is great for getting into one-to-ones. The team was engaged in conversation with people and many tracts and Bibles were taken and so for that we can only rejoice.

Soli Deo Gloria!!

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (13th February 2009)

2009-03-04T22:04:00.010Z

On Friday evening the team met once again at Café Nero for a time of prayer and devotions before heading into Leicester square. The team was as follows: Carl, Wesley, Ben, Susi, Petra, Jannah, James, Steve, Wayne, Nigel, Josh, Melissa and Fredee. Josh (president of Operation 513), Fredee and Melissa were at the last leg of their mission trip around the UK and joined up with us for the night. Josh of course is from Brisbane, Australia, and the two girls are from California. Nigel and Wayne are two friends from Mansfield who travelled down to London to join. We truly were blessed to have such a large team; brothers and sisters in Christ from all over partnering to fulfil the great commission!

We headed to our usual spot and set up our table that has free Bibles, DVDs and tracts for people to take away. Once we were sorted I stood up to preach. I had not even been preaching for even five minutes when four police officers approached me and asked me to step down. They told me that they did not permit public speaking in Leicester Square because it draws a crowd, which "lends itself to pick pocketing." This seemed ridiculous to me and I explained to the officer that we had been coming to Leicester Square for over a year. I asked him if we had broken the law and he said no. With Josh coming to give support we pointed out to the officers that there were buskers in the square that also brought in a crowd, as did the nightclubs, but he simply said he was not interested in them and was concerned simply with what we were doing. It was quite apparent that they were not prepared to let us continue so we asked them what we would be arrested for, since we were not guilty of breaking any law. We were told that we would be taken in for anti-social behaviour. At this point righteous indignation arose in us and we decided we needed to speak with the inspector at the station. We had been discriminated against and it was only right that we made a stand concerning our rights (see Acts 16:35-39).

Josh, Steve and me then made our way to the police station. Before leaving we told the team to remain in the square and hand out tracts and speak to people one-to-one. Arriving at the police station we waited until we were able to speak with the station inspector. Josh took the lead in this and I was really impressed with the way he handled himself. He was very assertive and bold, but at the same time he was deeply respectful and courteous. He did use strong words with the inspector and told him that we had been discriminated against and as such felt vilified. The inspector was very apologetic and agreed with us that we had done nothing wrong. He said that we were not in breach of any law. He assured me that we were totally within our rights to preach open-air in Leicester Square, provided of course we did not deliver hate speech. We of course had no problem with this and thanked him for his time. We headed back to the team and told them the good news. They of course were very encouraged.

I stood up once again and preached a solid gospel message. God brought people to listen and you can see that in the photos below. The gentleman in the white cap was a good sport and agreed to go through the good person test. It's always good to be able to do this as it brings a bit of humour and also keeps the crowd interested.

After I preached Josh stood up to preach and he did a wonderful job of defended the faith against a number of objections that came from those listening. Josh is incredibly knowledgeable in the field of apologetics and I always find it inspiring when I go witnessing with him.

During both open-air sessions the team spoke with many people and handed out many tracts. God was so very good to us and we give Him all the glory that He sovereignly intervened and used us to proclaim His gospel in the midst of persecution. It was a great night of ministry and one we will remember!

Soli Deo Gloria!

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (30th January 2009)

2009-03-04T21:53:00.003Z

Friday evening saw the team come together once more for a night of evangelism. The team was as follows: James (my younger brother), Steve, Ben, Carl, Jannah, Susi, Philip, and me. We met at Café Nero for a time of devotions and prayer and then headed into Leicester Square to minister the gospel.

After standing up to preach it wasn't long before people stopped to listen and make comments. One of the first to do this was a man named Ali. After I explained to Ali that we are all sinners, that we have all lied and stolen and looked with lust, he asked me this question: How can I redeem myself? This allowed me to explain to him that we cannot redeem ourselves; we cannot make ourselves right with God. The only way we can be made right with God is through trusting in the One who died in our place so that the wrath of God might be satisfied. This is the love of God, poured out through Jesus Christ.

Later on I was heckled by a man who held a thick philosophy book in his hand. He asked some challenging questions and he certainly had a keen ear. I had explained that there is nothing we can do to save ourselves, and then a few minutes later I said that in order to be saved we must repent and believe in Christ. He pulled me up on this and said that I had contradicted myself. I explained that Scripture tells us we cannot repent and believe unless God gives us the grace to repent and believe. Even so, God commands all men everywhere to repent and believe. God is able to do this because all have sinned and have fallen short of His glory. God is sovereign and He saves those who are His. We must tell people that even though they cannot cause themselves to be born-again, unless they turn from their sin and trust in Christ they will be cast into hell. Our job is to strip a person of all hope they have in saving themselves, so that they would throw themselves on the mercy of God.

