The second coming By Jack Lewis

Over time, many people have predicted when the world would end, and all have failed miserably! However, the world will one day end, and although we don't know when, we can use the Bible to work out a rough idea of what will happen to Christians when we die or the world ends. Firstly, I must make it clear that no one on this earth knows exactly what will happen, so what anyone writes about heaven it doesn't mean that it is what will always happen. Here, though, is a rough idea of what will happen on that glorious day, and afterwards.

Now the most popular theory that many believe, is that Christians will live in a wonderful place known as heaven, for eternity. However a closer look at what the Bible says shows that heaven is only a temporary place that dead Christians go until the second coming. Then, at Christ’s return, we will come back to “A new earth.” Whether on this planet or not, who knows, but this new earth will be “No more death or mourning or crying or pain,” so we essentially get to live in a perfect world! So next time you think, “Wouldn't it be nice to live in a perfect world,” just remember that one day you will. Does this not sound a very attractive proposition, especially when the alternative is Hell? (To find out more about hell, check out this blog post called “Saved?”)  Also will this not convince you to try and take as many people with you to this perfect world???

So my challenge for you is to bring at least one person (in your lifetime), into this perfect world. Will you accept it?

All are precious in his sight By Jack Lewis

 If you were asked the question, “whom should you love”; I am pretty sure 99% of Christians would answer, “everyone”, but do we love everyone as Jesus would have? I have heard the story of a guy who was comparing going to an Alcoholics Anonymous session for the first time to going to church for the first time. His report was that at AA he was welcomed and accepted like a long lost son, but at church everyone turned round to stare at his tatty clothes, gave him a dirty look, and then got back on with the service.

THAT IS NOT REFLECTING GOD’S LOVE. 

           The church these days is too judgmental about the appearance of people who Jesus died for. We have now got to the stage where anyone at church who is not wearing really smart clothing is not accepted as being welcomed, although they perhaps can’t afford it. (Some people claim that wearing scruffy clothing at church disrespects God but as he sees you all the time it’s not like he has never seen you in older clothes). James 2:2-4 says: “For if a man comes into your assembly with a gold ring and dressed in fine clothes, and there also comes in a poor man in dirty clothes, and you pay special attention to the one who is wearing the fine clothes, and say, "You sit here in a good place," and you say to the poor man, "You stand over there, or sit down by my footstool," have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?”

I have also recently seen at a youth event that some people who had been seen outside church swearing at people came in to the youth event, and some people were annoyed at them for coming in, but I am sure that Jesus was delighted that they were there. WE SHOULD WELCOME PEOPLE INTO THE CHURCH, but what is the point of telling them that Jesus loves them if we do not show them love.

Equality is an issue that has been at the centre of a couple of big news stories recently too… 

Tony Campolo, a famous preacher, has recently announced that he has changed his stance on Gay Marriage, saying that Gay people should be welcomed into the Church. He is right that we should welcome all into church, but that does not mean that we should agree with Gay Marriage, as the Bible clearly says that it is a sin. However we should still love them as Jesus would have.

2. You may or may not have heard about the recent FIFA corruption story (FIFA is the leading government in Football), but what I think is so corrupt about the organisation is the fact that so far 1,200 people have died building stadiums for the World cup in 2022. That is 1,200 people whom God loves who have died to make a building for a couple of hundred other people to play sport in. (And this is coming from someone who loves football.) Also imagine if the 1,200 best footballers in the world had died just to build somewhere for the workers to use their talents, the world would be in uproar; So is it fair that all these workers have died just because there talents are not as sought after in the world?

A question to finish with. All the people mentioned in this post (The ex alcohol addict, the teenagers off the street, Gay people, the workers in Qatar, and the world cup footballers), what do they all have in common? The answer is that God would have died for them all if they were the only people on the earth.

Jesus loves all people equally, so we should too.

Lessons from Psalm 19 By Nathan Jukes

Have you noticed God's amazing creation today? It is all around us, if we go outside it is everywhere. In the Trees, in the sky, in the Hills, and in the Sea. We just can't get away from it, it is everywhere! So let’s see what David said about it in Psalm 19

The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament show his handiwork. Day until day utters speech and unto night reveals knowledge. Psalm 19v1-2. (NIV)

David is describing the sky, he clearly saw the glory of God declared in the sky. The heavens declare the glory of God. This means that the sky declares the glory of God. And the firmament show his handiwork. This just means that the Sky declares the glory of God. In these two verses David is describing the sky in a very wonderful way, making the sky look like a work of art!

It’s rising is from one end of heaven, And it’s circuit to the other end, And there is nothing hidden from its heat. Psalm 19 v6 (NIV)

Its rising is from one end of heaven, And it’s circuit to the other end. To tell the truth I am not really sure what this means, it could that the power of the gospel to spread everywhere. And there is nothing hidden from its heat. This is relating to God son Jesus, David most likely got this idea from the son. In this chapter David is using things from creation to describe things in a heavenly way.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart may these words be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19 v14 (NIV)

As Christians we should want the things we do to be pleasing in God's sight. What David is saying that he wants to please God, to do the things that would be pleasing in God's sight. Are you the things that you are doing pleasing God sight? I've only scraped the surface of the things we could learn from Psalm 19, if want to know more go and read it.