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The integrity of God and applying the cross The integrity of God assures believers that faith in Him is always entirely appropriate. The integrity of God’s being is fully consistent with all He says and does. All the divine attributes of His being form one consistent, indivisible whole i.e. His total person—with each of the divine attributes working together in complete harmony for the ultimate blessing of all believers. God has always possessed integrity as part of His eternal, infinite, unchanging and perfect being. The integrity of God is composed of two divine attributes working in tandem which are perfect righteousness and absolute justice. Divine integrity cooperates with the divine love; together forming one perfect, integrated system through which God deals gracefully with humanity. Grace is the expression of God’s love, and integrity is the uncompromising method of His justice. Divine integrity ensures that the God of love and grace is neither inappropriately emotional, nor does He play favourites, nor does He fail to be decisive in any human situations. If God lacked integrity in any way, we could not trust what He has said or promised. We know that God cannot lie as Hebrews 6:18 says, “that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie.” Second, God and His word are one. This key is found in the first verse of John: “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.” God the Father showed his integrity by not sparing Jesus from the cross. In Psalm 22 we find the Messiah crying out ‘My God my God why hast thou forsaken me’? The Father and the Holy Spirit turned their back on Jesus as he became sin on the cross. The integrity of Jesus Christ After his baptism Jesus went into the wilderness for 40 days. While he was there, the devil tempted him. But Jesus showed amazing, perfect integrity to the Word of God and to his character! Jesus quoted the Old Testament to stay strong and showed faithfulness to his mission as the Son of God. Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane displayed his integrity to his Father’s word and will despite the natural recoil of his flesh. Matthew 16:24 But Jesus Himself spoke this way about following Him when He said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me”. Some bible teachers think that when we are told to take up our cross it means doing God’s will ahead of all our natural wishes and desires. The integrity of Jesus is our example. Applying the cross to our self-life. ‘We must also experience the cross. The enjoyment of Christ is something on the positive side, while the cross is on the negative side to deal with all the things that are not Christ Himself. The old creation, the self, the flesh, the natural man, and the soulish life all need to be dealt with by the cross. If we want to take Christ every day, we need to experience the cross. Christ and His cross are the unique solution to all the problems in the Christian life and church life. All problems in the Christian life and in the church can be solved only by Christ with His cross’.[1] His cross becomes our cross. Jesus carried his cross to Golgotha, and what did he do there? He died on it. Jesus Christ is talking in a spiritual sense here about our own cross which we take to Golgotha and die there as we follow him at any price. Dietrich Bonhoeffer, put it like this: “When Jesus Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die.” The purpose of the cross of Calvary is to mature us to be more like Jesus. We need to count the cost by need being aware that the cross. 1. Will cause pain and suffering. 2. Will probably take time. 3. Can only be applied by God himself but we need to be willing to submit to it. The cross must be taken up daily and applied to put our self-life to death if we want to walk in integrity before God and man. How do we apply to the cross to our lives? The cross also represents a call to discipleship and self-denial as Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Luke 9:23). In different Bible studies, applying the cross can mean different things depending on the context of the passage being studied. For example, it can mean applying the principles of self-denial and sacrifice to our daily lives or it can mean understanding how Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. We can apply the cross to several areas of our lives by simply killing (or sacrificing) all our natural desires and preferences thus allowing God’s wishes, commands, and desires to prevail in any given situation. Our personal targets for the application of the cross in our lives must include setting us free from the following. a. Our attachment to the present evil age (Galatians 1:3-4). b. Any hope of salvation through keeping sets of rules (Galatians 2:19). c. The domination of the self-life as expressed in worldly ambition, pride, self-love, and self-absorption. (Galatians 2:20). The cross must be applied to our wants, our thinking, and even our feelings when they are contradicted by God’s will and word or by the leading of the Holy Spirit. d. The works of the flesh including sexual sin, the occult, wrong thinking and relationships, and fleshly self-indulgence (Galatians 5:24) e. The love of the world system (Galatians 6:14). As Father God always showed integrity in his dealings with Jesus, and Jesus always showed his integrity by being full obedient to his Father’s word and will, so our challenge is to develop integrity in our life-walk by regular application of the cross to our self-life just like Jesus did. Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. Amen Personal Prayer Materials consulted. The integrity of God (2005) by R. B. Theme Jnr. What It Means to "Take Up Your Cross" (and How to Do it) by Dr Roger Barrier on crosswalk.com The Cross in my life Part 2 -4296 (1990) by Derek Prince Footnotes [1] Excerpt from General Sketch of the New Testament in the Light of Christ and the Church, A - Part 2: Romans through Philemon, by Witness Lee.