After I finished preaching open-air the team set about speaking with people one-to-one. Steve manned the table that held the free Bibles and tracts we put out. Everyone was engaged in conversation and we all had the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to the people of London. It is a real joy for me to see how the team has grown and to see men and women of God who desire above all else to proclaim the name of Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Watchmaker

2009-03-03T00:25:00.003Z

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (23rd January 2009)

2009-02-26T17:10:00.004Z

Friday night saw yet another record turn-out for the team. We had some people join us for the first time: Geoff and Sam (friends of my church and just visiting before they head back to Australia), Petra (a friend of Jannah and Elyske) and Rhys (my younger brother). The rest of the team was as follows: my brother James, Carl, Wesley, Andrew, Steve, Ben, Susi, Jannah, Elyske and me.

After meeting in Café Nero for a time of devotions and prayer we headed up to the square to begin our ministry. Quite a few were new to street evangelism so I primed the team as to what we were about and what the evening would entail. I then stood up to preach and used a recent atheist bus advertisement as my springboard into the spiritual. The advertisement reads: "There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life." I explained that God is not the source of worry in this world. Worry comes ultimately from sin. We trust in ourselves and we trust in others, however the Bible says without faith (in God) it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). I had only been preaching for about five minutes when a police officer approached and asked to have a word with me. I came down of my stepladder and we spoke together for a minute or two. His concerns centred on the idea that my message could offend some and lead to a breach of the peace. I responded by saying that I never aimed to be offensive or antagonistic and that it was still lawful for me to exercise free speech according to the law of the land. I asked him if I had broken the law and he told me that "technically" I hadn't, although there was the issue of the council and its laws. I told him I had been coming to Leicester Square for almost a year and it had never been proven to me that I was in breach of any law. He allowed me to carry on preaching but warned that if there was a breach of the peace he would have to take action.

Every Friday night we come out I am aware that the message we breach could well upset some people, which could lead to them complaining to the authorities. If a breach of the peace does happen it needs to be made clear where exactly the threat is coming from. In a court ruling regarding this issue the following statement was made: "A judgment as to the imminence of a breach of the peace does not conclude the constable's task. The next and critical question for the constable, and in turn for the Court, is where the threat is coming from, because it is there that the preventive action must be directed." We ought to conduct our speech in such a manner that it does not seek to offend and that it does not carry a deriding tone. Even so, the message of the gospel is itself an offensive message, simply because it exposes sin. People will always react negatively to the light of the gospel (because they love darkness) and so offence will arise. There is nothing we can do about this. God has commissioned us to preach His message. It is His message that saves and so that is the message we must preach.

After I had finished preaching we set about to talking with people one-to-one. It was such a joy to see everyone get stuck in. I made myself available just in case those new to the team needed any help. After a little while I got talking with a young man named Zack. He believed in evolution, although he also believed in his own version of God. His version was certainly not the God of the Bible. We talked for a little bit about the logic behind the need for a Creator God. Unfortunately we did not talk for long as he was pulled away by his friends. I managed to hand him a booklet entitled "Is there really a God," which has the gospel at the back. Please pray for Zack.

Afterwards I got talking with two young ladies. One was a Muslim and the other did not believe in God. I rationalised the existence of God first and foremost and then explained why Christianity is the answer, simply because it presents the only viable solution to man's greatest need. We have sinned and in the scheme of God's justice that means we are guilty. Our only hope is for someone to serve the punishment in our place. There is only one perfect substitute and His name is Jesus Christ. To this they responded by saying it was wrong that I was trying to enforce my beliefs on others. I explained that I was not trying to force anyone against their will; I was simply offering the Christian message and making a case for it being the truth. They understood this and left with an in-depth gospel tract, thanking me for talking to them. Do pray that the Lord would bring them to salvation.

After connecting with the rest of the team to see how they were doing I decided to stand up and preach once more. I began by talking about the greatest book the world has ever known. I gave the facts but kept the answer hidden with the intent to create a curious interest to those listening. Some did stop to listen and at one point cried out for an answer to the question. As soon as I told them it was the Bible they scoffed and walked away. It was as if I had something to offend them. It's startling how much of an offence the Bible is seen to be, a book that offers a love that cannot be equalled.

After I had finished preaching we continued to speak with people one-to-one. I had the opportunity to speak with a young man who had lost his faith in God after his mother passed away about four months ago. He had grown up Catholic and told me that he still visited his priest in order to receive counsel and advice. We could not talk for long but he gave me his details and said it would be fine if I contacted him to continue our conversation. His name is Sam, do pray for him and also that I would be able to continue talking with him.

Wesley had been finding it a bit difficult to talk with people and so I was very happy to see him in a conversation after I had talked with Sam. It can be disheartening at times when you try and approach people with the gospel and they turn you away every time. The Bible tells us that many enter the path that leads to destruction, and only a few find the path that leads to life (Matthew 7:13-14). Still, we preach the gospel to every creature, knowing that God saves sinners through the preaching of His gospel.

Praise God for a wonderful night of ministry. It was a blessed time indeed.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Operation 513 London - Catch Up

2009-01-16T14:48:00.005Z

Well it’s been a while since I posted on my blog and the time is well over due for me to pick up the “cyber pen” once again. Christmas with the family, much study in preparation for a debate with a Roman Catholic Priest, and a number of other things, has kept me from the blogosphere. We are now in 2009 and already halfway through January. It’s a new year with new challenges, and yet, there are some things that will never change. The pre-eminence and excellence of our Lord and King, who can never be removed from His throne, and the call of the redeemed to herald forth His name, these have most certainly not changed.

