Love your neighbour as yourself

God is very merciful, He protected us and brought everyone out of danger, including my friend and her children.

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Jesus said to love people as yourself, “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”(Mark 12:29-31), but surely each of us knows how difficult it is sometimes to do this.

With the beginning of the war in my country, in Ukraine, the concept of love has become very acute. People have been divided into those who are ready to give their lives for others and those who are indifferent to someone else's grief. 

I want to share a story that happened to me personally and how everything that happened challenged my Christian values.

It was a cold morning in March 2022. My town had been surrounded by Russian invaders the day before and fortunately on this gloomy morning our troops managed to open one way to the west. The forces were unequal, so we knew that we did not have much time to leave and stay alive. We very quickly left the town on our friends' mini bus. We are several families, mainly women and children. 

 A few days before that, almost every day, I called my friend, a mother of three children, and asked her if she wanted to go with us if there was such an opportunity. In response, I heard ''I don’t know, I’m not sure, I don’t know what to do'', etc. In the conversation, I convinced her that staying in the occupation or under shelling was deadly dangerous, but in response I heard the same thing again. I said again that it might be too late and irreversible, but everything was to no avail…

So, we left my town without my friend and her children. We were driving at a very high speed. Behind us we could hear explosions, the sounds of Russian helicopters and other weapons. Ukrainian fighter jets were flying rapidly towards us. It was terrible, scary for the children. We prayed all the time, waiting for us to pass this front line and the horror would end. 

Suddenly the driver's wife's phone rang. She abruptly answered the caller that it was too late, there was no way to return. It was my friend who called, she asked to pick her up with the children and help her get out of danger.

My mother, who was with us, persuaded the driver to stop and wait until someone from our family could bring my friend and her children to us. My mother also persuaded my cousin by phone to bring this family to us. We stopped. Absolutely everyone was at risk. We waited on a field road among black trees and bare fields. The waiting time seemed like an eternity, unbearably long. 

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Looking ahead, I will say that everything turned out well. God is very merciful, He protected us and brought everyone out of danger, including my friend and her children. The worst was behind us. It would seem that everyone  should be happy, and me as well, but I admit honestly, in my heart resentment and anger increased from the fact that due to someone's indecision, several families could have died, including mine. 

I had to fight it. We left Ukraine all together abroad. My friend and I worked together. I helped with understanding the language and in many other ways. I tried to pretend that everything was fine, but my resentment still lived in my heart. I justified myself in every way and prayed at the same time to get true freedom. And you know what? The merciful God did the unthinkable. It so happened that it was my friend, a year later, who was able to help me in a very crucial and important matter for me. She  seemed  so indecisive and shy, but she was able to do what others could not. 

If then in March of 2022 we did not stop and did not wait, no one would certainly condemn us. Perhaps there will be many who will fully understand my offense and justify me because it is so natural for us people. Fortunately, this is not the nature of our Lord. The Bible, his message of love, teaches us completely differently. 

Now I am free from all anger and I love my friend dearly, not because she helped me in an important career matter, but because my God made me understand that I asked Him for salvation from death (from eternal death) and I was also unsure and indecisive about it for a long time, and Jesus died because of me, because of my sins.

He is Love, He is the path, and his ways are the best.  He told us to follow when He commanded: love your neighbour as yourself. Sounds beautiful, doesn't it?

Author: Alla Hunt

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What time are we now in?

It’s clear, that though we’re in the birth pains, the gospel of the Kingdom has to be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations….then the end will come.

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Jesus told us to read the sign of the times and gave us this warning:

Matthew 24:4-14

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.

The wars and rumours of wars are increasing at a rate like never before. There are about 80 wars or so currently going on in the world at the moment, and our eyes can be so focused on these or at least the ones constantly on the news channels, that we forget the real war isn’t in the physical realm but the spiritual realm from where despots of the world are driven. And yet we’re told not to be alarmed, (easier said than done!) as such things must happen. ‘But the end is still yet to come.’

Nation is rising against nation, famines and earthquakes as well as other natural/man made disasters are increasing. How far are we into the birth pains?

Christians being persecution and handed over to death is prevalent in different parts of the world and even in the UK the persecution is growing, and we are definitely hated because of our love and stance for Jesus, by those who don’t accept the gospel or have chosen to water it down and become more like the world.

This is resulting in many being led astray or simply turning away from the faith because of false teachers, especially in the so called established or state churches, as it seams to me that they find it easier to follow what tickles their ears instead of the truth of the gospel.

