Arthur Carver's book on eschatology: The Great Consummation

I have very happy memories of Rev. Arthur Carver (when he helped London Bible College at Northwood, now LST, with maintenance duties) and regret not buying a copy of his book The Great Consummation from him. At the time my pre-millennial prejudice prevented me.  I have found some of this book posted on a blogsite


http://elijah-the-tishbite.blogspot.com/2006/07/great-consumation-by-arthur-carver.html

 but finding a complete copy of this rare book was difficult.  I contacted the library London School of Theology (LST) and found that they have a copy.  I will be going back to my alma mater soon and will enjoy reading Arthur's book.




Arthur was once an Elim Pentecostal minister, but his amillennial views on eschatology did not fit in with the doctrinal basis of Elim, which was then very staunchly pre-millennialist, so Arthur had to resign.  Many LBC students in my day remember hearing Arthur's hymn singing as he worked.  He was a lovely man of God.

Nigerian Christians: you are needed to help those in Jos!

There are many Nigerian Christians in the UK.  They go to large churches and raise much money for Christian ministry.  In the fellowship where I preach we have some lovely Nigerian Christians.  I still do not understand why so little seems to be done for Christians in the Jos area by wealthy Nigerian Christians.  A year ago Christians in Jos suffered badly through persecution and violent attacks;  some were murdered.  I heard that Dutch Christians (Open Doors, so hats off to them) were helping them, but relatively little seems to be done by Nigerian Christians.  Why are they reluctant to get involved in relieving the pain and hardship?

I have not heard of appeals by Nigerian church leaders in the UK for funds to help these folk in Jos.  Please tell me if there have been such appeals and funds raised.  

I have asked a leader of a charity working to help the persecuted church and I have asked an eminent Nigerian Christian doctor.  I still do not know why Christians in Jos receive little support from UK churches run by Nigerians.  The widows and orphans in Jos are still there.

Sometimes charity does not begin at home!

Westboro Baptists should take heed to the parable of Pharisee and the Tax Collector

The Lord Jesus Christ told a parable against those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else.

Εἶπεν δὲ καὶ πρός τινας τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι εἰσὶν δίκαιοι καὶ ἐξουθενοῦντας τοὺς λοιποὺς τὴν παραβολὴν ταύτην·
Yes, it is the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector. It is in Luke's Gospel 18: 9-14.

This parable is wonderfully applicable to the self righteous, pharisaical and hyper judgemental attitudes of the Phelps sect.  They thank God that they are not like other men - robbers, evildoers, adulterers or even like those in the groups they particularly hate (like the tax collectors of old).  We've heard the hateful chants and vitriol. We've seen the distasteful signs.  Do they understand the meaning of this parable?

Where is the love and humility?                                                                                              

Christ Faith Tabernacle claims of a revival in 2011 may be false.

Currently, to be quite honest, I see absolutely no evidence in 2011 of a "revival as we have never seen before."  The Christ Faith Tabernacle churches are claiming that such a revival will come and it is based on the "revelation" of Apostle Alfred Williams who was caught up to heaven in 2010.  We must test his prophesy to see if it is true.

http://www.cftchurches.org/flashvideo/tvad_di11.html

I struggled to understand some of Alfred Williams' words, especially around the 1 minute 20 seconds section of the above video.  His diction is not clear to me, but in the social context of his church they are probably used to his strong accent and have no difficulty at all.


The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.  He will guide the church into all truth.  He will convict, convince and reveal sin, righteousness and judgement.

I believe His judgement is on those who lead the flock astray, fleece the flock and make themselves fat and rich through clever words and misleading teaching.  In the 1990s there were those who made money and a name for themselves and their ministeries by proclaiming a coming revival.  Some have claimed special revelations and "downloads from God".  The holy prophets of God speak from God and their words are full of grace and truth. For prophecy never had its origins in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.



There are a few people who will remember the Hebrides Revival (1949-1952), but if this 2011 revival is to be "a revival as we have never seen before" then we should be looking for evidence of a considerable and clear work of God.  If the claims are true then one should expect an even greater revival than the Hebridean blessing when there were great conversions, a deep conviction of sin, the power of the Holy Spirit, an increase in godliness and a remarkable move of God in the area that brought about significant change.

I would dearly love to see such a revival.

Porkies about Portman?