The London team has grown and there are now twelve in the team. Not everyone can always make it on a Friday night, which is ok. The team is as follows: Adam, Philip, Carl, James (my brother), Jannah, Elyske, Susi, Ben, Steve, Andrew, Wesley, and I. The photo below was taken back in Decemeber. Two friends of Carl, Ben and Anya, joined us that evening (they are both missionaries in the Ukraine and have since returned), as well as a young man from Romania who frequently joins up with us.

More to follow soon….

Soli Deo Gloria!!

The Heidelberg Catechism 1619 A.D. (Qu. 46-54)

2008-12-22T23:17:00.002Z

46. Q. What do you confess when you say, He ascended into heaven?

A. That Christ, before the eyes of His disciples, was taken up from the earth into heaven,[1] and that He is there for our benefit[2] until He comes again to judge the living and the dead.[3]

[1] Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50, 51; Acts 1:9-11. [2] Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14; 7:23-25; 9:24. [3] Matt. 24:30; Acts 1:11.

47. Q. Is Christ, then, not with us until the end of the world, as He has promised us?[1]

A. Christ is true man and true God. With respect to His human nature He is no longer on earth,[2] but with respect to His divinity, majesty, grace, and Spirit He is never absent from us.[3]

[1] Matt. 28:20. [2] Matt. 26:11; John 16:28; 17:11; Acts 3:19-21; Heb. 8:4. [3] Matt. 28:18-20; John 14:16-19; 16:13.

48. Q. But are the two natures in Christ not separated from each other if His human nature is not present wherever His divinity is?

A. Not at all, for His divinity has no limits and is present everywhere.[1] So it must follow that His divinity is indeed beyond the human nature which He has taken on and nevertheless is within this human nature and remains personally united with it.[2]

[1] Jer. 23:23, 24; Acts 7:48, 49. [2] John 1:14; 3:13; Col. 2:9.

49. Q. How does Christ's ascension into heaven benefit us?

A. First, He is our Advocate in heaven before His Father.[1] Second, we have our flesh in heaven as a sure pledge that He, our Head, will also take us, His members, up to Himself.[2] Third, He sends us His Spirit as a counter-pledge,[3] by whose power we seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God, and not the things that are on earth.[4]

[1] Rom. 8:34; I John 2:1. [2] John 14:2; 17:24; Eph. 2:4-6. [3] John 14:16; Acts 2:33; II Cor. 1:21, 22; 5:5. [4] Col. 3:1-4.

50. Q. Why is it added, And sits at the right hand of God?

A. Christ ascended into heaven to manifest Himself there as Head of His Church,[1] through whom the Father governs all things.[2]

[1] Eph. 1:20-23; Col. 1:18. [2] Matt. 28:18; John 5:22, 23.

51. Q. How does the glory of Christ, our Head, benefit us?

A. First, by His Holy Spirit He pours out heavenly gifts upon us, His members.[1] Second, by His power He defends and preserves us against all enemies.[2]

[1] Acts 2:33; Eph. 4:7-12. [2] Ps. 2:9; 110:1, 2; John 10:27-30; Rev. 19:11-16.

52. Q. What comfort is it to you that Christ will come to judge the living and the dead?

A. In all my sorrow and persecution I lift up my head and eagerly await as judge from heaven the very same person who before has submitted Himself to the judgment of God for my sake, and has removed all the curse from me.[1] He will cast all His and my enemies into everlasting condemnation, but He will take me and all His chosen ones to Himself into heavenly joy and glory.[2]

[1] Luke 21:28; Rom. 8:22-25; Phil. 3:20,21; Tit. 2:13, 14. [2] Matt. 25:31-46; I Thess. 4:16, 17; II Thess. 1:6-10.

53. Q. What do you believe concerning the Holy Spirit?

A. First, He is, together with the Father and the Son, true and eternal God.[1] Second, He is also given to me,[2] to make me by true faith share in Christ and all His benefits,[3] to comfort me,[4] and to remain with me forever.[5]

[1] Gen. 1:1, 2; Matt. 28:19; Acts 5:3, 4; I Cor. 3:16. [2] I Cor. 6:19; II Cor. 1:21, 22; Gal. 4:6; Eph. 1:13. [3] Gal. 3:14; I Pet. 1:2. [4] John 15:26; Acts 9:31. [5] John 14:16, 17; I Pet. 4:14.

54. Q. What do you believe concerning the holy catholic Christian church?

A. I believe that the Son of God,[1] out of the whole human race,[2] from the beginning of the world to its end,[3] gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself, [4] by His Spirit and Word,[5] in the unity of the true faith,[6] a church chosen to everlasting life.[7] And I believe that I am[8] and forever shall remain a living member of it.[9]

[1] John 10:11; Acts 20:28; Eph. 4:11-13; Col. 1:18. [2] Gen. 26:4; Rev. 5:9. [3] Is. 59:21; I Cor. 11:26. [4] Ps. 129:1-5; Matt. 16:18; John 10:28-30. [5] Rom. 1:16; 10:14-17; Eph. 5:26. [6] Acts 2:42-47; Eph. 4:1-6. [7] Rom. 8:29; Eph. 1:3-14. [8] I John 3:14, 19-21. [9] Ps. 23:6; John 10:27, 28; I Cor. 1:4-9; I Pet. 1:3-5.

