Bible Newsletter January 2002 |
A Happy New Year
We wish all our readers a fulfilling 2003!Every new year the challenges of the unknown make for a measure of excitement. But whilst we can remember with some certainty the events of the past year that have affected us we have no means of knowing what will happen tomorrow, let alone next month or next year. The only sure guide to the future is in the Bible, God's Word.
Tested by its accuracy in the past, we can rely absolutely on the Bible's forecasts. Yet for very good reasons the Creator, who regulates the universe and controls the affairs of men and governments throughout the world, does not always reveal the exact time and date of coming events. But He does give us warning signs, to help us prepare. Informed Bible readers know that we are already in "the last days" before Jesus Christ returns to Jerusalem to set up his world government. That is why Christadelphians (and many others) ask in their daily prayers that "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven". It is why we all ask that 2003 may see the coming of the King.
The "Lord's Prayer"
The disciples of Jesus knew all about the "vain repetitions" of pagans worshipping their false gods, and about the mock demonstrations of the Pharisees who stood, "for to be seen of men", on street corners making long-winded prayers to the Almighty. The disciples, on the other hand, had been taught to pray privately. Theirs was a special calling to follow him in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom.So they asked the Master, "Lord, as your followers, teach us how we should pray". His answer was what we now know as the Lord's Prayer. It was specifically designed for adult believers who are entitled to call God their Father. It was for those awaiting the future Kingdom on earth, for those asking forgiveness for their sins (on condition that they do likewise with their fellows) and for those seeking help in avoiding temptation and evil in their lives (Matthew 6:5-7).
Our "Father"
"Father" is the supreme name of God in the Bible. There are many titles of the Deity in the Hebrew text of the Old Testament, including a handful of "father"s (usually referring to God's relationship with Israel). But in the New Testament all the former names are replaced by the Greek 'Pater' ("Father"), 255 times, with a capital F. That is one fifth of all the New Testament references to God.
Why is this? Undoubtedly, the answer is that the birth of Jesus fulfilled all the promises implied in the Old Testament names. Jesus, the first fully righteous man, embodied all the characteristics of the Father by whose Spirit Mary gave birth to him.
"The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Luke 1 :35).
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9)
Wonderfully, those who are baptised "into Christ" also earn the right to call God their Father:
"As many as received him (Jesus) to them gave he the right to become children of ~, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John 1:11-13).
| The Prayer
"Our Father which art in heaven, |
The Virgin Birth
According to a survey carried out by the Sunday Telegraph more than a quarter of the Church of England clergy do not believe in the virgin birth of Christ. 27% privately reject the Bible story of how Jesus was born to Mary by the Holy Spirit. Yet almost all of them were prepared to conduct public Christmas services emphasising the miraculous nature of Christ's birth.One vicar admitted: "I have a very traditional bishop and this is one of those topics I do not go public on. I need to keep the job I have got". Another said "I do not believe in the virgin birth - but it is not an important issue",
Does this tell us something about the integrity of established churchmen? The fact is, in an age when most church leaders proclaim that Christ was part of a trinitarian Godhead, the Bible makes the miraculous birth of Christ as a man (rather than God himself) an absolute test of those who have the truth of the matter.
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This how you can recognise the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God" (1 John 4:1-3 NIV).
Is it war?
All eyes are on the Middle East. Iraq is the focus at the moment. America has almost 100,000 troops in the region and is seeking a coalition of nations to go to war. The suicide bombers are back in Israel, and Palestinian delegates have been refused passage to a peace conference in London. As in old times, Babylon (Iraq) and Israel are at it again.Long ago the prophet Joel spoke of the "last days" when God would intervene in human affairs. It was a message of war:
"In that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat (Israel). ..Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up..."Is this the time of preparation for the final war? If it is, then we are very close indeed to the coming of Christ when
"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel" (Joel 3:16).