A short commentary on Chapter 1:18-32 Last time we in Chapter 1 as we studied verses 1-17, we saw that as Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome that he firstly laid out his credentials as an apostle before communicating to them that his message was about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Paul tells these Christians that although he never founded their church or indeed attended or participated in it, yet he felt a great love for them and longed to come and visit with them. The reason he gives for wanting to visit them is that he wanted to bless them, build them up in their character, impart a spiritual gift to them and get them moving in their gifting. Paul’s message was not dependent on their ethnic background or whether they were educated or uneducated but rather his gospel message for all people. His keynote point in a nutshell is that ‘the just (righteous) shall live by faith answering the burning question ‘what can a person do to become acceptable to God’. The Jews failed to achieve this ‘right standing’ with God by trying to keep the law. The churches of the day failed to achieve this ‘right standing’ by good works or penance or any other way. Paul tells them that the only way we can become righteous is simply by believing the gospel of Jesus Christ. From the new birth to death all the Christian life is lived by faith. Paul was not ashamed of the gospel message and neither should we because it is the only thing that can profoundly change a person’s life and give them salvation. The next major sections of the letter are mainly about the wrath of God. Chapter 1:18-32 God’s wrath against (mainly) the Gentiles Chapter 2:1-29 God’s wrath against the Jews Chapter 3:1-20 God’s wrath against all sinful men. These passages give the bad news about sinful man before going on to the Good News about Jesus Christ. 1:18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of human beings who suppress the truth by their wickedness, The wrath of God is His personal anger against sin. There is a connotation of vengeance here perhaps when it reflects when God has had enough. This is not a temper tantrum but rather God righteously expressing His indignation against sin. God’s wrath is made visible in the OT by acts such as Noah’s flood, the judgement on Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt and in the NT by the bowls of wrath in the book of Revelation. God’s wrath seems to be acted out in public view. Godlessness refers to those who break the first four commandments of the Decalogue (ten commandments) and unrighteousness to those who break the other six. Some translations include the idea that these people can only ‘try’ to suppress the truth about God rather than manage to do it. God’s truth will never ultimately be suppressed. 19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. God deliberately makes His nature plain through at least three things. 1. God actively reveals Himself through the Creation. Its beauty, complexity, order, design, and its usefulness to man. 2. God reveals Himself through the human conscience. Why do we have it? 3. God reveals Himself by giving sinners over to be even worse sinners. How can man clearly see what is invisible? This is a paradox. What the eyes see affects the soul, but a darkened heart has not enough light to see the clues about God in His creation. The clues are there in abundance and to the extent that Paul says those who do not or will not see them really have no legitimate excuse. This process involves a cycle of suppressing or rejecting the things that somehow reveal God as is clearly displayed in the creation. 21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal human beings and birds and animals and reptiles. Deep down people know that God really exists from the clues He has set in creation, but most people prefer to suppress this knowledge about God rather openly admit that He exists and give glory to Him and express gratitude to their Creator. When people wilfully reject the knowledge of God a downward spiral engulfs them. Their thinking becomes useless. A fool biblically speaking is not an idiot or someone who cannot reason but rather is the person who says there is no God contrary to the evidence in creation resulting in their hearts or spirits becoming darkened (dull, despairing, and depraved). Their darkened hearts lead them from worshipping the glorious Creator to the heathen and idolatrous practices of worshipping created things such as men, birds, animals or even reptiles or insects. All such idolatrous worship was strictly forbidden in Deuteronomy 4:15-19 and 5:8-9. As the downward spiral of those who reject God continues, we see that three times God give them over to even worse forms of degradation v24, v26 and v28. 24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. The sin of idolatry leads to the penalty of sexual immorality as God reluctantly begins to abandon those who reject Him. They exchanged the worship of created things for worship of the Creator who is the only being worthy of our praise, glory, and worship. Truth Lie X Creature Creator [1] 26 Because of this, God gave them over to shameful lusts. Even their women exchanged natural sexual relations for unnatural ones. 27 In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed shameful acts with other men and received in themselves the due penalty for their error. The sin of exchanging worship of God with the worship of created things leads to the penalty of other things also being exchanged from the natural usage i.e. same sex relationships. This reminds me of the scripture in Deuteronomy 14:21 ‘...Do not cook a young goat in its mother’s milk’. The mother’s milk was given by God to nourish the kid, not to boil it. This would constitute an unnatural usage. That is why child abuse is so unnatural and parents were given by God to nurture and not to abuse their offspring. Paul states that the practice of same sexuality is shameful and brings its own penalty in terms of the degradation and damage to the practitioners and this affects them spirit, soul, and body. The adverse effects of this practice on the human mind and body are well documented by some though denied by others. 28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done. 29 They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. Those who continue reject God giving no heed to the revelations that God has given of Himself and so for the third time God gives them over to depravity of mind so that there is no restraint in their pursuit of evil. Paul then goes on to list 21 Greek words describing evil actions that follow on from the depraved mindset. There are several lists of vices in the NT perhaps the other best-known list is in Galatians 5:19-21 where Paul describes the lusts of the flesh. These sins specified in this list of 21 are more in the mind than in the body [2]. Please note that almost every term spring from a selfish life which exploits others for personal advantage. These sins are anti-relationship in nature and will drive people to an isolated existence and thus apart from any genuine love and fellowship. Another scholar [3] labelled the list as ‘a haphazard catalogue of sins of personality, and sins of personal relationships. Some bible scholars [4] split the vices into groups of 4, 5 and 12 based on the headings ‘having been filled with...’, ‘Being full of...’ and the last subgroup of 12 whose English equivalent starts with, ‘un’ or ‘dis’ or finishes with ‘less’. We will now have a quick look at vices based on a Greek word study [5] Wickedness is the generic term for all wrongdoing and human crimes. Evil; The Greek word ‘Poneria’ is also a general term and denotes "the unrestrained indulgence in the commission of vice or can also mean that state of mind which strives to produce injury to others. Greed: It comes from two Greek words which literally mean "I will have more." "It is the intense love or lust of gain; the determination to be rich; the principle of a dissatisfied and discontented soul. Depravity is viciousness and includes being sadistic and seeing everyone in the worst possible light. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, and malice. Envy begrudges anything good in the life of others and wants what they have at their expense. Murder the unlawful taking of a human life with malice aforethought. Strife means being quarrelsome, discordant, or contentious seeking a fight. Deceit is setting a trap or bait for the unsuspecting. Malice is spitefulness or bitterness and actively seeks to harm the intended victim. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents; 31 they have no understanding, no fidelity, no love, no mercy. 