Jesus And Santa

2008-12-21T22:55:00.001Z

How "Total" Is Our Depravity?

2008-12-20T12:22:00.007Z

HT: Pyromaniacs

God only knows the vileness of the human heart. There is a depth beneath, a hidden spring, into which we cannot pry. In that lower depth, there is a still deeper abyss of positive corruption which we need not wish to fathom. God grant that we may know enough of this to humble us, and keep us ever low before him! Yet hold, Lord, lest we should yield to despair, and absolutely lie down to die under the black thought of our alienation from righteousness, our naturalization in sin, and the deplorable tendency of our heart to rebel more and more against thee, the faithful and true God! Show us not all our wretchedness…

I have often been startled when I have found in my heart the possibilities of iniquity of which I thought I never could have been the subject, in reveries by day or in dreams of the night. All at once, a blasphemy foul as hell has started up in the very middle of offering a prayer so earnest that my heart never knew more fervour. I have been staggered at myself.

When God has called us into the pulpit,—we thought, at one time, we never could be proud if God so honoured us,—this has seemed to quicken our step in the black march of our depraved heart. Or, when a little cast down and troubled in spirit, we have wished to leave the world altogether, and have been like Jonah, trying to flee to Tarshish that we might not go to this great Nineveh at our Lord's bidding. Little did we reckon that there was such cowardice in our soul. We have thus found out another phase in our own nature.

Does any man imagine that his heart is not vile? If he be a professing Christian, I much suspect whether he ought not to renounce his profession; for, methinks, any enlightened man, who sincerely looks to himself, and whose experience leads him somewhat to lock within, will surely find, not mere foibles, but foulness that literally staggers him. I question the Christianity of that man who doubts whether there are, in his soul, the remains of such corruption as drown the ungodly in perdition; or whether, though a quickened child of God, he hath another law in his members, warring against the law of his mind.

What! hath he no such battle within that the things he would do he often doeth not, while the things that he would not do he often doeth? Hath he no need to be in constant prayer to God to deliver him from the evil in his heart that he may be more than a conqueror over it at last? I do assert, once more, and I think the experience of God's children beareth me out, that, when we shall be most advanced, and when we come, at last, to sit down in God's kingdom above, we shall find that we have not learnt all that there is to be learnt of the foulness of our nature, and the desperateness of our soul's disease.

"The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint. From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises, and putrefying sores." "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?" "Cleanse thou me from secret faults." "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts; and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

Perhaps, if we knew more of this terrible evil, it might imperil our reason. Hardly could it be possible for us to bear the full discovery and live. Among the wise concealments of God, is that which hides from open view the depravity of our heart, and the corruption of our nature.

– C.H. Spurgeon

The Real Christmas Story (John MacArthur)

2008-12-19T14:05:00.000Z

The Ultimate Focus Of The Christian Life

2008-12-19T02:08:00.006Z

There is a teaching within the body of Christ today that wants us to believe that the core of Christianity is “The meaning of true eternal life.” It is the idea that the Christian life is all about enjoying now, here on earth, what is reserved for us in heaven (often referred to as Kingdom Theology). According to this teaching, knowing God means we are to place “living in the presence of God” above any other component of the Christian life. I believe this to be in opposition to the focus and meaning of the Christian life. It is of great concern to me. Allow me to explain.

Eternal life does indeed come as a result of knowing God. However, the end of all being is not the happiness of man. The end of all being is the glory of God. Does God not intend to make us happy? Yes, He does. But our happiness comes as a by-product of our salvation. It is not the prime product.

The late Paris Reidhead said this: “The people God witnesses to by His Spirit, so that they might know they are indeed born again, are the people, whether they say it or not, come to Jesus Christ and say something like this: ‘Lord Jesus, I’m going to obey You and love You and serve You and do what You want me to do as long as I live, even if I go to hell at the end of the road, simply because You are worthy to be loved and obeyed and served and I’m not trying to make a deal with You.’”

It is so very important for us to understand that we receive eternal life (life in heaven as opposed to “life” in hell) as an added blessing to the forgiveness for our sins, and that we do not receive eternal life because we are forgiven for our sins.

This teaching will produce Christians who are more concerned with “living it up now,” that they do not focus on preaching the gospel. Instead they focus on enjoying and experiencing the good life now. We need to understand that heaven is the good life. As we live here on earth we ought to be about the business of preaching the gospel. The gospel is the good news that the amazing grace of God is freely poured out on repentant sinners so that they may have their sins forgiven, and in so doing may be saved from the wrath of God (1 Thess. 1:10).

