ISLAM MUST BE EXPOSED

Martin Luther:

 

 "If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point."

 

If Christian preachers do not shine the light of God's infallible Word on the corruptions and perversions of true religion, we cannot expect the world to do so.  If Christian preachers fail in this respect, they are failing Christ and the Gospel, regardless of how loudly they say otherwise.

Study so that you understand the hell-inspired realities that are facing the Christian church and Gospel.  Meditate so that you might consider how you might deal with this and every other religious menace.  Pray to the sovereign LORD that He might send His Spirit-empowered Gospel to convict all those who have embraced false religions of every kind.

And what is a false religion?  It is one in which the grace of God in salvation is concealed or even denied.  It is a religion that works hard to keep sinners away from Christ and His saving Cross.  It is that religion that substitutes the Church for the Cross, orthodox theology for the Saviour, religious formalism for a personal saving interest in the Redeemer pof the world.  It is any form of religion that does not clearly and pointedly present Christ as the only hope of mankind.

Islam falls into these categories.  Like Roman Catholicism, and liberal Protestantism, it is a false religion that is damning millions of souls to a lost Christless eternity.  This must be esposed of ever sinners held within the evil clutches of Catholicism, Protestant liberalism or Islam are to be delivered.

 

 

Dr D Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981)

This book will inform you on matters central to the Gospel.  Get your copy here.

Calvin Inspires Courage.

This is a MUST READ and you can get it here.

Criticising What You Do Not Know!

It is of interest and concern that reformed Christians who appear to know little or nothing about Amyraldianism claim that they do not believe it is a biblical system.  They have not read anything by Amyraut, but their understanding is merely second-hand knowledge?  Even this knowledge proceeds from an inbult prejudice against this servant of God and dedicated disciple of Calvin.  Those professed followers of John Calvin do not seem to know Amyraut was immersed in Calvin's thought; for example, when Amryaut was being tried for heresy by theological extremists at Alencon in 1637, his defense was so full of quotations from John Calvin's work that his accusers realised that were they to condemn Amyraut, they would thereby also be condemning Calvin - which very thing they would not do.  The same is true today; those who condemn Amyraut's theology are simultaneously condemning Calvin's.

The opponents of Amyraut's theology must tell us which part(s) of the Amyraldian/Calvinist theology is unbiblical?  It would also be essential that they inform us of those biblical reference(s) that state(s) that Christ died only for elect sinners.  The Bible must be our point of reference is all these matters.

I challenge anyone reading this post and who opposes Amyraut's theology to  answer these questions.

My advice for what its worth is this: always seek to go to the original sources to ascertain a man's mind on a matter, and do not trust implicitly those who claim to be his supporters and/or opposers.  That is why in my study of the theology of Dr D Martyn Lloyd-Jones I go to his actual words and weigh the statements of his 'friends' in the light of the Doctor's own published statements.  I think that's fair. 

I think we also need to be aware of the negative influence on theology of medieval scholasticism with it watertight systems of logic.  We must concern ourselves with being theological, not logical.  Rev. Eric Alexander told me many years ago that "biblical doctrine must lead to biblical conclusions and not necessarily to logical ones."  Methodologically, this is very good.  Logic is a good servant, but a very bad master.  

I encourage informed comments on this piece, comments that are not just designed to score a point or two, but which are intent rather on growing in grace and in knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Norwich Minister Vindicated by the Police

Norwich minister, Rev. Dr Alan C Clifford has informed me that the Norfolk Constabulary, who were brought into the controversy over his leaflet "Why not Islam," has been vindicated when the police stated that Dr Clifford had committed no crime.

This is a matter of great delight to Christians, and of deep thankfulness to God for His care of Alan and for His standing by His own inspired Word and Gospel.  God is sovereign in everything and is able to make the wrath of man praise Him.

The Norwich City Council meant it for evil but God meant it for good. 