32 Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them. Gossips secretly sow poison seeds into their hearer’s mind. Slanders are back stabbers who try to destroy people with words. God haters can mean those who hate God or alternatively those hated by God. The insolent person is the typical overbearing person and if you cross them in any way, beware! Arrogance makes a person see themselves as superior to other people and causes them to look down on them. Boastful means a braggart who really has nothing to brag about. Inventors of evil try to think up new ways of sinning! Those disobedient to their parents are disloyal and rebellious to those whom God has set in authority over them. Those who no longer have any understanding of the things of God and have seared consciences. They have no faith or faithfulness and are unscrupulous covenant breakers. They do not even have natural love for their families. They will not even broker a deal with you as they are unforgiving and implacable in their outlook. They are merciless and without pity or fellow feeling and will not cut you any slack. As if, these things that those who reject God are not bad enough they compound their sin by approving and promoting these wicked things in others. [1] NT Commentary Romans page 76 W. Hendriksen Published by The Banner of Truth 1980 [2] R.A. Batey, the Living Word Commentary: The Letter of Paul to the Romans, p. 31). [3] The New Layman's Bible Commentary, p. 1391. [4] W Hendriksen Commentary on Romans pages 80-81. [5] ROMANS 1:28-32 A Greek Word Study by Al Maxey Hebraic Notes v.18-20 Suppressing truth is one of the wrong behaviours of the unrighteous. If you don't know who God is then it is because you don't want to know. Disbelief in creation is a deception that influences what other things you believe about God (See Psalm 19:1-7). Sexual morality is the most important issue in our modern times and has caused many divisions and disagreements within and between the churches. We discern right from wrong by using God's word and especially His Torah. When mankind rebels against God they enter into a process of moral degeneration. God's anger is expressed against wickedness and godlessness. v.21 The refusal of humans to recognise God and worship Him leads to futile thinking. v.22-23 We must worship the Creator not the creation. In Hebrew thought 'to know' God means to worship Him. v.24 Atheism is essentially self-worship. God says that he will give people up (paradidomi = give up, turn over, deliver) to their sins. God actively abandons people to their wickedness as a result of their rejection of Him. v.29-32 Paul says that those whose lifestyle embraces the practice the vices described in v. 29-31 are worthy of death.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 What happened next? Then the revival began to sweep into Arnol, another district where men had been praying and crying out to God because of the deadness of religion. In desperation a little band of men made their way to a farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight a young man rose and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those present: "Lord, you made a promise, are you going to fulfil it? We believe that you are a covenant keeping God. Will you be true to your covenant? You have said that you will pour waters upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground (Isaiah 44:3). Lord, I know how these ministers stand in your presence, but if I know my own heart I know where I stand, and I tell thee now that I am thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the presence and power of God! And Lord, before I sit down, I want to tell you that your honour is at stake!" The House Shook! Then came the answer - While the brother prayed the house shook like a leaf as God turned loose His mighty power - the dishes rattled on the sideboard. The elder exclaimed, " An earth tremor!" Then wave after wave of divine power swept throughout the farmhouse. - Walking the streets under conviction Simultaneously, the Spirit of God swept through the village. People could no longer sleep. houses were lit all night; people walked the streets under conviction; people knelt by their bedsides crying out to God to help them. As the praying men left the prayer meeting, the preacher walked into a house for a glass of milk. He found the lady of the house, with seven others down upon their knees crying for pardon. 48 hours to change all the youth and every young man Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with the men of the village, was closed. Within 48 hours every young person between the ages of 12 and 20 had surrendered to Christ, and every young man between the ages of 18 and 35 could be found in the prayer meetings. Message for Ireland and beyond God is looking for his intercessors for Ireland, and I believe that He has sent me here tonight to tell you that it is you and to remind you about a covenant engagement; c.f. the Lewis revival. He has promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground. You praying women should put God in remembrance of his covenant, humble yourselves and repent, confess the sins of the nation, then he will come ... Amen Prayer Further reading on the Lewis Revival: The Lewis Awakening: The Nature of a God Sent Revival eBook : Campbell, Duncan, Publications, CrossReach: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 In Part 1 we saw that the praying men and women in the Hebrides were given a revelation by the Holy Spirit that God was a covenant keeping God who responded to the intercession of his covenant people. Here is what happened next; At 3am God swept into the cottage The first night of the meetings in the church at Barvas, nothing much happened, but one of the praying deacons said to Duncan Campbell, "Don't be discouraged, it is coming. I already can hear heaven's chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do." About thirty went to a nearby cottage and continued to pray into the night. At about 3am God swept into the cottage and about a dozen were laid prostrate on the floor, unable to move. Something had happened! Revival had come! As they left the cottage, they found the lights burning in every house as men and women were seeking God. They found three men laying by the roadside under conviction of sin, crying out for God to have mercy on them. Converted before arriving at church The events of the second night will never be forgotten by those who were there! Buses came from the four corners of the island. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butcher’s truck, when suddenly the Spirit fell on them in great conviction - they were all converted before they reached the church. As the preacher preached tremendous conviction swept down upon the people and tears fell down the faces of those present. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside. Under the burden of Intercession The meeting finally ended, and people began to move outside. A young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession, He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he prayed people gathered outside the church until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When he stopped praying, an elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation began to sing, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am. The moment people took their seats the Spirit of God in great conviction began to sweep through the church and hardened sinners wept and confessed their sins. At the police station As the meeting was finally closing, a messenger hurried to the preacher, "Come with me! There is a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in awful distress. We do not know what is wrong with them, but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them." Describing the scene outside the police station the minister later declared, "Oh I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men, and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks,crying for God to have mercy on them!" Six hundred people had been making their way to the church, when suddenly the spirit of God had fallen upon them in great conviction, causing them to fall to their knees in repentance. Crying out against dead religion and standing on the promises of God. Amen Revival Prayer In Part 3 we find out what else happened when revival came to the Hebrides and the implications for the church in Ireland and elsewhere.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 Message given at House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- (Prophetic Word)– 7th June 2000. He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown. Understanding intercession and revival Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both involving Celtic peoples. Has God forgotten the Irish? God loves the Irish! Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland. The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ. Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth? Malachi 3 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires. God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown. We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found. His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival. Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air. The Hebridean Revival 1948-52 The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church. Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things. Seven men begin to change their world through prayer As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God reminded them of a verse of scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." They began to pray according to this verse. God is the Covenant Keeper And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God. They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND." They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of the Hebrides. Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island. Simultaneous glory One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them. God is coming in two weeks God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to preach during this visitation. Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!" They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach. Amen Prayer for revival In Part 2 we find out what happened next when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Hebrides.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- Prophetic Word – 7th June 2000 He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown. Understanding intercession and revival Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both Celtic peoples. Has God forgotten the Irish? God loves the Irish! Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland. The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ. Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth? Malachi 3 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires. God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown. We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found. His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival. Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air. The Hebridean Revival 1948-52 The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church. Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things. Seven men begin to change their world through prayer As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God reminded them of a verse of scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." They began to pray according to this verse. God is the Covenant Keeper And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God. They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND." They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of the Hebrides. Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island. Simultaneous glory One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them. God is coming in two weeks God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to preach during this visitation. Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!" They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach. At 3am God swept into the cottage The first night of the meetings in the church at Barvas, nothing much happened, but one of the praying deacons said to Duncan Campbell, "Don't be discouraged, it is coming. I already can hear heaven's chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do." About thirty went to a nearby cottage and continued to pray into the night. At about 3am God swept into the cottage and about a dozen were laid prostrate on the floor, unable to move. Something had happened! Revival had come! As they left the cottage, they found the lights burning in every house as men and women were seeking God. They found three men laying by the roadside under conviction of sin, crying out for God to have mercy on them. Converted before arriving at church The events of the second night will never be forgotten by those were there! Buses came from the four corners of the island. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butcher’s truck, when suddenly the Spirit fell on them in great conviction - they were all converted before they reached the church. As the preacher preached tremendous conviction swept down upon the people and tears fell down the faces of those present. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside. Under the burden of Intercession The meeting finally ended, and people began to move outside. A young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession, He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he prayed people gathered outside the church until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When he stopped praying, an elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation began to sing, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am. The moment people took their seats the Spirit of God in great conviction began to sweep through the church and hardened sinners wept and confessed their sins. At the police station As the meeting was finally closing, a messenger hurried to the preacher, "Come with me! There is a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in awful distress. We do not know what is wrong with them, but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them." Describing the scene outside the police station the minister later declared, "Oh I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men, and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks,crying for God to have mercy on them!" Six hundred people had been making their way to the church, when suddenly the spirit of God had fallen upon them in great conviction, causing them to fall to their knees in repentance. Crying out against dead religion and standing on the promises of God. Then the revival began to sweep into Arnol, another district where men had been praying and crying out to God because of the deadness of religion. In desperation a little band of men made their way to a farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight a young man rose and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those present: "Lord, you made a promise, are you going to fulfil it? We believe that you are a covenant keeping God. Will you be true to your covenant? You have said that you will pour waters upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground (Isaiah 44:3). Lord, I know how these ministers stand in your presence, but if I know my own heart I know where I stand, and I tell thee now that I am thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the presence and power of God! And Lord, before I sit down, I want to tell you that your honour is at stake!" The House Shook! Then came the answer - While the brother prayed the house shook like a leaf as God turned loose His mighty power - the dishes rattled on the sideboard. The elder exclaimed, " An earth tremor!" Then wave after wave of divine power swept throughout the farmhouse. - Walking the streets under conviction Simultaneously, the Spirit of God swept through the village. People could no longer sleep. houses were lit all night; people walked the streets under conviction; people knelt by their bedsides crying out to God to help them. As the praying men left the prayer meeting, the preacher walked into a house for a glass of milk. He found the lady of the house, with seven others down upon their knees crying for pardon. 48 hours to change all the youth and every young man Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with the men of the village, was closed. Within 48 hours every young person between the ages of 12 and 20 had surrendered to Christ, and every young man between the ages of 18 and 35 could be found in the prayer meetings. Message for Ireland and beyond God is looking for his intercessors for Ireland, and I believe that He has sent me here tonight to tell you that it is you and to remind you about a covenant engagement; c.f. the Lewis revival. He has promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground. You praying women should put God in remembrance of his covenant, humble yourselves and repent, confess the sins of the nation, then he will come ... Amen Prayer Further reading on the Lewis Revival: The Lewis Awakening: The Nature of a God Sent Revival eBook : Campbell, Duncan, Publications, CrossReach: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Psalm 45 At this time of year many people think of the baby in the manger and it is good to reflect on the beautiful story of the nativity. However, Jesus Christ did not remain a baby but became the mighty King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Saviour of the world, and the Bridegroom of his church.. So often we can focus in on the wonderful meekness and humility of Jesus (the suffering servant of Isaiah 53; the crucified Messiah) and yet neglect His power and majesty as the mighty conquering King! Through the blood of the cross He defeated him who had the power over death and having risen entered the holy of holies and presented once and for all His holy sinless blood on the mercy seat as a propitiation (turned away God's wrath) for the sin of man. We are now going to consider Jesus Christ as the conquering hero and Jesus Christ the victorious bridegroom. We must never forget that Jesus Christ defeated sin and death and has the keys of death and hell, and he is able to save them to the uttermost that come to Him. Psalm 45 To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. 