I WITNESS - 2006-07 archive

The I witness page contained messages aimed at people who were not Christians. These short messages were aimed at provoking them to consider the Lord Jesus Christ. However, a decision was taken to discontinue it because we believed that this most important message was put across most effectively on the Why Jesus? page.

2007: time for a radical change of direction - PUBLISHED 1 JANUARY 2007

As the New Year dawns how do you think the next 12 months will affect your life? Will things improve or get worse? Will you become richer or poorer? Will you be able to control events happening around you or will they control you? Will life be a joy or a chore? Or will it be a year when your life takes a radical change in direction?

Thinking about the future and its possible outcomes can induce anxiety in the hearts of people. Most like to keep their heads down and burrow their way through the days, weeks and months ahead. But there is one thing that we can be certain of.

'It is ordained for man to dies once then the judgement.' God has set a time when you will meet Him face to face to face the consequences of the life you have lived. The Bible says at that time you will be given one of two possible directions to take. This means either you will walk into the presence of the Lord or you will be cast in to the lake of fire. Is that it?

Yes. Can I do anything about it? Yes. Jesus Christ said, 'I have come to save you from your sins.' Our lives have been blighted by sin. The punishment is death without parole. But God in His mercy sent Jesus Christ to take our punishment. This He did on a cross over two thousand years ago. Do you know why He did that?

Because He loves you so much and wants you to spend eternity with Him. So He was prepared to sacrifice His Son for you. And what should your response be? Simply acknowledge that you are a sinner before a Holy God; repent of your sins; and invite Jesus to be the Lord of your life. To help you do this why not pray the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page. So if you do that what does it mean?

It means that when you face Him you will walk into His presence. If you take this radical step all your concerns about the next 12 months will pale into insignificance as you realise the glorious future awaiting you. If you take this step of faith please email us so that we can pray for you.

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Christmas at the Cross - PUBLISHED 1 DECEMBER 2006

At Christmas time the thoughts of many turn to a baby in a manger surrounded by Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, wise men and animals. Sadly that is as far as their consideration of Jesus goes as they sail off into the New Year leaving those thoughts of Him behind. Had they decided to look further into His story they would have ended up at the Cross, where, approximately thirty three years later, He was crucified.

Jesus was born to die as the perfect sacrifice to God for all the sins we have ever committed. In that one act He made the way for us to enter into the presence of God the Father forever. This is why the Cross is central to the Christian faith. Without that act we would all stand condemned before a holy God, but now we can be free in Him. But first we have to believe in our hearts and confess with our mouths that Jesus is Lord. Then and only then can we make the transition from death to life.

So today you are faced with a choice and it is for you and you alone to decide. No-one else can decide for you. Today, will you accept Jesus Christ as your Saviour or will you reject Him? Will you choose life or death?

Are you prepared o discover the true meaning of Christmas? Are you prepared to let Jesus become the Lord of your life? Why not pray the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page. If you do you will receive the best Christmas gift you could ever have. And if you take this step of faith please email us so that we can pray for you.

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The dead house - PUBLISHED 31 OCTOBER 2006

I know an old widowed lady who lives on her own who had some of her family stay with her recently. One morning she said to one of them, “The house comes alive when someone is in it.” What she meant was that when she was alone the house was dead but when she had guests their presence brought it alive.

Is your life like that dead house? Do you feel that you need someone in your life to bring it alive? Then you are not alone. Millions of people are feeling just like you. You see their sin has brought about this deadness.

But millions more have found the answer. In the Bible in John chapter 14 verse 23 Jesus says, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love Him, and We will come to him and make Our home with Him.” All it takes is for you to believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord and confess it with your mouth. Are you prepared to do that?

You see the difference between being dead or alive is a relationship with Jesus Christ, nothing more, nothing less. His presence will bring your life alive for all eternity! The question is do you want eternal life or eternal death? Consider carefully the word of God before you answer.

