A New Year

In itself the New Year holds no real meaning for Christians…January is just the start of another time period! Even so, it has psychological significance, and few enter the start of a new year without mentally totting up what has been done in the past year and what is hoped for in the coming period. This is no bad thing.

Really, every Christian ought to look back and reflect. Not in order to be miserable about former mistakes and sins, but as a spur to action. If we failed last year, then let us make amends in the coming year! And why not.

The Christian life is not about calendars of events devised by church leaders. It is not about basing ourselves on invented times and days, especially those put out by Roman Catholics.

No, the real Christian life is a continuum, that starts at salvation on this earth and ends at death. (Theologically, of course, it began in eternity and will continue in heaven!). There may be milestones and notables days, but our lives are not ordered around man-made days, or times, or even kinds of meetings.

In scripture we only have to obey the given law of the Sabbath (which is not given a specific day, despite what some say. Jews say “more than the Jews keep Shabbat, Shabbat keeps the Jews” – do we likewise keep the Shabbat in reverence?), and the command of the Lord’s Supper (the frequency of it being left to local churches). There are no such laws regarding Christmas, Easter, or the multitude of days written into a so-called ‘Christian calendar’.

This is because our lives should be one continuous relationship with God, not ‘special occasions’ when we do this or that. The genuine Christian life will be led totally by God, doing whatever He demands at any specific time on any given day.

This even applies to the Sabbath. This is traditionally Sunday, and that’s fine, but even this day is subject to personal intervention by God, for the Sabbath was made for Man – it is not the other way around. Thus, we may be called to something that is greater than the Sabbath traditions. (I know that failure to comply with man-made traditions often lead to intense guilt feelings…this ought not to be!).

In this New Year, then, why not discard humanly invented demands and badly concocted theologies? Why not, instead, determine to only do what God requires? You will find it illuminating and full of freedom.

In particular, look at prayer meetings. As I examine countless Charismatic systems and offerings of all kinds, I note the intensification and immense growth in prayer meetings (which is why I have mentioned the subject several times recently). They are supported by a huge number of seminars and conferences and courses, designed to teach us how to pray. They are all outside God’s word, for God has not given us any such teachings! (Many reformed Christians have fallen into this trap, too)

With prayer there are two major things to think about – the first is that we should pray privately and the second is that it is God Who we must ask to teach us to pray, not other men.

The only time corporate prayer is mentioned is when there are sudden and urgent matters for all local Believers to talk to God about. The Holy Spirit will speak to those who are to meet together (who may not be the whole local church), and so they meet, praying only for the matter at hand, which has already been given by God.

These meetings were few and far between in scripture. Therefore, all those modern regular prayer meetings, whether held by large churches or smaller groups, are not just useless, they are not commanded by God. Frankly, it really disturbs me that so many genuine Christians persist in holding these meetings without Biblical warrant.

I urge all our readers, then, to pray as commanded. Usually, those who insist on holding regular prayer meetings do so out of a sense of wanting to ‘do’ something. I would again remind them that this is completely Arminian in character, and quite in line with Charismatic error. It is also found in other errors, such as Romanism, Anglicanism, and all cult activities. It has everything to do with psychological wants rather than with Biblical need.

Let the New Year, then, be your prompt to better thinking! I remember the folk who sometimes write to me saying that they found immediate liberation when they stopped doing what was expected of them, and did only what God wished. Their prayers, too, became real and were not founded on wrong tradition and expectations.

The New Year is also a time to discard personal habits that cause us to stumble. This can even include the false humility that many Christians seem to carry like a sack of potatoes on their backs!

This kind of humility is loosely based on a wrong idea of what it means to be humble and mild. The result is a caricature that is more like a Dickens’ character who was always self-effacing and wringing his hands, than with real life.

With it comes the fixed ‘evangelical smile’ and the constant portrayal of softness and willingness to be a door-mat.  It is false, because those who have these characteristics do not mean it. Often, underneath the smile, is anger, or bitterness, or an inner-loathing for not saying what needs to be said. So, if you feel compelled to be like this, by peers who demand obedience to their values, why not drop it all and live in the freedom of Christ?

Remember that false ideas have a consequence – false Christianity. Is this what you truly wish for your coming new year? I hope not! Determine once and for all that every day will be new, not just at the start of every new year. Begin by dropping all those useless and worthless traditions.

In scripture we find useless traditions, but also good ones. Search for the good ones in scripture and replace what is worthless. It will refresh your soul and put you back again at the feet of the Saviour. (For a more detailed study of what is meant by good ‘tradition’, see my study on 2 Thessalonians 2).

