American intervention in the rape-gang shame of Britain

Uncovering the truth behind the Gaza 'famine' myth

No-one sees the Father so clearly as the prophet with tears in his eyes.

“Your own conduct and actions have brought this upon you. This is your punishment. How bitter it is! How it pierces to the heart! Oh, my anguish, my anguish! I writhe in pain. Oh, the agony of my heart! My heart pounds within me, I cannot keep silent. For I have heard the sound of the trumpet; I have heard the battle cry. Disaster follows disaster; the whole land lies in ruins.” (Jeremiah 4:18-19)

This was another of Jeremiah’s pronouncements in the early part of his ministry, most probably during the 11-year reign of Jehoiakim from Jerusalem (607 to 598 BC). The atmosphere in Jerusalem was one of complacent, easy-going affluence. Already strict moral and religious requirements from the days of Josiah’s Reform were being pushed into the background.

The young king was 25 when Josiah was killed in battle with the Egyptians. Jehoiakim made peace with the Egyptians – at a price, and promptly set about loosening the strong restraints that his father had imposed upon the people. He preferred a life of pleasure and turned a blind eye to what was happening in the countryside, where people were re-opening the altars to Baal on the high places.

What was more shocking to Jeremiah was that everywhere in Jerusalem there was evidence of moral corruption, self-indulgence, family breakdown, sharp business practice and even the re-appearance of altars to foreign gods. Jeremiah was a great patriot. He was not a nationalist, blindly supporting his country right or wrong; his patriotism involved a love for his nation and the welfare of the people that translated into a longing to see righteousness and shalom, justice and truthful behaviour.

Foreseeing Disaster

This pronouncement is very revealing, both for its reference to the international scene with the growing threat of a Babylonian invasion, and for what it shows us of Jeremiah’s personal character and ministry.

There were, no doubt, plenty of reports coming in from travellers and merchants of the activity of Nebuchadnezzar’s army that was on the move across what had been formerly Assyrian territory. Despite the fall of neighbouring countries to the all-conquering Babylonians, there was a dangerous lack of concern in Judah and especially in Jerusalem, where the priests and prophets constantly reassured the king and the people that God would never allow an enemy to enter the gates of the holy city, with its Temple that was the home of Yahweh, the God of Israel.

Jeremiah was not a nationalist, but he was a great patriot.

Jeremiah, in his times of standing in the council of the Lord, knew that the covenant that protected Israel and the land of Judah depended upon their observing the Torah and being faithful to God - especially having no other gods in the land or in the hearts of the people. Jeremiah’s was a lone voice on the streets of Jerusalem warning that the spirit of complacency which he saw all around would lead to disaster.

The Weeping Prophet

In his quiet times before the Lord, Jeremiah could actually foresee the future with vivid clarity, as though it was actually happening in front of his eyes. This caused him immense pain which he said pierced his heart: “Oh my anguish my anguish! I writhe in pain…How long must I see the battle standard and hear the sound of the trumpet?” (Jer 4:21).

No-one sees the Father so clearly as the prophet with tears in his eyes. The tears of love and trust form the spiritual bridge between the human prophet and the divine Presence. The prophet is expressing the total dependence of the human condition upon the grace of God. He sees the hopelessness of the situation facing the nation that he loves, and can do no other than bring it before God in utter humility and loving trust.

Jeremiah is known as the ‘weeping prophet’, a label often thrown at him by those who wish to denigrate his ministry. But the truth is that he learned to draw close to the Lord in his quiet times and, as a result, could see the consequences of what was happening in the nation so clearly through his tears that he could not keep quiet in public.

As he walked the streets of Jerusalem and saw the little shrines to foreign gods and as he listened to the chatter of people in the marketplace; housewives bickering and merchants exchanging obscenities, he could almost hear the hooves of the Babylonian cavalry clattering across the cobbles and the cries of anguish as they swung their swords, splattering blood on the market stalls.

Jeremiah knew what was going to happen unless there was repentance and turning in the nation – among its leaders and the ordinary people. The ‘unless’ was still there. But for how long?

Jeremiah could see the consequences of what was happening in the nation so clearly in his times with the Lord that he could not keep quiet in public.

Stirring Prophetic Voices

The knowledge of what would happen if there was no repentance was the driving force behind Jeremiah’s ministry: he could not keep quiet, whatever the consequences for himself and the threat to his personal safety. He suffered cruel abuse and physical pain because he could not stop declaring the truth and warning of what he had already foreseen so vividly.

The true prophetic ministry is no different today. Those who have learned to stand in the presence of the Lord with tears in their eyes as they speak of the state of their nation have foreseen for a long time the things coming to pass today – the breakdown of family life, gangs, guns and drugs leaving young people dying on our city streets. This is just some of the daily evidence of the crumbling of Western civilisation that has turned its back upon the Bible, abandoning its Judeo-Christian foundations.

As political and economic instability increases and the dormant churches stay silent, the sense of hopelessness and despair will grow. BUT will God use this to stir prophetic voices in the nations that will awaken humanity to the danger facing it, opening the way for a 21^st-Century spiritual awakening? Are we getting nearer the day that Paul foresaw when many in Israel will recognise Jesus as Messiah, combining in ‘one new man’ with believing Gentiles to bring the message of salvation to a dying world?

This article is part of a series. Click here for previous instalments.

The conspiracy.