The other thing we’re seeing is a rise in wickedness. Cars being driven into crowds of people with the intent of killing as many people as possible. Gun and knife crime on the increase. Witch craft, fortune telling and free masonry are on the increase. Many of our children and youth with an identity crisis, because they’re being falsely told they can be and identify as anything they want to be, and all this is being accepted as normal.

Satan really is blinding the eyes of the unbeliever and it would seem is deceiving the believer? (If that were possible). It baffles me how someone can claim to believe and follow Jesus and then so easily deny Him or the truth of the gospel, His Word.

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But there is hope. For the one who stands firm to the end they will be saved. And for those who aren’t yet saved there’s still time. But how much?

It’s clear, that though we’re in the birth pains, the gospel of the Kingdom has to be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations….then the end will come.

How far off are we from this? Who knows? But what we can be sure of, is none of us knows if we have tomorrow and that Jesus is coming back for His church.

So, what time are we now in?

* Time for the church to wake up from it’s slumber.

* Time for individuals to put down their baggage and pick up their cross.

* Time to realise that we are all responsible for our own growth in Jesus.

* Time to stand on the Word of God and not be swayed by the world view.

Mark 13:32-33

''But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.''

Brothers and sisters, whatever else happens, stand firm to the end, pray for one another, hold fast to the gospel, keep your eyes firmly fixed on Jesus and be ready in and out of season. And let the LORD build the house.

The LORD bless you

    and keep you;

25 the LORD make his face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

26 the LORD turn his face toward you

    and give you peace.”’

(Numbers 6:24-26).

To God be the Glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

Author: Kevin Hunt

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It's Time to Grow Up!

There is a huge difference between being childlike and childish: one blesses a church, the other drains a church. One is spiritual, the other is carnal.

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Spiritual growth and maturity is an essential characteristic of a true Christian, yet infant behaviour seems rampant in so many churches. It was A. W. Tozer who said that the visible Church of Christ includes at least four classes of people: First, average people who come to church regularly but are never converted. They enjoy church, their friends are there, but they have never passed from death to life. Second, those who have trained to be Christians, but are not. They have learned the language, give the impression they are a Christian and others think of them as such. Third, there are those who are true Christians, but carnal and are still as they were when first saved. Finally, there are true Christians but ‘unfortunately these seem to be the minority in most churches’. Tozer’s comments make sad reading, but his challenge cannot be ignored. A similar picture is found in the New Testament where Paul refers to the Corinthians as ‘mere infants’ and ‘spiritual babes’; 

1 Corinthians 3:1-2 ‘Brothers and sisters, I could not address you as people who live by the Spirit but as people who are still worldly—mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready’. The writer to the Hebrews speaks of believers being ‘slow to learn’; Hebrews 5:11-12 ‘We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand. In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food’! There is a huge difference between being childlike and childish: one blesses a church, the other drains a church. One is spiritual, the other is carnal.

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There is something very tragic about an adult being childish. John Ortberg tells of a man called Denny who regularly attended church all his life, yet didn’t like the music and called in the local authority about the volume. Everyone guessed who had complained and laughed it off. However, Ortberg said it was no laughing matter as this guy was 60 years of age, his children couldn’t tolerate him, he stayed cranky and no one expected him to be any different. Those comments remind me of some words from Juan Carolos Ortiz, who said, ‘We have a phenomenon in the church today which I call the Eternal babyhood of the believer. We have members of our churches who, after years of hearing messages are just the same. They continually need a minister to keep after them, changing their diapers, putting talcum on them, and checking their milk isn’t too hot’. Perpetual infancy is not allowed in the Kingdom of God! Childish behaviour has to be addressed and confronted.

Immature, childish believers have these unhealthy traits:

• Self-centered – everything has to revolve around them.
• Influenced by their feelings – one minute they’re happy, the next           they’re screaming!
• Easily attracted by externals – a new sound or rattle quickly gets their   attention.
• Prefer play to work – unproductive apart from making work for others.
• Don’t take responsibility for their actions and behaviour.
• Live on a restricted diet, preferring to be spoon-fed and dependent.

Pastoring isn’t pampering! Growing as a Christian is a command not an option. Spiritual growth is a matter of attitude, not age. God has provided everything we need for growth, and maturity should be our burning ambition. If you’re wearing a small jacket, make sure you’re growing out of it!