Look, too, at the way you read scripture. It is true that scripture interprets itself. Unfortunately, many Christians think this means they can believe as they wish, and so they ignore the wise words of godly teachers and invent their own idea of ‘interpretation’.

Sadly, this is a product of the age in which we live, and it leads to disaster. It is why so many got caught by the recent waves of charismaticism. It is why so many are caught by Alpha. It is why ministries that teach the truth are so poorly supported.

So, do you want a real new year, or just a repeat of the last one? Do you truly want a genuine and vibrant relationship with God, or the false one now taught by so many? The will of God is that we obey His commands. When we do so we are given benefits that overflow.

Pray for this my friends, whether or not your friends go with you. God bless you as you think about these things and, hopefully, put them into practise. I want only the very best for the children of God – may you have them all as you obey in truth and in love.

Subscription Time

A subscription form is attached to this newsletter, for the coming year. If you do not re-subscribe you will not receive any more Beacons, etc. We do this annually so that folk are not pestered by newsletters they do not really want.

This year we have a section on the form asking if you want the newsletters to be sent by email. Those who want this will receive them as soon as they are completed (and it saves us money on postage and paper!).

I remind readers that this ministry continues to be mainly paid for by money from my own income (which will soon drop dramatically) and the income of James Waddell. A few readers kindly make donations, and we thank them profusely for this. So, please bear this in mind, for even websites need large sums in order to continue working.

James even does work on the site when he is travelling home each day on the train from work. He also works on the site at home and has done phenomenal technical work on the second, new, site. And whilst the number of articles from myself is less now, much energy and time goes into providing Bible studies – I have just completed 2 Thessalonians, and the new year sees us going into Genesis, which is exciting. With a reduction in my working hours in nursing I hope to begin again my writing of articles. I am also finalising my second book (on reformationism) and have several others waiting in the wings to be worked on. We are not, then, idle!

It might sound odd, but if we do not receive donations we will still continue (though in minimal mode), for the work is of God, not of ourselves. And, we wish to repeat that if anyone is unable to donate, they will still receive newsletters anyway, God willing.

The Second BTM Site

We want to remind folk that though there is presently very little on the second site www.thebiblelives.com  right now, there is a huge number of pages waiting to be put on it. The delay is caused by the fact that James has to format every study to fit the site, and he also has to proof-read each piece.

The second site is for all Bible studies I write. They are the backbone of Sunday meetings we hold as a church, but, of course, do not include the usually lively discussions, comments and questions, that arise on the day!

If anyone wishes to receive these Sunday studies, please ask to be included on our Sunday email list. We are unable to send them by post simply because it would be difficult to do so. The offer is therefore limited to email. Or, wait until they appear on the second site.

Asylum Seekers & Tinkers

Every so often I receive nasty emails about my articles on asylum seekers. The critics usually decry me as a hater of people. This perplexes me, for I have very clearly said that I denounce illegal asylum seekers, not genuine ones; and I denounce criminal tinkers, not genuine travellers. I can say with all truth that you will not find support for such folk in scripture!

The pressure being put on the UK to accept tinkers and illegals is mounting and our government is caving in to the pressure, even though, as a country, we can ill afford to do so.

In the last Beacon you read of how tinkers create havoc and fear in communities that have been peaceful for hundreds of years. And you have read continually of the farce that is asylum seeking. So, why support these things?

On top of that, our national income is being severely drained by everybody who wishes to take us for a ride! That includes the anticipated hundreds of thousands of potential East European students at our colleges who will expect free grants from the UK tax-payer. Simply, it all has to stop!

One of the latest asylum scams is to claim one is in danger of being persecuted for their sexuality – homosexuality, that is. Five ‘asylum seekers’ came from Jamaica under this clause. No-one bothered to check their credentials, so they were accepted into the UK (why have we got to be the world’s repository for homosexuals?).

It was later discovered that all five had escaped prison in their own country for drugs dealing! In the UK they quickly set-up a crack-dealing ring, earning almost £2 million a year! They had numerous houses and armed guards. They have been given 30 year prison sentences…again paid for by the UK tax payers! Our stupidity is endless!

The leader of the gang is homosexual and has AIDS. Hopefully, he will be deported soon. If he is not, there is again something wrong with our legal system. Don’t be fooled by asylum seekers – and don’t accuse those of us who oppose false seekers with the charge of hatred!

