Billy Lavery9th February 2024 I have a dear Christian friend called Billy who has been seriously ill lately, including a period of time in a coma. For a long time, I was unable to see him or speak to him. And it was during this time that I came to realise how important he is to me. It is often the case that we don’t appreciate something until it is taken away from us. Billy is the kind of Christian that we all need in the Church. He is a true shepherd who cares passionately about Jesus and His flock. He is retired now and he no longer has a flock in the form of a local congregation to care for. But he still has that shepherd heart and he has shown that to me many times. There is no shortage of hired hands leading churches these days but in my experience true shepherds are rare indeed. And Billy is one of those rare but wonderful shepherds that the people of God so desperately need these days. Throughout my life I have experienced rejection many times in the Church and until I met Billy, I often thought that there was something wrong with me. But Billy doesn’t see it that way. Like a true shepherd he has spent time with me, seeing what my heart is like and seeing what talents I have. At the same time, he has prayed for me and listened to what the Lord has to say about me. Then like a true shepherd he has spoken into my life with words of love. In love he has gently rebuked me for my lack of faith whilst at the same time affirming what the Lord has done in my life. Billy has never wavered in believing in me and he has kept encouraging me to use my talents. He loves to chew the cud with me and discuss the issues in the Church and in the world. He recognises my talent for teaching the scriptures and he has got me to give him bible lessons. He also recognises my pastoral heart and has taken delight in watching me put it into practice. He has taken pleasure in the reports I give to him about what I am doing and he has encouraged me to do more. With the help of Billy, I have grown stronger in confidence about the talents I have and I have grown in my understanding of God’s calling upon life. I have come to understand why I have experienced rejection in the Church. With Billy’s help I have realised that there is nothing wrong with me. Now I am no longer concerned about rejection and instead I stand firm in my convictions. All I want to do is be faithful to what God has given me to do, no matter what the consequences and I am at peace in that. This is what a true shepherd can do for us. We all need a Billy. |
New Year Message – The Self Destruction Continues1st January 2024 As I write this, a war is raging in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas and it shows no sign of ending soon. This war became the dominant world event at the end of 2023 and it had the effect of exposing the state of the Church and the depth of depravity of the world we now live in. It added weight to what I have been saying in recent years about the decline of the Church and the increasing wickedness of the world. The Israel-Hamas war has exposed the lack of biblical knowledge that is widespread in the Church. Most Christians are ignorant of the covenants between God and the Jews and of His plans for them. Most churches teach false doctrines about Israel. And in addition to this, most of the Church has been silent about what is happening and are quite apathetic about it. This should come as no surprise because it fits in with the continuing decline of the Church in the West. The Church has largely abandoned sound doctrine and the practices that served it well for centuries. It has embraced the patterns of this world and polluted the Church with such things. And as a result, it continued to decline in 2023. There is a universal principle that stems from the decline in the Church. As the Church declines, evil increases in the world around it. And this is what we have found with the world in 2023. I have witnessed the people in the world losing their mind more and more in 2023. I have witnessed the world still pushing the fake climate change agenda which is insanely pushing us towards a new dark age. I have witnessed the madness of the world abandoning the God given sources of food for mankind and instead taking further steps towards mass starvation. I have witnessed the madness of the continuing moves towards abandoning internal combustion engines and pushing the use of electric cars. There is nothing sustainable about electric cars. I have witnessed the growing interest in extra-terrestrials in 2023. There are no aliens from outer space; there are only demons posing as aliens. I have witnessed the continuing spread of left wing, communistic ideologies which are antichrist in nature. These ideologies are destroying our society. They are being pushed on our children and leading to a massive increase in mental health issues in our children. I see all these things getting worse in 2024. I continue to believe that we are living in the last of the last days as the Church becomes more and more apostate and the world sets up the conditions for The Tribulation. That process will continue in 2024 and I believe there is worse to come. However, it is not all doom and gloom. There is still a remnant of faithful Christians though small in number. And that remnant can still do some good. If you are a Christian who loves the Lord and you are faithful to the word of God then you are part of that remnant, like the Philadelphia church in the Book of Revelation. And in 2024 you will be the light in the darkness. As we look forward to 2024, I urge you then to speak the truth wherever you can and show the love of Christ that is in you to those around you. You can’t stop the decline of the Church as a whole but you can do all you can to encourage your local church to be faithfully biblical. And you can speak the truth to those in the world wherever and however God gives you the opportunity. You can be salt and light to the world around you. And in doing so you can save some from the destruction that is to come. So, be of good cheer, the Lord your God is with you. |
Christmas Message – A Saviour Has Been Born for You24th December 2023 In Luke 2:1-20 we read about the birth of Jesus and traditionally we celebrate this historic event at this time of year even though He wasn’t actually born on the 25th December. Nevertheless, it still gives us an opportunity to be reminded of one of the glorious events that took place when Jesus was born. And the event we have in mind is the announcement of the birth of Jesus to some shepherds in the fields near Bethlehem. At that time, shepherds were from the lowest class of society. And yet God chose to announce the most important event in human history to them. It wasn’t announced to the VIPs of the world but to lowly shepherds. And that is so important because in God’s eyes we are all equal. That is in contrast to the way the world operates. Earlier this month we went to a wonderful carol concert in a large church building. And the people who organised it failed to understand how God sees us. So, they arranged the seating so that the people that the world calls VIPs had the best seats at the front. This was despite the fact that Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus was read out during the concert. If you think that you are unimportant, remember what happened to those lowly shepherds and take heart and know that to God you are important. And it wasn’t just the people that God chose to make the announcement to that made this a glorious event, it was the way that the announcement was made. God sent an angel to make the announcement and the angel came with the glory of God which shone around the shepherds. There is nothing that man can produce that comes close to the magnificent, majestic glory of God. It is terrifyingly awesome. It is His glory that sets him apart from us and which deserves our praise. Oh, to have been there that night. Just picture it for yourself if you can. And the wonder of it all is that we too will stand in the presence of God’s glory one day. And when that day comes all fear will be gone and there will be great rejoicing for all who are with Him. When the angel told the shepherds that their Saviour had been born, he told them how to identify Jesus. They would find him wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger. This was the Son of God that the angel was talking about. He was born in such humble and humiliating circumstances. No palace for the Son of God, the Saviour of the world. No, it was a stable for Him. Can you see again the contrast with the world’s way of doing things? God’s ways are not our ways. Notice too how the heavenly host responded to the circumstances of Jesus’ birth. They praised God and gave glory to Him. And finally, after seeing Jesus and the fulfilment of what they had been told about Him, the shepherds went away glorifying and praising God. And this should be our response to the revelation of Jesus too. This Christmas it is our hope that you will have a revelation of the glorious coming of our Saviour as a babe wrapping in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. And like Mary, you will treasure these things and ponder them in your heart. In the meantime, we’ll be singing that wonderful carol, While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks.
Mike and Suzanne Ashton |
The Israel-Hamas War21st November 2023 On the 7th October 2023, the Hamas terrorist group started a war with Israel when they committed terrible atrocities against Israeli citizens on the Sabbath. The atrocities they committed were the worst I have ever seen. They showed a level of evil unparalleled since the Nazi Holocaust during the Second World War. They killed over 1,200 men, women and children and injured many more simply because they were Jewish. They also took over 240 hostages back in to Gaza. In response, the Israeli government took the decision to attack Gaza in order to eliminate Hamas and its military infrastructure and to obtain the release of the hostages. As I write this, the war between Israel and Hamas has been going on for weeks with no end in sight. So, what is really going on, what does it mean for us as Christians and what does it mean for the world? The root cause of this conflict is a spiritual one and it goes back to the time of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar in the Old Testament. Abraham had two sons. One was born to Hagar who was Sarah’s Egyptian servant and he was called Ishmael. The other son was born to Sarah, Abraham’s wife, and he was called Isaac. Isaac and Ishmael were step-brothers and in their youth, there was hostility shown by Ishmael to Isaac (Genesis 21:9-14). This led to Hagar and Ishmael being expelled by Abraham. In Genesis 16:12 we see a prophecy given to Hagar about Ishmael in which God shows her that Ishmael will be a wild man who does not get on with others. From the beginning the descendants of Ishmael were a warlike people. So, who are the descendants of Ishmael? They are the Arabs of today. And who are the descendants of Isaac? They are the Jews. And ever since the re-establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, the Arabs around her have been attacking Israel. So, what about the Palestinians. Well, they too are Arabs. So, the current war between Israel and Hamas has its roots in the hostility of Ishmael towards Isaac and the warlike nature of Ishmael’s descendants. This hostility from the Palestinian Arabs has led many of them to seek the destruction of Israel and the elimination of the Jewish people. And I believe that this hostility will never change because its in the genes so to speak. Those who think that the Palestinians and Israelis can one day live in peace with each other are misguided. Most people think that the conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis is about land and that is certainly what you will hear from the Palestinians. Spiritually, there’s more to it than that but for now I would like to focus on the land issue. For the purposes of what I want to say I’m going to refer to the land as the Promised Land. The Palestinians and most people in the world talk about the so-called occupied territories in the Promised Land; that the Israelis are occupying land that belongs to the Palestinians. The so-called West Bank is usually called the Occupied West Bank. This is a totally false idea because the land has never belonged to the Palestinians. There has never been a Palestinian State run by people called Palestinians. The Israeli’s can’t occupy a land that the Palestinians have never owned. The modern-day Palestinians are Arabs from other Arab countries who have moved into the Promised Land at various times since the nation of Israel was destroyed by the Romans about two thousand years ago. It was the Romans who first called the Promised Land, Palestine. So, who does the Promised Land really belong to? The answer is in the Bible. God gave the land to the Jews forever. We see this in the unconditional Abrahamic Covenant made by God. In Genesis 12:1-3 we see the Lord telling Abram to go to the Promised Land and in Genesis 13:15 we see Him giving the land to Abram and his descendants forever. And finally in Genesis 15:18 we see the Lord making a covenant with Abram in which He defines the land that his descendants will possess. And to cap it all, in Genesis 17:5-8 we see that the covenant is an everlasting one. So, God is the guarantor of the Jews owning the land forever. That settles it. There are many people who think that the solution to the conflict between the Israelis and the Palestinians is to create two states side by side in the Promised Land; a Palestinian state and a Jewish state. To achieve this, the Promised Land would be divided up between the two states. This is known as the Two State Solution. This is a serious mistake. Every attempt to divide up the land has failed. So, for instance, in the 1990s the Israeli government handed over the Gaza Strip to the Palestinians. Hamas then took control of the Gaza Strip and turned it into a terrorist base used to attack Israel. And that has led to the current war between Israel and Hamas. And why doesn’t it work when attempts are made to divide the land? The answer is simple; God is opposed to it. We see this in Joel 3:1-2 when God judges the nations for dividing up the Promised Land. With all of this in mind what should Christians be doing in response to the current war between Israel and Hamas? We should be supporting Israel but on the whole that is not happening. I only know of a handful of churches and a small number of Christians who are doing this. We need to remember what God said to Abram about the nation of Israel in Genesis 12:3. “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse”. This is a serious matter. Christians should always bless Israel and woe betide those who are against her. So, why are the majority of Christians not supporting Israel at this time? I believe that the answer lies in a false teaching that is prevalent in the Church. It’s called Replacement Theology. It is also known as Supersessionism or Fulfilment Theology. It teaches that the Church has relaced Israel in God’s plans. It also teaches that the Jews are no longer God’s chosen people and that God has no future plans for the nation of Israel. And it teaches that the promises that God has made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Church, not Israel. I’m not going to show you how Replacement Theology is wrong in this blog; that needs to be tackled separately. But I will say this about Replacement Theology: it is a demonic doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1). And it is this evil doctrine that causes so many Christians to disregard Israel. So, what about the wider implications of the war between Israel and Hamas. This war has had some telling effects on the wider population in the West. It has shed light on some dark elements in our countries. Firstly, it has exposed the evil of antisemitism that is still around. It has resulted in a huge rise in antisemitic activity. In the UK, Jewish people have become afraid for their lives and Jewish businesses have been attacked. This echoes what happened in 1930s Germany and it is wicked. Some of this antisemitic activity is linked to some of those involved in the Pro-Palestinian marches that have become a major part of our society these days. It is very telling the way that these marches have drawn enormous support from certain sections of our society. It is also telling that those who take part in these marches deliberately excuse what the Hamas terrorists did on the 7th October. This is in contrast to the comparatively paltry support that has been given to the peaceful, civilised Pro-Israel marches and vigils. This reflects the widespread sinfulness of Western societies. Once again, this war has exposed the widespread darkness in Western countries. For the reason I gave above, those who take part in the Pro-Palestinian marches and who attack Israel over this war are going against God and are putting themselves in danger. For me, the most interesting aspect of this war is how it has shown us who are the sheep and who are the goats in the wider society but most of all in the Church. It has provided more evidence of just how desolate the Church has become in the West. Furthermore, the indifference and silence of the Church in regard to supporting Israel is damming. However, I am hearted by the minority of Christians and organisations that have shown their support for Israel and who have stood alongside the Jews of our nation. I think of, for instance, Christian Action Against Antisemitism. I just wish there were more. |
Trusted Sources24th January 2023 On the 28th of January 2021 I wrote a blog called ‘Intelligence About Your Enemy’ and as part of that blog I provided a list of some reliable sources of information. The reason I did that was because of the times we live in. As the Covid crisis unfolded I began to realise that we were being lied to by politicians, certain scientists and the main stream media on a scale that I had never seen before. Through rigorous research I have since been able to establish a list of reliable sources of true information and I want to share them with you. Before I do that, I just want to remind you of some of the sources of information that you can’t trust:
The Bible J D Farag Brandon Holthaus Amir Tsarfati Billy Crone
Dr Vernon Coleman Hugo Talks UK Column Redacted Neil Oliver Tucker Carlson (Fox News) |
Beware Of The Green Dragon19th January 2023 Before I go into the dangers we face from the Green Dragon, I need to explain what I mean by the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon is a concept created by some Christian teachers to explain the true meaning of the modern environmental movement and its ideologies. In the Bible the dragon represents Satan. See Revelation 12:9. And the green represents the environmental movement which often uses green in its identity, policies and ideologies. When the environmental movement is examined closely it can be seen that something evil is driving it, something demonic. So, the Green Dragon represents the Satanically driven environmental movement with its evil and destructive aims. Let’s have a closer look at this Green Dragon. The leading organisation for the Green Dragon is the United Nations and their Green New Deal and Climate Change agendas. They have led the way in promoting the idea that we all face an existential threat from something they call Climate Change. However, if you examine carefully what they say about it you will find that it is not based on true science. It is not based on empirical evidence. Instead, it is based on modelling which is fake science. All of the predictions that have come out of these models have failed to happen and they have had to keep changing their models. In order to get people to accept the fake climate change crisis, those involved in this movement use exaggerations and lies. The Green Dragon deliberately targets our children with its lies. It does this because children are easier to deceive than adults. It knows that if it gets the children onboard with its ideas then it will have them for life. It also uses teenage children to influence other children because it knows that children are more likely to listen to their peers than adults. This is really cunning. The Green Dragon uses the state education system and various mediums such as TV and films to get at our children. But that’s not all. There is something much more serious than the deceptive nature of the Green Dragon. The Green Dragon is a religion. Let me explain what I mean. If you were paying attention, you would have seen evidence of this at the COP 27 conference in Egypt last year. During the conference, a group of religious leaders met on Mount Sinai to unveil a new set of Ten Commandments for the Green Dragon. In this Green Dragon religion man worships the creation instead of the creator. In particular, men worships Mother Earth. In the Green Dragon religion there are sins that are committed against Mother Earth. One of the sins is the human race. There are too many humans on the earth and they are harming Mother Earth through their normal activities. In this religion, the human population must be reduced and people must curtail their activities. Depopulation is a key part of the Green Dragon’s mission. The other sin is manmade carbon emissions. We are told that carbon is bad for the earth when in fact carbon is a vital part of the earths eco system. Salvation is also part of the Green Dragon religion. But this is not about the salvation of mankind but the salvation of Mother Earth. Mother Earth is more important than mankind and must be saved. This salvation is achieved through sustainability, zero carbon emissions and depopulation. God created the earth for man but the Green Dragon religion overturns this and sees man as being created for the earth. It sees the earth as more important than human beings. But that’s not the way God sees it. Human beings are made in the image of God and are His greatest creation. The Green Dragon is in fact an antichrist religion that wants to cut God out of our lives. The Green Dragon environmental movement is bad for mankind. It attacks human prosperity, it attacks human freedom and it attacks the Word of God. It is particularly bad for the poorest people around the world. The Green Dragon is leading mankind into a global government. This global government will control every aspect of our lives, and I mean EVERY aspect of our lives. It aims to have total control of humanity.