Author: Alan Hewitt (re-issue)

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Alan Hewitt (re-issue)

Kiss the Son

Many people might offer a kiss and a cuddle to the cute baby in a manger, but may be less keen to give homage to the King Jesus when He returns.

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Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth.

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

Kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and you perish in the way,

for His wrath is quickly kindled.

Blessed are all who take refuge in Him. (Psalm 2:10-12)

A kiss is a demonstration of affection, but can also be an act of reverence and submission. In the ancient middle east a kiss could ratify a covenant or seal an agreement. It could also be a sign of subjection, respect and allegiance, as is a vassal/suzerain relationship, in which loyalty and service by the lesser partner was given in return for protection and security by the greater.

Many people might offer a kiss and a cuddle to the cute baby in a manger, but may be less keen to give homage to the King Jesus when He returns. He is the Faithful and True, whose eyes are flaming fire and who comes with righteousness and justice to make war on His enemies; the One who will strike down nations and rule with a rod of iron. (Revelation ch.19) This is the Son, whose anger will one day spill over into wrath against those whose hearts are not yielded to Him, yet whose blessing is granted to those who run to Him for protection. 

This is the Advent of Jesus, predicted by David the psalmist, king, and ancestor of the King of kings. His first advent began meekly. He taught, suffered, died, was raised and returned to heaven. In his second advent He will come with infinite power and authority to rescue the righteous and condemn the wicked. The Hebrew idiom for his anger is a 'burning nose' which in turn will burn all who refuse reverence and submission to the Son.

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So there are only two ways to go. We can pay respect and reverence, obeisance and obedience - 'kiss' - the Son of God, take refuge in Him, and know everlasting blessing. Or we can reject Jesus, provoke His wrath, and perish. 

Returning to the context of the Psalm, we find that though the message is for all people it is particularly directed at people in power. Rulers of the earth are warned to serve the Lord. Throughout history many arrogant and aggressive rulers have come and gone, and those who strut and dictate today will be no different. God is setting up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed, and will break in pieces all other kingdoms and bring them to an end, and this Kingdom will stand forever. (Daniel ch.2)

We should fear the Lord, not with fright that makes us flee but with reverence that seeks sanctuary in Him. All who take refuge in God's Kingdom are blessed forever.

Author: John Plumb

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We Need to Depend More on GOD.

Knowing that we have certain gifts and talents, we make the mistake of assuming we can use them to succeed in our own strength.

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The secret of being able to do what we need to do, is in realising that we cannot do it alone.  We can only do it through God’s empowering grace.  God said to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness”. The word (God’s riches at Christ’s expense) includes all of God we will ever need, for whatever we face in life, what a promise.

Dare I say more often than not, we think we have to do it all, we forget that the power of Christ works through us, so we’re defeated before we even begin. We are labourers together with God. (1Corinthians 3:9).  We can’t do God’s part and God won’t do our part.  God wants us to follow His leading and He insists that we depend on Him every step of the way.  This is hard on our part, on our ego which says, we can do it ourselves.  Sometimes we have to be beaten into the ground before we let go of this kind of thinking.

Knowing that we have certain gifts and talents, we make the mistake of assuming we can use them to succeed in our own strength.  No, unless God’s grace is operating through our gifts we won’t be adequate to the challenge. The bible says in Romans 12:6 “We have different gifts according to the grace given to each of us, let us use them in proportion to our faith”.  Grace is like electricity; in order for it to function effectively we must stay plugged in (a certain tv advert comes to mind).

Recently my wife and I had to travel abroad to the Caribbean to sort out and realign a couple of our business interests, which a good trusted friend was looking after for us, but sadly passed away. We thought it would take a few days to complete, but it was difficult (nothing is too difficult for God, because He does all things well), as we found out, and realized the only way is by/through God’s intervention, and as we meditated the Holy Spirit reminded us of His promise/word in Philippians 4:6-7

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"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made to God;  7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

This amongst many others became our daily prayers, when things didn’t go as we expected, the Holy Spirit kept on reminding us of His promise do not be anxious.

The other scripture that kept us going was Psalm 46:10-11. Be still and know that I am God. We can truly say that God’s promises are yes and amen, seeing us through, though we couldn’t see the way, but God made a way which we are grateful for, and for the prayers of our brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said “no branch can bear fruit by itself, it must remain in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless we remain in him, apart from me you can do nothing.”

So depend more on God and His promises.

Author: Herbert Jean

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