February 2000
Welcome to Signposts for Crawley
Welcome to this first edition of the new bimonthly magazine produced by members of the Gospel Hall for those who live in the village of Crawley
Through this publication we seek to share with you something of the truth of the Bible, the Word of God. The Bible was written by over 40 different men of various social and intellectual conditions, spanning 1600 years, and most had not come into contact with one another. So why do we fail to find one hint of contradiction or disagreement throughout its' pages? Why is it still the world's best selling book?
The Bible is not just an ordinary book, 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that, "All scripture was given by inspiration of God..." and Peter the Apostle explains in his second letter that, "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."
Why is it that so many millions in the world today depend upon its words to provide practical teaching for their lives; to give comfort to their troubled souls and an assurance of peace for the future? Why are the lives of men and women changed so dramatically in some cases after reading its pages?
We hope and pray that by sharing some of the signposts of scripture with you, over the next few months, many will be able to find lasting peace and joy in the only wise God who has given us His Word.
Another fresh start...
On the 1st January 2000 people all across the world awoke to a new day, a new year and a new millennium. Many of us will have spent time leading up to the day making promises to ourselves and forming resolutions on how things will be different from now on.
I remember as a child at school the feeling of excitement and anticipation when I received a new exercise book with its gleaming pages, not yet blemished by my mistakes and the damage caused over time. Yet even on the first few days our resolutions may fail, and it was only a matter of pages before my new book lost its spotless look.
This would remind us of the perfect start that the human race had when "God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life' and man became a living soul." God in His wisdom had created man as a perfect being, he was "in the image and likeness of God." There was nothing to blot or blemish that new creation and yet we only need to read three chapters into our Bible to find that things did not stay that way. God had given to man a free will to be able to choose between right and wrong; to make decisions for himself. When Adam was tempted to go against the commandment of God he chose the path of disobedience and as a result sin entered the world. God's perfect creation had been ruined by man's disobedience.
However, God in His love sent His Son into the world; and occasion celebrated recently, to offer to mankind another fresh start. This new life can only be found in God's Son the Lord Jesus Christ, because of His death upon the cross at Calvary; an event remembered at Easter. The Bible says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God." It wouldn't have been enough for my old exercise book to have a new cover, it needed to be changed completely. In the same we need to be a new creature in Christ.
To be able to take hold of this new life we must pray to God and confess that we have done wrong in His sight. David, the man who wrote many of the Psalms, gives to us a patter prayer of repentance in Psalm 51.."For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, and thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight." If we believe that Jesus died and rose again to deal with sin once and for all, then we can have the fresh start and the new life which is offered in Christ.
Are you concerned about all of the disasters and natural catastrophes that keep happening in our world? Does the Bible give us any guidance on their significance?
It is a sad fact that we seem to be seeing an increasing number of disasters in the world around us. None could have predicted the number of major floods, earthquakes and tornadoes seen so regularly over the last couple of years, and I'm sure that all of us are touched by concern for those affected as we see the reports in the media.
Whenever I hear or read of such events, I am reminded that the Bible (although written so long ago) describes days like we are seeing today and calls them the "end times". Matthew in his Gospel wrote in Chapter 24 v 7, "..and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places."
These events seen all around us would show us how true and accurate the Bible is. However, it is not the disasters in the world that cause me the greatest concern, but rather the attitude of some towards the future events explained in the Bible. It was Peter in his second letter that spoke of these people. "There shall come in the last days scoffers, ...saying, Where is the promise of His coming?" In his response he says, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."
The next 'earth-shattering' event we should be preparing for is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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