I hope by now you are starting to see the dangers we face from the Green Dragon. So, what should we do about the Green Dragon? The Green Dragon is our enemy and we must have nothing to do with it. It is deceptive and very destructive. It wants to enslave and control us, it wants to kill us and it hates true Christians. Sadly, however, most Christians and churches are ignorant about the existence of the Green Dragon. They lack discernment and have fallen into its trap. Far too many Christians and churches have embraced the Green Dragon, believed its lies and bowed down to its demands. They think it is in keeping with the Bible and Christianity but they are wrong. Last year I had a conversation with a Christian leader who had embraced the Green Dragon. He was aware of our God given dominion over the earth but lacked an understanding of its purpose and limits. See Genesis 1:26 & 28. God gave mankind authority over all living creatures, the land and the flora and fauna. We were given this dominion for the benefit of mankind and for the glory of God. God told us to multiply, fill the earth and cultivate it. We are to tame (subdue) the wild land and cultivate it so that we can grow crops and graze animals. That is the limit of our dominion. We have no authority over the seasons, the climate or the weather. The Bible tells us that God has authority over these things. Because he did not understand this, that Christian leader thought that as well as looking after all the living creatures, the land, the sea and the flora and fauna, we were also responsible for the climate. Therefore, he thought that the Church must join the climate activists in saving the planet. The true Christian response to climate change is to trust God with it because He is in control of it. Here are some examples from the Bible which show us that God has authority and control over our environment: So, I say to all Christians do not be deceived by the Green Dragon and do not take part in its evil ways. Instead, you should resist it. You will not be able to stop it and you be affected by it but you can resist it and you can choose not to promote it. |
New Year Message – Onwards and Downwards1st January 2023 In 2022 we saw further progress towards the setup of the dystopian world that will exist during The Tribulation that the Lord warned us about in the Book of Revelation. We have seen the growing financial crisis that I spoke about a year ago. We have seen the development of an energy crisis, a cost-of-living crisis and an eye watering increase in dangerous debt levels. And we have been lied to about what has caused this. It has all been blamed on Vladimir Putin but that is not true. The financial crisis that we are now in, is deliberate and has been caused by the actions of our politicians and those pushing the climate change agenda. The war in Ukraine has made matters worse but it is not the primary cause. This financial crisis will lead to the destruction of the Western economies and pave the way for the Great Reset which will in turn pave the way for the kind of world that the Antichrist will rule over in The Tribulation. Be warned! In the past year we have also seen the continuing development of the new world religion of Wokeism (a Babylonian type of religion). It’s now infecting every part of our society, including the Church. During the COP27 climate change conference in Egypt, a blasphemous event took place on Mount Sinai. An inter-faith group introduced a new set of Ten Commandments to replace those given by God to Moses. The new commandments are about worshipping the creation rather than the Creator. This event introduced a religious element to the climate change movement led by the United Nations. At the same time, we saw a further decline in Christianity. In the United Kingdom, the Office for National Statistics issued a report showing that less than half of the UK population identifies themselves as Christians. This is something that we have not seen since the Dark Ages. This comes as no surprise to me because most of the Church is now apostate. We are now living in the time of the Laodicean Church (see Revelation 3:14-21). Be warned! There are some Christians today who are hoping and praying for a revival. They recognise that the world we live in today is becoming more and more lawless and depraved and they think that this can be turned around by a revival. But this is not going to happen. Instead, most of the Church will become more apostate and the world will become more lawless and immoral. Furthermore, we will see a further breakdown in society and the institutions we rely on. The NHS is a good example of this; it will get worse, not better. Be warned! This year we can expect to see a big step towards a cashless society and a digital currency. I have spoken about this before. If you go back to some of my previous blogs you will see that this is not a good development. It will lead to digital slavery and more control of our lives. We will also see further developments towards silencing free speech and the use of controlled deceptive narratives by those in power. In 2022 it became clear to me and others that God is giving mankind a depraved mind as a judgement for sin (See Romans 1:28). The world has gone mad; people have lost their minds. We see this with the climate change hoax. All over the Western world, those in power are ditching fossil fuels and nuclear power and turning to solar and wind power which can never provide enough power for our needs. This is a madness that will lead to another Dark Age. Another madness that can be seen is the implementation of the Green New Deal in which productive farming land is being lost by turning it back into wild land. This will severely affect our ability to feed ourselves and lead to mass starvation. A good example of this madness can be seen in The Netherlands. Be warned! So, what I am saying is that the future is bleak and it’s going to get worse and worse. We are living in the End Times, a time in which mankind is being prepared for a time of unprecedented evil and God’s judgement known as The Tribulation in Bible prophecy. It will be a terrifying time that no man would want to experience. Be warned! So, what should we be doing as Christians at a time like this? Firstly, we should be warning people about what is coming and urging them to turn to the Lord right now. Secondly, we should be going about the Lord’s business even more diligently. And finally, we should be strengthening our faith by spending more time in the Word of God. That is what we should be doing in 2023. |
Christmas Message – He Dwells Among Us24th December 2022 In the lead up to Christmas we have been watching lots of Christmas films and we have gone to Christmas markets and we enjoyed them. But they have got nothing to do with the birth of the Saviour of the world, Jesus. We have reminisced about our childhood experiences at Christmas and the traditions we took part in and they were very enjoyable. But they had nothing to do with the birth of Jesus. We still enjoy all of the usual Christmas activities such as the giving of presents and cards, eating festive foods and spending time with family and friends. But they have got nothing to do with Jesus. Christmas is supposed to be a celebration of the birth of Jesus but what happens in reality has got nothing to do with Him. After all Jesus was not born on the 25th December. In fact, we don’t know when He was born but we do know that He was born just over 2,000 years ago in Bethlehem. And the day He was born is one of the most important days in human history because that day a saviour was born. Now that’s worth celebrating! Because of the sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden, mankind was cut off from God and was hopelessly lost. But God is so loving that He made sure that it wasn’t going to stay that way. He had a rescue plan and it started with the birth of His only begotten Son, Jesus. He sent His sinless son, born of a virgin, into our sinful world to dwell among us. Jesus is clean and holy, yet He came and lived in our filthy, sinful world. God is not aloof and uncaring; He is close and compassionate. He created us and He cares deeply about us. That is our God. Above all else, God wants to have fellowship with us just as He did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He wants to be intimately close to us, to converse with us and to have a loving relationship with us. That’s why He sent His Son into our world over 2,000 years ago and for those who believe in Him, Jesus is still dwelling amongst us. He dwells in our hearts. Do you believe in Jesus? Do you have Him in your heart. If you do, then that is what you should be celebrating this Christmas. If not, why not? Mike and Suzanne Ashton |
The Money Trap9th April 2022 The first film that I saw the actor Tom Hanks in was called The Money Pit. It was funny and I really enjoyed it. However, what I am about to write about is not funny and I am not going to enjoy saying it. The whole world is on the verge of getting rid of cash and replacing it with a digital currency. At first there might be a number of different digital currencies but in the end, the banking system will end up with just one global digital currency. Those involved in planning this are not making any secret of their intentions. At the moment we have cash in tandem with digital currencies and the balance between the two is shifting in favour of digital money. The Covid-19 crisis helped to accelerate this process and more recently this process has been aided by the reduction in the number of cash machines available to us. All of the central banks around the world are currently working on the switch to a cashless system and it will be introduced very soon. Most people think this is great because it is being presented as a way of making life easier and more convenient. It is also being presented as a way of reducing fraud and making our financial transactions more secure. Obviously, I am writing this, not because I think this is wonderful, but because I see great danger in it and I want to warn you. After all, that’s what I do with a lot of my blogs. And you might be thinking, what could possible be wrong with a totally digital financial system? Let me try to explain why this development should concern us. The main difference between cash and digital money is a matter of privacy. With digital transactions there is no privacy concerning our buying and selling. Every transaction we make is recorded by the banks. They know what money we are receiving and where it has come from and what we are buying and where we buy it from. At the same time all of the places we buy from whether online or on the high street have details of exactly what we bought and when we bought it. And I could go on with more examples. On the other hand, with cash there is complete privacy. There is no digital record of what we sold and what we bought. In most cases, all that exists are paper records in the form of receipts and contracts. Another important difference is a matter of control. With digital transactions it is possible for banks and businesses to control what we buy and sell. As we have seen recently in Canada, the banks have been used to freeze the accounts of the Freedom Convoy protesters and their supporters. This has stopped them from buy and selling. Then again more recently we have seen the banks being used to stop targeted Russians from buying and selling. This only affects digital transactions. It can’t be done with cash transactions. So, when cash is eliminated, banks, businesses, governments, authorities and any other institution will have the ability to exercise total control over our buying and selling. For those Christians familiar with the Book of Revelation this should sound alarm bells. In Revelation 13:16-17 John tells us that the Antichrist will, ‘cause all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on the forehead, and he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.’ Now, you might be thinking to yourself that, although this will be possible, they won’t actually do it will they? Well, I would first of all like to remind you of what the banks and politicians have recently done to the Canadian truckers and Russians. And you should also know that it is going to be a more widespread practice once we go fully digital. A leading banking official revealed last year that the digital banking system they are developing for the UK will include an ability to control what we spend our money on. It will, for instance be used to limit how much we can spend on meats and fuel for our cars. It can also be used to control the geographical areas where we can spend our money. This is no conspiracy theory. Those developing the system are open about it. In the near future the digital banking system will be linked to the climate change agenda and will be used to force changes to are behaviour. As in China, it will also be linked to a social credit system it which the scope of our buying and selling will be determined by our social credit score. So, this is what is coming and there is nothing we can do about it. That is why I am writing this so that you can be forewarned. And I am not the only Christian doing this. What we are witnessing is the setup of the financial system that the Antichrist will use during The Tribulation to control everyone’s buying and selling. It’s a control mechanism that he will use to force people to bend to his will and to bow down and worship him. However, this digital banking system can’t achieve this on its own. It needs to use other technologies that link all of us to this system and enables the system to be controlled by one man. And that is also in the process of being rapidly developed. The technology that will control the banking system is Artificial Intelligence which is now at a very advanced stage. And at the moment the technology that links us to the digital banking system is the smart phone. More and more people are using their smart phones for financial transactions and this is spreading rapidly. However, the ultimate solution that is currently being developed involves connecting our bodies to the digital financial system. For instance, in some countries, people are having RFID microchips implanted into their hands which connects them to the digital financial system. However, the ultimate goal, which is at an advanced state, is to connect the whole of our body, including our brain to the system. I believe that this is what the mark of the beast is. It is a technological system that connects us to the digital financial system through our hand or forehead. To me this is a nightmare in the making, but for the vast majority of people, including Christians, this is something they will gladly embrace. This is because they will believe the deception that will lead to its introduction and be totally lacking in discernment. So, how should be respond to what is coming? Well, firstly we should be aware that true Christians will be raptured well before the Antichrist uses this system. However, we might still be here when the world goes cashless and we could start to find our buying and selling controlled. If that happens, then we need to trust the Lord that He will take care of us, and He will. At the same time, we should warn everyone that the only way to escape what is coming is to believe in Jesus and get saved before the money trap is sprung on us and it’s too late. |
Ukraine – What Is Going On?1st April 2022 As I write this, there is a war raging in Ukraine between the Russians and the Ukrainians. The war began when the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, ordered his armed forces into Ukraine. This did not come as a surprise because Western politicians and NATO leaders were talking about it well before it happened. In fact, events had been leading up to it for years. So, what’s going on? If you listen to Western leaders, this is simply an unprovoked attack on a sovereign country by an evil tyrant. They have deliberately simplified the conflict into a fight between good and evil but that is very misleading. There’s more to it than that. They have deliberately painted a picture of the ‘holier than though West and Ukraine’ against the evil Russians. But the truth is that none of the parties involved are without blame and none of them have clean hands. For instance, NATO have been deliberately provoking Putin for years. They have been pushing their influence further and further east towards the Russian border and threatening Russia’s security. And Western politicians have been egging Ukraine along into thinking that they could become part of NATO and the European Union. This was never going to happen because there has been a brutal civil war in Ukraine for many years. In effect, Western leaders have been stirring things up for years and using the Ukrainians. At the same time Ukraine is far from innocent. Within Ukraine there is corruption, criminal gangs and Neo-Nazi groups at work. The Neo-Nazi groups are armed and have a great deal of influence. They are fanatical and racist. When the Ukrainian present came into power, he said he would tackle the corruption and the Neo-Nazi groups but he hasn’t. A large part of the Ukrainian population is Russian speaking but the Ukrainian government has treated these citizens badly. Eastern Ukraine is dominated by Russian speaking citizens and the Ukrainian authorities and military have been engaged in a brutal civil war against them. Huge numbers of these Russian speaking citizens have died in this internal conflict but the Western media barely mentions this. The militarised Neo-Nazi groups have played a huge part in the killing of these Russian speaking people. When Putin explained why he was sending in his armed forces, two of his objectives were to protect the Russian speaking people in Eastern Ukraine and to get rid of the Neo-Nazi groups because the Ukrainian government was not doing anything about these issues. However, none of this justifies Putin’s use of military force. And he’s no saint either. He presides over a brutal regime which is intolerant of dissent and free speech. He presides over a fake democracy in which he has absolute power. And just like Ukraine, Russia has a serious problem with corruption. So, my first answer to the question of what is going on is that this is not a war between good and evil, but evil against evil. So, as Christians it is wrong for us to take sides and to join in the Western vilification of the Russians. We should not be encouraging this war by taking sides; instead, we should be peacemakers, doing all we can to stop the war through peaceful means. And we should do all we can to help those on both sides who are suffering. We should not be waving flags or using the colours of either side and we should not be joining in the conflict. And finally, we should not be boycotting the goods and services of either side. To borrow the catchphrase of the comedian Jimmy Cricket, “And there’s more…” I now want to take a look at the consequences of this war and what it means for us. The Western globalists are using some of the same tactics for this war that they used during the fake pandemic over the past couple of years. The first of these is to create a narrative and then to censor anyone who does not go along with the narrative. So, they have suppressed Russian voices and anyone in the West who wants to say things that do not fit in with their narrative. This means that we are not getting a balanced and complete view of what is happening. The official narrative is extremely biased and the main stream media is very selective in what it reports and how it reports on the war. And on some occasions, they have told lies. Just as we did during the fake pandemic, we need to assume that the main stream media and Western leaders are lying to us and seek information from other trusted sources on the Internet. The next tactic they are using is to penalise those who are seen as the enemy. During the fake pandemic it was those who would not be vaccinated and this time it is Russians and their businesses. In other words, Western governments have been using banks and private corporations to stop lots of Russians from buying and selling. This should concern Christians because this is something that the Antichrist will do during The Tribulation. The globalists are moving rapidly towards introducing a global digital currency and under this system the banks will be able to control our buying and selling. They have also introduced an ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) system to banks and businesses which is being used to control who can trade with who. That is what is driving private corporations to stop trading with Russians. These two systems can be used against anyone, including Christians, who do not conform to their narrative. We are seeing this being trialled in the Ukraine conflict and we need to prepare for this being turned on Christians in the future. Just as we saw in the fake pandemic, Western leaders are accusing anyone who says anything that does not go along with their narrative as putting out misinformation and disinformation. This is then used to silence dissent and free speech. Dissent and free speech are vital for freedom and democracy and yet they are being suppressed again. And this is going to get worse. There is legislation going through the UK parliament that will destroy free speech and as Christians we should be concerned about it because it will be used against us in the future. As Christians we should be lovers of truth but in the future our government and the globalists will make it much harder to find it. One of the aims of the fake pandemic was to destroy Western economies through debt and pumping lots of money into the economy (quantitative easing). Experts warned that this would lead to hyperinflation and shortages of supplies. That started to happen before the war in Ukraine but the war is ramping it up and is likely to be the straw that breaks the Camel’s back. We are heading for a global financial crash very soon and when that happens, it will be very costly for us all. It will be used to introduce the digital currency and a global financial system that will have a massive, controlling impact on our lives. A global financial trap will soon be sprung on us and it will enslave us. Another consequence of the war in Ukraine is the mass migration of Ukrainians westward as they flee the conflict. One of the aims of the globalists and Western Marxists is to break down national boundaries and identities. One of the ways to achieve this is through mass migration. As the Ukrainian refugees move into Western countries they will bring with them their culture, values and behaviours. This will have a varying impact on the identities of those Western countries. For instance, Ireland is planning to invite 200,000 Ukrainians into their countries. This is a 5% increase in their population. This is bound to have an impact on Irish culture, making it less Irish. The mass migration will also have an economic and social impact on the host countries. Most Western economies are very fragile right now and the migration will make it worse. The mass migration will also put a strain on public services and create pressures that could lead to instability. God’s design for mankind is to have nations each with their own identity and culture. Mass migration goes against this so, as Christians, we should be wary of it. Instead of supporting mass migration, we should be encouraging the waring parties to stop fighting and restore peace. Finally, it is worth noting that the Covid measures have been abandoned universally and that all of the Western leaders have now got us all to focus on the war in Ukraine instead. This has taken our attention away from all the harm they did to us during the fake pandemic. This war is very convenient for our political leaders. It has given them an opportunity to keep us in fear and take our attention from what they have done and instead to get us to blame Putin for all of the difficulties we now face. We should not fall for this. This war in Ukraine has prompted some Christians to look at Bible prophecy to see if it has anything to say about what is happening. This has led some Christians to look at Ezekiel 38 & 39. Chapter 38 and part of chapter 39 describe a leader known as Gog of Magog who will come from the north and wage war against Israel. Other nations will join in this war against Israel. As they attack Israel, God will defeat them. Most prophecy scholars say that Magog is another name for modern Russia and that Gog is the leader of Russia. This war takes place in the last days and because we’re now in the last days, this has led some prophecy experts to wonder if Vladimir Putin is Gog and that at some time soon, he will turn his attention to the south and attack Israel. And they have good reason for thinking this. Putin sees himself as being divinely appointed to restore the greatness of Russia and he has shown his willingness to use military force to conquer lands. He has even made reference to himself as being the Gog of Magog. However, there is no evidence at the moment to show that he will attack Israel. So, we should not listen to those who are saying that he is Gog of Magog. However, he could become Gog and fulfil the prophecy in Ezekiel 38. So, we need to keep a watchful eye on what happens because, if Ezekiel 38 is about to be fulfilled, it means that the Tribulation is upon us very soon. And this means that we will soon be removed from the earth in The Rapture and this has enormous consequences for those who are Christians and those who are not. So, the war is Ukraine is really part of the process leading to a one world currency, one world religion and one world religion which the Anti-Christ will lead. And we are witnessing this happen before we are removed. Life is going to get very difficult for us and we need to be prepared. Our faith is going to be tested. Now, more than ever we need to read the Bible, pray and trust in the Lord. |
New Year Message – The End is Nigh1st January 2022 In my last New Year message, I explained that we are effectively at the end of the Church Age and that we are rapidly moving towards The Tribulation. Well, looking back at 2021, the process of preparing for The Tribulation has continued apace. In 2021 huge strides were made towards establishing a one world government, a global digital currency and a one world religion. In fact, 2021 showed us that a one world government is effectively already in place. In the West we tend to see governments as being formed as a result of democratic elections but that is not how the one world government is formed. The one world government as spoken of in biblical prophecy is a dictatorship imposed on everyone; it is not an elected body. This is because the one world government that will rule in The Tribulation is Satanic and will have total, unaccountable power over the entire world population. This one world government will be made of self-appointed, rich and powerful global elites. Such people already exist in the world and at the moment they are acting like puppeteers pulling the strings of world affairs. They are the ones who are setting the fake covid agenda and the fake climate change agenda. In fact, they are in control of all of the global institutions, governments and media. Then in 2021 it emerged that all of the world’s Central banks are preparing to introduce a global digital currency. Through this digital currency they will be able to track and control every financial transaction globally. The Central banks will work together and use the new digital banking system to control all buying and selling in the world. This is the fulfilment of biblical prophecy. And finally, in 2021 the move towards a one world religion took huge strides forward with the help of the Pope, the UN and the spread of Wokeism (Bablylonian religion). A man made and man-centred religion has rapidly been forming all over the world in 2021. This new Babylonian religion that has been forming will reject Yahweh as the true God and will make men into gods, ultimately leading to Satan as the god that the world will worship instead of Yahweh. So, what can we expect in 2022? Well, we can expect further steps by the global elites to prepare the world for the Antichrist and The Tribulation. We can expect a ramping up of the draconian oppression of the world’s population. The world will become much, much darker in 2022 as evil abounds like no other time since the time just before The Flood. So, what specific developments can we expect in 2022?