Why did Jesus come? He came so that He might save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). He came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). Yes, with salvation comes eternal life. But eternal life is not a separate component of the saved life. Through having our sins forgiven we are able to know God now and the result of knowing God now is the blessed promise that we can spend all of eternity knowing Him in heaven. The guarantee of eternal life is given to the Christian the moment he or she repents and believes the gospel.

Ephesians 1:11-14 says this: “In Him [Christ] we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in Him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of His glory.”

The Christian has the promise of eternal life the moment he or she repents and believes the gospel. Eternal life in many ways begins the moment we repent and believe. Yes, that is true. But, it is not the eternal life of heaven. The Christian must endure many tribulations here on earth before entering heaven (Acts 14:22). All who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3:12). The Bible says that Jesus came that we might have life, and have it more abundantly (John 10:10). But the abundant life is a quality of life that is different to the life of the unregenerate sinner. That “quality of life” is not, by definition, health, wealth and prosperity. I am not saying that God demands we be poor and constantly in lack. As a Christian you may be rich. But the Christian life is not centred on health, wealth and prosperity. It is centred on a life that is in full submission to God. It is centred on a life of self-denial and sacrifice (Luke 9:23).

The quality of life, the abundant life that Christ came to give us is a life in which we have freedom from guilt, not freedom from pain. It involves freedom from judgment, not freedom from suffering. People do not become Christians because they see Christians full of joy and blessing. They become Christians because they have godly sorrow over their sin, which in turn produces repentance, which then leads to salvation (2 Corinthians 7:10). How does a person reach a point where they have godly sorrow over their sin? It happens when they hear the gospel. People are saved through the preaching of the gospel. That is God’s ordained plan and that is the ministry we have been called to.

"I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow" - A.W. Pink

2008-12-18T00:53:00.007Z

HT: Grace Gems

I asked the Lord that I might grow

(Arthur Pink, "Experimental Preaching" 1937)

"Make Your ways known to me, Lord; teach me Your paths. Guide me in Your truth and teach me." Psalm 25:4-5

There are two ways of learning of Divine things. The one is to acquire a letter knowledge of them from the Bible, the other is to be given an actual experience of them in the soul, under the Spirit's teaching.

Many suppose that by spending a few minutes in a concordance, they can discover what humility is; that by studying certain passages of Scriptures, they may obtain an increase of faith; or that by reading and re-reading a certain chapter, they may secure more love.

But that is not the way those graces are experimentally developed. Humility is learned by a daily smarting under the plague of the heart, and having its innumerable abominations exposed to our view. Repentance is learned by feeling the load of guilt, and the heavy burden of conscious defilement, bowing down the soul. Faith is learned by increasing discoveries of unbelief and infidelity. Love is learned by a personal sense of the undeserved goodness of God to the vilest of the vile. Patience cannot be learned from books--it is acquired in the furnace of affliction! It is thus with all the spiritual graces of the Christian.

Ah, my reader, we beg the Lord to teach us--but the fact is, that we do not like His method of teaching us! Fiery trials, storms of afflictions, the dashing of our carnal hopes--are indeed painful to flesh and blood; yet it is by them that the heart is purified.

We say that we wish to live to God's glory--but fail to remember that we can do so only as SELF is denied and the Cross be taken up. God's ways of teaching His children are, like all His ways, entirely different from ours!

I asked the Lord that I might grow,
In faith and love and every grace,
Might more of His salvation know,
And seek more earnestly His face.

It was He who taught me thus to pray,
And He I trust has answered prayer.
But it has been in such a way,
As almost drove me to despair!

I hoped that in some favored hour,
At once He'd answer my request.
And by His love's constraining power,
Subdue my sins and give me rest!

Instead of this, He made me feel,
The hidden evils of my heart.
And let the angry powers of hell,
Assault my soul in every part!

Yes, more with His own hand, He seemed,
Intent to aggravate my woe.
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low!

"Lord, why is this?" I trembling cried.
Will You pursue Your worm to death?"
"This is the way" the Lord replied,
"I answer prayer for grace and strength."
"These inward trials I employ,
From self, and pride, to set you free;
And break your schemes of earthly joy,
That you may find your all in Me!"

– John Newton

The Implications Of Neo-Darwinian Thought

2008-12-15T00:08:00.014Z

Myths About Evolution

2008-12-14T21:29:00.004Z

Myth 6: Apemen and Artistic License

The pervasive ape-to-human montage that shows an ape-like being on the left slowly becoming a human on the right is so much a part of culture that most anyone can recognize it. Natural history museums and TV shows give us supposed glimpses into the past and how human ancestors might have looked. Too bad it’s all a sham.

Fossil apes are difficult to come by, but several species have been found. However, a new ape fossil does not generate as much interest or prestige as one called a “human ancestor,” which is why there is so much focus on how ape fossils tie in to the evolution story. The desire to “fill in the gaps” leads to many false conclusions. For example, some of the supposed “bipedal” characteristics found in fossils are also found in living apes that are not bipedal.

In fact, imagination, wishful thinking, and presuppositions influence a great deal of the “reconstructions” we find in magazines, textbooks, and on TV. Enjoy the science, but don’t be taken in by the fiction.