45:1 My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. 2 Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore, God hath blessed thee for ever. 3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. 4 And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth, meekness, and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach these terrible things. 5 Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king's enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. 6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. 8 All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad. 9 Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir. 10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house. 11 So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him. 12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall entreat thy favour. 13 The king's daughters are all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold. 14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee. 15 With gladness and rejoicing shall they be brought: they shall enter into the king's palace. 16 Instead of thy fathers shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth. 17 I will make thy name to be remembered in all generations: therefore, shall the people praise thee for ever and ever. To the chief Musician upon Shoshannim, for the sons of Korah, Maschil, A Song of loves. This is a delightful psalm bursting with royalty and nobility, power, and majesty. Shoshannim (lilies) might refer to the tune, a poetical title or even a musical instrument. Behold the lilies of the field even Solomon praised. The sons of Korah were the specially appointed and trained singers for this, and other psalms and we are also trained to sing as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: King Jesus ought to be praised by a specially chosen holy people! Psalm 45 is a didactic psalm i.e. Maschil is a psalm that teaches us (about the power and majesty of God). There is going to be royal wedding and you are going to take part in it ...as the Bride! It is also love song and more specifically a wedding (nuptial song) about the forthcoming marriage of Christ the bridegroom and His bride the church of Jesus Christ. Oh, the mystical union of between Christ and His church! Jesus is the King who set His love upon a bride of low estate, paid all our debts for us when we had no means to pay, exalts us to exalted position (seated in heavenly places) and bestows the wealth and honours of eternal life upon us. What a magnificent Bridegroom! v.1 Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! The writer’s heart is bursting with praise to the divine King and Bridegroom. His pen is guided by the passion in his heart. Is your heart full of passion for your King today? v.2 Although Jesus has no physical beauty lest we desire him for the wrong reasons. He has a surpassing beauty of spirit and nature. Only that which is truth, only that which is wise and gracious, only that which gives glory to His father pours forth from those anointed lips. Never a wasted or unnecessary word only that which is fitting like apples of gold in settings of silver, fell from the lips of the Son of God. Jesus Christ is a great high priest after the order of Melchizedek without beginning or ending of days. Father God has blessed Him forever! v.3 Get ready for battle with the sword of the spirit, for the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart[1]. In the wilderness Jesus defeated Satan with the word of God and at the end of time He will destroy His enemies with the breath of His mouth. O most mighty, there never was anyone else who was able or worthy to this title, the one who defeated Satan, death, and hell by His death on the cruel cross and now has the keys of death and hell. O most mighty Jesus Christ. The Lamb of God is the only one worthy to open the scroll in the book of revelation. v.4 When Jesus preached the Gospel He rode on the Word of Truth and meekness and righteousness not only proclaiming these but living them out before the very eyes of men. The glorious eternal Gospel was His chariot to bring salvation to fallen man. The Gospel prospered turning some peoples’ worlds right way up! Jesus the right hand of God brings salvation to the humble but a terrible and everlasting condemnation to the unrepentant wicked. There is no hiding place from the Son of God. v.5 His words are arrows and never miss the mark! No one can stand against Him and survive. We are also His arrows in His quiver for he fires us out at the lost so that as we preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ by His spirit, he pierces their hearts with conviction of sin of righteousness and judgement! Some enemies fall convicted leading to salvation others refusing to repent to eternal condemnation. We were once His enemies but now are of His royal household! v.6 This most mighty warrior is none other than God Himself, God the Son, Jesus Christ, the eternal word made flesh, He who was in the beginning was the eternal Word and was with God and was God. It is Him who has an eternal throne not like any earthly king but a divine and everlasting Kingship. Jesus Christ is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, Praise his holy name. he who was once a babe in a manger shall rule the nations with a rod of iron. His rule, His sceptre is the only right and lawful rule that is fitting to stand for eternity. v.7 Here is the Father’s heart he hates evil in all its forms and disguises but loves that which is truthful, pure, and holy and because this was what was Jesus lived and loved, He was anointed by the Holy Spirit without measure! Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit and He received joy without measure and yet there was another joy was that was set before Him (of seeing you and I saved) He endured the humiliation and suffering of the cross. he who gives most receives most joy! v.8 Jesus Christ is our Great High Priest who offered His sacrifice to God for our sins. the high priest in the old testament had special garments and was anointed with an exclusive holy and precious oil representing the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ was anointed not with the symbol but with the real thing, the fragrance of the Holy Spirit. Christians also have a measure of this aroma to those who are being saved but we are the stench of death to those who are perishing. Even the name of Jesus is as ointment poured forth! He is now at the Father’s right hand the ultimate dwelling place. v.9 Whether we are high or low rank in society Jesus Christ has appointed all women who believe in his name to royalty and like Queen Esther, you have been born-again for such a time as this! That is to be willing to sacrifice your life for the salvation of those people who are appointed unto salvation. We do this by telling and living the gospel to them and before them. The Queen is the Bride of Jesus Christ and stands beside Him in the place of honour at the Father’s right hand. The purest gold is for those to whom Jesus has imputed and imparted His righteousness so that we might stand before God as part of the royal family. v.10 We were formerly of our father the devil. The world, the flesh and the devil constantly besiege us in this life. When we go to heaven, we might lose relatives and friends forever because they have rejected Jesus Christ the only name given under heaven by which we might be saved. The Lord will wipe away the tears from our eyes. It is our obligation to take the Gospel to our families, friends, and enemies but the response is their responsibility! We must not be like Lot’s wife looking and longing for the former sinful things or like those who fell in the wilderness longing for the things of Egypt. We are washed with the holy and precious blood of the Lamb do not return like