What I have described above is the establishment of a dystopian ‘new normal’ in which the vast majority of people will effectively become slaves to a very powerful, unelected global elite. In the future, all of our inalienable rights and freedoms will disappear. The population of the world will be reduced to make it easier to control us. Privacy will be a thing of the past. Our every move, our health and everything about us will be monitored and controlled. The sequence of steps to achieve this has already begun and most people have no idea that it’s happening. All of this is being done to prepare the world for the Antichrist who will, for a short time, rule the whole world during The Tribulation and there is nothing we can do to stop it from happening. In fact, we shouldn’t try to stop it because God has forewarned us that this will happen and that He is going to use it for His purposes. In knowing what’s coming, what should Christians do? There are a number of things that we should do. Firstly, we should prepare for it by studying the scriptures, praying for strong faith and by loosening our ties to the world. Secondly, we should try to warn people about what’s coming. And thirdly, we should urgently share the Gospel with as many people as possible. And above all we should not be afraid because the Lord is with us. |
Christmas Message – The Meaning of Christmas24th December 2021 What is Christmas? To most people, Christmas is a mid-winter festival; a highlight in the dark days of winter. It is a time for giving gifts and greetings cards, for eating and drinking to excess, to partying and seeing family and friends. It’s a time when we put up decorations and festive lights in our homes and streets and a time when we tell our children about a fictional character calla Santa Claus. It’s a time for family traditions and sitting together around a television to watch the Queen’s Speech and Bond movies. Christmas is very commercial as well. It is a time when many businesses make a lot of money out of Christmas. And in these days, we now have the government telling us to do certain things in order to save Christmas. It is used by the government to threaten us with the cancellation of Christmas if we don’t do what they say. They do this because they know that Christmas is an important event for most people. Everything I have said above about Christmas is true but it’s not what it is meant to be. Christmas is meant to be a time when we celebrate the birth of Jesus. The reason why it’s not what it is meant to be is because a long time ago, during the Roman Empire, Christianity got mixed with a Pagan Winter festival which took place on the 25th December. So, the Christmas that most people know and love is a Pagan festival. Jesus was not born on the 25th December and there was no snow on the ground or a Christmas tree or anything else that we associate with Christmas. The part of Christianity that was added to the Pagan festival was the Nativity story but for most people today it’s just a nice story. They have no idea what it means or where it comes from. So, for true Christians, it doesn’t matter if we save Christmas or not because it’s got nothing to do with Christianity. The threats of the government to obey their diktats to save Christmas mean nothing to us. So, lets forget about this Pagan festival and give our attention to the birth of Jesus instead. Why is the birth of Jesus so important to us as Christians? When Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary about 2,000 years ago, God’s only begotten Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. God’s Son, Jesus, came down from heaven and became like us in every away apart from sinning. He came and experienced everything that we experience apart from sin. He experienced all of our emotions, he experienced our suffering and pain, our struggles, our triumphs and heartaches. He experienced injustice and rejection. He saw our divisions, our politics, our greed, our hopes and ambitions, our weaknesses, our affections and our kinds of love. In short, by dwelling amongst us, Jesus knows what it means to be human. He is no distant, uncaring God. Instead, He is compassionate and merciful, patient and kind and above all else He loves us more than we could ever understand. That’s why the birth of Jesus is important to us and that’s what we should really be celebrating at this time of year. Peace be with you. Mike and Suzanne Ashton |
The Purpose Of Our Lives21st November 2021 I pray…….that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. Ephesians 1:17 Mark Twain once said, ‘The two most important days of your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.’ For the Christian the day you find out why you were born is the day you are born again. On that day you have a divine purpose for your life. If you are reading this and you are a Christian, do you know what the purpose of your life is? If you don’t know, then let me see if I can help you. Often when someone is asked to introduce themselves their response will usually include a description of what they do. For young people this will often be about their schooling and the things they are studying, for many adults this will be their employment and for retired people this will be a list of their activities in retirement. In essence they are saying that their purpose in life is about their activities. So, if someone works as a bricklayer, they will say that their purpose in life is to lay bricks. And this same correlation between activities and purpose is often true in the life of a Christian. A Christian might say of their Christian life that they lead worship, they sing in the choir, they preach, they evangelise, they pastor, they provide refreshments or hospitality, they are a missionary or they have a particular office in the church such as a deacon to name but a few. Or they might express their purpose in terms of a dream, vision or desire they have for their life; something that they are aiming for. But those Christians who say these things don’t understand what their true purpose in life is. I remember David Watson explaining what it is to be a Christian and he said that it was all about relationships; our relationship with God and our relationship with people. He got this from the mouth of Jesus when He answered the question about the greatest commandment. He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, you shall love your neighbour as yourself.” Notice that loving God comes first. Keep that in mind as I turn to the text I started with. In that great prayer in Chapter 1 of Ephesians, Paul prays that they will grow in knowledge. I like the way that the NIV translation puts it when Paul prays that they may know him better. Notice that Paul does not pray they will not know about him but that they will know him. I can know about someone whilst not knowing them personally. There is a world of difference between having some knowledge about someone and actually knowing them in a personal relationship. You can’t truly know someone until you have spent time with them. For instance, my wife knows me so well that she can almost read my mind. So, what Paul is actually praying for is that Christians will grow in their personal relationship (knowledge) of God. In Ephesians 1:17 we see what our true purpose in life is once we have been born again. Our true purpose is to grow in our knowledge of God by having a loving relationship with Him. And if that’s all we ever do, then we have fulfilled our purpose in life. Having said that, it is inevitable that our loving relationship with Him will lead to other things. From that loving relationship all else flows like the activities we engage in. So, for instance, the only reason why we should be evangelising is because we love God. When we love God we understand His heart, we know how He wants us to live our lives and what He wants us to do. Our relationship with Him does not exist in a vacuum. It affects us, it changes us, it determines what we do. It’s not the other way round. Our activities do not cause us to know Him better. In fact, they can often do the opposite and diminish our relationship with Him. So, the next time someone asks you who you are or what you do you should answer them by saying that you are a Christian who is getting to know God better. |
Tares Among Wheat14th November 2021 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?’ “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’ The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. “Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”” Matthew 13:24-30 This is one of a number of parables in which Jesus spoke about the kingdom and just like the parable of the sower, it comes with an explanation from Jesus. We find the explanation in verses 36 to 43. In His explanation, Jesus tells us that the good seed represents believers (Christians) and the tares represent unbelievers. It is Jesus who sows the believers and the Devil who sows the unbelievers. The sowing of the seeds by both parties occurs in the current age that we are living in known as the Church Age and the harvest occurs at the end of the Church Age. Prior to the harvest, the tares and the wheat grow side by side and are hard to tell apart because they are both green and have a similar appearance. However, as harvest approaches their appearance becomes distinct. The tares become black and the wheat become golden. Jesus tells us that the harvest occurs at the end of this age. At that time, it is easy to distinguish between the tares and the wheat and they are separated by the angels. The tares are judged and thrown into the fire (Hell) and the wheat go through into the barn (the millennial kingdom). Along with other teachings by Jesus, this parable warns us that the Devil plants false Christians amongst true Christians. This has been going on since the beginning of the Church and is still going on today. The false Christians are planted in the Church in order to do harm in all sorts of ways but most of all by corrupting the Church through false teachings and practices. These false Christians often get into places of influence such as leaders of churches and theological colleges. A friend of mine who was familiar with theological colleges thirty years ago was alarmed at the way that many false teachers were getting into evangelical colleges and evangelical Christians were standing by and letting it happen. These false Christians were then having a bad influence on the next generation of church leaders. I could give many more examples. Over the many years that I have been a Christian I have become more and more aware of how widespread this problem of tares among the wheat is. There are far more tares in the Church than most people realise and most true Christians lack the ability to identify the tares. This is partly through ignorance and partly through a lack of maturity. Most true Christians don’t have a proper understanding of what I call the marks of a Christian. Please see my teaching on ‘The Authentic Marks of a Christian’ which tells you what to look for in a true Christian. As a result of their ignorance most Christians tolerate false Christians in their midst and allow them to have a bad influence. In my life time I have seen a massive increase in the prevalence and influence of tares in the church to the point were most of the Church has become utterly corrupt. The extent of false teaching and the depth of its depravity has plumbed depths never seen before. And more than ever before, the blackened tares are really standing out. And what is exposing them? The answer is the events of the world at this time such as the woke agenda, the racism agenda, the false pandemic and the false climate change agenda. Those Christians today who are familiar with biblical prophecy are asking are we in the last days, is this the end of the age? Well, this parable helps us to answer that question because Jesus describes what happens at the end of the age when the harvest occurs. At the end of the age, it is easy to spot the false Christians and that’s where we are today. False Christians are being exposed on a grand scale in our time. All around us we find people who we thought were true Christians being exposed as false Christians. It’s a shocking revelation because of the shear scale of it. The true Christians are now being shown to be very small in number; a mere remnant. So, what we learn from this parable is that it is harvest time, that we truly are at the end of the age. |
Identity18th October 2021 Our identity is very important to us. It affects our whole way of life, the way we think and everything we do. We only have one true identity and that is the one that God gave us as our creator. However, most people in this world live under a false identity and many Christians do so too. The true identity that God gave to all human beings is as follows. We are valuable to Him but we’re flawed. We’re made in His image, yet we’re sinners. We’re talented and gifted but we’re week. And despite our flaws and weaknesses, He still loves and values us. So much so, that He gave His only begotten Son to die for us. However, when we are born again, our identity changes and the details of our new identity are found in the scriptures. The bible tells us that we are a new creation. In other words, we have a new identity. The old man has died and a new man is born. There are many changes to our identity that take place when we are born again but I don’t want to dwell on them here. I leave that to you to read your bible to find out what they are. Instead, I want to concentrate on the false identities that Christians sometimes live under. Understanding who we are in Christ is vital to our Christian life. If you don’t know who you are you won’t know where you are going. If you don’t know where you came from you don’t know where you are at the present. Christians who don’t know who they are, live with a false identity. If you don’t know God’s plan for you, if you don’t know God’s mission for you, if you don’t know what He wants from your life, if you don’t know the gifts that He has given you, then Satan will prey on that. He will be able to give you a false identity. Satan hates us. He can’t take away our salvation but he can ruin us. One of Satan’s tactics is to persuade us to live under a different identity to the one that God has given us. He wants to steal your real identity from being made in the image of God to being made in the image of an animal. He wants you to think of yourself as nothing more than an animal, that you’re just flesh and blood. If you are a Christian, he will try to deceive you in order to rob you of your true identity. He does this by blinding or taking you away from all the passages in scripture that speak of your true identity. He is only able to do this to us when we are ignorant of our true identity as found in the scriptures. When Christians don’t read their bible and don’t know their true and full identity, they become vulnerable to Satan’s deceptions. So, what are the false identities that Satan wants all human beings, including Christians, to have? There are a lot of them. Examples include the following: ‘I don’t matter’, ‘I’m not valuable’, ‘I’m all messed up’, ‘I’m a failure’, ‘I’m ashamed of what I’ve done’, ‘I’m a know it all’, ‘I have to be in control’, ‘I have to perform’, ‘my identity is in my work’, ‘my identity comes from helping people’ and ‘I need to be needed’. These false identities affect the way you live your life. So, for instance, if someone’s identity is all about being in control they will not operate in faith. Another example of a false identity is one of self-protection. This usually comes about as a result of a traumatic event. When this happens to someone, they often vow never to put themselves in that position again. People with this identity tend to have a bunker mentality, they tend to be withdrawn and they live in fear. This has the effect of limiting their lives and in extreme cases it ruins their life. Part of our true identity as Christians is knowing that God provides our security and protection. And another example of a false identity is the victim identity. When we are hurt God’s way of dealing with it is to acknowledge what has happened and then to heal or restore us. He wants us to get on with our lives. One of the characteristics of our Christian identity is that we are to live life to the full for example. However, Satan doesn’t want this. He wants to leave us broken and to have a victim mentality for the rest of our lives. He does this in order to make us useless. And yet, God’s identity for us is to be servants, to be salt and light, to be ambassadors and to use our gifts and talents. I hope you’re beginning to see how important our identity is. All false identities are harmful to us and rob us of the life that God wants us to have. But the identity that God gave us is liberating and fruitful. It brings us peace and rest, it enables us to do all that God wants for us, it makes us strong, it enables us to operate in faith and it enables us to face all that life throws at us. So, if you find that you are living under a false identity you should ask the Lord to change you into His identity for you. And please, please do not conform to the patterns of this world. We are living in a time when there are massive attacks in this world on the true identity of human beings. Do not go along with them. |
Darkness Over The Whole Earth1st August 2021 Never in the history of mankind has evil been done to so many by so few. Over the past 16 months I have found myself increasingly becoming a watchman on the wall. What I mean by this is that I have been watching the activities of our enemy (Satan) and warning God’s people about what he is up to and what he has planned for the near future. What I have also observed is that a minority of people and organisations are perpetrating a great deal of evil against the majority. What is going on is truly, truly wicked and the vast majority of people, including Christians, are oblivious to it. In my blogs and on social media I have been pointing out what is going on but nobody is listening. Nevertheless, I will not give up trying to reveal the truth. There are some Christians who are hoping for a revival but that is not going to happen. We are now in what Jesus called the birth pangs which come right at the end of this age. And once the birth pangs have begun there is no going back. The birth pangs are leading towards The Tribulation, not revival. The Lord is letting evil abound and get increasingly worse. He is letting sinful man have his evil way. And at the same time, He is giving sinful man a strong delusion so as to believe the lies of Satan. And all of this will lead to God’s wrath being poured out in The Tribulation. At this time, Satan is being allowed to put in place a counterfeit kingdom. The features of this evil kingdom will be the exact opposite of the kingdom of Jesus. For instance, the kingdom of Jesus is characterised by truth, peace, love, unit, justice and grace. But Satan’s kingdom is characterised by lies, violence, hatred, division, injustice and bondage. And that is what is unfolding before our eyes. And the main method Satan is using to put in place his counterfeit kingdom is the fake pandemic that is affecting the whole world. Those behind the fake pandemic are few in number and belong to a small number of organisations. These people are utterly evil and they are out to bring about the collapse of nations, to reduce the population of the earth through mass genocide and to enslave and control the masses. To achieve this, they have created a fake pandemic in order to get everyone jabbed with a toxic substance that is not a vaccine and to enable them to introduce population control measures which bring about enslavement. Their plan is going very well and we are only months away from a point of no return. And I am not making this up. There is an enormous amount of evidence that is available to prove everything I have said for those who take the trouble to do the research. So, be warned, the whole earth is in darkness and it’s going to get much, much worse. It’s time to get closer to Jesus than ever before. |
Jab, Jab, Jab8th June 2021 Why are world leaders pushing so hard to inject all adults and teenagers with the so-called COVID-19 vaccine? No medical procedure has ever been pushed so hard in human history. Every conceivable method is being employed to push these jabs on everyone. Almost all politicians, medical professionals and scientists are putting immense pressure on people to get the jab. People are being bullied, threatened, coerced and bribed into getting the jab. The general population have had all of their inalienable rights and freedoms taken away and told that they can only have them back if they get the jab. And all of this because of a supposed pandemic. But there is no pandemic. There are lots of statistics available to back up what I have just said. There is a common virus circulating around the population but again the statistics show that it is no worse than the flu. This SARS virus known as COVID-19 is being massively exaggerated by governing authorities and certain doctors, scientists and public health professionals. So, what’s going on? It doesn’t make any sense, does it? Well, it does make sense actually if you know what is really going on. The Coronavirus crisis has been manufactured by certain globalist elites in order to achieve certain goals they have in mind. Their ultimate goal is to create a one-world government with a one-world digital currency and a one-world religion. There is plenty of evidence for this and it fits in perfectly with end time prophecies. To achieve this goal, they have to take gradual steps towards it. The first step was to create a global crisis. This started with the fake global warming crisis and then they created a fake pandemic. Using fear, manipulation and lies they got the masses to believe that there was a severe life-threatening pandemic. This set up the means to achieve their next goals which are control, tracking, a digital ID and enslavement (loss of personal liberty). This is a carefully executed plan co-ordinated on a global scale. The people doing this are not hiding their plans. So, how do the jabs fit into this plan? Firstly, you need to understand that the Covid-19 jabs have got nothing to do with protecting us against a deadly virus; they don’t do that. The real purpose of the jabs is to help the global elites achieve certain goals. These are to make the global elites richer and the rest of us poorer, to control the masses and to depopulate the earth. One of the goals of the global elites is to drastically reduce the population of the earth to make it easier to exercise control. The jabs will help to achieve this because they will kill many people. The jabs are dangerous and toxic. Already many people have died from the jabs. There is no medical justification for jabbing everyone with this stuff. So, the only reason for doing it is to achieve the goals I have set out above. Ultimately, what lies behind all of this is Satan who is trying to destroy humanity and usurp God with his one-world system. As Christians we need to know the Word of God and exercise spiritual discernment. If you do this you will be able to see as I do that this Coronavirus crisis is pure evil and that we should not be part of it. |
Transhumanism3rd June 2021 Transhumanism is a Satanic idea designed to destroy our humanity. In its modern form it seeks to mix human flesh with technology. Man was made in the image of God but those who are pushing the transhumanism agenda seek to usurp God and create man in their own image. They reject God’s design and want to create humans who are no longer human in the way that God intended. It is a Satanic plan because it seeks to destroy God’s human creation and it also seeks to break the relationship between man and God and to interfere with the covenants God has made with man. God will not allow this to happen. He will not allow this evil plan to destroy the whole of humanity. As in the days of Noah He will intervene and bring judgement upon the earth. The huge transhumanism push at this time by the likes of the World Economic Forum is further proof that we are very close to the end of this age and the start of The Tribulation. I have provided two links below to two excellent videos about transhunamism. The first one is from a Rhodium channel on Brand New Tube called Dare To Fly and the other is from Chuck Missler who is an excellent Christian teacher. They both provide more details. https://brandnewtube.com/watch/what-is-the-transhumanist-agenda_RnLmdLzMZJDkNmE.html |