– Answers in Genesis

EU Threat To Religious Liberty

2008-12-13T20:40:00.009Z

Important news: From The Christian Institute...

The European Union is proposing a directive to outlaw discrimination on grounds including sexual orientation and religion in the provision of goods or services. Similar laws in the UK and other nations have caused serious erosion of religious liberty and the exclusion of Christianity from public places. This Directive will mean that ‘homosexual rights’ and secular values will govern how Christian organisations provide goods and services to the public. The Directive could mean that a Christian-owned guest house would be forced to provide double rooms to homosexual couples. Or a town council could cease to fund a Christian community project because it may be viewed as favouring one religion over another. A ‘harassment’ provision within the Directive may also affect how Christians communicate their religious beliefs while providing a good or service. Although the UK already has ‘goods and services’ discrimination laws, this Directive could make the British situation even worse.

The Directive is currently in draft form. Its official title is “Proposal for a Council Directive on implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation” (COM (2008) 426). The proposed Directive is currently under consideration by the Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Committee. When it reports back with an analysis and any suggested amendments, MEPs will vote on its conclusions and the Council can begin to consider whether to adopt, amend or reject the Directive. This is expected to take place early in 2009. This directive, if it comes into play, will seriously affect issues such as free speech and the right to express religious views.

This proposal has great potential to interfere with religious liberty and free speech. It also hands power to Brussels to control important aspects of discrimination law. PLEASE visit http://www.christian.org.uk/ in order to stay informed. It is vital that Christians keep up-to-date with the latest news about the Directive. The Christian Institute is actively working to defend religious liberty. There will be crucial moments when Christians need to act. Please contact them and they will keep you informed about the campaign and how you can help.

Web: http://www.christian.org.uk/
Email: info@christian.org.uk
Tel: (from UK) 0191 281 5664
Tel: (from EU) +44 191 281 5664

Please write to The Christian Institute and ask them to send you a letter detailing how you can write to your MEP and ask that the directive for religion and sexual orientation be dropped from the proposed discrimination Directive, whilst retaining disability.

To download an introductory briefing click HERE.

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (5th December 2008)

2008-12-13T14:44:00.012Z

Friday evening saw a record turn-out in terms of people joining the team for our time of ministry. The team was as follows: Carl, Wesley, my bother James, Philip, James (a friend of Wesley’s), Oliver (a friend of Carl’s), Jannah, Steve, and I. James has only been once before and Oliver was joining us for the first time. It’s wonderful to see the team growing like this, and had Andrew and Adam been able to join us there would have been eleven of us in total, which is really awesome.

After enjoying a time of devotions and prayer together in our new-found café, we headed up to the square. It was quite a sight. The square had been turned into a carnival and there were various rides and stores all over the place. Needless to say, the area was amassed with many people. It was also very noisy. But hey, that’s what happens when a carnival comes to town. We set up in our now usual spot and got ready to minister. I stood up to preach first and asked the people if they knew what an amusement park is. A few people said entertainment and things like that. Well, the word “muse” means to think and “amuse” literally means to not think. The letter “a” placed in front produces the antithesis to the word “muse.” So, simply put, an amusement park is simply a “not thinking park.” It is a centre of entertainment devoid of thinking. Man is always running away from responsibility. As a moral agent and rational being he is obligated to examine his life in view of God’s standard. Ah, but this he would rather not do. Entertainment is far too fun. That’s what sin is to man: fun. Yet oh how temporary that “fun” is.

My intro helped to springboard me into talking about the need for us to think of the big questions we all face in this world today: 1) why are we here, 2) what we ought to be doing while we are here, and 3) what will happen to us when we die. Because of the atmosphere and entertainment going on I did not draw a big crowd. However, a number of people did stop and one man in particular was a great encouragement. He was quite willing to engage with me as I took him through the good person test and reasoned with him of sin, righteousness and judgment. (John 16:8) He listened as I told him of the good news of Jesus Christ; that we can be saved from the wrath of God because of what Christ has done by dying on a cross. (John 3:36) The time came when he had to leave and it was a great joy to see him take both an in-depth gospel tract and Bible as he left. Please pray for him. Unfortunately I did not get his name, but the Lord knows who he is and so do pray that God would grant him both repentance and faith unto salvation.

Below is the audio from my open-air.

Steve sharing the gospel.

After I finished preaching open-air we all turned to talking with people and handing out tracts. After a little while Carl stood up to preach and he delivered a faithful and solid message. Many of the Bibles were taken as were many of the tracts. People were hearing the gospel and there is nothing more important in this world than that. Praise the Lord for yet another fruitful time of ministry.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Atheism: Makes Perfect Sense

2008-12-09T20:50:00.005Z

Urgent Prayer Request - Two Preachers to Face Court

2008-12-09T17:47:00.005Z

In April 2008, Josh Mitchell and Keith Rochford were arrested on the Gold Coast (Australia) while preaching the gospel. I put up a post at that time; you can view it by clicking HERE.

Both Josh and Keith have been active members of Operation 513 for a number of years, although Josh has since stepped down from the ministry. At 9am on Wednesday 10th December they will appear before Southport Court. Both of them are facing the possibility of jail time, so we would ask that you keep them in prayer during this time.

