"And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." Hebrews 10:24

JESUS is the ONE

2009-03-02T20:05:00.008Z

The following words from a Passover Sermon by Melito, Bishop of Sardis, in about AD 170 powerfully highlight the identity of Jesus, and the significance of His death on the cross:

“And so He was lifted up upon a tree and an inscription was attached indicating who was being killed.

Who was it?

It is a grievous thing to tell, but a most fearful thing to refrain from telling.

But listen, as you tremble before Him on whose account the earth trembled!

He who hung the earth in place is hanged.

He who fixed the heavens in place is fixed in place.

He who made all things fast is made fast on a tree.
The Sovereign is insulted.

God is murdered.

The King of Israel is destroyed by an Israelite hand.
This is the One who made the heavens and the earth, and formed mankind in the beginning,
The One proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets,

The One enfleshed in a virgin,

The One hanged on a tree,

The One buried in the earth,
The One raised from the dead and who went up into the heights of heaven,
The One sitting at the right hand of the Father,

The One having all authority to judge and save,

Through Whom the Father made the things which exist from the beginning of time.
This One is "the Alpha and the Omega",

This One is "the beginning and the end",

The beginning indescribable and the end incomprehensible.

This One is the Christ.

This One is the King.
This One is Jesus.
This One is the Leader.

This One is the Lord.
This One is the One who rose from the dead.

This One is the One sitting on the right hand of the Father.

He bears the Father and is borne by the Father.

To Him be the glory and the power forever. Amen.”

DAWKINS STUMPED

2009-02-13T22:26:00.003Z

It seems that ardent anticreationist, Professor Richard Dawkins (RD) has been a hit on the Internet video site You Tube. Some years ago creationontheweb interviewed RD for their popular DVD From a Frog to a Prince and asked him the question

“Can you give an example of a genetic mutation or an evolutionary process, which can be seen to increase the information in the genome?”

(For evolution to actually work - this would have to take place)

Obviously struggling with the question, he asked the cameras to be turned off. He came back quite a while later and attempted to answer the question (which he didn’t).
Creationontheweb's DVD is charitable to him because it omits all the time off air he had to think about it. But when the DVD came out (originally in video format) he wrote two pages in an attempt to explain what occurred (but still did not end up answering the question). So the truth is now posted for all to see.

Now another clip is doing the rounds on youtube with RD himself claiming deceitful editing made him look foolish.

The You Tube version, which is actually the raw footage from the original interview, can be seen HERE.
However, parental guidance is recommended when going to this site as some of the comments posted by bloggers can be “colourful”.

Alternatively you can read creationontheweb's responses to RD’s claims about being conned on their website where they also have the raw footage playing at Was Dawkins Stumped? It contains a detailed timeline of the whole interview.

The Creator ... my Saviour

2008-12-18T22:03:00.004Z

I saw this poem/song on a Christmas card today and I thought it was brilliant.

Let's glorify King Jesus the Creator of the Universe this Christmas time!

Lord of the Universe
Sovereign of measureless space,
God of all majesty, honour, glory, and grace;
Maker of meadow, mountain, river, and stream
Crowned His creation by sending His Son to redeem.
A Babe in a manger sleeping in dim stable cave
Here on a mission of mercy to seek and to save.
To see Him and know Him,
A wonder too great to conceive,
The Creator . . . my Saviour
If only I choose to believe.

For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Colossians 1:16

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
Luke 2:11

How to sing the Lord's Prayer

2008-09-22T22:47:00.004+01:00

My mum emailed me a link to this. This wee girl is only 2 years and 8 months old when this was filmed. I think it's just brilliant.

And if you like that one - here's another link to the same wee girl singing Amazing Grace.

Dinosaurs still living?

2008-08-18T20:17:00.004+01:00

A visitor to Papua New Guinea describes his discussions with locals and their encounter with a large reptilian creature that has been sighted since the 1990s.

The creature was described as having a long tail and a long neck and was 10–15 metres in length, with an appearance like a ‘very large wallaby’ and having a head like a turtle’s head.

Read the detailed account here.