Strength In A Time Of Darkness26th May 2021 Right now, we are living in the Last Days of the Church Age, the days immediately before the Tribulation. The world is in darkness as wickedness abounds; as in the days of Noah. The Church all over the world is being persecuted by way of government restrictions on its activities. And as we move forward life is going to get much worse for Christians. We will be pressured more and more into compromising on our faith and our trust in God will be tested as never before. We risk becoming despairing as we feel helpless in the face of growing evil. Many of the psalms will be even more relevant to our present-day experiences. To be able to cope with what’s coming, to resist temptation and not to despair, we need to be strong in our faith. We need to be immersed in the scriptures and walking in the Spirit as never before. And above all else we will need a strong assurance. Therefore, I recommend studying and putting into practice what the Apostle Paul tells us in Romans Chapter 8. Incidentally, I have been wanting to preach a series of sermons on Romans 8 lately but nobody wants to know. |
What The Church Is Meant To Be Like24th April 2021 I have recently listened to Roger Price’s teachings about the ‘Baptism of the Holy Spirit’ and ‘The Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ which are part of his ‘Essentials for Growth’ series. You can learn more about Roger by going to the Recordings page on this website. It is part of the Resources section. As I listened to what he was saying it was clear that the church he was part of were putting everything he said into practice. His church was Chichester Christian Fellowship. They were full of the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Holy Spirit were in common use. It reminded me of what the Church was like at the beginning as we read of in The Book of Acts and the Letters and it was glorious. Sadly, I don’t know of a single church that is like this anymore. The Church was always meant to be full of the power of the Holy Spirit through the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and it was always meant to use the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. This is what makes the Church so extraordinary and effective. It is part of the essential character of the Church. The Church was always meant to be spiritually powerful, miraculous and utterly life changing. It was meant to be a powerful witness of the existence of God. Sadly, today the Church is none of this. This has come about through widespread false teaching about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is also the result of outright rebellion in the Church against God’s Word. It breaks my heart to see what has happened to the Church in my lifetime. And if it does this to me how much more does the Holy Spirit grieve. |
The God Ordained Role Of Government2nd March 2021 I have provided a link below to a video on YouTube of a sermon that was preached by Pastor James Coates on 14th February 2021. James Coates is the pastor of GraceLife Church in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. He was arrested 2 days after preaching this sermon and is currently in jail awaiting trial in May. He was not arrested for preaching the sermon but for putting into practice what he preached. James Coates is a rare example of a true pastor. This sermon should be listened to by all Church leaders and they should follow James Coates’s example. Sadly, the vast majority of pastors and elders are not following his example and are being disobedient to God. This is a shameful state of affairs. |
Intelligence About Your Enemy28th January 2021 Right now, we are in the midst of a global spiritual battle and more than ever we need to use the armour that the Apostle Paul taught about in Ephesians 6. Once, when I preached on the armour of God from Ephesians, some people responded by saying that we don’t need it because Satan is defeated. If that’s the case, then why did Paul go to the trouble of teaching us about spiritual warfare and the use of God’s armour. The truth is that we have always been in a spiritual battle, both as individual Christians and as the Church. But in our time that battle has just got much bigger because it is on a global scale. As we engage in this global spiritual war, we need to stand firm and defend ourselves using the full armour of God which in essence is the truth of the Word of God. But in order to use the armour we need to know what the enemy’s plan is and the tactics and methods he is using to attack us. And make no mistake, he is attacking us. By the enemy I mean Satan and his demonic forces. If we don’t know what he’s doing we are likely to fall victim to him. So, how do we find out what our enemy is up to? Through prayer and the leading of the Holy Spirit we need to find reliable sources of information. Bearing in mind that our enemy is using lots of means to deceive us and lie to us, we need to be careful where we get our information from. I have been doing this ever since the Coronavirus scam began last year and I would like to share my findings with you. Firstly, you should not listen to the government and those working for them. They are using propaganda, psychology and social engineering on a huge scale to deceive us and to achieve their hidden agenda. In addition, you should not listen to the main stream media (television and newspapers) because they are deceiving us and sticking to the false government narrative. And finally, you should avoid conspirators who make claims without evidence. Instead, you should only listen to those who provide evidence to back up what they are saying. So far, I have told you who you should not listen to. Now let me provide you with a list of those that I recommend you should listen to: J D Farag Brandon Holthaus Dr Vernon Coleman Hugo Talks UK Column There are places where you can find out what the enemy is really up to, but these are the ones I most recommend. |
Fear Not21st January 2021 I’ve provided a link below to a video on YouTube published by Northern Exposure and available on the UK Column news channel. It is the best speech that I have heard in a long term. I recommend that you listen to what David Scott has to say because it has an important message for us in our time. |
What’s Coming?14th January 2021 I want to take a look at what is going to happen in 2021. This is not a prophecy, although I have taken biblical prophecy about this time into account. What I have to say is also based on my reading of the signs of the times and what we know about what the global elite are planning. Right now, we are in the midst of a slow but deliberate world coup. A coup that will lead to a slave like existence for most of the world’s population, a total loss of privacy, a loss of freedom, a loss of free speech and an existence based of lies and deception by those in control. At this point in time, we are in the early stages of the what the Bible calls the birth pangs and in 2021 this will intensify and get more severe. The life we had is lost forever and the ‘new normal’ is upon us. The whole world is moving towards a Marxist system. This is being facilitated by the climate change hoax and the Coronavirus plandemic. This new global system is sometimes called the New World Order or the Great Reset. These are not conspiracy theories; they are real and out in the open. In Bible prophecy this is known as the One World Government. This is the system that is set up for the Antichrist to use in The Tribulation and The Tribulation is the 7-year period of judgement upon the earth which is truly terrifying. With that in mind, what can we expect in 2021? Firstly, we will see a huge increase in censorship and loss of free speech. Anyone who questions or challenges the official narrative will be silenced even if what they are saying is true. This is already happening. The restrictions on our freedoms will continue indefinitely, even with the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccines. We will never get our freedoms back. Those in power will try to force everyone to have the vaccine. At first, they will use coercion by linking it to our ability to work or access goods and services. If that doesn’t work, they will make it legally mandatory. We will lose the fundamental right to determine for ourselves what goes into our bodies. Many more people will die this year than normal but not because of the Coronavirus but because of the actions being taken by those in authority. There will be a huge increase in poverty because of the actions of those in authority. Huge numbers of small to medium size businesses will go bust and huge numbers of people will become unemployed. National economies all over the world will be trashed and social cohesion will be broken and this is deliberate. The world will be left with a relatively small number of huge corporations providing all of the goods and services. It is likely that a basic minimum income will be introduced all over the world and that moves will be made to eliminate private property. It is likely that cash will be taken away and we will move to a digital currency and digital transactions. Many Western nations will be turned into police states using heavy handed police tactics to control the population. Surveillance and the tracking of our movements will increase in 2021 all in the name of safety. Smart phones will play a big part in this. And last, but by no means least, we will see an increase in the persecution of Christians all over the world. Churches will be forced to close and biblical church activity will all but cease. We will continue to see true Christians and false Christians being exposed for what they are. The false Christians and false churches (otherwise known as apostate churches) will go along with the evil plan that is unfolding in our time. The true Christians and true churches will continue to obey God and will face persecution. What I’ve described sounds terrible and there are many Christians who are distressed and angry about what is happening and what is to come. They feel powerless and that’s where God wants them to be. We are in a holy war and more than any other time we need to stand on the promises of God and put our complete trust in Him. No matter how bad it gets He will look after us and at just the right time He will rescue us. Jesus will come for His bride, the Church, and take us out of here. So, fear not, stand firm and watch with amazement as end times biblical prophecy comes to pass before our very eyes. |
New Year Message – The End of the Age1st January 2021 In my last two New Year messages I have talked about a growing darkness over the world and I hoped that this would be turned around by the Church. But that hasn’t happened and things became much, much darker in 2020. This time last year I had no idea what was going to happen globally. I knew that apostasy was widespread in the church and that this was a sign of the end of the age but I had no idea just how close we were to the end. By the end of the age, I mean the Church Age which we have been in since the Feast of Pentecost in Acts chapter 2. When the Coronavirus issue began in 2020, I knew that something significant was happening but I didn’t know what it was. But gradually I came to see what it was all about. I realised that a great deception was taking place and that the virus was being used to prepare the way for a Great Reset that would lead to a one world government, one world digital currency and a one world religion. And all of this is prophesied in the Bible for the end times. The measures being taken to supposedly tacking the Coronavirus were in fact designed to condition us for a “new normal” that will take away our freedoms and subject us to oppressive control and tracking. And what has amazed me is how the vast majority of the people in the world have believed the lie, including the majority of Christians. Again, this is something that the Bible talks about as part of the end times experience. What has happened globally across the world is truly demonic and the amazing thing is that most of the Church has gone along with it. Most of the modern church is totally lacking in discernment and biblical knowledge. The 2020 plandemic has shown that there are basically two types of church these days; the Philadelphian Church and the Laodicean Church. The Laodicean Church is by far the biggest part of Christendom and the Philadelphian Church is very small. See Revelation Chapter 3 to see what I mean. The Laodicean Church has gone along with the lie and the Philadelphian Church has not. I knew that most of the modern church was rotten but I didn’t realise just how bad it was. And the most shocking thing for me is seeing the churches which I thought were sound going along with the lie. One of the conclusions I have come to in 2020 is that the Church Age is effectively over with just a remnant remaining true but restricted. The witness of the church has all but come to an end. So, what can we expect going forward into 2021? Firstly, things are going to get much worse. Those Christians who believe that the Coronavirus will be defeated and we will go back to the way we were a year ago are living in cloud cuckoo land. In 2021 and for the rest of this age, the church will continue to be suppressed and will never be free to function as it used to. Global persecution of the Church began in 2020 and it will be stepped up considerably in 2021. When Joe Biden becomes the president of the USA, the process towards a one world government, etc will speed up considerably, free speech will be taken away, a global financial collapse will take place and those pushing for the so-called Great Reset will have their way. We will rush headlong into a Marxist type new world order which will be horrendous for most people. And all of this will prepare the way for the Antichrist spoken of in the Bible. For unbelievers the future is going to be terrifyingly awful, especially when The Tribulation begins, which is nearer than most people realise. For believers the near future is going to be awful but not as bad as it will be for unbelievers. We are in the 11th hour of the Church Age and for those of us who believe in Jesus this is an exciting time. Why? Because Jesus (the bridegroom) is coming for His bride the Church) very soon. And when he does, we will be taken away from this awful world. There is nothing for us to fear. Even though we are living in an ever darkening, evil world, we have great hope, knowing that we will be taken out of here. That glorious day is almost upon us. It is time to do what Jesus said we should do at this time: “When these things begin to take place, straighten up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:28) |
The Plandemic1st November 2020 So, you think the global Coronavirus outbreak is a natural pandemic that began in 2019 in Wuhan, China. Well, think again; it is not a pandemic it is a plandemic. It did not occur naturally; it was planned years ago and the crisis surrounding this man-made crisis is being deliberately orchestrated. Those who planned it and are orchestrating it have evil plans; they are using it to introduce global authoritarian control over the masses, they are using it as a way to bring in global governance, to track our every movement, to reduce the earth’s population and to get rid of free speech and establish global censorship. It is the first step towards what they call the New World Order or what the Book of Revelation describes as a one world government. As Christians we should be gravely concerned about this because of the impact it is having upon the Church and upon us as believers. Now, I am not making this up. It is not a figment of my imagination. None of the things I have said above are secrets; they are out in the open for all to see if we would just make the effort to do the research. Many Christians and unbelievers have done the research and published their findings. Many hundreds of doctors and scientists around the world can see what is really happening and they have tried to warn us but they are being censored and marginalised. I have put a link below to one of the many examples of reports out there which expose what is really going on. I urge you to click on the link and wake up to what this plandemic is really all about. |
The Great Barrington Declaration18th October 2020 The government and their scientists are lying to us about the seriousness of the COVID-19 virus and the measures needed to deal with it. They are deliberately creating unnecessary fear, misrepresenting the statistics and, although they claim that the draconian measures are based on science, there is no science behind the measures being taken. They would have us believe that the lockdowns, mask wearing, social distancing and other restrictions imposed on us all are the only way to deal with the virus but that is not true. Many doctors and scientists offer an alternative way of dealing with the virus and their way really is based on science. Three leading doctors and scientists have produced a document, supported by many other eminent doctors and scientists, that sets out the true scientific way to deal with COVID-19. It is called the Great Barrington Declaration. As Christians we should always stand up for the truth and that is why I am urging all Christians to sign the declaration and help to shine some light on the darkness that has been imposed on us all. You can find the Great Barrington Declaration by clicking on the link below. The Great Barrington Declaration |
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee19th September 2020 It’s time for Christians to wake up and smell the coffee. We are living in truly evil times and most Christians are living in dream land, completely unaware of what’s really going on. They think that the Coronavirus crisis happened naturally and that it will be over soon. They are wrong. The Coronavirus crisis that is in full swing globally did not occur naturally. It was planned years ago. It is not a pandemic; it’s a plandemic. According to a virologist who worked for the World Health Organisation, COVID-19 is a manmade virus, created in a military laboratory in Wuhan. She says that she has proof that it is not natural. Regardless of whether or not the virus is natural, all of the activities associated with it were planned years ago. There are powerful global forces at work whose stated aims are to reduce the population of the earth, control the masses, take control of all of the earth’s resources, create a single monetary system, create a one world religion and set up a one world government. The means to these ends are the global warming hoax and the coronavirus hoax. They are using fear, lies, propaganda and censorship to trick us all and get us to comply with their plans. I am not making this up and I’ve not lost my mind. All of the evidence is out there for anyone who wants to take the trouble to do the research. All you need to do is look into the United Nation’s Agenda 21, the World Economic Forum’s Great Reset, the Club of Rome and the Blair Faith Foundation for example. I would also recommend that you look up Dr Vernon Coleman (vernoncoleman.com) and J D Farag (Hawaiian pastor). Dr Coleman produces regular videos about the coronavirus hoax which can be found on the video platform Brand New Tube. J D Farag produces weekly prophecy updates from his church in Hawaii which are available on YouTube at the moment. He provides the same kind of information as Dr Coleman but from a biblical prophecy point of view. What we are witnessing is a global coup designed to change the world into a kind of hell on earth for most of us. You can find out much more about what’s really going on from Dr Coleman and J D Farag. Although there are certain individuals and organisations behind the Coronavirus hoax, the real driving force is Satan. Satan is masterminding a global plan that will prepare the world for the Antichrist and we are witnessing the first steps. He is creating a new world order, otherwise known as the ‘new normal’. Part of his plan is to silence and disable the church. The restrictions being imposed on the church around the world are truly demonic. And those Christians and their churches who are bowing down to these demonic restrictions are collaborating with the Devil. But this should come as no surprise. For decades now, most of the Church has been becoming more and more apostate. And what this plandemic has done is expose just how rotten most of the church is. However, God has always made sure that there is a remnant of true believers no matter how bad things get and that is just as true today. There are some leaders and their churches who have not bowed down to Satan’s plan despite being under great pressure. Most notable among them are J D Farag and Calvary Chapel in Hawaii and John MacArthur and Grace Community Church on Los Angeles. Anyone who thinks that the church is going to be allowed to go back to the way it was are living in cloud cuckoo land. We will never get our religious freedom back. Not only that, things are going to get much worse in every way. Time is running out; what’s happening now is just the start of a truly wicked plan for mankind. Wake up you sleepers and smell the coffee. |
Forsake Not The Assembly26th July 2020 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. In verse 25 above the writer to the Hebrews gives a command not to forsake the assembling together of the Church. The words, ‘assembling together’ are translated from the Greek word, ‘episynagoge’ which actually means ‘to gather together in one place’. This is what the church is meant to do; to gather together in one place. This means that we must meet in one geographical place or location such as a building or a place outside such as a field, a park or a beach. However, most churches today are meeting online with the various members scattered around in different places, usually their homes. Churches that do this are disobeying God. Notice that the writer to the Hebrews says that the command to assemble together is even more important as we see the day drawing near. The ‘day’ that the writer is referring to is the Day of the Lord or the Second Coming. And anyone who does what Jesus told us to and observes the signs of the times can be in no doubt that the ’Day’ is very, very close right now. We are moving rapidly towards The Tribulation and the Second Coming. And because we are so close, Satan wants to stop the Church from functioning as it ought to. That is what is happening right now all around the world. And that’s what lies behind the restrictions being imposed upon us. It is exactly this situation that the writer to the Hebrews had in mind. So, those Christians who want to obey God must stop meeting online and start to assemble together. That’s what I’m doing. Will you join me? And if you live in the Manchester area and you want to assemble together with me, just get in touch with me through the Contact page on this site. |