It is our hope that God will get the glory from this and that He will allow His gospel to go forth.

Thanks for you prayer.

The Cell - A World That Darwin Never Could Have Imagined

2008-12-05T14:01:00.007Z

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (28th November 2008)

2008-12-04T02:32:00.009Z

Friday night was a night with a difference. I was very excited in that the youth from my church were set to join us. This would be a bit of an eye-opening experience for quite a few of them. I believe it is important that young people understand that sharing the gospel is not restricted simply to what is commonly called “friendship evangelism.” We need to be taking the gospel to people we do not know as much as we are taking the gospel to those we do know.

Barney, who leads the youth group, asked if I would give a talk to the youth before travelling up. This was no problem; however it meant that I travelled up with the youth instead. The team was there to meet us when we arrived, which was a little before 9pm. Philip, my brother James, Steve, Andrew “the Kiwi”, Andrew “the Aussie” and Jannah, were all there to meet us. Because the youth were not able to stay long I kept my preach short. After I came down from preaching we all got stuck in handing out tracts to the people passing by. It was such a blessing and so encouraging to see the young people handing out tracts. The girls, in particular, were really getting into it. It was really wonderful.

It came time for the youth to leave and it was a shame to see them go, however they could not be out too late as it was important for them to get back to meet their parents. We spent the rest of the evening talking with people. I was going to preach open-air again, however Andrew the Kiwi (who has now left to go back to New Zealand – sob, sob!!) and I got talking with a young Muslim gentleman named Umer. He had stopped to listen whilst I had preached open-air. Andrew and I had a good chat with him. He did not seem to be a committed and practising Muslim, however he knew enough of the objections that Muslims are taught with regards to Christianity. These tend to centre on the issue of the Trinity and the veracity of Scripture. I often find it quite amazing that they so attack the veracity of Scripture. It is far, far more authentic and reliable than the Qu’ran and can hold up under the weight of scrutiny far, far more than the Qu’ran could ever hope to do. Still, they persist. I put the challenge to Umer and told him that the Qu’ran contradicts itself in that it mentions the gospel, and that the gospel was delivered through Jesus. The Qu’ran refers to the Bible, and since it does not explain the gospel, the only place for a Muslim to turn to in order to understand the gospel is the Bible. Since the gospel is talked about in the Qu’ran, the Muslim is duty bound to find out what the gospel is. Now, this is where the Qu’ran contradicts itself: the Bible, which came before the Qu’ran, clearly says that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. (John 14:6) There is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) There is only one mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. (1 Timothy 2:5) It is clear. How then can the Qu’ran be true, as it affirms that the gospel comes through Jesus, yet presents a path to salvation that is completely different to the path of salvation found in the Bible?

We had a great chat with Umer. We could see the wheels turning in his head. What we were saying was causing him to think. This was confirmed for us when he asked for a Bible before saying goodbye. Praise God!

It had been a fruitful evening. Praise the Lord for His bountiful blessings.

Soli Deo Gloria!

Operation 513 London: Leicester Square (21st November 2008)

2008-12-04T02:13:00.001Z

On Friday evening we met once more at Leicester Square for a time of ministry. The team consisted of Philip, my brother James, Carl, Andrew, and a friend of his named Jannah, who attends the same church. Friday night, was, for all intensive purposes, a very difficult night. Because of the extremely low temperature we all knew it was going to be a tough one. When we arrived at our usual spot we encountered yet more difficulties. Mark, the artist I have mentioned before, had clearly decided in his mind that enough was enough. He was not going to let us preach.

After speaking with the police officers about the situation I realised that to minister in the same vicinity as Mark was simply not going to work. We had lost a considerable amount of time already in trying to avoid him as best we could, and seeing that it simply was not going to work, we moved back over to the spot we have used previously, on the opposite side of the promenade. Carl stood up to preach and preached a solid gospel message. It was very cold and so the team moved about speaking to people in an attempt to keep warm.

Our display table consisted of free Bibles, tracts and also some DVD’s of The Jesus Film. The DVD allows you to choose from twenty-four languages and so it was such a blessing to be able to give away this DVD in such a multi-cultural city like London.

We all had some good conversations with people and we gave away a good number of tracts. I was grateful to the Lord that we were able to minister the gospel despite the cold and the resistance we received.

Soli Deo Gloria!

The Reliability Of The New Testament Text (God Has Preserved His Word)

2008-11-27T00:24:00.005Z

This is an hour long presentation by Dr. James White on the subject of the reliability of the New Testament in the light of textual variants. No longer is this something only scholars need to be familiar with. Each of us needs to know something about this subject so that we can defend our faith in Holy Scripture, especially now that the critics have such a voice in our day.