The article concludes like this;

This is not the first time that dinosaur-like creatures have reportedly been sighted in Papua New Guinea—see e.g., A living dinosaur? If ever a ‘living dinosaur’ is found and confirmed to the satisfaction of the scientific fraternity, many people would be astonished, given the prevailing evolutionary view that dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.

Christians, however, should not be surprised, as the Bible teaches that God created the dinosaurs only around 6,000 years ago. (See also The ‘Lazarus effect’ : Rodent ‘resurrection’! and ‘Coelacanth’ yes; ‘Ancient’ no.) So we needn’t be too taken aback if a theropod or sauropod dinosaur is ever confirmed to be living in the world today.

See similar articles; A living dinosaur?

Mokele-mbembe: a living dinosaur?

An Open Letter to Jesus

2008-07-31T07:42:00.002+01:00

Dear Jesus,

I feel like it’s time I made contact with You;
it seems ages since the last time we met.
My life has just got so busy these days;
time alone’s such a rare thing to get.
So I decided to write you a letter,
cos my concentration goes when I pray.
I know it’s sort of like a prayer,
but my mind is less likely to stray.
There’s a lot I’ve been meaning to tell You
I’ve been struggling a lot this past while.
Brothers ask, “How’s the Lord treating you?”
And I lie, and put on a fake smile.
To be truthful, my walk is just awful,
but then You know all that, don’t You Lord?
I can put on a front for my family and friends,
and talk “Christian” until they are bored
but You see right through my flimsy facade
to the thoughts and intents of my heart.
Every filthy, lurid thought – every lust of my flesh;
piece by piece Lord, I am falling apart.
My Christian life’s a bit like a roller-coaster;
there are those times when I’m spiritually high,
but how quickly I plunge to the bottom again;
things were going well – what happened - and why?
There are so many things that I just love to blame
for my recurring failures day after day;
like tiredness, and circumstances; like TV and the world
but deep down they’re just excuses to make me feel OK.
And there’s always some magical date in the future -
of my mind when my life will get right,
but it never arrives – and things just continue
as they’ve always been, night after night.
Recently Lord, I’ve considered the option
that I might not even be saved,
How could a Christian continue to fall;
could Your child have a mind so depraved?
But I keep coming back from those frightening thoughts
to the verses I learnt in my youth;
believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and be saved,
for I know Lord that Your Word is truth.
And I really believe that You died in my place
when You hung on that blood-soaked old cross
You took Your Father’s rage for my filth;
I believe Lord, so why do I still feel lost?
Lord Jesus, I believe You’ve paid for my sin –
it’s simply a matter of trust
but to walk with You seems a much harder task
against apathy, selfishness and lust.
I think I am starting to understand more
of the reasons for my lack of love;
as it was with salvation – it’s all about faith
in You Jesus, and Your Words from above.
So I’m going to keep on searching Your Word
for help through this battle called “life;”
I’m hoping for better times in the future now Lord;
give me victory in the midst of my strife.
Well I’m going to finish off now Lord,
I can’t believe I’ve managed to stay
focussed while writing this letter to You;
my mind hasn’t wandered away.
Maybe this is the start of the all new me;
how many times have I said that before?
But I plead for Your presence to be real today
and that my heart will love You much more.

Anonymous.

R C Sproul now a Young Earth Creationist- Excellent!

2008-05-29T20:02:00.005+01:00

RC Sproul is a well-known evangelical scholar, an author of some 60 books and numerous other resources that have been greatly beneficial to Christians.
He says:

‘For most of my teaching career, I considered the framework hypothesis to be a possibility. But I have now changed my mind. I now hold to a literal six-day creation … . Genesis says that God created the universe and everything in it in six twenty-four–hour periods.’

This is big news in evangelical circles.
If such a leading light can have a change of heart on this issue, hopefully more prominent leaders will make a stand on the truth of Scripture and not be so intimidated by secular science.

See Dr Tas Walker’s article on RC Sproul’s change of heart here.

In SICKNESS and in health?