It’s Over18th July 2020 The Church Age is over. Yes, I am convinced that the Church Age is over. The Church Age began on the day that Jesus rose from the dead and it will end when the Church is Raptured (see my teaching on the Rapture). Although the Rapture of the Church has not happened yet, the Church is no longer functioning as it should and has effectively come to an end for good. I say this because I am convinced that the government will never allow the Church to function as it should ever again; that is, to be the Church that is described in the Word of God (the Bible). When the Coronavirus outbreak began earlier this year, some church leaders thought that it had been sent by God as a judgement upon the earth in order to bring millions to faith in Jesus. However, they could not have been further from the truth. They were missing the point completely. The virus was not sent by God. What they should have been looking at were the actions being taken by governments all around the world in response to the outbreak. Covid-19 is just another virus that is no more dangerous than the annual flu outbreak and yet the measures imposed on us are extreme and totally unnecessary. They are totally disproportionate to the threat posed by Covid-19. And that’s because the real purpose of the measures has nothing to do with the virus. The virus is simply being used as an excuse to introduce them. The measures are really about the manipulation and control of the masses. The threat from the virus has been deliberately exaggerated in order to get us to accept the loss of our freedoms and to give enormous, dictatorial power to governments. There are powerful forces at work preparing the world for a one-world government (as prophesied in the Book of Revelation) and we are witnessing the first steps designed to move us towards that goal. We are seeing the birth pangs that Jesus spoke about in Matthew chapter 24. The measures being forced upon us are evil. They are designed to make us fearful. Fear does not come from God. The most common words spoken by Jesus to his disciples in the Gospels were ‘fear not’. The fear being instilled in us by governments, scientists and the main stream media is designed to get us to agree to being controlled. The social distancing, virtual house arrests, quarantining and isolation are designed to keep us apart and harm us mentally. The lockdown or closing down of the economy was designed to cause financial ruin and create despair and anarchy. The introduction of tracking systems is designed to get us used to having our every move followed and to take away our privacy so that we can be controlled and manipulated. The measures being imposed on us will cause the breakdown of society, they will cause enormous health problems in the future and horrendous financial suffering for millions and finally, they will cause many people to die prematurely (far more than Covid-19). And these measures will not be lifted soon; they will remain in place to some extent for a long time. That is why I say they are evil. And the most astonishing thing to me is that most people can’t see what is really happening. We are being manipulated and lied to and most people can’t see it. Now, it comes as no surprise to me that unbelievers would not see the truth but what shocks me is that most Christians can’t see it. Most Christians have completely bought the lie and think that all the measures are necessary and that it will all end soon. They are deluded. It will not end soon; in fact, it is going to get worse. The government has shut the church down and most Christians have accepted it. I’ve even heard some Christians saying how wonderful the lockdown has been, as if it was a gift from God. Most churches have moved online, creating virtual churches. But this is unbiblical and is not true church. We should not be doing this. Many Christians positively embrace and relish what the government has done to the Church. So, as I say, it amazes me that most people, including Christians, can’t see what is really going on. In 2 Thessalonians 2:11 Paul talks about God sending a strong delusion on the people of the earth causing them to believe a lie. I know he was talking about the Great Tribulation, but it seems to me that something similar is happening right now. This means that only those Christians who know the scriptures and who are in close fellowship with Jesus can see through the lie and understand what is really happening. The rest are deluded and need to wake up from their slumber. At the beginning of this blog I said that the Church Age is effectively over and everything else I have said is evidence to back up that claim. I am not alone in being able to see what is really going on. There are other Christians who can see what I can see and there even some non-Christians who can see what’s really going on. The difference between the Christians and the non-Christians is that the Christians know why these things are happening. So, I am saying to the deluded Christians, ‘wake up’! Wake up, it’s over, the groom is coming for His bride very soon. |
To Obey or Not to Obey That is the Question21st June 2020 This blog is a follow on to the one I published on the 14th of June. On that occasion I showed that, because of the restrictions imposed by the UK government, the kind of Church we now have is unbiblical. As I said on that occasion, the Word of God defines what the church is and how it should function. However, the government has stopped the Church from doing what the Lord has instructed us to do. So, the obvious question that arises from this situation is, should the Church obey the government of the Word of God? In response to this question, many Christians will point to the instructions given by the Apostle Paul in Romans regarding submission to authorities. This is what Paul says: Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore, whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. If we take this text on its own it seems clear that we should always obey the government otherwise there will be consequences for us. However, what if the government goes against the will of God? We see all over the world that governing bodies don’t always act with the best interests of Christians. Some are positively hostile to Christians. We must not forget that we live in a fallen world and this affects the judgement of governments as much as anyone else. Despite what the Apostle Paul tells in us Romans, the Apostles did not always obey the authorities. We see this in the Book of Acts: When they had brought them, they stood them before the Council. The high priest questioned them, saying, “We gave you strict orders not to continue teaching in his name, and yet, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and intend to bring this man’s blood upon us.” But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” On this occasion, the ruling religious authority in Jerusalem had told the apostles to disobey God by not preaching the Gospel. The Apostle Peter’s response is clear. God is the ultimate authority and his commands must take precedence, especially when the government is going against God’s will. So, while it’s true that Christians should submit to the ruling authorities of the land, there are instances where submitting to the higher authority, God, must take precedence. Defying the government in such circumstances is not easy and it can have serious consequences for Christians. Nevertheless, there are times when we must show our faith by obeying God rather than the government. It is my opinion that the current restrictions imposed on the Church by the government is one such instance. As far as I can see, the government has no plans for the foreseeable future to allow the Church to function in accordance with the Word of God. Therefore, I believe that it is time for Christians in this country to obey God and not the government in respect of the function of the Church. This means that we should get back to doing everything we were doing and the way we were doing it before the lockdown, as long as what we were doing was in conformity with the Word of God. And face the consequences in doing so. Christians are meant to live by faith but it takes no faith to obey the anti-Christian rules of the government. But it does take faith to obey God rather than the government with all the powers at their disposal. Having said that we should of course provide safeguards for those Christians who are vulnerable to the Coronavirus if they want them. |
When is the Church not the Church?14th June 2020 The simple answer to the questions is, when the church is operating under the current lockdown rules. Before I explain further, I just want to say that everything I am about to say is based on the situation right now in England where I live. I do not know exactly what the lockdown restrictions are in other countries. Since March this year the government has imposed severe restrictions upon the citizens of England in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. These restrictions impact on every part of society, including the church. For the church this has meant that we are no longer able to meet in our church buildings or home groups. And we have all been held separate in our family homes. In other words, as a church, we are no longer able to meet together physically or work together physically. In response, many churches have stopped most activities and have turned to meeting online through video conferencing. In doing so, the church’s activities have been restricted to online or virtual Sunday services, prayer meetings and bible studies. In effect we are left with a virtual church on the internet. But is this right? When it comes to understanding what the Church is meant to be, we need to turn to the New Testament where the Church was first revealed. So how does the Bible define the Church. The original Greek word for Church is Ekklesia which means the assembly of believers. And in Matthew 18:20 Jesus described the Church with these words: “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.” It is clear from the New Testament that Christians are meant to assemble or gather together physically in one place to worship God, use the gifts of the Holy Spirit, build one another up, exercise ministries and have love feasts. But is that happening now? Before I go any further, I just want to list those things that the Church can no longer do under the government-imposed restrictions:
We can have bible studies online but they are nowhere near as effective as they are face to face. We can have Sunday services online but they are limited (we can’t sing hymns together) and unbiblical. We can have prayer meetings online but yet again they are not as effective and they are unbiblical. At the moment we are able to open our church buildings for private prayer but that is based on a false understanding of true Christianity. As I have stated above, the Church is the assembly of believers and that is what our church buildings are for. Private prayer can be done anywhere; there is nothing special about our buildings. It appears at the moment that the government is going to allow us in the near future to use our church buildings for other activities such as collective worship. However, we will have to keep two metres apart, wear masks and we won’t be allowed to sing hymns. When that happens we will still not have a biblical Church. I hope you can now see why I said from the beginning of this blog that the Church is not the Church when it is under the current lockdown restrictions and that won’t change when we can use our buildings again in July. In effect the Church no longer exists as it is meant to be. Instead we have a false online version of the Church. And that won’t change until the Church returns to the biblical model if it ever does. |
Seeking Out The Lost Sheep22nd April 2020 I would like to share with you something encouraging from C H Spurgeon’s daily readings. It is a message of assurance and is based on Ezekiel 34:11. Below I have set out the text and Spurgeon’s thoughts on it. For thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I Myself will search for My sheep and seek them out.” This he does at the first when his elect are like wandering sheep that know not the shepherd or the fold. How wonderfully doth the Lord find out his chosen! Jesus is great as a seeking shepherd as well as a saving shepherd. Though many of those his Father gave him have gone as near to hell-gate as they well can, yet the Lord by searching and seeking discovers them, and draws nigh to them in grace. He has sought out us: let us have good hope for those who are laid upon our hearts in prayer, for he will find them out also. The Lord repeats this process when any of his flock stray from the pastures of truth and holiness. They may fall in to gross error, sad sin, and grievous hardness; but yet the Lord, who has become surety for them to his Father, will not suffer one of them to go so far as to perish. He will by providence and grace pursue them into foreign lands, into abodes of poverty, into dens of obscurity, into deeps of despair; he will not lose one of all that the Father has given him. It is a point of honour with Jesus to seek and to save all the flock, without a single exception. What a promise to plead, if at this hour I am compelled to cry, ‘I have gone astray like a lost sheep’! |
The Coronavirus Crisis6th April 2020 Many Christians are trying to make sense of the current crisis regarding the Coronavirus pandemic which is affecting the whole world. A particular strain of Coronavirus known as Covid-19 is spreading around the world and the response of governments and state authorities to it is extreme to say the least. In effect, the whole world is being shut down. So what are we to make of it in light of scripture? The first thing that I would like to say is that the real danger to us from this crisis is not the virus itself but from the behaviour of governments and the mainstream media. Furthermore, this virus will take its course and come to an end, but it’s what could happen as a result of this crisis that we should look out for. But before I look at the possible consequences of this crisis I want to shed some light on what is currently happening. Given the actions of governments and the scientists working for them you would think that we are facing a catastrophe akin to the Black Death. That we are all in mortal danger because this virus is so dangerous. But just how dangerous is this virus? Up to 650,000 people die from flu each year. So far 69,000 people have died from Covid-19 and we are well into the cycle of this pandemic. So far, the scale of this pandemic is nowhere near the scale of the annual flu outbreak and yet the world authorities have never used the extreme measures to deal with flu as it is doing with Covid-19. Furthermore, most of the people who are dying from this pandemic are the same kinds of people who die from flu every year. On top of this the statistics being reported by governments and health authorities are misleading and unreliable. In the UK the figures so far published are based solely on those people who have been admitted to a hospital. This is because so far the only people being tested are the hospital patients. The wider population has not been tested and anyone who dies outside hospital is not tested. This means that the infection figures and the death figures are unreliable and give a misleading impression of what is really happening. And we are not being provided with any figures for the number of people who have been admitted to hospital with Covid-19 and have recovered. And finally, everyone who dies and has the virus is being treated as having died of the Coronavirus, even though most of them have other serious health conditions which could have led to their death. I do not wish to minimise the deaths of those involved in this pandemic. Every person is precious and the deaths of such a lot of people as a result of this pandemic is tragic. But we have to keep it in perspective. So far, it looks like this Covid-19 is no more dangerous than Influenza. So why have the authorities responded to Covid-19 with such extreme and draconian measures? I don’t have a full answer to that question but I do know that the measures taken are driven by certain scientists, the crisis is man-made and that the pandemic has been politicised. So, let’s take a closer look at the way this pandemic is being handled by politicians, health officials and the mainstream media. I am going to base my observations on what is happening in the UK where I live but they are generally true of the rest of the world. The government and health officials have deliberately created great fear and hysteria in the population about this virus. They have controlled very carefully what the public is told and have focused on the most alarming data they can come up with. In some cases, they have made extreme predictions without presenting any science to back them up. Having instilled great fear in the population, they have introduced draconian measures that have taken away our civil liberties, caused great hardship for a huge part of the population, wrecked our society by isolating most people from one another, given enormous powers to the government, suspended most of our democratic processes, closed down the church and set the country on a course of financial ruin. They have also silenced descent from the government narrative by making social outcasts of anyone who questions what the government is doing or who disobeys what they tell us to do. In the UK we are now effectively in a dictatorial police state in which most of the population is under effective house arrest and severely restricted in what they can do. Now I am not saying that there is any kind of malicious intent in any of this or that there is any kind of conspiracy; I am just describing what is happening. I do believe that all of this is deliberate. The best way to get the mass population to co-operate with these extreme measures is to instil great fear in them. But once again I am not saying that there is anything malicious in this but I do think that what they are doing is dangerous and should concern us. I would also like to point out the behaviour of the mainstream media. They have played a big part in this man-made crisis. They have sensationalised what is happening and provided a very biased view of what is happening around the world. They have focused almost exclusively on the worst and most frightening stories of what is happening. They have focused on places like Italy and Spain where the health services are struggling to cope and ignored those countries where there are very few deaths. They have also focused on the most alarming figures such as the growing death toll and the growing infection total. They have provided saturation coverage of the Coronavirus crisis and the impact of it across the world. All of this ensures that the subject utterly dominates our lives and reinforces the fear in everyone that the whole world is in great danger. It is achieving what the Climate Change campaigners could only dream of. As I said earlier, the issue that we Christians should focus on in this crisis is what could happen as a result of this crisis in the light of scripture. Right now we need to be watchmen, looking at what is happening and searching the scriptures. We are in the midst of an extraordinary world event and we need to consider whether or not this has any prophetic end times significance. Without going into great detail, it is clear to me that we are right at the end of the Church Age spoken of in scripture. There are all kinds of evidence for this including the re-establishment of the nation of Israel and the widespread apostasy in the church. The world is becoming ever more depraved and rebellious against God akin to the days of Noah. We have the technology and other means needed to facilitate the one world government and the rise of the Anti-Christ prophesied in scripture. Already some people are using the Coronavirus crisis to call for a one world government. There are also efforts being made to create a one world religion which are at an advanced stage. The one world religion will be about worshipping man and not God. These are just some of the signs that show that we are right at the end of the Church Age. So where does this Coronavirus crisis fit into the end times? I believe there is a real possibility that this crisis will be used to set the stage for the establishment of a one world government and the rise of the Anti-Christ. This health crisis will result in a financial crisis and in famine. This could lead to a false messiah stepping in to save the world. This crisis is like a trial run for mass control. People are being conditioned for this. It is also like a trial run for a global solution to a problem facing humanity. There is a very real possibility that this crisis will lead to a global currency, a global government, global control, global ID and a system for close surveillance of the population. At the moment the church has been shut down by the state and there is a real possibility that this crisis will lead to continued restrictions on the church and even to widespread persecution. And all of this would fulfil end times prophecies. So, we Christians need to watch what happens and warn everyone that time is running out and that they need to repent and believe in Jesus as their saviour. Some Christians see this pandemic as a form of judgement on the world and they could be right but I am not convinced given that COVID-19 looks like being just another ordinary pandemic. Those who see this virus as a judgement also hope that it will lead to repentance in the world and in the apostate church. But I see no evidence that this will happen. I think that the apostate church is too far gone to repent and turn back to biblical Christianity and I see no evidence that the unbelieving masses see that this pandemic has anything to do with God. Far from it, on the whole they have turned their backs on God so strongly that they won’t give a second thought to turning back to him. I believe that this pandemic will come to an end without being as bad as some scientists have prophesied and the world will pat itself on the back saying that it was their efforts that saved the world from catastrophe. If I am right, then we are living in the time immediately before The Tribulation described in the Book of Revelation and we will witness end times prophecies being fulfilled. So stay awake and rejoice because your salvation is near. |
New Year Message – It Is Still Getting Darker But There Is A Ray Of Hope1st January 2020 A year ago I said that the world is getting darker because of what is happening in the church in the West in particular. And it is still getting darker. However, there is always a ray of hope in the darkness. God never abandons us even when the church as a whole is abandoning the truth and chasing after idols. He always keeps a remnant of His faithful ones as a light in the darkness. Once again this past year I have seen Christians and churches rejecting the truth of scripture and replacing it with man-made ideas. In my profile on this website I have said that I believe in the bible, the whole bible and nothing but the bible. And many Christian would say that they believe this too. However, when you dig a little deeper with them it often turns out that this is not actually true. And the consequences of this can be very serious for the church at times as I have seen for myself. I would say that the majority of the church in the West does not believe in the bible, the whole bible and nothing but the bible but thank God there are some churches and some individuals that do and that is the ray of hope that I have referred to above. There have been occasions this past year when darkness appeared to have prevailed in our personal circumstances. But the darkness did not prevail because God shone His light into the situations and rescued us. On one occasion our ministry seemed to have hit the rocks but at that time the Lord brought a faithful servant into our lives who spoke wisdom into our situation. He said, “Do you think God was taken by surprise by what happened? “Do you not think He has prepared a solution for you?” And sure enough he was right and as one door closed another better one opened. So on a personal level Suzanne and I have also seen a ray of hope in the darkness. We live in the United Kingdom and last year our nation seemed to be in great peril. However, on the 12th December God had mercy on us and gave us another chance to restore our nation to what it once was. I see a ray of hope in the General Election result, a result that many Christians had prayed for. I see the rest of Europe becoming ever darker but by separating ourselves from the European Union we have a chance to set a different course. All we need now is for God to raise up faithful Christian leaders to speak prophetically to our nation and the church, calling us back to God’s ways and not man’s. Will you stand up and be counted in 2020? |