Your Best Life: Now or Later? (John MacArthur)

2008-11-26T00:01:00.004Z

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

The Heidelberg Catechism 1619 A.D. (Qu. 37-45)

2008-11-25T21:49:00.001Z

37. Q. What do you confess when you say that He suffered?

A. During all the time He lived on earth, but especially at the end, Christ bore in body and soul the wrath of God against the sin of the whole human race.[1] Thus, by His suffering, as the only atoning sacrifice,[2] He has redeemed our body and soul from everlasting damnation,[3] and obtained for us the grace of God, righteousness, and eternal life.[4]

[1] Is. 53; I Tim. 2:6; I Pet. 2:24; 3:18. [2] Rom. 3:25; I Cor. 5:7; Eph. 5:2; Heb. 10:14; I John 2:2; 4:10. [3] Rom. 8:1-4; Gal. 3:13; Col. 1:13; Heb. 9:12; I Pet 1:18, 19. [4] John 3:16; Rom. 3:24-26; II Cor. 5:21; Heb. 9:15.

38. Q. Why did He suffer under Pontius Pilate as judge?

A. Though innocent, Christ was condemned by an earthly judge,[1] and so He freed us from the severe judgment of God that was to fall on us.[2]

[1] Luke 23:13-24; John 19:4, 12-16. [2] Is. 53:4, 5; II Cor. 5:21; Gal. 3:13.

39. Q. Does it have a special meaning that Christ was crucified and did not die in a different way?

A. Yes. Thereby I am assured that He took upon Himself the curse which lay on me, for a crucified one was cursed by God.[1]

[1] Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13.

40. Q. Why was it necessary for Christ to humble Himself even unto death?

A. Because of the justice and truth of God[1] satisfaction for our sins could be made in no other way than by the death of the Son of God.[2]

[1] Gen. 2:17. [2] Rom. 8:3; Phil. 2:8; Heb. 2:9, 14, 15.

41. Q. Why was he buried?

A. His burial testified that He had really died.[1]

[1] Is. 53:9; John 19:38-42; Acts 13:29; I Cor. 15:3,4.

42. Q. Since Christ has died for us, why do we still have to die?

A. Our death is not a payment for our sins, but it puts an end to sin and is an entrance into eternal life.[1]

[1] John 5:24; Phil. 1:21-23; I Thess. 5:9, 10.

43. Q. What further benefit do we receive from Christ's sacrifice and death on the cross?

A. Through Christ's death our old nature is crucified, put to death, and buried with Him,[1] so that the evil desires of the flesh may no longer reign in us,[2] but that we may offer ourselves to Him as a sacrifice of thankfulness.[3]

[1] Rom. 6:5-11; Col. 2:11, 12. [2] Rom. 6:12-14. [3] Rom. 12:1; Eph. 5:1, 2.

44. Q. Why is there added: He descended into hell?

A. In my greatest sorrows and temptations I may be assured and comforted that my Lord Jesus Christ, by His unspeakable anguish, pain, terror, and agony, which He endured throughout all His sufferings[1] but especially on the cross, has delivered me from the anguish and torment of hell.[2]

[1] Ps. 18:5, 6; 116:3; Matt. 26:36-46; 27:45, 46; Heb. 5:7-10. [2] Is. 53.

45. Q. How does Christ's resurrection benefit us?

A. First, by His resurrection He has overcome death, so that He could make us share in the righteousness which He had obtained for us by His death.[1] Second, by His power we too are raised up to a new life.[2] Third, Christ's resurrection is to us a sure pledge of our glorious resurrection.[3]

[1] Rom. 4:25; I Cor. 15:16-20; I Pet. 1:3-5. [2] Rom. 6:5-11; Eph. 2:4-6; Col. 3:1-4. [3] Rom. 8:11; I Cor. 15:12-23; Phil. 3:20, 21.

An Interview Between Kirk Cameron & John MacArthur

2008-11-24T01:34:00.007Z

If you’ve been following this blog for any length of time it should come as no surprise to hear me say that the ministry of Way of the Master (pioneered by Ray Comfort & Kirk Cameron) is a ministry that has had a tremendous impact on my Christian life. The teaching and resources it provides has given a greater impetus to my evangelistic efforts than perhaps anything else I know, save the Lord Himself. The following two videos are taken from an interview that Kirk Cameron conducted with John MacArthur (Grace to You). In much the same way that Kirk and Ray’s ministry has been greatly beneficial to me, so too has been the ministry of John MacArthur. In God’s great providence He saw fit to use John’s ministry to help rescue me from the chaos of the Charismatic/Pentecostal movement, as well as help me better understand the wonderful doctrines of God’s amazing grace. In light of the influences from both ministries it was truly wonderful for me to view this interview. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

A quick note about the interview itself: One word - brilliant! Brilliant because we see Kirk Cameron & John MacArthur talking truth on a Christian broadcasting network that is simply woefull in delivering content that is consistent with the truth. I am not saying that you will never encounter any truth whatsoever on TBN. There is truth, but, there is also error. A great deal of error. Why is Kirk hosting this program on TBN? The same reason John MacArthur agreed to come onto the program. They both desire to see the truth proclaimed. Understand this: Doctrine is important. Theology is important. Church leaders today who say it is not do not love the truth. If they do not love the truth then they do not love those they lead. It's that simple. For Jesus said these words, "If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." (John 8:31-32)

Part 1

Part 2