2008-03-06T14:13:00.003Z

I have been lying in bed for the past 4 or 5 days with a weird illness which has quite literally knocked me off my feet (Sarah found me lying on the hall floor, grey-faced and out-cold on Tuesday morning.)

Anyway, the fact that I am writing a new post on my blog must mean something is wrong with me. I actually have a bit of time! I have even had time to read some of the 40 gazillion posts on Gary Boal's humungus blog!

Well, to the point - I have been extremely well looked after at home the past few days by wife Sarah who is constantly making me drinks, and hot water-bottles and generally having a hard time - but not complaining about it. I think if I was at home having to look after two small children downstairs and one big hallion upstairs - my sympathy and my bedside manner might have evaporated before now.

But it got me thinking about the vows we took on our wedding day - we promised before God, and before our friends and family that we would be faithful to each other .... in sickness and in health. Now, I don't know about other people, but personally, when I said those words on my wedding day, I wasn't really thinking about having to look after a sick wife at any stage in my marriage. I was probably just looking forward to my honeymoon.

And then, as I have been lying here thinking about that, I remembered hearing the story of B B Warfield (pictured above) and I was blown away when I recalled what happened in his marriage.

In 1876 the American theologian B.B. Warfield (1851-1921) married Annie Kinkead at the age of twenty-five.

During his honeymoon in Germany, his wife was struck by lightning and was paralysed for the next thirty-nine years.

The actual events that led to Annie's paralysis are still unclear. Some believe that she may have suffered some form of mental or psychological disability.

Benjamin continued to care for her every single day until her death in 1915, managing to fit in his work as a theologian with his role as caregiver. They had no children.

According to one of his biographers, "The continued care and love that Warfield devoted to his invalid wife throughout the remainder of her life have often been mentioned by those who knew them well as a notable manifestation of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life".

Now that was a man who took his vows seriously. I wonder how we would cope if we found ourselves in similar tragic circumstances?

Monkeys in a bar

2008-02-18T22:09:00.003Z

Two monkeys talking about creation vs evolution

Episode 3 of Creation Magazine LIVE now available!

2008-02-05T22:57:00.000Z

Inside the mind of a killer - The fruits of evolutionary thinking!

2007-11-20T22:10:00.000Z

People were horrified two weeks ago when a young man shot and murdered students at a school in Finland.

Shocking, too, was discovering his self-posted prequel on YouTube describing his justification for the impending massacre.

His astonishing video reveals the evolutionary indoctrination he was subjected to when he said things such as:

*Evolution is both a theory and a fact, creationism is neither one.'

*Human life is not sacred. Humans are just a species among other animals and [the] world does not exist only for humans.'

And much more in the same vein that will amaze you with its brazenness.

See this very revealing article on this terrible tragedy.

A "day" means a "day"!

2007-09-17T22:55:00.000+01:00

I recently came across an online encyclopedia called Creationwiki (it's a bit like wikipedia only better because it's based on the Scriptures instead of on false ideas). I came across this article which I thought was very good - a few of us at work were talking about this subject today.

The Bible describes the days of creation of the world in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 as occurring over the course of 7 days, which included a day of rest. In fact our calendar week is based exclusively on this sequence of events.
The account in Genesis 1 meticulously describes the creation including what was specifically made on each day. Although many people argue that the days of the creation week should not be taken literally, the events are described in terms that are correlated with definitions of time. Since God created time and language, it is reasonable to assume that the most straightforward reading of these passages should take place.

Variable Meanings of "Day"
The word "day" can hold one of several meanings. The exact definition in any case is derived from the context in which it is used.
A general or vague concept of time.
A period of a year.
A period of light in a day/night cycle.
A period of 24 hours.
A specific point in time.

In an attempt to merge the Bible with the theory of evolution, progressive creationists argue for nonliteral interpretations of the word "Day" in Genesis 1, and instead hold to these descriptions as representing vast periods of time. However, the author of Genesis has described the events in details that make it clear the lengths of time involved were ordinary 24-hour periods of time. The specificity of the period of time in question is made clear and reinforced in each case with the phrase "And there was evening, and there was morning". This added notation makes it clear to all who read these passages that the author intended to convey to the reader the meaning that each day of the creation week was equivalent to a normal solar day.