Christmas Message – He Entered Our World24th December 2019 At this time of year we celebrate the birth of Jesus when the Son of God entered our world by taking on flesh and living as we do in everything but sin. Although Jesus wasn’t actually born on the 25th December it doesn’t stop us from remembering his birth at this time of year. The fact that God took on human flesh and lived amongst us is truly amazing. Most people think of God as a distant spiritual being who is so different to us that he cannot relate to us as human beings. But our God is not like that. He made us and He has lived among as a human being whilst retaining His divinity. So he knows what it’s like to be a human being. He knows our weaknesses, our struggles, our pain, our suffering and our emotions. He totally understands us. Our God is not distant; He’s very close to us. In fact he loves to fellowship with us and to have an intimate relationship with us. He loves to talk to us and He loves to listen to us. He saves us and He sustains us. He protects us, He teaches us, He gives us gifts and He is generous to us. He wants nothing but the best for us and most of all He is gracious to us. All of this is so because about 2,000 years ago He entered our world as a baby in Bethlehem just as He said He would. Our God is truly amazing and just as the angels rejoiced at His birth so should we. Peace be with you. Mike and Suzanne Ashton |
Pastoral Concerns15th November 2019 In John 10:10 Jesus tells us that he came to give us abundant life and in Ephesians Paul tells us that God has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. But are we really living life to the full and are we really blessed with every spiritual blessing? We should be. Sadly, I see far too many Christians who are missing out on so much of what God wants for them. And I see two reasons in particular for this happening. The first reason is that so many Christians put up barriers to receiving what God wants for them. This can be for a variety of reasons. Sometimes it’s down to a lack of faith, sometimes it’s because of ignorance, sometimes it’s because they have accepted some form of false teaching, sometimes it’s because of fear, sometimes it’s because of bad experiences, sometimes it’s because of stubbornness, sometimes it’s because of laziness, sometimes it’s because of worldliness, sometimes it’s because of a poor spiritual life and sometimes it’s because of sin. And this is so unnecessary because through the Word of God and through prayer God can deal all of these barriers and set us free to receive what He has for us. The second reason is because too many Christians are victims of the devil’s schemes and don’t even realise it. It is tragic to see so many Christians being robbed of God’s blessings because they have so easily succumbed to one of the devil’s schemes. The reality for all of us is that we are involved in a constant struggle against the devil and all of his evil forces. Yet there are many Christians who deny his existence or play down his significance in the spiritual life. And as soon as they do that they become vulnerable to his schemes because they are not looking out for them. Then there are those who do acknowledge his existence but who are ignorant about his schemes. The kinds of barriers I have described above are also the weaknesses that the devil exploits. Evangelicals are meant to be Christians whose faith and life is based on the scriptures, the Word of God. But all too often they are selective about which truths they accept from the bible. And that is another weakness that the devil can exploit. One of the devil’s most cunning schemes, however, is to get Christians to put the teachings of men before the teachings of scripture. Too many Christians do not test what they are told. They do not test the teaching against the scriptures. And before they know it they have been robbed of God’s blessings because of false teachings that they have accepted. This is so tragic. So I would urge you to pray diligently at all times and know the scriptures for yourselves. And I would urge you to come humbly before the Lord and let Him teach and guide you in all things. |
Who Should Christians Follow?3rd October 2019 At the bottom of this blog I’ve put a link to a video of Joshua Chavez giving a teaching entitled ‘Who Should Christians Follow?’ Using scriptures from the Old and New Testaments, Joshua explains the dangers of following men. He looks at our tendency as Christians to ‘hitch our wagon’ to a particular leader or teacher and go along with everything they say and the risks we take in doing so. Over the many years I’ve been a Christian I’ve seen this happen many times. I am also aware that this is a common practice among Christians; a practice that can lead to division. The classic example amongst Evangelicals is the division between the Calvinists and the Arminians. As Christians, we are called to follow Jesus, not men. It is important that we do not rely on the teachings of individual teachers or leaders. Instead we should rely on the Word of God and test everything we are taught by men against the scriptures. Good teachers and leaders should be respected as long as they conform to the Word of God but we must not ‘hitch our wagon’ to one individual above all others. If you click on the link below you will be able to hear Joshua explain it all in more detail. |
New Chapter24th September 2019 In my blog on the 19th May 2019 I said that Suzanne and I would not be able to do much on the website for a while because of a long term project. Well, that long term project has now come to fruition. The project was a process we needed to go through to reach a new chapter in our ministry together. Some time ago we said to the Lord in prayer that we were willing to go wherever He wanted in order to do His will. We did this because we were aware that sometimes the Lord leads His followers to new geographical locations in order to do what He wants. We find examples of this throughout the Bible. Well, the Lord took us at our word and has moved us to Manchester in northern England. He showed this to us in May and ever since then we have been preparing for the move and now we have arrived. In the Resources section of this website I recommend a book called Biblical Church. This is a book that identifies the key features of a truly biblical church which is nothing like most churches that we find today. For some time I have longed to be part of such a church and here in Manchester I have found one with the Lord’s help. We have moved to Manchester to be part of this local church and to fully use our gifts and talents. We believed that this move would enable us to be more fruitful in our ministries and already that is proving to be the case. We have taken this step in obedience to the Lord’s will for us and we have taken it to serve. We have also simplified our lives in order to be able to more easily serve Him. Although we now have the time to work on the website more than we have for a while, most of our time will now be spent working in our new church. The opening of this new chapter in our lives has taught us a number of lessons which I would like to share with you. This move came about as a result of much prayer and fasting over a couple of years. And our prayer was all about humbling ourselves, being willing to serve and being willing to leave all behind for the sake of the Kingdom. The Lord listened and was gracious enough to share his plans for us over a period of time. Our understanding of His plans for us grew and at just the right time the door opened for us to move. And when the door opened everything fell into place very quickly. We have learnt that if you come before the Lord with a humble and open heart He will answer. Finally, this move is the fulfilment of a calling I received from the Lord decades ago which just goes to show that He will make it happen but in His time. We must never give up. |
Are you really a Christian?22nd July 2019 At the bottom of this blog I’ve put a link to a video of Joshua Chavez giving a teaching entitled ‘Are you really a Christian?’ In his teaching he gives an excellent explanation of the Gospel and then goes on to describe what a true Christian is like. He does this in order to challenge the many people in the Church who mistakenly believe that they are Christians when they are not. I recommend this video for everyone in the Church. Joshua covers a subject that I have covered in a different way. In the teachings part of this website you will find one of my teachings entitled, ‘The Authentic Marks of a Christian. In my teaching I list these marks or characteristic so that they can be used as a test or measure. So why don’t you watch the video by Joshua and then read my teaching. I hope you will find them helpful. |
Intermission19th May 2019 Suzanne and I will be involved in a short term project in the next few months that will keep us very busy. This means that I will not be able to give much time to my website during this period. So, if you don’t see much happening on the website for a while it does not been that I have abandoned this work. It just means that I’m temporarily too busy and that I will return to this ministry when the project is completed. I have some development plans for the website which I hope to work on as soon as the intermission is over. |
The Gifts of the Holy Spirit25th April 2019 In this blog I have provided some basic information about the gifts of the Holy Spirit that we read about in the New Testament. I have done this by providing some quotes from Derek Prince, some scriptures and some principles. I am putting these before you for reflection. I would like to start with a quote from Derek Prince who was the best bible teacher I have heard on this subject: ‘The New Testament depicts Christianity as a supernatural way of life. To be functioning members of the body of Christ, as well as more effective witnesses for Him in the world, we need an understanding of the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit and their operation in our lives’. The 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit We read about them in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11. We can divide them into 3 groups as follows: Revelation Gifts A word of wisdom A word of knowledge Discerning of spirits Power Gifts Faith Gifts of healings Workings of miracles Vocal Gifts Different kinds of tongues Interpretation of tongues Prophecy The gifts of the Holy Spirit are: Given to a person Brief manifestations Not dependant on the character of the person receiving the gift The gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the same as the ministry gifts which are found in Ephesians 4:11. The 9 gifts of the Holy Spirit are not the same as the 9 fruits of the Holy Spirit which are found in Galatians 5:22. The fruits of the Holy Spirit take time to grow and mature; they need to be cultivated. The gifts of the Holy Spirit are received instantly. In 1 Corinthians 14:1 Paul tells us to “Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts.” Commenting on this, Derek Prince said that, “spiritual gifts are the tools by which love works.” “We must not be one-sided. We need both gifts and love. We need both gifts and fruit. We need both spiritual gifts and ministry gifts. None of them is a substitute for any of the others. We need all of them.” Derek Prince ‘Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given us, let us use them.’ Romans 12:6 ‘Earnestly desire the best gifts’. 1 Corinthians 12:31 ‘As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God’. 1 Peter 1:10 ‘I always thank God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way – in all your speaking and in all your knowledge – because our testimony about Christ was confirmed in you. Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.’ 1 Corinthians 1:4-8. The above text from Corinthians shows that the gifts have not come to an end because Jesus has not returned yet. “The reason why some believers do not have the manifestations (the gifts) is that they have never taken the vital step out of the natural into the supernatural.” Derek Prince “The New Testament reveals the gifts as part of the spiritual equipment for normal Christian living for believers throughout all ages until Christ returns.” Derek Prince “Why are the spiritual gifts important? It is because they bring glory to God.” Derek Prince |
What Is The Kesher Course?13th April 2019 The Kesher Course is a course published by Christian Friends of Israel (CFI) in 10 Sessions with DVDs, a Leader and Student books. It is designed to enlighten people to make the connection between Judaism, Christianity, Israel and the Church. The main teachings are by Roy Thurley, with Hebrew word studies by John P. Smith. The course explains how historically the Church has attempted to distance herself from Judaism. Art has often portrayed very inaccurate pictures of Jesus, often with white skin, fair hair and blue eyes. Although there is no historical record of what Jesus actually looked like, He was likely to have had an olive complexion given where He lived and His genealogy. Supported by Scriptures throughout, the Kesher Course confirms the Jewishness of Jesus. His genealogy is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-28. In biblical prophecy we see that the Messiah must be descended through Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Jesse, David and also Zerubbabel (Haggai 2:23). These requirements are all met in the genealogy of Jesus for Him to be in the right line to be the Messiah. He also fulfilled the condition of circumcision according to the Covenant God made with Abraham. (Genesis 17:10, Luke 2:21). Israel’s Rejection Is Not Final For those who believe Israel and the Jews have been replaced by the Church:- “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.” (Romans 11:11) Romans 11 verses 17-18a show that some branches (Israel) were broken off and we (Gentiles) being “a wild olive tree” were grafted in. We are warned not to boast against the branches “For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.” (Romans 11:21) “And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.” (Romans 11:23) “And so all Israel will be saved as it is written:….” (Romans 11:26) Our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus or Yeshua, was born a Jew of Jewish line, died a Jew, was resurrected and is now seated at the right hand of the Father, and will return as a Jew. “I Jesus have sent my angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16) We as Christians have been grafted into that tree as in Romans 11:17-18a, and as such, we have become part of that family in Christ Jesus, our Lord – Yeshua. So think carefully about how you treat and speak about God’s chosen Nation and people. “Assuredly, I say to you, in as much as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” (Matthew 25:40) I believe that this course should be promoted by the Christian Church. This will enhance your Bible studies too by helping you to understand Hebrew roots, some Hebrew vocabulary and Hebraisms, but above all to help reduce anti-Semitism and replacement theology. Suzanne Ashton |
Cessationism7th April 2019 Cessationism is the teaching that the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as speaking in tongues, prophecy and healing ceased by the end of the Apostolic Age. There is no unanimous agreement by the Cessationists on the details of their teaching but the main idea they put forward is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were only made available to the Apostles to authenticate their ministry and when the Apostles died the gifts of the Holy Spirit ceased. This is arrived at by the selective use of bible verses taken out of context and by ignoring most of the church history since the Apostolic Age. Let’s be clear, there is nothing in scripture that clearly supports the idea that the gifts of the Holy Spirit were for the Apostolic Age only. It is just a man-made idea or theory. Anyone who reads the Book of Acts properly could not reach this conclusion. For instance, it wasn’t just the Apostles who used the gifts of the Holy Spirit. There were many Christians in the early church who were not Apostles but who used the gifts of the Holy Spirit. One of the arguments of the Cessationists is that in the post-apostolic era the gifts began to disappear. However, they stop there and don’t look at the rest of church history. If you look at the whole of church history you see the gifts of the Holy Spirit in use at various times. And there are reasons for this. In 1 Corinthians 12:11 Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit gives them as He wills. This shows that they are not always available to us. And if you look at the whole of church history you see a pattern emerge similar to Israel in the Old Testament. There have always been times when the church in various places has been very fruitful, when many were saved. Then the church tends to turn what God did through the Holy Spirit into institutions and systems that lead to the quenching of the Holy Spirit. This then leads to a decline or deterioration in the church until God intervenes with a mighty work of the Holy Spirit to revive the church. And on the cycle goes. The truth is that the gifts of the Holy Spirit have always been available throughout church history but we haven’t always seen them in action. This is partly because of the sovereignty of the Holy Spirit and partly because of the false teaching of Cessationism. If we are told by church leaders that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are no longer available to us then we are not even going to ask for them even though the scriptures tell us that we should eagerly desire them (1 Corinthians 14:1). One of the reasons why some church leaders teach or practice Cessationism is that they are afraid of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Many church leaders like to be in control and to have everything carefully structured and organised. And they see the gifts as risky or even dangerous. And to some extent I can understand this. Sometimes things can go wrong when the gifts are in use in a church. You only need to look at Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. However, that is easily remedied by giving sound instruction on their use as the Apostle Paul did. The risk of problems arising is no excuse for rejecting them outright. When church leaders tell their congregations that the gifts are no longer available or in some way suppress them they are guilty of quenching the Holy Spirit. Furthermore they are guilty of robbing God’s people of the fullness of God’s blessings. This is a very serious matter. Jesus and the Old Testament prophets had some strong things to say about leaders who robbed God’s people. I am amazed at how often Christians rely on certain church leaders and teachers and not the scriptures for their understanding of doctrine. Dr Jack Deere speaks about this in his book ‘Surprised by the Power of the Spirit’ when he recounts an occasion when he was interviewing theology students. Whenever he asked them to argue a certain doctrine from scriptures they couldn’t do it. They had got their understanding from books and teachers. He was very disappointed by this discovery. There are dangers in relying on certain leaders and teachers for our understanding. I have seen many examples of Christians accepting teaching from men who were manifestly teaching false doctrine. It is so important that we all study the scriptures diligently so that we can discern the true from the false. And I apply that to what I have said here. Don’t just rely on what I’ve said, read and study the Book of Acts and the Epistles for yourself to see if what I am telling you is true. |
Why Christian Friends of Israel (CFI)?28th March 2019 Christian Friends of Israel (UK) exist to: Support the Jewish people and communities in the United Kingdom (UK) and beyond. Reduce anti-Semitism and replacement theology in the nation and the Church. Assist cross-community projects in Israel. They participate in UK tours, festivals and prayer conferences to help raise awareness of the above issues. And they educate people about Hebraic roots and encourage them to ask questions as to why, as Christians, we should be friends of Israel and stand with the Jewish people and communities in the UK and beyond. They offer much literature and various courses, including the Kesher course which is about making connections between Judaism, Christianity, Israel and the Church. Psalm 133 is entitled ‘Blessed Unity of the People of God’. Please pray that the churches would pray for the nations in unity and that they would be blessed in this. In CFI’S latest prayer pointers they mention Amos 8:11 which speaks of a famine – a lack of the Word of God. It may be that we are in such a similar season. Please pray that all believers are filled with the truth and a hunger to study and that the Church will stand on the foundation of the Word. Please pray for CFI and their valuable work; that they will reach out to the many and not the few and that they will bear much fruit. Their website is www.cfi.org.uk. Suzanne |
The Leading of the Holy Spirit14th March 2019 The book of Acts in the New Testament is an account of the life of the early church and shows us what the church and the Christian life is meant to be like. And we find in this book that the Christians that feature in it often received instructions from God about what they were to do or about what to expect in the future. This came in the form of dreams, visions, angelic visitations, prophecies and direct instructions from the Lord. These were specific to the Christians receiving these revelations and they helped them to make the right decisions and take the right action. For instance, in Acts 10:1-7, Cornelius was told in a vision to send for the Apostle Peter. That was something that happened in the past and for Cornelius only. It will never be repeated and it is not something that you and I could be told to do. It became part of the canon of scripture to teach us a lesson. And that lesson is that God has always spoken to individuals about things that are unique to them. I could give many more examples from both the Old and the New Testaments. And because God is unchanging, He still wants to do that today for us if we will listen. In addition to the methods of communication I have given above that can be found in the Acts there is another one that I want to focus on. In the Acts there are plenty of examples of the leading of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians and I would like to draw your attention to them: Acts 8:29 Acts 10:19 Acts 13:2 Acts 16:6 Acts 20:22-23 Acts 20:28 Acts 21:10-11 There are some who say that this kind of leading of the Holy Spirit does not apply to us today. However, there is no scriptural basis for saying that. There is nothing in the scriptures which says that this only applied to the apostolic age. No, the truth is that God has always given instruction to individual believers, right from the creation of Adam and Eve and throughout church history. But sadly, in today’s church, far too often the expectation and belief that God wants to give us personal leading through the Holy Spirit, has been lost. And that has had disastrous consequences resulting from too many Christians making decisions for themselves in the flesh. |