May I thank, on Alan's behalf, all those readers of my blog who prayed for Alan and his situation.  Thank you for your interest in the Gospel.  Please go on supporting all those faithful ministers of God who proclaim fearlessly this glorious message.

Dr Clifford's courage may be well illustrated in the life and ministry of John Calvin, when in 1553, he had to deal with several very difficult situations.  He, too, proved God's faithfulness.  Click here for further information.

Queen's Honours and Christain Integrity

I sometimes wonder how some Christian people who work for the government in any capacity can be given an award by Her Majesty the Queen, given the corruption that exists within government circles.  I mean, to be a 'good servant' of the government necessitates 'keeping your nose clean' and not thinking for yourself in case it might disadvantage you at the next promotion board. 

Over the years, I have worked with government employees, and I must confess they have not impressed me in the least.  They are so "PC" in all they say and do that, for Christians to 'key in' to that way of operating, is a denial of the Christian faith.

What these Christians have to do and are prepared to do in order to get these awards is truly amazing.  The boot licking that goes on within government/civil service circles is obscene.  What can be said about Christians in politics can also be said about Christian holding any government job - it is corrupt and it is corrupting.

Northern Ireland is perhaps the best current example of this.  The last twenty years has seen this happen with nauseating regularity.  Christians politicians, some of whom are church elders, have drank from the fountain of compromise for personal gain, and have paid a heavy price for so doing.  One politician I know very well, and a church elder, simply refused to object to immoral legislation concerning the victims of terrorism, because that would have jeopardised his future prospects as a politician; his inaction was a wise one for someone who has personal ambitions to get on and up within his party.

Other Christian politicians have supported, by their actions or inactions, the award of tens of thousands of public money for the organising of the Belfast Gay Pride.  Christian police officers do not appear to have any difficulty in supporting and defending sodomy.  If the law says sodomy is right, then unconscientious police officers will agree.  There are promotion boards ahead, and the salaries paid to middle to senior officers of huge, so the enticement is there to subjugate conscience for greater personal good.  I know of Christian police officers who were told to lie in order to get their way respecting evidence and witness statements.  One Christian policeman's wife told me that those first lies were very difficult for him, but as time passed, lying became easier until it became a way of life for him.

The church is not much different.  Think of the number of church ministers who had lucrative part-time jobs in education board, health boards, sport, etc, who were given these spurious awards from Her Majesty - for services to.... It is laughable. 

The issue is not over who gets what and why.  The issue is over the level of compromise, of violating conscience, that is involved just to be thought well of by superiors, and the possibility of enhancement at work.  Compromise is only possible at immense personal cost.  Compromise, some of which is honourable where no point of principle is involved, and, for the Christian, where there is no known disobedience to God's Word, is essentially evil. 

Christians who get involved with any government agency is vulnerable to being 'bought.'  They have ways of bringing employees into line.  So great and attractive a thing it is to be a civil servant that they are prepared to sign the Official Secrets Act in order to get the job.  This 'gagging order' allows government to do whatever it wishes, regardless of how immoral it is, and no one employed by government can squeal.  Christians who take such 'oaths' that forbid the uncovering of certain wrongs are wrong to do so.  They are knowingly compromising themselves. 

Christian employees need to reassess their stand and their prior allegiance to Christ and His Gospel.  For them to give an undertaking to accept whatever government decides is to give prior and total allegiance, not to God and His Christ, but to a divine institution.  It is to relegate God Himself to a lower position than what he has ordained.  It is to say, for example, that marriage is to come before God in the Christian's priorities.  We know that the biblical priorities is Christ first, then the spouse, then others; never otherwise.

I commenced with discussing the Honours system in light of Christian integrity, and discovered that other applications are equally valid.  Let us re-consider our position if any of this applies to you. 

EVANGELICAL VINDICTIVENESS

You must be joking!  No, I’m quite serious.  For many a long year, I would not have believed that such a quality remained within evangelicalism.  Not until a friend told me of a man who now holds high public office in Northern Ireland and who would have preached for me at my invitation in my churches many years ago, and who is known for his vindictiveness.  I was appalled.  A well-known evangelical man being a vindictive person. 