Historical Use of "Day"
Further support lies with how the word "Day" is used elsewhere in scripture. In every instance where a day is described in the Bible using this terminology outside of Genesis, it always means an ordinary day.

"Day" plus a Number is used 410 times (in plural or singular), and always means an ordinary day.
"Evening and Morning" together without "Day" is used 28 times, and always means an ordinary day.
"Evening" or "Morning" with "Day" is used 23 times, and always means an ordinary day.
"Night" with "Day" is used 52 times, and always means an ordinary day.

Creation Magazine LIVE part 2!

2007-09-09T22:03:00.000+01:00

Now available to watch online!

"ALL MEN are CALLED to be FATHERS"

2007-08-16T23:12:00.000+01:00

I recently listened to a message by Paul Petry (one of the Pastors at Mars Hill Church).

It was entitled "Fatherhood" and was totally classy. I recommend all fathers, all married people and all people who are going to be married to listen to this. It rocks.

(p.s. right-click the link and click "save target as" to download. It takes a while - so if you don't want to wait you can stream it from the Mars Hill website media section. In the search box enter "Fatherhood" and it is under the "Men's Basic Training 2007". Then click "add to playlist" and then just press play on the audio player.)

Faith and football

2007-08-13T23:09:00.000+01:00

As you all know, I love football. In fact I love it so much that when my mind drifts on a Sunday morning in Church, it almost always drifts onto the subject of the beautiful game.

Anyway, some time ago I heard that there are a few Christians in the Premier League - taking their stand in what is sure to be a very hedonistic and materialistic world of young men earning obscene amounts of cash.

One player that seems to stand out from the crowd as salty salt and bright light is Linvoy Primus, a defender at Portsmouth FC.

I came across a clip from Football Focus on the BBC from last year where they interviewed footballers with "faith". The clip includes a Catholic (Jermaine Defoe), a Muslim (Freddy Kanoute), a Jew (Yossi Benayoun - now at Liverpool) and a couple of Evangelical Christians (Marvyn Andrews and Linvoy Primus).

Personally I think that Linvoy Primus comes across very well in the programme. His face shines brightly as he unashamedly talks about his "Saviour".

For those of you who share my love of football, as well as my love for King Jesus, then I think you'll like this wee clip.

You can also read an interview with Linvoy Primus from a Christian magazine.

John MacArthur at his best

2007-07-24T00:17:00.000+01:00

Have a look at this seven minute clip from the Resolved Conference where John MacArthur is asked the question, "Why is Grace Church so masculine in its leadership ... and how can you challenge men to gravitate towards that?"

Before you watch another film - watch this!

2007-07-14T09:26:00.001+01:00

John Law sent a link to this video in an email the other day and I found it exceedingly challenging. To watch part 2 click here.
To watch the full 13 minute clip go the Hollywood and God website.

CREATION MAGAZINE LIVE!

2007-07-02T23:06:00.000+01:00

Most of you have probably seen the "Creation" magazines that are published every quarter by Creation Ministries International. They are totally brilliant at backing up the Biblical facts on creation with evidence from the world of science and nature.

Now they have started producing it as well in the form of a TV show on the internet. There are 24 shows altogether and you can see what the titles of them all are at http://www.creationmagazinelive.org/

They are all FREE to either stream or download onto your computer. The first one is available already. You can view it now by clicking on this link;

Perhaps you find it hard to believe that the universe and everything in it was created in only six literal days as God tells us in His Word. Perhaps you, like millions of others (even as Christians) have believed all the constant mantra from the education system and the media that the world is millions of years old etc. etc.
I challenge you to be open to what God may teach you through these creation shows.

Creation Ministries say they are praying for a "Worldwide impact"
"Almost 20% of the world’s population are Internet users. Just think of the impact that the information in this show can have all over the world. Please pray with us that this show will turn many hearts to Jesus after discovering that the Bible really is true from the very first verse."