New Year Message – It Is Getting Darker1st January 2019 At the start of a new year we tend to look back and look forward at the same time. And that’s what I’ve been doing. The two areas that I’ve been reflecting on are the state of the church and the state of the world because the two are connected. The church is here to witness to the world and to act as a restraint on evil. And the state of the world reflects the effectiveness of the church. I should state at this point that I’ve only been looking at the Western part of the church and the world. I was born more than three score years ago and I‘ve been a Christian for the majority of that time. And during my lifetime I have watched the church deteriorate and evil in the world increase. The church has deteriorated in a number of ways. One of the ways in which the church has deteriorated is in terms of doctrine. This has happened in two ways. Many churches have abandoned important doctrines and many others have introducing false doctrines. For instance, there are churches which no longer preach the gospel. I was struck again this Christmas that the messages of many of the leading church men and women in Great Britain were about social and political issues. Christmas should be an opportunity to remind the world that Jesus came into the world to save us. There are many other churches that do not teach about the Baptism with the Holy Spirit or the gifts of the Holy Spirit for instance. On the other hand there are churches that teach false doctrines such as tithing by Christians, the prosperity gospel and ecumenism with other religions. Another way in which the church has deteriorated has been by bringing worldly ideas and practices into the church. This includes such things as false bibles like The Message, seeker sensitive practices, business systems, the social gospel, marketing and imitating the entertainments industry. Another way that the church has deteriorated is through being self-serving and insular. Many churches put all their efforts into maintaining the church and forget about their mission to reach out with the gospel. And worst of all there are many churches which have brought witchcraft into the church. These are just some examples of the way in which the western church has deteriorated. There are other ways but I think I’ve given enough examples to make my point. The result of all of this wrong doing in the church has been the decline of the church in size and influence. And this in turn has resulted in an increase in evil and immorality in the western world. In my lifetime I have seen an increase in divisions and extremism in society, I’ve seen a breakdown in wisdom by our leaders and I’ve seen a concerted effort to push the church to the margins of society. I’ve also seen an increase in immorality. Some things declared by God to be sin have become acceptable in our society. There’s been a massive increase in pornography, with some porn stars becoming celebrities, and there has been a huge increase in hedonistic behaviour. Infidelity is largely accepted as something to be expected and does not have the consequences it used to do. Divorce has become easier. And in more recent years gambling has become huge in Great Britain. Lies, deception and corruption have become widespread in society and the gap between the rich and the poor just gets wider and wider. As the light of the church becomes more and more dim, the darkness of the world around us grows ever darker. And unless the church turns around it will only get darker. So, as we start a new year, what should we do? We need to stop the rot in the church. To do this we need to grow in our knowledge of God’s word through diligent study of the bible and we need to believe and accept every word of it whether we like it or not. This will equip us to discern the truth from lies and false teaching. We also need to humble ourselves before God and seek a deeper relationship with him and reject the ways of the world. So, what will you do this year? Will you do your part to stop the rot? |
Christmas Message – Being Humble18th December 2018 At this time of year we are reminded about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem. And although Jesus is almighty God he was born into our world in humble circumstances. He was also a king but he was not born in a palace surrounded by riches and splendour. Instead he was born in a stable with a manger for a bed and this was deliberate because God wanted us to learn about the importance of being humble. Jesus is not your typical king. Unlike other kings, Jesus, in His first coming, was a servant king. He is an example to us of how we as believers are to behave. And he emphasised this point in Chapter 13 of Johns Gospel when he washed the feet of the disciples and told them that like Him they were to be servants. In Philippians 2:5-8 Paul says, ‘Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.’ Jesus humbled himself and Paul tells us that we are to do the same. The only true attitude of believers is to be humble; to be servants. In God’s kingdom there is only one king and Lord and that is Jesus. In the kingdom and in the church there is no place for masters or lords. We are all meant to be servants of one another. In 2 Chronicles 7:14 we read that God said to Solomon, ‘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 will forgive their sin and will heal their land.’ From this we can see that God will listen to us and bless us when we humble ourselves. But pride, which is the opposite of humility, is very different. In Proverbs 11:2 we read, ‘When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.’ And we are told in James 4:6, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’ I could give even more examples of the contrast between being humble and being proud. But I hope you can see now that God does not want us to be proud but to be humble. We are not to seek titles and honours or positions of prestige. We are not here to make a name for ourselves or to leave a legacy. Instead we are to humbly serve the Lord Jesus out of love and gratitude. So this Christmas I hope you will take some time to meditate on the humble beginnings and earthly ministry of Jesus and follow His example in your attitude and the way you live your life. Peace be with you. Mike and Suzanne Ashton |
The Message21st November 2018 One of the functions of a pastor or shepherd is to protect the flock, the flock being the congregation in their care. And it is out of this pastoral duty that I am writing this warning to all Christians. As Christians we face all kinds of dangers which can harm us. One of the dangers we face comes from those who try to mislead us or keep us from knowing the truths of scripture. This usually comes from false teachers but it can also come from books. And it is a book that I want to warn you about on this occasion. The book in question is one that is called ‘The Message’. It claims to be a bible for modern times but in truth it is not a true bible. It is a paraphrase of the bible, written by Eugene Peterson. The books of the bible were written in three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek. They were inspired by the Holy Spirit and the words were chosen very carefully. And anyone who translates these languages into English must be careful to make sure that the meaning of the original language is accurately expressed in the new language. They must not add something that was not in the original language or take away something that was there in the original language. If this is not done then we will misunderstand what God is saying to us and we will miss out on some things that God wants to say to us. The trouble is Eugene Peterson did not follow these important rules. Instead he chose to write a book based on the bible but written so as to conform to the current values and thinking of the Western world which are often at odds with the truths of the bible. He was conforming to the pattern of this world which Paul told us not to do. See Romans 12:2. In ‘The Message’, Eugene Peterson has omitted words from the original text and added words that were never there. In doing so he has destroyed much of the original meaning of the texts. I suggest you read his versions of Matthew 6:9-13 and 1 Corinthians 6:9 and you will see what I mean. Understanding and putting into practice all the truths in the bible are so important for us as Christians but ‘The Message’ stops this from happening and that is why it is so dangerous. If we read this book it will have damaging effects upon our lives because it will mislead us. Therefore, if you have one of these counterfeit bibles I urge you to destroy it and have nothing to do with it. And it should not be used in your church or your study groups. |
Deception31st July 2018 I have become increasingly aware of late just how much false teaching and practice there is at work in the church today. In 2 Timothy 3 Paul warns Timothy about such things in the last days and we are in the last days. In fact, I believe that we are in the last hours of the last days. I once knew someone who owned a Christian bookshop and he confided in me that it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to separate the books containing false teaching from the ones containing the truth. And that was over twenty years ago. Recently I have seen a couple of videos of famous Christian teachers saying things that were clearly false. They were speaking to hundreds of people at different venues and the people were lapping it up. Their techniques for achieving this were cunning. They mixed truth with lies and in the end their only purpose for doing so was to get the audience to part with lots of money. I’m talking about men who are internationally known and have bestselling books. If I had been there I would have walked out. There have always been false teachers and prophets trying to deceive believers. But with the communication and information revolution that has occurred in my lifetime I am seeing a massive increase in it these days. Many, many Christians are being deceived and robbed pastorally I am angry about this and that’s why I’m writing this. And the sad thing is that there is a simple solution to this problem. To avoid being deceived you need to know your Bible and test what is being said or done. If something you are reading or being told is not in the scriptures then it is false. I have included a link to a video below which is really good on the subject. The only thing I would add to what Joshua Chavez says is that you also need to walk closely with the Lord in submission. |
At Your Service18th April 2018 Over the past year Suzanne and I have been turning our home into a House of Prayer and the Word, in the Spirit. We have put prayer and Bible study at the heart of everything we do. We also break bread as often as we can. Recently, for example, we have been studying unfulfilled prophecy in the Bible and the atonement of Jesus Christ on the cross. We also do other forms of casual bible study. If anyone would like to join us for prayer or Bible study you are more than welcome. If you know us personally, just ask us when you can join us. If you don’t know us, you can contact us through this website. We are based in central Lancashire. Suzanne and I also have gifts that we are willing to share with you in our home or elsewhere. I can teach, pastor, counsel and preach. I love to help Christians to experience healing and growth in Christ. I take delight in seeing Christians become stronger in faith and closer to Jesus in love. Suzanne is gifted in music, languages, prayer and evangelism. Her greatest passion is to see people come to faith in Jesus Christ. She also loves to pray and takes delight in being in God’s presence in prayer and she has an enormous appetite for study. We both have professional jobs using other skills but we are ready and willing to lay them down to serve the Kingdom of Jesus fulltime if the Lord wills. We are ready and willing to go wherever the Lord takes us. So, if we can be of any service to you, either in our home or elsewhere, please don’t hesitate to contact us. |
The Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ31st March 2018
And yet I would say that Easter is far more important than Christmas. At Christmas we celebrate the most important birth in human history but at Easter we celebrate the greatest event in human history. What Jesus achieved when he offering himself up on the cross affects the whole of human history going back to the creation of Adam and Eve and right through to the end of time. On the cross Jesus dealt with the effects of the rebellions of Satan, Adam and Eve and it was complete. Through Satan evil was released into our world. He brought lies, deception, rebellion, corruption and selfishness. Through Adam and Eve sin, disease, blindness, deafness and slavery became part of our human nature. And Jesus dealt with all of this and more on the cross. He dealt with sin, the penalty of sin (death), sickness and curses. He brought forgiveness, reconciliation, acceptance, eternal life, abundance and much more. Then when he rose from the dead he triumphed over Satan and he conquered the greatest curse on mankind, death. And the amazing thing is that it is all free to those who put their faith in him and turn away from their rebellion against God. Who else can we say these things about? That is why Easter is far more important than Christmas. |
The Best Things in Life Are Free18th March 2018 One of the best known sayings in my country is, “The best things in life are free” and it is so true. For most of us we have to earn what we might consider to be the good things such as being loved. For instance, if we want an income or wage, most of us have to earn it. And this principle is true in many relationships. How often do we find that we have to earn someone’s love for us? Before someone will love us they will often expect something in return or they will expect us to prove our loyalty first. But the love of Jesus is unconditional; there are no strings attached. It’s a giving love. When Jesus offered himself up as a sacrifice for us on the cross he showed his unconditional love in the most perfect and complete way possible. He paid the price for all of our wrongdoing, our sins and the punishment that we justly deserved. He paid the full price so that we don’t have to pay anything at all for our wrongdoing. Through his death on the cross Jesus has made so many good things available to us for free. Here’s just a few of them in no particular order: forgiveness, peace, prosperity, wisdom, health, freedom, blessings, eternal and abundant life. So, why would anyone reject Jesus and the all that he has to offer us for free? It makes no sense. |
Baptism with the Holy Spirit26th November 2017 I have been a Christian for a long time and it never ceases to amaze me that I have never attended a church service, bible study or other church event where the baptism with the Holy Spirit was taught apart from one occasion. And on that one occasion the teaching was false. I’ve even heard someone preach on one of the texts about the baptism with the Holy Spirit and not even mention the baptism with the Holy Spirit. The reason for my amazement is that this subject is one of the most important for the church and always has been. When the disciples were baptised with the Holy Spirit on that first Pentecost after the ascension of Jesus they were transformed with power and boldness to preach the gospel. Just as in those apostolic times, the church today desperately needs that same power. Without it the church is weak. For the apostles and the early church they expected as the norm that all believers should be baptised with the Holy Spirit. But today that expectation is lacking on the whole. And that is because, in my experience, very few leaders ever teach the subject properly. As a result many Christians either don’t know what it is or they are deluded into thinking that they have received it when they haven’t. And that means that so many Christians don’t even seek it. I recently had a conversation with a Christian who said to me, “I thought all Christians were baptised with the Holy Spirit.” And I had to say that sadly this wasn’t true. All Christians have the Holy Spirit in them but not all of them are baptised with the Holy Spirit. One of the characteristics of being baptised with the Holy Spirit is that those who receive it know that it has happened. They might not understand at the time what has happened but they do know that something tangible has happened to them. If you have not had such an experience or you just want to know what the baptism with the Holy Spirit is, I would urge you to listen to the sermons of Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones on the subject. He preached seven sermons on the baptism with the Holy Spirit from John 1:26-33. You can find them on the MLJ Trust website entitled Baptism in the Spirit. |
God Is Love15th October 2017 One of the shortest, yet most powerful and profound sentences in the bible is found in 1 John 4:16 where it says ‘God is love’. The original Greek word used for love in this statement is agape and it’s unique to God. Agape love cannot be produced by human beings on their own; it can only be expressed by us through God because agape is divine love and it is at the heart of the very nature of God. Agape is sacrificial, unconditional love, it gives and it puts others first. In 1 Corinthians 13:13 Paul tells us, ‘Now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love’. Again Paul is using the Greek work agape and he is making a profound statement. Faith and hope are vital components of the Christian life and indeed they are great, but greater than them is agape. And when Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandment in the Law, he answered, “Love the Lord you God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbour as yourself. All the Law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.” So Jesus too emphasised the centrality of love in all that God and his people do. If we are true Christians then Christ lives in us and if God is love, then that loving nature of God must surely flow out of us. And think of how powerful that love is. It’s this divine agape love that led the Father to send his only son to die for us, that caused Jesus to be merciful to the woman caught in adultery, that caused Jesus to say on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” and gave victory over sin and death when Jesus rose from the dead. It’s a love that creates, changes and overcomes. I’ve seen this love at work in my wife and it has a powerful effect on me. If heals me, it inspires me, it makes me strong and it draws me to the Lord. What better way is there to show Jesus to the world (to show the gospel) than to love as Jesus loves in a world which is so lacking in true love. |
The Workers Are Few11th June 2017 Ever since I became a Christian a long time ago my heart’s desire has been to serve the Lord in his kingdom. And over the years I have served him in various ways both in a full time capacity and in my spare time. But it has been my understanding for most of my Christian life that He wants me to serve him full time. But, there have been seasons when this has not been possible. However, last year a new season began when I met Suzanne and since then the Lord has been moving me towards going back into full time ministry again. Not only that, He has been doing the same for Suzanne. Soon after our relationship began it became clear to Suzanne and I that the Lord had brought us together to minister as a married couple. And we have been praying for the Lord to give us direction and guidance on what He wants us to do and how He wants to go about it. Slowly the vision is becoming clearer and we are now looking for the doors to open. In recent prayer the Lord has shown us that we should share this on the website and Facebook page. So, we are asking all of you who read this to pray for us as we stand ready to take the next step of faith. We are ready to serve the Lord together with the gifts and talents the Lord has given us; Suzanne with her gifts of evangelism and music and me with my gifts of teaching, counselling and pastoring. As Jesus said to the disciples in Luke 10.2, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send workers into his harvest field.” |
Shepherds Stream1st June 2017 I would like to tell you about a wonderful place where I recently stayed. It is called Shepherds Stream. It is a place for prayer retreats and it is located in the Berwyn Mountains of Wales. You can find out more about it by clicking on the link below. Suzanne and I stayed there for a few days and right from the start I could feel God’s presence and I knew I was on anointed ground. As soon as I began to pray I found the Lord speaking to me much more than I have experienced for a long time. Every step and action I took was guided by the Lord. It seems to me that Shepherds Stream is a kind of Garden of Eden with a cascading stream running through it. And when Suzanne and I walked through the grounds and paused periodically to pray it felt like we were walking with God. During the time we were there the Lord took us on a wonderful journey of revelation and healing the likes of which I have never experienced before. It was truly life changing. The story of how Shepherds Stream came into being is amazing. If you go there, I would encourage you to ask Peter or Gill about it; it will bless your socks off. I believe that God has claimed this plot of land for God’s people to dwell with him from time to time and be refreshed from the well of God’s living water. I would encourage you to go there and see what God can do for you. |
Tithing7th May 2017 There is a growing trend in the church today for leaders to tell their congregations that God requires them to tithe. For those who are not familiar with the word tithe it is a word that simply means a tenth and the idea is that Christians should give one tenth of their income to the church. Now a tenth of anyone’s income is a significant amount and any leader who can get everyone in their congregation to give them one tenth of their income is going to raise a significant amount of money. But before you start handing over a tenth of your income you should ask yourself, “Does God require Christians to give a tithe (one tenth of your income) to the church?” And if you do a proper study of the subject and a thorough examination of the bible you will find that the answer is NO. God does not require Christians to give one tenth of their income to the church. In the bible, tithing was only required of the nation of Israel and the true amount that they had to tithe worked out at about 25 per cent a year on average, not 10 per cent. What God does require Christians to do is Give generously but with Giving there is no fixed amount. What Christians should do is ask the Lord to show them how much they should give. Now, in the limited space of this blog I cannot give a full explanation for what I have said above but I know a man who can. His name is Roger Price and I urge everyone who reads this and is tithing to listen to his teaching on the matter. It is part of his Fellowship Life Studies and it is included in a two part teaching about Giving (FLS22 and FLS23). If you click on the link below you will be able to purchase the recordings. |
A New Beginning16th April 2017 Last December I announced that I was going on sabbatical for a while because something life-changing was taking place in my life. At that time I was engaged to be married and I was making preparations for our wedding. I had met an amazing Christian woman called Suzanne, something that I had longed for most of my life. I realised at the time that she was going to be a true Christian wife and so it has proved to be since we got married in February. I had always understood how Christian marriage is a reflection or insight into the kind of relationship the church has with Jesus. And now I am experiencing that first hand for the first time in my life.
