God can use anyone, By Jack Lewis

There are so many people out there that must have the same problem as me, which is that I tend to judge people so quickly. I only have to look at a person and subconsciously I immediately make a judgement about what type of person they are, and so often I am totally wrong. It’s something we all do, even if we don’t admit to it. However a person looks or acts, God still loves them so much, and although it is so easy to know that God loves everyone, it sometimes takes a kick up the backside to get us to think about what this really means. An example of this to me came over the summer, when I was at a big Christian festival. It came during the ministry time, (the time when people are prayed for) when a disabled guy stood up to be prayed for. As I was standing next to him I thought, “I’ll just lay a hand on him and he will be done in a few minutes, after all he probably only wants prayer for the sake of it.” So I started praying for him, and God so obviously touched him in an indescribable way. With every passing second I felt more and more like a dope. Through this one guy being prayed for God spoke to me in such a clear way, and gave a new meaning to the phrase “God can use anyone.” It was an event that touched me so much that I thought I would share it on this blog, and I hope this encourages you!

God Loves The Poor and Needy By Nathan Jukes

Do you ever see people who are homeless or in need? You need to do something, even if you give money to charities once a year. You are doing something worthwhile, I have given money to curity in the past. If you are poor and don’t have much money, you do not have to give money, but do not use this as an excuse, All that money that you're wasting could be going to house the homeless, the poor, and people that are starving. Use your money wisely because you might one day end up on the streets, starving if you don’t.

In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20: 35 (ESV)

Paul is saying that we should remember the words of Jesus when he said. It is more blessed to give than receive. But what does this mean?

Whoever has a bountiful eye will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor. Proverbs 22:9 (ESV)

God will bless you for helping the poor, don’t do it because you just want to be bless do it because you want to be like Jesus who Loved the poor. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a real life homeless person, I don’t think there are any really close to me right now. Some of you might see qich a few homeless people. There are some people who think that all people on the streets will use all their money to buy beer and drugs. But this is not altogether true, some are there for other reasons. Some people think that homeless people are lazy. There maybe some who are lazy, but others try hard to find a job but just can’t seem to find one. When you see a homeless person begging for money don’t just walk by, do something. Jesus would never ever walk past a beggar person without helping. A small thing you could do is go up to them and ask if you can buy them something to eat. Don’t give them money unless you know that they won’t buy beer or drugs with it. After buying them something to eat try and find a shelter that will take them in. Instead of giving money to the homeless people give it to the shelter or the charities that will help the poor people. If you are the kind of person that likes nursing go and volunteer at your local  shelter. Whatever you do you are helping to help poor people. There are poor people all over the world we need to stop it. Thousands of people may die not knowing Jesus if we don’t make stand. God loves the poor and needy, Will you?

God's Great Love By Nathan Jukes

God's love is amazing, God will never ever stop loving us. What if he did? What if he had not sent Jesus to die for us. Well life would be so much different than it is today. People who had been searching for God their whole lives would never find him. People who had knowed God love for so long only to lose it, might think that there never was a God. Without God’s love this World would be in a far worse state than it is already is. The True is we need God love more than anything else.

And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13 (NIV)

We should have faith, hope and love in our lives but, the Bible tells us that love is the greatest of them. God shows us a lot of love when he sent his son to die for our sin. Jesus cost God the most, nothing else would have seem such a sacrifice for us. If God had sent one his Angels to die, it wouldn’t have been such a sacrifice for God. When Jesus died, God knew why he had sent Jesus to die, and he was willing to let his only son Jesus to die. When God seen his one and only son on the cross in such agony. He didn’t send one his Angels to save him. God’s heart broke when Jesus died. It was hard for God to watch his son die such agonising death.

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. Matthew 27:51-52 (NIV)

When Jesus died the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. No one on earth torn it, it was God and God also made the earth shack and the rocks split, the tombs also open and out came the bodies of many holy people who had died. What a sight it would have been to see. When the centurion was this he said truly this was the son of God. The centurion after seeing what had happen believe that Jesus was the son of God. God was using it to try to show that Jesus was who he said he was, the son of God.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 (NIV)

This verse talks about God's great love, that showed to the world by sending Jesus to die for us. God loved his son Jesus and the world so much that he send him to take our sin. Jesus loved his father, he often spoke of him. Jesus also must have loved the world too.

He went away a second time and prayed, “My father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.” Matthew 26:42 (NIV)

Jesus pray that he would not have to take the cup, but he also prayed may your will done. Jesus was willing to die for our sins, so that he make a way for us. As Christians we should do as God would want us to do. We should be very thankful for what the Father and Son did for us, for both it was very hard to do it. Their great love show towards us, should be show of in our lives. We should go around with the same love that God had. Will you do as God and his son Jesus did?

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.

God can do (nearly) anything! By Jack Lewis

I am sure that nearly every Christian who reads this blog will agree with me that God it very powerful; but do we practice what we say about this subject often enough. We can say that we believe that God is all powerful, but if we never live this out then we will never see the full power and glory of God on this earth. What I mean by living this out is believing in- for example- God’s healing power and then practicing it by praying for the healing of a friend who has some sort of illness; and I know of or have seen many examples of where God does heal people in miraculous ways. And although he will not choose to heal every time, all he needs is for us to trust him and be bold in our faith and God will heal if it is his will. And if you believe that you are not as spiritually gifted as those people who can heal others, then remember this testimony (it is a true story): A friend of mine was out in McDonalds with his family and one of their friends, who had a heat rash. My friend’s two year old daughter prayed for this friend (who was a non-Christian at the time), and the rash instantly disappeared and has never returned! I think that story proves that God can heal at any time, in any place, and through any believing person. So next time you have a problem, don’t believe all the answers the world gives you, just lift your problem up to God and he will help you.

The God who raised people from the dead is certainly able to heal any illnesses you have, the God who owns everything can certainly help you through financial troubles, and the God who can move mountains can easily move doubts.

Why worry about what the world throws at you when the guy who can do anything is on your side; so take a leap of faith and trust him to help you!

(If you are wondering what God cannot do, the answer is he can’t sin!)