CHRISTIAN HUSBANDS

2007-06-26T23:49:00.000+01:00

This is the second part of that photocopy from the daily reading book. Gotta keep the balance dudes! (Don't pay too much attention to the picture - but you have to admit ... He-man was classy!)

"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." (Eph. 5:25)

What does a Christian wife desire in her husband? Her first concern should be with his spiritual life, not with his physical appearance.
He should be a man of God, one who seeks first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. His objective is to serve the Lord and to be active in the local fellowship. In the home he should maintain a family altar, and be an example of the believer.

This man takes his proper place as head of the house, but he is not a tyrant.
He loves his wife and thereby wins her subjection rather than demanding it. He is respectful to her, treating her like a lady at all times. He is faithful, understanding, longsuffering, kind, thoughtful, considerate and joyful.

The ideal husband is a good provider, one who is diligent in business. But money is not his first priority. He is not covetous or greedy.

He is one who loves his children, trains them, spends time with them, plans social activities for them, is a good example for them and gives each one individual attention.

He is a lover of hospitality. His home is open to the Lord's servants, to all Christians and to the unsaved as well.

He keeps lines of communication open with his wife and family. He understands and accepts their limitations and can laugh good-naturedly at their blunders. He shares with them on a social and intellectual basis.

When he does or says something wrong, he is quick to admit his mistake and apologise. (how bad are we all at that brothers?)

He is always open to suggestions from the family. It is highly desirable that he be able to keep on top when his wife is down.

Other desirable traits are that he be clean and well-groomed, unselfish, honest, gentle, dependable, loyal, generous and appreciative. He should have a good sense of humor and be neither grouchy nor complaining.

Few if any men embody all these virtues and it is unrealistic to expect them all. A wife should be grateful for those which she does find and lovingly help her husband to develop others.

CHRISTIAN WIVES.

2007-06-25T23:35:00.000+01:00

In work last week someone gave me a photocopy out of a daily reading book.

It was what the Bible has to say about Christian wives.

I thought it was excellent - so here it is:-

"Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

Proverbs 31:10

What are some of the things that a Christian husband desires in his wife? The following is a suggested list. Hopefully no one will be so immature as to expect all this in any one woman.

First of all, she should be a godly woman - one who is not only born-again but spiritually minded as well. This woman puts Christ first in her life. She is a woman of prayer and active in the service of the Lord. A woman of Christian character and integrity whom he can respect spiritually; and who respects him in return.

She is a woman who takes her God-given place of subjection and who actively assists her husband to take his proper place as head.... She is faithful to her marriage vows.... She is a good wife and mother of her children.... She is personally neat and attractive, one who does not go to extremes in dress, one who is feminine and ladylike but not prissy.

This ideal wife is a good homemaker, who keeps the place neat and clean and who manages its affairs efficiently. She serves cooked meals on a regular schedule and loves to show hospitality to others.... It goes without saying that she should share the same goals and interests as her husband.

When differences arise, she is willing to bring her problems to the surface rather than clam up, pout or sulk. She is willing to negotiate differences and is able to apologize and confess if necessary.

She is not a gossip nor a busybody, meddling in other people's affairs. She has a meek and a quiet spirit and is not contentious or a nagger.

This wife cooperates in living within the family income. She is not obsessed with a desire for fancy things, and does not strive to keep up with the Jones's.

She is willing to accept adversity, if necessary.

She renders her husband his conjugal rights joyfully, not passively nor disinterestedly.

She has a good temperament, is a good sport, is not a social climber, and is entirely trustworthy.

Husbands should be grateful when they find a majority of these traits in their wives, and wives can use these as a checklist to help them climb higher."

CREATION MUSEUM OPENS TO THE PUBLIC!

2007-05-31T22:45:00.000+01:00

I wish I lived in America - well this week anyway!

The long-awaited Creation Museum in Kentucky opened it's doors to the public on Monday (28th May 2007). 4,000 people visited the Museum on the first day - Hallelujah! I have been monitoring it's progress on the Answers in Genesis website for the last few years and it looks and sounds absolutely brilliant! It is a $27 million Museum dedicated to showing the true history of the world - as recorded for us by the LORD in His perfect Word - the Bible.

