Marching Forth!

The church is not a place but an living organism:  it is the Body of Christ of which He is the head.  Even as a body is diverse, made of many members united as a whole, so the church is comprised of different races, cultures, and people with a single point of unity:  faith in Jesus Christ as LORD and Saviour.  When I write "the church" I am not speaking of membership or attendance, but those who are born again Christians who have been bought with the blood of Jesus.  Going to a church does not make a man a Christian, but only Christians are part of Christ's Body.  Being a Christian is not a claim of perfection.  Actually, it is the exact opposite.  A Christian is someone who is acutely aware of his sin, is aware of the eternal punishment he justly deserves, and the desperate need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God. The church isn't perfect.  We serve a perfect God, but everyone in the church are marked with flaws.  If we we...

Tools are designed for specific purposes.  Pliers, for instance, are excellent for tying wire or holding a bolt steady.  A wrench or spanner is great for busting bolts, but useless for tying wire.  I have seen many good tools used and abused by improper use.  I have a nice 10" Crescent spanner (not as nice as it could be!) that will not open fully because of when I used it as a hammer! Christians can be compared to tools in the hands of the Master Craftsman.  God could have designed things that at the moment of conversion people would be immediately whisked away into eternity.  But God has manifold purposes for allowing us to remain upon the earth:  to share the Gospel with others, to glorify God through good works, to disciple others, to further sanctify us in preparation for future service, and to encourage, strengthen, and edify the Body of Christ.  It is important for us in the Church to have the singular focus we see demonstrated in Jesus C...

Life on earth is uncertain.  Few people who walk out their front door in the morning think they may have a heart attack, be in a fatal car accident, or be punched unprovoked in the face and never make it home.  Last night a few of us at church were discussing the recent tragic loss of an 18 year old in King's Cross.  It was reported that as he talked on his mobile phone, he was "king hit" (sucker punched) in the face.  When he fell backwards his head hit the footpath and he never regained consciousness.  It's a nightmare no one should have to experience.  Unfortunately, because of this world soaked with sin, these kind of stories seem to occur with increasing frequency.  Our prayers go up for this young man, his family, and those who knew and loved him. Due to the incident, the security of King's Cross has been much discussed in the media and government.  Steps are being taken to increase the number of cameras and late-night patrols.  There...

It is lamentable that most people find the evening news more credible than the Bible.  The stories we read in the newspaper, magazines, or rumours passed along through email on the internet are more quickly believed than spiritual truth from God!  I am amazed with some of the nonsense that is believed and passed on before it has been looked into.  An earnest Facebook message turns out to be the third cycle of an internet rumour which started in 2003!  People read the claims, assume it must be true, and perpetuate a lie.  I don't know who said it first, but it bears repeating:  truth can stand examination.  Snopes is not faultless, but the Bible is! What I find more remarkable than frail arguments against the Bible, is that many who perpetuate them don't care for them to be answered.  I doubt that in the last thousand years there have been any new assaults upon the veracity of scripture.  The arguments have hardly changed.  In the word...