Are you prepared to let Jesus enter your life to make you alive? Why not pray the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page. Then and only then will you find yourself in a right relationship with God the Father and His Son our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. If you take this step of faith please email us so that we can pray for you.

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The padlocked church - PUBLISHED 2 OCTOBER 2006

The church door was secured by a length of rusted chain which was held together by an even rustier looking padlock. Spiders had left their cobwebs across the door as if they could foretell it’s future. On the gravel path lay a rusting key that fitted the padlock. Dropped accidentally or just cast aside in the sure knowledge that it would not be needed again? Only the person who closed the church door for last time knew. The decaying building had become an irrelevance.

Many people today see the church in this way and in many cases they are right. It holds no relevance or interest for them expect for Christmas services, weddings, christenings and funerals. Very probably that is how you view it. But therein lies a big mistake, for you should look beyond the building to the Man.

The Christian church in reality is not a building that can be padlocked. It is a body of people who have been born again. It is believers in Jesus Christ who will one day spend eternity with Him. The church is the bride of Christ. The church was born out of the life of Christ and should be about Christ. In other words it is about a relationship. You can’t have a relationship with a building but you can with the Son of God. Do you have that relationship with Him?

The people who see the church as an irrelevance are among the same people who ask those age old questions, ‘Why am I here?’ ‘What is the purpose of my life?’ The true answers can be found in God’s word the Bible. In the book of Genesis chapter one we read that God created mankind. He created us to have a relationship with Him. Sadly we disobeyed Him to follow our own desires which opened the door for sin to gain an entry into our lives, as we read in Genesis chapter 3. This has successfully introduced confusion into peoples minds about the way to God which in turn has led to many religions being formed in the world today. This is why Jesus Christ came into the world - to show us the way back to God. In His own words He said, “I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” [see John chapter 14 verse 6]. He sacrificed Himself upon the cross so that the curse of sin in our lives could be broken and our relationship with God the Father restored.

The church might be padlocked but God’s arms are open to welcome you into a right relationship with Him. Are you prepared to take that step - to find true, real and lasting peace, joy and perfect love in your life. You can by praying the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page. Then and only then will you find yourself in a right relationship with God the Father and His Son our saviour the Lord Jesus Christ and be a part of the true Church that will exist for all eternity. If you take this step of faith please email us so that we can pray for you.

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Do you listen to the news? - PUBLISHED 30 AUGUST 2006

Today many people ignore the news because they are fearful of what it will tell them about the world they live in. As you look around you will see plenty of evidence to support that fear - there are wars and rumours of war, natural disasters and man’s inhumanity to man. Fear breeds hopelessness and hopelessness despair! If you are feeling hopeless and despairing then there is some good news that you need to become familiar with.

When God created the heavens and the earth it was perfect. Indeed in Genesis chapter 1 verse 31 it says, ‘Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.’

So what transformed the world from this very good state to the state we see on the news everyday? If you look again at Genesis, this time in chapter 3, you will see the answer. The devil deceived man and sin (going your own way instead of God’s way) entered the world and death followed. The result has been wars and rumours of war, natural disasters and man’s inhumanity to man ever since. You see what was sown in the garden of Eden, the world has been reaping ever since.

If that was the end of the story then we would indeed be in a hopeless and despairing position. But God had a different plan. His answer was to send His Son Jesus Christ to provide a way out of the mess man had created. This He accomplished on the cross at Calvary. There He uttered perhaps the most profound words ever spoken in this world, ‘It is finished!’ [see John chapter 19 verse 30]. Why were they so profound? Because the words reflect that one final act where Jesus Christ defeated sin, death and the devil, and made a way for man to enter forever into a right relationship with God. In that relationship you can cast off your fear, hopelessness and despair and put on an assured future filled with God’s perfect peace, hope and love.

So what happens if I become a Christian? You will pass from death to life in Christ. You will become a new creature, the old things that were destroying will pass away. And in God’s time Jesus will return to claim all those who are His. When He does He will wipe away every tear from your eyes, for there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying, nor pain [see Revelation chapter 21 verse 4].