Fox Searchlight maintains that Natalie Portman did most of the dancing in Black Swan. Sarah Lane, however, of the American Ballet Theatre claims that only five per cent of the full body shots are Natalie.  All the other shots in the film are of Sarah, the body double.  And Benjamin Millepied claims that 85 per cent of the dancing is by his fiancee Natalie.   Someone's telling porkies.

Westboro Baptists ignore clear Bible teaching to their peril

Westboro Baptists are very selective in their theology, which is distorted.  They ignore Bible commands, such as "do not repay evil with evil, insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing." 

The previous verse in 1 Peter 3 tells true Christians to "live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble."

On the day of judgement the Lord may say to them, "...whatever you did not do for the least of these (the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the person needing clothes, the sick and the prisoner) you did not do for Me."

Solemn words are also found in Matthew 7: 21-23.  

Westboro Baptists are spending huge amounts of money in travelling around the USA provoking people and making them swear and use foul language.  It is therefore causing people to sin, which God hates. WBC members clearly ignore the teaching of Romans 14:13 and 2 Corinthians 6:3.  They are not acting in love.   They are not bringing the true Gospel message, the good news of salvation and peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ  God wants Christians to bless, be compassionate and bring love which covers a multitude of sins.  Westboro Baptist are conveniently disobeying that teaching.

There is strife and discord within the Phelps family.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNmnTdCcOoo
I pray for their repentance.  May they seek the way of love and peace through Jesus Christ. Amen

The Lunch for the Persecuted Church: it went well yesterday

Hornchurch Baptists and others attended the lunch and gave generously to the appeal for financial support in aid of the persecuted church.  Hundreds of pounds were raised at the event.



Guest speaker Godfrey Brown shared his experiences with a challenging and moving talk about the problems Christians are facing in rural areas of Columbia.  Many pastors and church leaders have been assassinated by militias and death squads operating in tribal areas.  Godfrey urged folk to sign a petition concerning human rights and religious freedom in Egypt.

A "No Cuts" Policy is economic folly

Vince Cable, a man of considerable economic understanding, has defended the cuts and will not shift his political stance concerning the cuts.  The cuts are necessary and the "No Cuts" policy of Mark Serwotka, apparently a man of little economic understanding, offers no viable alternative.  Difficult decisions with cuts are clearly ahead.  We should therefore have more confidence in Vince Cable than Mark Serwotka when it comes to economic policy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-12442470


We should be very glad that the extreme left wing elements, that do not grasp simple economic realities, have very little influence when it comes to choosing a Government or running the country or sorting out our serious national debt.  Serwotka et al speak for a small minority when it comes to making cuts.  Many of his union members do not share his political views at all.  They voted for mainstream political parties who believe in cuts.  Planet Serwotka is a bizarre place to inhabit; it's a fantasy world.

The Met Police did well in dealing with vandals in London yesterday

Vandals who have little respect for the rule of law and democracy behaved badly in London yesterday.  They attacked police, shops, cash machine and banks.  These criminal rabble-rousers did much damage.  They are waterless clouds, tumours and wild waves foaming up their shame.  They are blemishes on the peaceful protests.

They deserve strong community punishments that make them do something constructive and useful for society.

We should be grateful to the Met Police for protecting the public from these vicious hooligans who are so destructive.

Muddle-headed Metropolitan Police messed up the early apprehension of Delroy Grant

It has come to light that shoddy work by the Metropolitan Police allowed a serial sex offender to continue a reign of terror for years in south London.  The shameful errors of the Met in apprehending sex offenders have cost millions of pounds, terrible suffering by victims and hours of extra police time.  Had officers done their jobs properly then Delroy Grant and others would have been caught years ago.  This is certainly true in the Kirk Reid case, which Deborah Glass (the IPCC Commissioner) said was a "shameful chapter in the history of the Metropolitan Police Service."  The John Warboys case is yet another dreadful episode in the Met's hall of shame.  These cases have come to light. One wonders how many others cases have been botched and mismanaged by the Met.

Conflict in Libya: can we afford it?

It is very expensive playing the role of a world policeman.  We seem to be spending a great deal of money on conflicts in far away lands, when our people are suffering from lack of hospital care and medical interventions. Hospitals are threatened with closure and NHS waiting lists are very long.  Treatment can take a good deal of time and people suffer the consequences. Yet we can find the money to send jet planes and fire expensive missiles abroad.  People are rightly questioning our priorities and spending.  The wealthy Arab nations should be much more involved in the Libyan conflict. It may be a long and protracted situation.  Should we be spending millions of pounds on this conflict?  We have more than enough on our plate with little to show for it.  We may be paying the piper, but we do not seem to get the right tune!  Things are very out of tune in Afghanistan.  The Libyan situation could take a lot of time to resolve.