This is my wife Suzanne. |
Sabbatical29th December 2016 Something life-changing is taking place in my life at the moment. It is taking up much of my time and it will continue to do so for a while yet. Because of this I have decided to take a sabbatical from my ministry for the next few months until things have settled down. I have chosen not to explain what it is for the time being but it will become clear in the future. This is a very exciting time for me. A dream is being fulfilled which will have a good impact on my ministry. When I see what is unfolding, I’m reminded of how loving and gracious God is. And I am deeply humbled that he should do such a wonderful thing for me. |
The EU Referendum30th May 2016 On 23rd June 2016 the citizens of the United Kingdom, where I live, will be given the opportunity to vote on whether to remain in the European Union (EU) or to leave it. As a nation we have been a member of this political organisation for a long time so it is possible for us to understand what it is. In the lead up to this referendum some experts have explained to us the history and aims of this organisation. We have also been bombarded with predictions, claims and information from various organisations and individuals both inside the UK and from outside. But what are we as Christians to make of it all? How should we vote on the 23rd? Well, I’m not going to tell you what to vote but I would like to suggest how we should go about making the decision on which way to vote. Firstly, we should not be thinking about this the way the world does. Secondly, we should understand what the EU is from a spiritual perspective. Thirdly, we should apply the scriptures to the situation. And finally, we should seek God’s wisdom. It also helps if we understand the times we are in. And as you do all of these things prayerfully, I recommend that you read a booklet by Intercessors for Britain called, ‘A Christian Perspective on the European Union and the Referendum’. You can find the booklet by clicking on the link below: |
Revival1st January 2016 At this time of year many people reflect on the past and look to the future and that’s what I’ve been doing. One of the events I remember from 2015 was the publication of a report that showed a huge decline in Christianity in Great Britain over the last 30 years. And, as this has happened, it seems to me that there has been a decline in moral standards and behaviour. For Great Britain, both of these developments are tragic and something needs to happen in order to reverse these trends. So what needs to happen? The answer is simple. The church needs to rediscover the power and authority given to it by Jesus. And the best way for that to happen is through a revival. Unfortunately, revival is something that is all too often misunderstood and the word revival is too often used incorrectly. The last great revival to take place in Great Britain was in the Outer Hebrides starting in 1948. On the Resources page of this website is some information about a book written about this revival. 1948 is a long time ago and, as a nation we are long overdue for another one. So, what is a true revival? Well, the best definition I have ever come across is as follows; a revival occurs when a large number of people are baptised with the Holy Spirit. A revival is not a quiet, hidden event; there is no mistaking that something extraordinary is happening and the effects are far reaching and long lasting. I believe that the effects of the 1948 revival are still being felt on the Isle of Lewis today. And the final point about a revival is that it starts in the church. The church is at its most powerful when a revival occurs. That’s why those of us in the church need to understand what it is and to pray for it. And the best place to start learning about it is to listen to the 24 series of sermons that Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones gave on revival. More information about this can be found on the Resources page of this website. So, for 2016 I would urge you to learn about revivals and to pray earnestly for another one soon in Great Britain. |
It’s Good To Talk18th October 2015 I’m sure I once read in one of David Watson’s books that Christianity is all about relationships. And two of the key components of good relationships are talking and listening. Talking and listening go together. There is no point in talking unless someone is listening and there’s no point in listening unless someone is talking. And when both of them are happening effectively together, there is a relationship. When we don’t talk or listen to each other, relationships tend to break down. When we don’t talk to each other, the person keeping silent is unable to express themselves and this can cause them problems such as becoming isolated or frustrated. And the person who isn’t hearing anything from the other is ignorant of the other’s needs or feelings and worst of all they are can only guess what the other is thinking. Sadly, I have seen and experienced too many instances of Christians not talking or listening to each other and this normally leads to trouble in the church. This can occur for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s because we don’t want to listen to others and we effectively silence them by our behaviour. This is especially true when people are suffering and we don’t want to hear their sorrowful language or sad story. There is a mistaken belief by some in the church that Christians should “always look on the bright side of life” as the Monty Python song goes. There is no more destructive or crushing thing to say to a Christian who is suffering than to tell them to “be positive”. Sometimes we don’t talk to other Christians because we are afraid of how they will react. This is usually with good reason but sometimes it is irrational. I could give many examples of why we don’t talk or listen to each other but no matter what they are they are fundamentally born out of sin. When we talk to each other in the church we must do so in love and humility. There is no other acceptable way; all other ways are ultimately destructive. And when we listen to each other we must do so in love and without judgement or prejudice. Unless we do this we will not truly hear what the other person is saying. So, I urge all Christians to keep talking and listening to each other in love for the sake of the unity and effectiveness of the church. |
The Rich and the Poor21st September 2015 In recent weeks I have been looking more closely at the world around me and becoming profoundly aware of how rich we are. By the world I mean the part that I live in and by rich I mean wealth. I live in the affluent West as it is called. And I have been comparing the world that I live in to other parts of the world where there is widespread poverty. In my part of the world we spend vast amounts of money on cars, houses, holidays, clothes, leisure, makeup, interior decorating, fine foods and gadgets. But in other parts of the world people count themselves fortunate if they have an old bicycle to get around on or a pair of shoes to wear. In those parts of the world people eat whatever they can and often go hungry and they walk for miles just to get some water. I am ashamed that in my part of the world we indulge ourselves so much when there are such great numbers of people in other parts of the world in great need. I am also appalled that in my own country the wealth is so unevenly distributed with most of the wealth in the hands of a small fraction of the population. In my opinion one of the greatest sins of mankind is the way those who have share so little with those who have not. From the beginning of the bible to the end we are told time after time that God wants those who have to give to those who have not. As Christians we are meant to travel light and not cling to our possessions. In the book of Acts we are told this about the early church: “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No-one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had…..There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need”. It seems to me that far too often we Christians in the West have strayed a long way from this wonderful vision of how the church should be. So, the next time you are thinking about buying those expensive clothes or jewellery or that huge state of the art TV or the latest model of car or anything else for that matter, think again. Do you really need it? What would Jesus do? |
The Gift of Cakes3rd August 2015 There is a woman at my home church who is a very gifted baker and last week she made some delicious cakes for a meeting. When I tasted her cakes I felt very blessed and it seemed to me that her cake making was a gift; what I like to think of as the ‘gift of cakes’. This reminded me of the time when I was part of young Christian group in Yorkshire. At the time there were only a limited number of us who were able to drive and it was said of us that we had the ‘gift of wheels’. Now the idea of saying that some Christians have such things as the ‘gift of cakes’ or the ‘gift of wheels’ might seem like a bit of fun. But there is a serious point. The bible makes it clear that God hands out various gifts to us to use for the benefit of others. Now these gifts can come in many forms but there is one set of gifts which I tend not to see in action very often and they tend not to be encouraged in some fellowships. I’m referring to the so called ‘Gifts of the Holy Spirit’ that Paul tells us about in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11. These spiritual gifts should play a significant part in the life of all church fellowships but all too often they don’t. It saddens me greatly to see these gifts neglected or ignored. They are great manifestations of the love and power of Jesus towards his beloved church. It is little wonder that the church sometimes becomes powerless and ineffective when it neglects the gifts that Jesus wants to give. I hope that when you read this you will be encouraged to look again at these wonderful gifts and that you will prayerfully seek them for the glory of God. |
Digital Communication27th July 2015 If you go to the bottom of the home page on this website you will find a Facebook logo. And if you click on the logo you will find a link to the New Life Pastoral Ministry Facebook page. Yesterday I had a conversation with some of my fellow believers after a Communion service and one of the topics was the use of the internet and social media. We were discussing the use of these modern day methods of communication by the church. And part of the discussion was about the dangers associated with them and it wasn’t clear from the discussion whether or not we should avoid them because of the risks. Since that conversation I have been reflecting on this subject and I have concluded that the church should use these methods of communication despite the dangers. The church has to recognise that the internet and social media have become very significant in the lives of people in the West these days. Because such huge numbers of people, especially young people, are using them, the church must learn to use these tools to share the gospel with people. The internet and social media are no substitute for face to face communications and face to face communications must take priority. However, there is a place for digital communication if used wisely. And that is the key to the correct use of them; wisdom. I believe that, for the church, the use of the internet and social media are not ends in themselves; they are a stepping stones that should lead to people meeting face to face with the church. And that’s how they should be used. |
Father Heart8th July 2015 Last night I watched by teenage daughter make her first public piano performance on a grand piano in front of a large audience. She played Nuvole Bianche by Ludovico Einaudi. Beforehand she was very nervous so I prayed that it would go well and it did. When she finished playing she got a huge round of applause and after the show people kept coming up to her and congratulating her. As I took her home she told me that the applause and congratulations had greatly encouraged her in her quest to follow a musical career. She said that if it had gone badly it would have had the opposite effect. But it hadn’t, and now she’s got the confidence to go on performing. As a father I also found the whole experience immensely encouraging. In fact, seeing her hard work blossom like that was exhilarating. Last night was one of the best experiences of my life. As a father, nothing gives me greater fulfilment than to see my children grow. I’ve always seen my role as providing the right environment in which my children can grow. I’ve tried to give them the freedom and opportunity to discover the talents that God has given them and provide them with the means of developing their talents. And last night was one of a number of experiences in which I have seen that father heart bear fruit. As Christians, we too have a father and like any good father he delights in seeing us grow. He provides us with security, assurance, resources and gifts. He calls us, directs us and nurtures us. He teaches us to walk on the right path and his heart bursts with joy as he sees the fruits of his work grow and mature in our lives. Praise God. |
Suffering12th May 2015 It’s been 3 months since I last wrote a blog and there’s a good reason for this; I’ve been seriously ill since then. Over the past five years or so I’ve had a series of problems with my heart resulting in two operations and lots of time spent in hospital. And this time a new problem has developed which has not yet been resolved. For the past 3 months I’ve been in a lot of pain and I’ve been very poorly. At the moment I find it difficult just to get through each day. I’ve found this very hard to bear because it comes on top of other forms of suffering in recent years. In fact, if follows decades of suffering and hardship. The effects of this latest period of illness have been to put my life on hold and to bring me down. When you’re very poorly it is very hard to think of anything else but the suffering you are experiencing. You become self-absorbed and self-pitying and you spiral into a darkness which is hard to get out of. When this happens, those around you don’t always know what to do and sometimes they make matters worse. For instance, many years ago I had the painful experience of not finishing my training at seminary and for a year afterwards I struggled to cope with this apparent setback. And in the midst of this difficult time I received a well-meaning letter from someone who wrote, “When the going gets tough the tough get going”. Such clichéd responses to someone’s suffering are completely wrong. During that same period my own Christian community did something else that was wrong; they turned their backs on me, blaming me for my suffering. In their eyes I was a failure and not good enough for them. Another wrong response that I’ve experienced in the past and in my latest period of suffering is to tell me that I’m not the only one who’s suffering. The intention is well meaning but it’s still the wrong response to someone’s suffering. So how should Christians respond to a brother who is suffering? Well, it’s quite simple really; you walk alongside them, listening to them, sharing their pain and speaking scripture into their lives. You exercise great patience and you shine the Word of God into their darkness and in time they will be healed and they will emerge from the darkness. Never reject, abandon or ignore someone who is suffering and never rebuke or get angry or frustrated with them. I remember the first time that someone responded in the right way to a period of suffering I was experiencing a long time ago. I was a young man at seminary and it wasn’t going well. I never found acceptance there and I experienced rejection after rejection. At one time this got to me and I experienced a period depression. When this happened a friend came to my room one evening and spent hours with me reading scripture and reminded me of God’s perspective on the situation. It worked and I got up and carried on in faith. In fact he was doing just what Jesus did with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus. However, when we do speak scripture into the life of someone who is suffering it has to be the right scripture. It has to be the right scripture for that moment in time and this needs to be revealed by the Holy Spirit. This is what has happened to me this time. I am able to write this blog today because the right scriptures have been spoken into my life and I’ve been lifted out of the darkness. On this occasion it happened when I listened to Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones teach about the eternal decrees of God. This subject was not new to me but this timely reminder was just what I needed. |
No Strings Attached16th February 2015 In David Wilkerson’s book, The Cross And The Switch Blade, a former female New York gang member (a Deb) said to David Wilkerson after she had been saved, “Christ’s love is a love with no strings attached”. The young woman who said this was called Elaine and her description of divine love was so accurate. God’s love is unconditional and sacrificial, it’s constant and it’s at the core of his very nature. Human beings by their own effort can never truly match this kind of love. A human being can only love like this if God gives them the ability to do so because this kind of love can only comes from God. The fact is that human love always comes with strings attached one way or another and that’s why so many human relationships fail. If we’re honest with ourselves, when we love we always expect something in return. In one of his songs, John Lennon said that “All we need is love” and he was right but if he was thinking about human love then it won’t work. The love that we need is God’s love; love that has no strings attached. And if we take that kind of love and love God and our neighbours with it, then we have something immensely powerful. |
Les Miserables25 January 2015 In 2013 I went to the cinema to watch Les Miserables which is a film adaptation of the stage musical which is based on the classic French novel of the same name. And I’ve just seen it again at the suggestion of my daughters. The first time I saw it I thought it was the best film I had ever seen and on second viewing my opinion has not changed. One of the main themes covered in Les Miserables is that of grace versus law and for that reason I would encourage everyone to watch the film. And even, if you don’t watch the film I would encourage every Christian to study the conflict between grace and the law. At my home church we’re studying Paul’s letter to the Galatians and one of the main issues covered in the letter is grace and the law. In his day Paul found himself in a battle with the legalists for whom grace was not enough. And that battle remains today in the church. Most evangelical Christians would accept that we are saved by the grace of God alone yet so many still fall into the trap of legalism. J. Sidlow Baxter put it so well when he said of the Galatians, “they were erring from that absolutely distinctive doctrine of the one true Gospel, that the eternal salvation of the soul is altogether of Divine grace in Christ, apart from religious observances and human merit-works of every kind”. And speaking about our present day, he observed that, “Protestantism has become leavened in great degree with the evil leaven of legalism. Law is mixed with grace again. The fatal error is rife, that merit-works and religious observances are part of the Christian message”. I urge all believers today to stand firm and resist those who would rob us of the grace of God and ‘bewitch’ us into accepting a lesser gospel. Grace, grace, grace and nothing but grace. |
Persecution11 January 2015 I was watching a film recently called ‘Murder In The First’. It’s about a young lawyer defending an inmate of a notorious prison in which he murdered another inmate. There were some parts of the film that I wasn’t happy with but the part that struck a chord with me was the way the young lawyer came under attack as he tried to do good. In John’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, “If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also”. And indeed Jesus was persecuted so we should expect to be persecuted also. When I say that we should expect to be persecuted I’m not talking about the kind of suffering that we all experience such as physical pain or mental anguish. I’m talking about attacks that come when we do good. Throughout my Christian life I have always found that, as something good is about to happen or I’m in the midst of doing something good, or something I’m involved in is bearing fruit, I come under attack. By ‘doing good’, I mean doing God’s work. These attacks come in many forms and they are designed to distract me or put me off or take me away from the good that is happening. During one period in my life I came under sustained attacks from one source for over twenty years! Sadly when I was a young Christian I succumbed to these attacks all too easily and the good that I was involved in was destroyed. Now I take them in my stride because I know to expect them as part of doing good and because I recognise them for what they are and deal with them accordingly. And how do I deal with them? I turn to the truth of scripture just as Jesus did. Remember the armour we have (Ephesians 6:10-18) and that the devil is just a roaring lion. He can roar but he can’t devour us. Stand firm and keep doing what God has told you to do no matter what attacks you come under. |
Being Frank31 December 2014 If only there were more Franks in this world. Yesterday I went to the funeral of Frank, a friend of mine. It was a really good northern working man’s funeral and I felt completely at home there. It was the best funeral I’ve ever been to. It was a good opportunity to think about Frank and hear stories from others who had known him. Frank had been married to his wonderful wife Pam for 52 years. That in itself was a great testimony to the kind of man Frank was. Frank will not appear in any history books, he won’t be in the news, and nobody will erect a statue of him or put a plaque on a wall. But Frank truly was salt to the earth and light to the world just as Jesus said we should be. The world tends to look up to famous people of great intellect, people who have invented or discover things and people who have changed the way society thinks or behaves. But I would rather honour Frank than a thousand famous people. It’s Christians like Frank who make a real difference to this world. I common thought that ordinary people, myself included, have is about what difference we can make to this world. Well, individually it might not seem that we can do much. But together we can do a great deal. The collective effort of Christians like Frank being salt to the earth and light to the world makes a huge difference. What the world needs is not famous people but more people like Frank. |
Remembrance24 December 2014 Because it’s the 100th anniversary of the First Word War, there’s been a lot of activity this year through which we have been encouraged to remember that war. And one of the phrases associated with Remembrance Sunday is “lest we forget”. But remembrance activity is not limited to wars. In December each year we are encouraged to remember the birth of Jesus who came into our world to rescue us. In fact remembrance is an important part of Christianity. In the bible, God’s people are often encouraged to remember events or things that were said in the past to help with the present. Just as we all remember each December how God intervened in our world by sending Jesus, each one of us should take the time to remember those times when God has intervened in our own personal lives. As I remember those times in my life when God has healed me, spoken to me or moved me I am encouraged in my faith and I look to the future with a sure hope. If He’s done it before, He’ll do it again. So I would encourage you also to remember what He has done for you and rejoice in His goodness and mercy. |
Baptism with the Holy Spirit15 October 2014 All four of the Gospels tell us about the 'Baptism with the Holy Spirit' and it was one of the last things that Jesus spoke about before he ascended into heaven. This shows how important it was to the Apostles and to Jesus. So why, in my experience, is it so rarely spoken of in the church? I've been a Christian for a very long time and I have never heard anyone preach about it apart from Dr Martyn Lloyd Jones. Even then I didn't hear it directly from the doctor; it was a tape recording. I would argue that it is one of the most important subjects for Christians to understand today, especially in the West. If more people in the church understood what it is, how it happens and what it's for, then the church would become far more effective and powerful. I preached about it some time ago and I'm sure I've still got the notes somewhere. So keep an eye on the Teachings page of my website and hopefully I can put something on the page soon. In the meantime, I pray that this matter will come as a revelation to you. |
Why were we born?10 October 2014 I recently went to the cinema to watch a film called 'The Equalizer' and at the beginning of the film there is a quote from Mark Twain as follows: "The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why". According to the bible we were born to know the Lord. However, when I became a Christian, as well as getting to know the Lord, I also wanted to know what he wanted me to do with my life. I knew I had been born so that I could know the Lord but I wanted to know what he wanted me to do with that knowledge. It wasn't long before a I had the answer and I've been doing it ever since. Why were you born? |
At this time of year we celebrate what we call Easter. But over my lifetime I have seen the importance of this festival in my country slowly decline. I’ve seen the enthusiasm for the Christmas festival grow but the opposite is true for Easter. The build up to Christmas is enormous but Easter is barely given any thought.
So, now the sabbatical is over and a new era in my calling begins on the day that Christians all over the world remember the day that Jesus rose from the dead. For Christians, Easter Sunday is a time when we are reminded of the victory and power we have in Christ. We’re reminded that when we died to sin we were raised to new life. And for me, this Easter Sunday is the start of a new era in my ministry, a time when I can move forward strengthened by the love I receive from my wife.