Then very recently I was in touch with a former ministerial colleague about a matter, believing him to be a friend.  Again, I was appalled at the unadulterated and undisguised vindictiveness of this Christian brother. 

I thought, ‘I must have missed something somewhere.  I did not realise that this was, or had become, an acceptable evangelical way of behaviour towards a Christian brother.”  But I was wrong again.  This appears to be the way you do it within the churches.  In order to protect your patch you hold grudges. 

What is most ironic is that this man and I would have held the same theological ground.  Perhaps he has ‘matured’ or ‘mellowed,’ as they put it. Which is another way of saying that he ‘compromised’ for an easy life. 

As a young minister, I remember hearing Rev. R. C. (Dick) Lucas, senior minister of St Helens, Bishopgate, London, saying that we must maintain an “eschatological perspective” on and throughout our ministries.  That means that we must conduct our ministries with a view to the last Day, the final judgement.  On that dread Day, we will have to stand before the holy Judge and give a strict account of our stewardship.  That fearful thought has tended to keep me steady, despite some stumbles and tumbles on the way.  I don’t want to live as a vindictive person; in fact, nothing could be further from my mind. 

But that is a reality within Ulster evangelicalism in the 21^st century.  Vindictiveness is a strategy for defending your church and your patch against Gospel intrusion.  The last thing that many churches want today, even those with evangelical ministers and backgrounds, is the Gospel, the truth.  Keep these from your people and you’ll have a nice comfortable ministry.

But when you stand before that awesomely holy Judge on that last Day, how will you answer for your unfaithfulness?  What will you say when asked about the exercise of your ministry?  Why have you tolerated so much wrong and falsehood within your church?  Why have you lived comfortably with open disobedience to the authority of Scripture?  Why has your total heart and life submission to the authority of Scripture not been a reality for you?  Why did you replace your own fallen human wisdom for the wisdom of My Word?  Why did you operate your ministry on a purely pragmatic mode rather than be principle-driven?  Why did you have no fear of standing before Me on the last Day?  Why were you so vindictive towards other Christians who sought only to proclaim Christ and Him crucified?  Why did you not work as a better physician of souls? 

These are just some of the momentous questions you and I will have to answer when we stand before the righteous Judge.  There will be more, many more.

That Day is coming.  How will it be for you?

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Universal Atonement

"My only reason for standing in the pulpit is that I believe that here in this Book is contained God's way of salvation for mankind."

 “God would never have allowed it if the salvation of humanity could have been procured or effected in any other way.”  

“It is a gospel for ‘whosoever believeth.’”   

“Why does he do that?  There is only one answer: he has come into the world to save the world.”  

“He came for the whole world of men and women; he is the Saviour of the world.”  

“The only hope for you individually, the only hope for the cosmos, lies in the Son of God, the Saviour of the world.”  

“Because the Son has made himself responsible for sinners and for the sin of humanity.”  

“God is trying to awaken the human race. ... But ‘God so loved the world’ that he is engaged in opening its eyes to the inferno it is creating.”  


    

Calvin and Courage - under the Cross

Calvin and Courage - under the Cross is most relevant at this time, especially given the persecution of brother Alan C Clifford by the state.  His church and their outreach bookstall in Norwich city centre which has been going on now for17 years has been attacked, we might say, by the council.  It has withdrawn the use of its property from Norwich Reformed Church. 

Yet the LORD had already planned for this eventuality; over recent months, a new meeting room was being prepared for the Lord's work, and no one could have foreseen how suddenly this new facility wold be needed - but God saw, and made provision.  The church met there last Sunday when there was a good attendance.

Please make this situation a matter of urgent prayer.

Dr Clifford is displaying great courage under the Cross, just as Calvin did in Geneva in 1553. 

For details of Calvin's experience and ministry in this situation, please click here.

Reading this book will support you; buying it will support me.  Thank you.