a dog to its vomit! In heaven we will put the past completely behind us, but we can start today! Forget the former things and press on toward the mark of the high calling in Christ Jesus. v.11 As we forsake all that is ungodly so will become increasingly pleasing to our King Jesus and greatly desire us for the beauty of us being willing to give up everything for Him! At the end of day who do we want to please? He is our Lord and is the only one worthy of our worship! Why should Jesus play a secondary role to anyone or anything (idols) in our lives? v12 Even the Gentiles will come to recognise Jesus as King of Kings and will bring their wealth to Him. We who were aliens and strangers to covenants and promises to Israel have become joint heirs through Jesus Christ. The costliest gift we can give to God is ourselves our very lives and the control of them. We are now rich through and in Jesus Christ and can ask for His favour! v.13 The Bride of Christ is cleansed by the blood, washed by the water of the word, and is clothed with His robe of righteousness (the quality of which can only be represented by the purest refined gold). The Bride is now beautiful on the inside and the outside. v.14 The Bride’s garment was carefully designed and put together and when she makes her entrance she will be accompanied by her companions (the angels who have protected and ministered to the Bride). All the heavenly host will be at the wedding. v.15 What a wonderful and joyful spectacle the almighty and majestic Jesus Christ the Bridegroom with His Bride, the church radiant and shining, transported by the Holy Spirit, surrounded by the angels of God entering into the Father’s household. And we will be there and part of it! v.16 Some of Jesus ancestors brought glory to God, David, Solomon, Judah etc. etc. but a special portion is given to the New testament church in that we shall rule as princes on the earth [2]. v.17 How can we fail to remember Him and give the glory due to His name, Jesus Christ. The most mighty One. The Messiah of God. The One who died that we might live Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Death could not hold the Lamb of God. He is risen and having offered his blood as a once and for all sacrifice sat down at the Father’s right hand. Soon He is coming for his bride. Even so come Lord Jesus. Amen That same baby in the manager is now the risen Lord seated at the right hand of the Father in Heaven. This is why the Christmas story is so very wonderful. Amen Personal prayer

Preparing your heart for revival Revival is when eternity invades time [1] Revival is God’s radical treatment for a sick and lukewarm church Revival starts with me Revival starts with you God is calling me into personal revival God is calling me to break up the fallow ground in my heart God is calling you into personal revival God is calling you to break up the fallow ground in your heart The fallow ground is the soil of your heart that used to produce fruit The fallow ground in our hearts is overgrown with weeds, thistles, and thorns God is calling us into revival through Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness Reap in mercy Break up the fallow ground For it is time to seek the Lord Until he comes and rains righteousness on you Context: Hosea chapters 1-3 tell Hosea’s personal story. God told him to marry Gomer a promiscuous woman and raise children Hosea had even to buy her back from her lover Their third child a boy had a name something like ‘my daddy is not my daddy’ Hosea keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking wife. God keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking people Hosea identified with God’s breaking heart [2] over the sin of his people Our sin breaks God’s heart God’s tender love and mercy towards his people pours out of the book Hosea chapters 4-14 give the prophetic message of Hosea to Israel The land was filled with corruption amongst its rulers Families were unstable and immorality was widely accepted Society was divided and poverty was rife Idolatry was on the rise and the religious leaders had no answers Sound familiar? Could this be your country today? Here is God’s solution for a backslidden and lukewarm church Sow for yourselves in righteousness –Sowing; –live right before God- Believe and practice God’s word- let it dwell in your heart richly- Ask the Holy Spirit to water the seed of the word-Pray fervently-share the gospel Sow only good seeds Do only good deeds Reap in mercy; Reaping; when we sowed in righteousness, we reaped a harvest of the Lord’s loving-kindness (chesed) Our God is Chasidic-full of loving kindness Our God multiplies the righteous seed we have sown way beyond the measure we sowed Our first cycles of sowing and reaping produced a good harvest But something crept up on us- the sin crouching at the door? Or the worries and cares of this life? The pursuit of wealth? And now whatever has happened, the soil of our hearts has become fallow ground. Examine your heart...take the Tozer [3] test The fallow heart is smug and cannot be taught much The fallow heart is self contented The fallow heart is protected from the shock of the plough Some hearts have lain fallow year by year, safe and undisturbed The fallow heart focuses on past fruit The fallow heart has two signs on it; ‘Do not disturb’ and ‘Past-master.’ [1] Unknown author quoted by Clayton Dougan [2] Clayton Dougan in the podcast The breaking heart of God, Sermon Index.com [3] A.W. Tozer The fear of the plough means there can be no present fruit The spirit of adventure is dead. The fallow heart is fenced in, and God is fenced out The fallow heart smiles indulgently at fasting, revivals, self-searching, and the need to move on in God. The fallow soil has been hardened and can only support weeds, thorns, and thistles The very seeds sown by the world, the flesh, and the devil The soil of our hearts lies fallow to varying degrees-what state is your heart in tonight? Examine your heart… and take the Plough [1] test The ploughed heart practices confession and repentance We need to keep short accounts with God and each other The ploughed heart has a sign ‘not safety first’ The ploughed heart is discontent in God The ploughed heart is yearning and full of godly sorrow The ploughed heart is courageously obedient and ready to bear fruit. Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us Confess all known sin, all the usual suspects found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them Examine your heart… Examine your heart for unbelief Examine your heart for prayerlessness A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning [2]. Examine your heart for the lost Examine the priorities of your heart Is your priority in the material world? Is your priority in human relationships? Is your first real priority to get money, power, or possessions? Is your heart, seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness knowing that all these things shall be added unto you? For what are you living for? For whom are you living? Next, deal also with the questionable things in your life. It might not be outright sin, but does it glorify God? Examine your friendships and associations –do they please God? Develop convictions to protect yourself from falling into sin Convictions help integrate our hearts (inward) with our actions (outward) Job made a covenant with his eyes [3]. For it is time to seek the Lord; Seeking – the time to seek God is now –the time to seek his face is now- the time to seek his face in faith is now- believing he wants you to find him now It is God’s will for you to find him- when you seek him with all your heart Until he comes and rains righteousness on you, Persisting- how long O Lord? Persist until he comes – he will certainly come if we persist If we focus on the persisting –He will focus on his coming- Yes, the very presence of the living God will come down on you- History testifies to this in the Lewis revival. Prepare ye the way of the Lord in your own heart- remove every obstacle – and bring the presence of the living God in a new way into your heart God wants to do a new thing in your heart right now. Raining-Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high [4] And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field And the fruitful field is counted as a forest God wants your heart to be an orchard. God promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground [5] He promised that the crocus and the rose would bloom in the desert place [1] Michael Catt The power of surrender; breaking through to the ploughed life [2] Leonard Ravenhill [3] Job 31:1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman. [4] Isaiah 32:15 [5] Isaiah 44:3-4 Imagine fragrant flowers and sweet fruit trees in planted in the soil of your heart God desires to breathe in your fragrance God desires to taste the sweet fruit of your character Jeremiah says ‘break up your fallow ground and do not sow amongst thorns’ [1]. Conclusion The reason we do not have revival is that we are willing to live without it. [2] The alternative to revival is progressive decline into barrenness Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Let us bring the plough of God’s word into the fallow grounds of our hearts today asking God to empower the plough by his Holy Spirit and that he shows us exactly what needs to be removed. Are you willing to break the fallow ground in your heart? Are you willing to be made willing? God is willing and God can help each one of us break up our fallow ground. Amen Prayer [1] Jeremiah 4:3 [2] Leonard Ravenhill