Gaddafi will not be going quietly.  He has paid his supporters well and they are often fanatically loyal to him.  To some he is an iconic and cult figure who stands against the West. He may behave like a crime boss, a mafia don, but his henchmen are willing to shed blood and use violence to keep him in power.  They really believe in the Gaddafi family dictatorship. It has served them well and they have a vested interest in the Gaddafi criminal fraternity.  The International Criminal Court will investigate the crimes of the Gaddafi gang.

Westboro Baptist Church needs to understand 1 Corinthians 13

It seems very evident that members of Westboro Baptist Church in Kansas do not grasp the implications of 1 Corinthians 13.  For all their shouting and protesting they do not exhibit love. In their protests they are therefore resounding gongs and clanging symbols.  Where is the love in what they say and do?  Love is kind. It is not rude.
 It does not delight in evil.

Westboro Baptists need to remember these words and take note that whoever does not love does not know God! If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, who he has not seen.

Jesus taught His disciples to love their enemies and bless those who persecuted them.  WBC preach hate and a negative message.  John 3:16 is not proclaimed by WBC.  WBC distort the Bible and do not teach the whole counsel of God. God is love, but you would not know it from WBC propaganda. Do they really know agape love, love that reaches out to the lost?  2 Peter 3:9 declares that God is not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.  WBC members seem most willing for people to perish.  They have no love for the lost. They do not show love at all.

Hornchurch Passion Play Performances in just over a month

Yes, on Good Friday, which falls on 22 April, the first main performance of the Hornchurch Passion Play starts at 7.30 p.m. on the Green by the Queen's Theatre.  Admission is free but donations in the buckets at the end of the performance will be most welcome.  There are also performance on Saturday 23 April and on Easter Sunday.  Those involved are working hard to make this 2011 Passion Play a blessing to onlookers and great success to the glory of God.  There have previously been Hornchurch Passion Plays in 1995, 2000, and 2006, when Kevin Walsh played the role of Jesus.  Kevin is now the director of the 2011 HPP and the role of Jesus will be played by Simon Pugsley.  We hope that many will attend, as they have done in past years.

Very sad to hear of the death of Smiley Culture

I was very sad to hear that reggae singer Smiley Culture had died earlier this month.  Apparently during a police raid at his home in Warlingham, Surrey, Mr David Emmanuel, known as Smiley Culture, died in very tragic circumstances. It has been recorded as a "death following police contact".  There are reports that he stabbed himself through the heart in his kitchen.  Smiley was charged last year with conspiracy to supply cocaine.

The attached hyperlink gives a good example of his music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DkIz3-8wRgo

Lunch for the Persecuted Church on Saturday 26 March

There will be a lunch to raise funds for the persecuted church on Saturday 26 March at Hornchurch Baptist Church.  Doors open at 11.30 a.m.  A speaker from Christian Solidarity Worldwide will be coming to share information about support for persecuted Christians throughout the world.


Please see www.csw.org.uk for further information about support for the persecuted Church.

Murder on the streets of Manama, Bahrain

It was disturbing to watch the government security forces of Bahrain killing unarmed civilians on the streets of Manama.  It was murder, state organized murder.  People were killed by men from armed vehicles firing at civilians on the streets.  They were killed without a trial or due process of law. There was clearly a shoot to kill policy.  The treatment of medical staff has also been totally unacceptable.  Criminals and political gangsters are running the country.

I now understand that similar events have been occurring in Yemen.  Many protesters in University Square, Sanaa, have been shot.   Security forces are believed to be behind the bloodshed and violent repression of the protests.

More information can be found on the International Trade Union Confederation website.
http://www.ituc-csi.org/

After modem problems it is good to be back blogging.

Yes, it is good to be back blogging again.  I discovered a problem with my modem, but all is well now.  I had lost all internet access and it felt dreadful.  You don't realize how much you miss something until it is gone or taken away from you.  The internet, facebook, YouTube, emails and skype were an important part of my life.  I am glad to be able to use the internet again and find out so much on the world wide web.