JESUS CHRIST

JESUS CHRIST

The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  (John 1:29)

Why is your life in this world not what you imagined it to be?  Why are so many bad things happening today?  The answer is: first, God is holy and is angry with mankind; second, He is angry because of your sin; and thirdly, because He is our good and loving God, He has found a way of dealing with His holiness and your sin at the same time, and that is by the Cross.  He sent His Son to take away the sin of mankind.  Trust Him and He’ll take away your sin too, the very moment you give your heart to Him!  Look with me, please, at John 1:29.

This ‘world’ is not what it is imagined to be.  The world is life organised and lived out apart from God.  It is life lived away from God and under His judgement.  We see it as attractive (Gk. cosmos, from which we get our word cosmetic), as desirable, and something to imitate.  But this is wrong.  The world is everything God is not. The "world" is the life of every person - "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”  "World” refers to not only its 'badness,' but also to its 'bigness.'  And it’s under God’s judgement.  And so are you!

This 'world' is characterised by sin.  Sin is a frightening reality and it is utterly repulsive to God.  But we do not find it so.  We can talk about it and pray against it, without trembling at its very mention.  Sin provokes the wrath of God.  It is that magnet that draws the judgement of God to every sinner, all mankind.  Every individual is guilty before God.  You don’t have to feel guilty to be guilty in God’s sight.  Think of the world and you think of sin.  It affects negatively every person born into the world, except our Lord Jesus Christ.  It pollutes everything in your life.  It is a robber and thief, a murderer, a deceiver and a destroyer.  Sin does this to every sinner, and it draws down God’s judgement on them.  You need saved from that!

This world's sin can be taken away.  This verse provides us with the best news the world could ever hear.  The world’s sin CAN BE TAKEN AWAY!   That means that YOUR SIN CAN BE TAKEN AWAY!  Isn't that brilliant?  What a relief!  This spoiler can be taken away, this murderer, this robber.  Its legacy can be destroyed.  My friend, the thing that keeps you under God’s judgment – your sin - can be removed.  YOUR SIN can be taken away.  Think of that!  The very thing that will guarantee your eternal destruction CAN BE REMOVED, lifted off.  That weight that burdens you – taken away.  That thing that depresses you, and that holds you in its grip, removed.  That is a great possibility for you.  Did you know that?  For sin to be taken away, is for you to be forgiven by God.  And this happens only at the CROSS.  It is the death and passion of Christ that does it.  He took our sin in His own body on the tree, and bore it away!  That’s why our Lord Jesus Christ died on Calvary.  That's why He came.  This opens the door to eternal salvation, to everlasting life.  The sin that has messed up your life CAN BE TAKEN AWAY.  God has found a way, the only way, by which this can be done.

The Lamb of God is the only One Who can take away sin.  No one else can do this for us.  “He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the Cross.”  He was separated from the Father because He was bearing your sin and mine.  “My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me,” He cried, Ps.22:1.  And there was no answer!  Silence, deadly silence!  He was punished and got what you should have got; and He took it in your place.  Had there been another way, God would have found it.  But there wasn’t.  This is the only way of salvation and a home in heaven.

It was a sacrificial death.  That was His purpose in coming – He was born to die – for you and for me.  It was not to teach, nor to be an example, nor to perform miracles that He came – He came to die in your place and mine.  He is the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  That’s why Good Friday really is Good Friday.  

For this to happen to you, you must look to the Lamb of God alone.  The big question is, how can this become mine?  How can I experience this forgiveness?  How can, a sinner, like me, who has a sense of his need of Christ, get this much needed relief?  There is only one way, and that is by looking in faith to Christ, “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  “Look unto ME and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth,” cries out Isaiah.  There is no other way, and no other Person Who can do this for you.  Only “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”

Look in faith to Christ.  See in Him the only One Who can do you spiritual and eternal good.  And do you know what?  He’s waiting this very moment to be merciful to you.  His arms are wide open to receive you.  Why?  Because His heart is open to receive you.  Put your trust in the only Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ.  Cast yourself unreservedly on Him for forgiveness and salvation.  Give your heart to Him.  Do you know what faith does?  Calvin explains this for us.  Faith not only lets us come to Christ, but, and listen very carefully to this, faith opens the way for Christ to come to you.  It's one thing for you to come to Christ, but it's altogether another for Christ to come to you.  The Saviour of the world comes to earth-worms like us, and takes up His residence in us, a fact that is utterly amazing.  