Christianity brings purpose and a sense of belonging to each person's life As part of my own personal testimony when I was converted to Christ, I quickly developed a new sense of purpose for my life. God has a plan for each life including you and me. Our lives are not accidental, but we can only begin to discover our life’s purpose once we become Christian believers. Christianity produces a sense of belonging. Large numbers of people today are lonely, with a Cigna study showing up to 61% of Americans to be lonely. [1] Our loneliness problems have been compounded by the rise of things such as the impersonal social media, the isolation from the pandemic, and lockdowns etc. There is something in human beings that causes us to want to belong with other humans, in groups, families and other relationships. The Christian ethos recognizes the human need for belonging as a space that can only be filled by a relationship with God, and this is only possible through belief in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Towards the end of his ministry, Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them, and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (John 17:22-23) A Christian worldview is founded on the understanding that Jesus made a way for every believer to have a personal relationship with God and thereby to come into unity with other believers. This is the primary definition of purpose—to know God and to be known by God. There is a tremendous security in knowing an unconditional love that you do not have to earn. That is a primary difference between how a Christian worldview defines purpose and how a secular worldview defines purpose. In a secular worldview, you have to earn purpose. As a Christian, purpose is innate. Christianity reveals God’s plan for each life which brings security. How does the Christian worldview describe purpose in this sense? Well, it starts with the fact that God has a plan for your life. Psalm 16:5-6: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup. you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. surely, I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 139:5: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” God’s overall purpose for humanity includes your life purpose. A Christian worldview also asserts that God weaves your purpose into His larger purpose for the world. On a grander scale, God’s purpose is to restore a world broken by sin. Jesus lived out this larger purpose as described in Luke 4:18-19, and you could say that this was Jesus’ manifesto or mission statement. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright describes this weaving of your purpose into his overall purpose this way: “What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbour as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” [2] In a Christian worldview, every believer actively participates in God’s universal plan. The result is a deep sense of purpose that nothing else can replace. Dear Reader, have you already found your sense of belonging and your life's purpose through Jesus Christ ? Footnotes [1] S. Demarinis https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-loneliness/ [2] N T Wright in Surprised by hope.

Christianity vs other major religions We now consider the major differences between Christianity and other religions. 1. The Trinity The very nature of God in Christianity is different from all the other religions. The other major religions have various approaches to the nature of God and can be either polytheistic with several gods or monotheistic having one God. Others are non-theistic and have no significant god outside of themselves. Christianity is monotheistic but with a key difference: Christians believe in God who is One in essence but with three distinct personalities [1] namely the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This means that God has always existed in community shared by His three personalities. The Christian God has always been about relationship and has extended this to humankind though Jesus Christ. 2. The Gospel The Gospel is the good news that Father God has provided a way for sinful people to be able to come to Him via the cross of Jesus Christ. This salvation is a free gift from God[2]. No law keeping, achievement, moral living, or performing religious rituals can save your soul. Jesus Christ, God the Son, became a man and died in the place of fallen humankind, but rose again from the dead to conquer sin and death. Certain religions whilst agreeing that a person cannot provide their own salvation, but instead by trusting a human leader, they may be able to achieve some form of rebirth. Christianity is not a religion, but through faith in Jesus Christ, it is a relationship with God. John 17:3 “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” We also note that no other faith except Christianity follows a leader who claimed to be God and who also rose from the dead. 3. The Bible is authoritative and has repeatedly been proven to be true. Historians and archaeologists have repeatedly confirmed the authenticity of the Bible. Ancient historians confirm both the person of Jesus as described in the Bible and the major events presented in the New Testament. The Bible today is the same as what was originally written. The Dead Sea Scrolls confirmed the accuracy of the Old Testament, and original writings of the New Testament authors are preserved better than any other ancient manuscript. The early church accepted the New Testament books almost immediately, and that the writers were either associates of Jesus or His original followers. The Bible claims that it is God’s Word (see 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21). Jesus also viewed Scripture as authoritative (see John 10:35 and Matthew 22:29). The New Testament authors believed what they were writing was in fact God’s Word (see 1 Corinthians 14:37, 1 Thessalonians 2:13). Insights into the differences between Christianity and other Religions [3]. Narnia author and Christian apologist C.S. Lewis comments that all religions do have some truth in them, and Lewis thinks that is what you would expect. Lewis thought that If you are a Christian, you do not have to believe that all the other religions are simply wrong all through. However, if you are an atheist you do have to believe that the main point in all the religions of the entire world is simply one huge mistake. Lewis felt it was atheism that wrote off all religious claims as false, while he was free to affirm truth wherever it was found. He accepted truths in other religions. He recognised the similarities – as well as the significant differences between religions. For Lewis, a commitment to Christ does not necessitate the denial of truth in other religions. However, what makes Christianity unique is the incarnation, when God entered a specific historical place and time in the person of Jesus Christ. This is utterly unique and is either true or false. Lewis is quoted as saying [4], "If you had gone to Buddha and asked him 'Are you the son of Brahma?' he would have said, 'My son, you are still in the vale of illusion.' If you had gone to Socrates and asked, 'Are you Zeus?' he would have laughed at you. If you had gone to Mohammad and asked, 'Are you Allah?' he would first have rent his clothes then cut your head off. If you had asked Confucius, 'Are you Heaven?' I think he would have probably replied, 'Remarks which are not in accordance with nature are in bad taste.' The idea of a great moral teacher saying what Christ said is out of the question. In my opinion, the only person who can say that sort of thing is either God or a complete lunatic suffering from that form of delusion which undermines the whole mind of man." [1] Athanasian creed. [2] See Ephesians 2:8. [3] See C.S. Lewis - Objection #10: Other Religions - Mark Conner [4] God in the dock C.S. Lewis In Part 4 we consider the significant changes that belief in Christianity brings to a believer's life.