No Christian has the Biblical right to offer support to tinkers who take advantage of society, or to criminal asylum seekers whose intention is godless. By supporting these people, Christians become guilty by association, and sin in like manner. There is every indication that these problems will get far worse. What are you going to do about it?

Gay Partnerships

The UK is fast becoming the capital for all things evil, from giving aid to terrorists, to legalising gay partnerships.

The whole area of logic is missing from debates about the issue of gay ‘marriage’. The government has now legalised gay partnerships, giving each partner equal rights, as though they were genuinely married in God’s eyes. Yet, two sisters who live together have no such rights, though they display no sexual sin.

I would remind readers of a few facts: homosexuality is NOT a condition or a sickness. People are NOT born ‘gay’. They choose to be gay. That is, they think secretly about homosexual acts and then openly show their sexual choices. They tend to stick together as gays, so that they can avoid being criticised by others.

Remember – there is no such person as a ‘homosexual’ – it is a title given to someone who has deliberately chosen to have a sexual relationship with a person of the same sex.

It comes down to a simple choice, a sinful one that opposes family and society. It is a choice that brought AIDS to the West and currently is destroying Africa. I am perpetually annoyed by national and international calls to give help to African sufferers of AIDS, when, all along, the problem is not one of disease but one of a criminally insane enactment of sexual sins.

Literally, men and women disregard warnings and jump into bed with anyone they wish. The consequence is AIDS. In some African countries, too, there is a shameless use of women as sexual vassals, who have no legal protection.

And, these women, forced into sexual relationships with AIDS-carrying men, pass on the disease to their unborn children. The problem, then, is not for Christians to sort out with their money, but for them to sort out by preaching the Gospel and demanding an immediate stop to their sin. I would have no qualms, then, about stopping all help to those who bring the disease upon themselves and who continue to spread it.

We have a similar problem in the UK, which has some of the fastest growing numbers of sexually transmitted diseases in the West. This is a product of socialist policies, which offer freedom to act in a sinful, criminal or unsocial way. Instead of teaching people that promiscuity and unmarried sex is wrong and to be frowned upon, the government tells them that it is all okay, so long as they use ‘protection’. The result has been the biggest growth in sexual diseases and unmarried abortions we have ever seen!

If governments were under the same strictures as businesses, their appalling list of failures would have led them to ruin and unemployment very quickly! Instead, we allow our government ministers to lie and cheat and be promiscuous, without a word. We even support them in what they do! What is wrong with this country?

Added to that, the government is thinking about legalising prostitution and scrapping the duty of TV and radio moguls to provide decent and tasteful programmes. So, in the midst of a backwash of filth and moral sewage, comes yet more filth to clog up the minds of the people. Later will come the cry “What is wrong with our society?”

It makes me laugh in an ironical sort of way: They set the dogs of sin on the public and later moan because they are ripped apart and society is becoming more stupefied.

The Tsunami

Inevitably, a disaster prompts readers to ask me what I think! The latest – the tsunami that hit so many countries on Boxing Day – has brought the usual request.

This disaster is like no other in the last few centuries and it has killed in epic numbers. How should we view it? I urge you to read The Revelation, to see what disasters will befall mankind before the end. (You can also read the whole series of studies I wrote, on our new website, via email, or I can send them by post…UK only).

My first thought was that this huge disaster is truly Biblical in its scale. It reminded me that we already have the great falling-away of the churches that precede the end (there will be no grand revival now). That is, the apostasy throughout the world, and seen in the Alpha and Toronto movements.

We are also witnessing the banding together of ill-sorted groups and religions for the sake of ‘peace’ – another prophesied end-times scenario.

All of this has given me a renewed sense of urgency to teach the truth to more people. It is partly why I have reduced my working hours as a nurse. That is how seriously I view what has happened. Do you, also, see this end-time scenario?

Our Young – Beware

I have said it before – do not be complacent about your children. Do not be foolish enough to believe everything kids say to you, and don’t gloss over their unsaved states by claiming them to be saved when they are not.

I have watched in horror as Christian parents have been duped or misled by their kids. And I have observed with sadness the many who think their kids are saved, simply because they want it to be true. Yes, some are truly saved, but even these need a watchful eye, given the state of our nation.

Registrar for the Royal College of Physicians, Dr Ian Gilmore, reports on the 17 year old girl who started binge-drinking at age 12. Now she needs a liver transplant! This is the state of many teenagers today, whether you wish to believe it or not.