You might ask, “How will I know if my sins have been taken away?”  That's a very good question.  Well, you can come to Christ as I have said.  But you must keep on coming to Him until you know in your heart that He has arrived and has taken up residence in your life.  Will I feel anything, you ask?  When Christ comes to you and He takes up His abode in your heart, you will have all the feelings you’ll ever want.  You will KNOW.  When your sin is removed, when God’s anger at you is removed, you’ll know.  So my last word to you is this: do it NOW!

Norwich Minister Victimised by City Council

Rev Dr Alan C Clifford (70) and his congregation in Norwich met last Sunday in a recently renovated house, having been evicted by Norwich City Council from the community centre they used during the past two decades.  The minister has been accused of being 'motivated by hate' in a leaflet he published, entitled Why Not Islam."  


In this evangelistic leaflet, Dr Clifford drew a series of contrasts between Mohammad and Christ, and presented Christ as the only Saviour of the world, including Muslims.


Dr Clifford has fulfilled the role of an evangelist for the past four decades, and this included his desire to seek the conversion of the Muslim people, in itself a sign of compassion towards them and all men. 

In addition to Norwich Reformed Church's Sunday services, they also had a bookstall which in Norwich City Centre which attracted many callers each week. Here Christian counsel was given to the hurting and worried, Christ was presented as the only Saviour of mankind, and excellent Christian literature was available for purchase.

In this as in all other maters, our God is sovereign.  He is dong what we cannot see now, but it will be revealed in due times. Perhaps through this witness, Dr Clifford "shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out."

"Christianity, Islam and British Politics"

Anyone wishing to get Dr Alan C. Clifford's book, "Christianity, Islam and British Politics," can get it from me through this blogspot.  Price £3.50 (P and P extra).

Worldly Christians?

Jesus said, "Love not the world nor the things of the world."  He said this for very good reason: the world is not only corrupt but is corrupting.  He also said, speaking of His disciples, that "You are not of this world."  They are in the world but not of the world. 

However, it appears that He has got it all wrong.  Many Christians today are world-lovers, and the things of the world are sought after with diligence and energy.  Worldly ways of thinking characterises many professing Christians who propose that the reason for doing things is for your personal advantage. 

Also, many Christians are of this world.  They live for it, cherish it, and organise their affairs according to it. They are of this world.  They do as the world does, only from an 'evangelical' point of view.  They are in the world as well as being of the world. 

But what about those Christians who are government employees?  Given the corruption of government and its policies, it is amazing that Christians can be so protective of the government and its doings. The government is always right - a clear worldly attitude.  Yet Christians can work happily within such a worldly institution, defending and promoting its policies. 

I find it so difficult to accept that Christians can be so aligned with government in their thinking that they will look down on all others who dare to criticise the state.  When the state closes down a church in Gospel Church in Norwich, the implied response from some reformed Christians is that the minister must have done something wrong.  The idea is that a 'good' church is so submissive to "the powers that be" that they will accept without challenge whatever the state throws at it, and therefore will never get on its wrong side.  Such churches are in reality the religion wings of the government. 

It is good that Christians can get civil service posts; but only if they act as Christians and witness as Christians and vocally oppose those policies that are contrary to the Christian ethos.  Sadly, their silence is deafening.  They've got their well-paid jobs with excellent pensions (in fact in the UK, government jobs are paid at 28% higher than in private sector jobs), so they will in no way jeopardise their lifestyle or their financial well-being. 

How they will answer to the great Judge of all the earth on the last day is another question.