The claims that Jesus Christ made about himself Sceptics say that Jesus never claimed to be God, that others made that up. However, Jesus did not come to a culture or people that were ignorant about God. He came to the Jewish people, His chosen people who believed in the existence of one God only. Jesus did and said things that clearly alluded to His deity which was not missed by the religious leaders He interacted with. Here are four examples of this: He claimed to have the authority to forgive sin, and the religious leaders thought to themselves that He was blaspheming (Mark 2:5-7). He called God His Father and equated His work with the Father’s, and they tried all the harder to kill Him (John 5:17-18). He said that He and the Father are One, and they picked up stones to kill Him because they said He was blaspheming (John 10:30-33). He said that He would sit at the right hand of the Mighty One and come on the clouds of heaven. They said He was blaspheming, and they condemned Him to death (Mark 14:61-64). The above scriptures are just four of several examples proving that Jesus did not leave it open to debate as to who He is. After all Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). C. S. Lewis the Narnia author and Christian apologist put it like this [1] ‘ I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him (Jesus): “I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept His claim to be God.” That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.’ People today may think that every belief system is equally valid, acting like everything is okay until someone else’s beliefs contradict their own. [1] C S Lewis Mere Christianity In Part 3 we consider the key differences between Christianity and other major religions.

Are not all religions the same? This study gives an overview of the main points by which Christianity is demonstrated to be distinct and unique from all the other world religions. As a starting point we should note that Christianity is rooted in history and evidence[1]. For example in the case of the historical reality of the resurrection, Christ vindicated His claim to divinity. The miracles of Islam and Buddhism lack historical validation. The claims of Christianity unlike other religions are never irrational nor contradictory. Christianity gives an explanation to the phenomena we see in everyday life e.g. the origin of selfish behaviour etc. Key points unique to Christianity The incarnation The truth is that Jesus is God. Christianity is the only religion where God is born as a man and becomes fully human[2]. All other religions teach that humans must work their way toward divinity. The Cross For Christians, the cross represents the defining moment in history when creator God is reconciled to humankind. Jesus Christ, God in flesh, laid down His life as the sacrificial lamb, taking the punishment we deserve upon Himself, atoning for our sins, and setting us free from the enslavement of sin and the second death. No other religion has a Saviour dying on a cross. See also the section below ‘The Gospel.’ The power of the cross of Christ reconciles humanity with our heavenly Father. In Jesus we find forgiveness of sin. He was raised from death to give us a new life in Him. In the risen Lord Jesus, we are a new creation. The Resurrection It may be surprising to learn that there is evidence from both biblical and non-biblical sources for the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Although we have historical evidence of Jesus’ life and death, we should note that his body has never been found. Sceptics have argued that the disciples stole the body and hid it. This is highly unlikely for the reasons given below. When Jesus was arrested by those sent from the Jewish leaders and turned over to the Roman authorities to be crucified, his disciples scattered from Him (Mark 14:43-50), and their leader, Peter, even denied that he had been with Jesus (Mark 14:66-72). The disciples acted out of fear and scattered, hid, and did not want to be associated with Jesus in His death. However, seven weeks later, we find Peter preaching in Jerusalem proclaiming that Jesus was raised from the dead by God (Acts 2:14-36). What had changed for Peter and the other disciples? What turned their fear into a bold courage? Was it the fact that they had hidden a corpse? Or was it that these men had seen Jesus after He had risen from the dead (Acts 1:3)? It is reported that all but one of the 12 apostles suffered violent deaths for their preaching of Jesus Christ and not one of them took back or renounced their faith. It is often said that many people have died for a lie. But how many have died for a lie knowing that it was a lie? If the disciples had stolen the body, then they would have known that the resurrection was a lie. You would think if that were the case, at least one of them would have taken back their testimony in the face of torture and a violent death. Persecution and death for preaching Christ was true not only for the 12 apostles but for those who received their teaching. It is difficult to believe that these people would willingly die for Jesus Christ if they knew it was a lie. Thousands of these Christians died because they believed the statements in the Gospels about Jesus to be true. They willingly died as martyrs, refusing to deny their faith in Him. In the face of Jewish and Roman opposition and persecution, Christianity spread all throughout the Roman Empire in 300 years, and it continues spreading today. If the Romans and Jews had known where the body of Jesus was, all they had to do was display the body on a cart/wall and Christianity would have died right there and then. Some claim (including the Muslims) that Jesus never really died but only fainted on the cross, and later revived in the tomb giving the impression of being resurrected. However this is contradicted by Jesus’ corpse being pierced by a spear with water then blood issuing from his body. Modern doctors tell us this would only happen if Jesus’ heart was ruptured and hence, he was clinically dead. Sceptics have even suggested that all the appearances of Jesus after the resurrection were hallucinations caused by overactive imaginations. This is highly unlikely since any two individuals almost never have the same hallucination at the same time, whereas the bible records groups of people repeatedly saw the risen Jesus. Such evidence is recorded in the bible which states that more than 500 people claimed to have seen the risen Jesus after his resurrection from the dead (see 1 Corinthians 15:6). [1] Adapted from Hank Hanegraff https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-uniqueness-of-christianity-and-q-a/id569236334?i=1000564748306 [2] Gospel of John 1:1-3 and 1:14. In Part 2 we consider the claims that Jesus Christ made about himself.