And even Christian youngsters are led into drinking and smoking, or even taking drugs, without the knowledge of their parents. Because their parents make their kids holy when they are not, they are easily duped and cannot see the signs that are plain to others.

“Teenage drinking in Britain is out of control. Ministers have been all talk.” Alcohol-related damage is now high on the list of teenage ailments. Many teenagers arrive drunk at school and for after-school activities. “There has been an enormous increase in heavy drinking among teenagers…(it is) unprecedented.” (Martin Plant, European School Survey Project).

It is a fact that too many Christian parents attribute salvation to their kids, without any proper reason. They want them to be saved, as do we all…but they are not. Thus, they skim over flaws and sins, and take a quiet disposition to be equal to salvation. Beware, for I have seen many a child suddenly go haywire after having their sinful desires suppressed by a Christian household.

Thankfully, many nice children stay nice, even if they are unsaved – but watch out, for children tend to listen more to their peers than to their parents. That’s fact. Watch over your kids with eyes wide open, or you may lose them to vices beyond imagination. (Source: The Times, 15th December 2004)

Help Me To Die, Please

It is legal for people to travel to Europe and to ask someone to help them to die. A whole new industry is opening up for ghouls who want to help them (for a fee).

In the UK, there is currently widespread discussion and alarm, at the use of ‘living wills’. I am not sure why this is now becoming an issue, when such ‘wills’ have existed for quite some time.

I come across them in my line of work. Last year I had to deal practically with one such case. A Resident asked me to help her to die, by giving her an overdose. I refused, of course. Later, she decided to stop taking vital medications. Her daughter, a GP, warned that this would kill her, but she already knew that. I was therefore stuck with a dilemma.

I told her that I could not help her to die…even the daughter indirectly asked me to help. No matter how much a person suffers, I could not, as a Christian or as a nurse, help someone to die, because, bluntly, that would be suicide on her part, and murder on my part.

In the end, the woman insisted on observing her ‘living will’ and stopped taking medications and food. I could not help her die, and I had no option but to watch her dying of lack of food and medication.

To cover my own position I prepared detailed documents that absolved me and the Home from all blame, and that the woman was deliberately bringing death upon herself. She happily signed them!

Every day I checked on her and asked if she wanted to change her mind, but she died within a week. It was, I can assure you, a very odd and strained time. We cannot force someone to eat, or to take medicines. Nor can we help them to die. As Believers, we must uphold life.

In the end, the daughter thanked me profusely for my part, but for what? It was an unique professional challenge, but it also shook me. I was faced with something outside my control and own beliefs, yet I had to deal with it in such a way as to be absolved from all blame. I could not walk away from it, for the woman was in my charge. I could not fight it, because I had no power, legally, to do so. And, when it came down to it, I had no mandate spiritually, for the woman was unsaved and wanted to die. She refused food, then drink and medications. As a Christian I could not force her to take them. The whole affair left me feeling very odd indeed.

So, before becoming too worked up about the issue, think on what I have said, for living wills and euthanasia will try their level best to become a part of UK law, very soon. For my part, I could only disagree and voice my objection. What would YOU do? (It is easy when one has no direct contact with matters of such importance).

Rise of Gay Evil

Homosexual ‘Christians’ have withdrawn support for Rowan Williams (The Times, 15th Dec.).  The Lesbian and Gay Christian Movement sent him a ‘severe Christmas letter’ saying that he has lost their goodwill. They saw him as their champion, but, in true management style, once he had a taste of what it is really like to be boss of a multinational organisation, good old Rowan back-pedalled on his vow to help gays.

In response, the LGCM arrogantly says it will “no longer accept the status of second-class citizens to preserve unity”. I laugh at that – as far as I am concerned they have no status whatever in the churches! If I had homosexuals in my church they would be excommunicated!

Gays are demanding an apology from Rowan, for hurting their feelings! It is entirely his own fault, for having debates about it in the first place. He has no right to give gays a place in his churches, or to accept their sinful habits and lifestyle.

Now is the time for Rowan to grasp the nettle, and to condemn homosexuality, full stop! Those who are homosexual and become Christians MUST stop what they have been doing and repent. It is a sexual habit not a genetic insistence! Those who become homosexual after supposedly being saved, must be excommunicated and denied fellowship, for they are condemned by our holy God.

If Rowan gives in to such pressure, he is a fool of the highest order. He must now act according to God’s law and condemn homosexuality, sack gay priests, and generally clean up the Anglican communion. Then, he must never again even talk about gay issues, because it is a non-starter.

Bible Theology Ministries

© December 2004

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