But what if I don’t follow Christ? Then there is a place reserved for you in what the Bible calls the lake of fire. All those who have rejected Christ will be cast into it forever [see Revelation 20 verse 15]. There can be no greater pain felt by man than eternal separation from God and there is no greater separation than being cast into the lake of fire.

So if you want to pass from death to life and live in peace instead of fear, ask Jesus into your life by praying the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page and turn from the worlds bad news to His good news! If you take this step of faith please email us so that we can pray for you.

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Paying the price - PUBLISHED 11 JUNE 2006

A business man, we’ll call him John, was discussing his company’s financial state with the accountant. It was not good news.

“Basically, if you carry on trading as you are you’ll go bankrupt,” the accountant said, “The debts are to big for your business to cope with.”

But John refused to accept what he was being told and six months later the company went bankrupt. He paid the price because he didn’t heed the warning.

Man is just like John, he is deeply in debt to sin but refuses to accept that he is. The Bible says in Romans chapter 6 verse 23 that the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life. You may say “I am not a sinner!” But the Bible says that ALL have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. You can accept that fact or ignore it but one thing you cannot do is escape from the truth of it.

It is a debt that no bank loan, credit card, financial institution, rich relative or charitable donation can pay off. Yet God wasn’t prepared to leave you in that state. So He sent His Son Jesus Christ to wipe out your debt, which He did on the cross at Calvary over two thousand years ago. He paid the price, not with money but with His own life, so that instead of going bankrupt (suffering eternal death) you might prosper (enjoy eternal life with God). But it requires an action on your part.

You need to ask Jesus to forgive you your sins, accept Him into your life and determine to follow Him for the rest of your days, believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that He is Lord.

Consider this - who is going to pay the price for your sin, Jesus or you?

Today God has set before you the way of eternal life and the way of eternal death and His call to you today is to choose LIFE.

If you want to enjoy life with God pray the prayer at the foot of the Why Jesus? page and email us of your life changing decision so that we can pray for you.

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He gave His life - PUBLISHED 12 APRIL 2006

The driver, fuelled by an excessive intake of alcohol, drove erratically.

An eight year old boy, pretending to be Wayne Rooney, was kicking a football against the front fence of his house which doubled as the opposition’s goal at Old Trafford.

A man was walking home from his local newsagent reading as he walked.

The young boy kicked the ball hard against the fence and punched the air in delight as his shot ‘hit the back of the net’. The ball rebounded past the boy and into the road. Without thinking he ran to retrieve it.

Suddenly there was a screech of tyres as the driver braked furiously in an attempt to avoid the boy. The man walking home heard the danger and ran across the road just in time to push the boy out of the path of the oncoming car. But in doing so he sacrificed his own life. The car struck him with such force that the man was dead before he hit the tarmac.

This is a bitter sweet story. One the one hand we are relieved that the boy was saved but on the other saddened that the man died. We might even be surprised in this day and age that someone should sacrifice his own life for a complete stranger. In time flowers would be laid at the spot where the tragedy took place. But eventually they would wilt and die and the sacrifice would remain only in the minds of the families affected.

Over two thousand years ago another Man died for a complete stranger and that stranger was you. You are going about your daily life, oblivious of the danger you’re in. Yet He saw that danger and sacrificed His life that you could have life eternal. His name? Jesus! And the danger that is speeding towards you? It is death and eternal separation from God.

God created man in perfection. Sin, (going our own way instead of His, which resulted from Adam’s disobedience to Him), entered the world. As the news you watch, listen to or read will testify sin disfigured God’s perfect creation. And it was sin that put you out of a right relationship with Him.

But God loves you so much that he wasn’t prepared to lose you. So in His perfect holiness he did the only thing He could - He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to take the punishment you deserved by sacrificing Him on the cross - a perfect sacrifice for imperfect man. Yet it didn’t end there. On the third day Jesus rose from the dead having conquered death and sin. The way back to God was made complete.