The Museum also clearly presents the Gospel very clearly to all who come.

"Thy word is true from the beginning:" Psalm 119: 160

I would LOVE to go and have a tour round it. Imagine there was something like that here in Northern Ireland. You can read all about the opening ceremony on the AIG blog; they even have a wee video clip of Ken Ham making a speech.

I pray that God will greatly use this museum to educate all who visit it to the truth of the Bible - the truth that GOD (Father, Son & Holy Spirit) created the universe and all life approximately 6000 years ago - in six literal 24-hour days.

"For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth,

the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day."

Exodus 20: 11

HE HANGS THE EARTH ON NOTHING!

2007-05-22T22:49:00.000+01:00

Last night I watched a DVD called
"Aliens, UFOs and the Bible".
I bought it from the Creation Ministries International site and it is an illustrated lecture by Gary Bates. It was totally classy!

One of the amazing verses that he highlighted was Job 26:7 which says (talking about God);
"... He hangs the earth on nothing."

That's obvious to us when we see NASA photos of the earth from space like this one.
There is planet earth - just hanging there, nothing supporting it from above or below - just hanging in space - hanging on NOTHING!

Now how did Job know that?
He never had the benefit of seeing any such image in his pre space-travel generation.

Job had the law of gravity to contend with, didn't he?

If he wanted to suspend anything he had to hang it on SOMETHING, but he wrote that Scripture faithfully down under the divine inspiration of God - The God Who was there at the beginning and Who spoke the WHOLE UNIVERSE into existence!

What a mighty God is our LORD!

How to measure your growth.

2007-05-18T22:57:00.000+01:00

It was my daughter Annabelle's 2nd birthday today and I took the day off work to spend some time with her. I recently heard of a theory that if you measure the height of a child when they are 2 years old - you will know what height they will be when fully grown by doubling it. I decided then, out of curiosity, to measure Annabelle today with my tape measure.

She is 34 inches tall, which means (if the theory is correct) that she will eventually grow to be 68 inches - which is 5 feet 8 inches tall.

So she will be looking down on Mummy, ha ha!

Anyway it got me thinking about how fast a child grows in its early years - to reach half of your full height in just two years! I think that's pretty fast since she probably won't reach that height until she is a teenager, which is over 11 years away. So our growth amazingly slows down alot as we get older. If it didn't, Annabelle would be 44 feet tall by the time she is my age!

Isn't that a bit like our spiritual growth as Christians?

When we first trusted in Christ we were really enthusiastic, eager to tell others about Him, spending alot of our time reading the Bible and praying. A new Christian (a spiritual baby) usually grows really fast at first, but then a lot of us slow down, we ease off, become more complacent and our spiritual growth slows down drastically.

Why is that?

It's not as if we have reached our full height of glory in Christ after two years or so - not even after fifty or more years of being a follower of Jesus.

What then is the full height we are to grow up to as Christians?

"... to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."

Ephesians 4:13.

So I'm asking myself - does my Christian life at the moment measure up to the fullness of Christ's stature?

Not even close. So why do I ... why do we seem to slow down?

Let's keep on growing - and growing fast as we hungrily feed on the only source of spiritual growth - our daily bread - God's Word!

"As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby."

1st Peter 2:2

My first blog

2007-05-18T21:44:00.000+01:00

Well I've decided to get on this blogging carry-on at last.

The real reason I decided to start one is because I have seen first hand how other Christian blogs have really blessed God's people.

In particular I am thinking of Gary Boal's blog (See "worthy websites" for a link to it).

In recent weeks Gary's blog has been a real blessing to me and I have seen and heard (even today from a phone call) how other Believers are being helped and encouraged through Gary's excellent personal thoughts and also the links he has posted to articles in other websites.

This has got me thinking of how perhaps something I may post on this blog might be used by God to stir up love and good works in His people (hence the title verse at the top of the page).

Do not expect this blog to be updated with new posts every couple of days, or even every fortnight because I have neither the time nor the inclination to be frequently updating it. However, when I feel the Lord teaches me something beneficial, I will try my best to articulate it here.