“Then the Lord said to me, there is a conspiracy among the people of Judah and those who live in Jerusalem. They have returned to the sins of their forefathers, who refused to listen to my words. They have followed other gods to serve them. Both the house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken the covenant I made with their forefathers. Therefore, this is what the Lord says: I will bring on them a disaster they cannot escape. Although they cry out to me, I will not listen to them.” (Jeremiah 11:9-11)

Strong words! Not an easy message for the young prophet from the country town of Anathoth to bring to the sophisticated city-dwellers of Jerusalem. Jeremiah was still in his late teens: it was the year 621 BC, there was great excitement in the air following the discovery of the Book of the Covenant during the repairs to the Temple initiated by King Josiah.

Two-fold Deception

Once he had read the Deuteronomic penalties for breaking the Covenant, the King had called a great assembly in Jerusalem where he renewed the Covenant on behalf of the nation and then enforced the destruction of the shrines on the high places throughout Judah. But the ‘Great Reform’ had not reached the hearts of the people, who still longed for the exciting ceremonies of the local gods at the village shrines.

They crept back secretly to these places in the countryside, while the people in the town built little shrines on the rooftops of their houses so that they could continue their idolatrous practices. They thought their ways were hidden from the King (and also from God), particularly if they only went onto the rooftop by night, when the darkness would cover them from detection.

But they did not reckon with the observant young Jeremiah, who not only kept his eyes open but had learned to get into the presence of God, where a two-part conspiracy was revealed to him. One part was designed to deceive the King and the other part was directed against Jeremiah himself – and it was coming from his own family.

Josiah’s ‘Great Reform’ had not reached the hearts of the people, who still longed for the exciting ceremonies of the local gods.

Betrayal and Treachery

Jeremiah’s own family and friends in Anathoth, his home-town, were plotting against him. He said he felt “like a lamb led to the slaughter” (Jer 11:19). His own flesh and blood were plotting to assassinate him; “Let us cut him off from the land of the living, that his name be remembered no more” they said.

How could Jeremiah’s own family be so cruel and so treacherous? But this is what happens when men feel their livelihoods to be threatened and their whole way of life to be endangered. Jeremiah was publicly supporting Josiah’s Reform, which would effectively have put his own family out of work – certainly out of the prosperity they were presently enjoying!

They were ministering at the high places in the countryside – supposedly in the name of Yahweh, the God of Israel. But these were pagan shrines where the priests were practising a form of syncretism, mixing the worship of Yahweh on altars set up to offer worship to the local Baals, supposedly ‘gods of the land’ who required various forms of fertility rites. These practices were popular with the people in the countryside where their livelihoods depended upon the productivity of the land.

Renegade Priests

Jeremiah’s family had been regarded as renegade priests for some 300 years. They were descendants of Eli, whose sons had behaved disgracefully. During King David’s lifetime there were two chief priests, Zadok and Abiathar. Zadok backed Solomon to succeed David, but Abiathar favoured David’s eldest son, Adonijah. In order to secure the throne, Solomon assassinated his older brother and promptly dismissed Abiathar, telling him to go back to his fields in Anathoth (1 Kings 2:26) and his family line was reduced to a minor priestly role from that day.

It is very possible that Jeremiah was unhappy with the priestly activities of his family at the country shrines. In order to fulfil the prophetic calling upon his life, he distanced himself from their activities and went to Jerusalem, where he would almost certainly have been in the great assembly called by Josiah.

Josiah’s Reform required the destruction of all local shrines at the high places. It further required the centralisation of all worship at the Temple. This effectively reduced Jeremiah’s family of priests to a minor role of serving in the Temple on a rota that would give them occasional service, while cutting them off from practising at the countryside shrines on the high places. This no doubt drastically reduced their income.

Jeremiah was publicly supporting Josiah’s Reform, which would effectively have put his own family out of work.

Hated for Putting God First

Jeremiah suddenly found himself the most hated person in Judah. He had publicly backed the King and now he was speaking in the streets of Jerusalem and railing against the people burning incense to foreign gods. He said there were as many shrines in Jerusalem as there were streets in the city.

Jeremiah not only prophesied disaster upon the whole land and upon the city of Jerusalem, but he actually told the people that God had instructed him not to offer any plea or petition for the city, because God would no longer listen. God would refuse to listen to the people in the time of distress which was coming upon the land.

“The Lord Almighty”, he said, “who planted you, has decreed disaster for you, because the house of Israel and the house of Judah have done evil and provoked me to anger by burning incense to Baal” (Jer 11:17). Jeremiah’s family had been supportive of these practices and to them he must have seemed a traitor who had to be removed. They were saying “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord or you will die by our hands” (Jer 11:21).

Jeremiah was now discovering that being a prophet was a lonely task. It is very sad when families are divided, but for Jeremiah his primary loyalty was to the Lord. Jesus recognised this principle and he even went so far as to say “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me” (Matt 10:37).

This article is part of a series. Click here to read other instalments.

We look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent.

Our political masters are back from their summer break, refreshed and reinvigorated and ready to set the world right. But do they come back to Westminster with any fresh ideas, or is it back to the same old policies, antagonisms and graft? Both main parties are riven asunder from top to bottom with division so we look set for a turbulent autumn and a winter of discontent, with the Brexit battle absorbing the Tories and anti-Semitism troubling Labour.

The resignation of Frank Field from the Labour Party whip and the bitter criticism of Jeremy Corbyn by Margaret Hodge are signs of the deep trouble in the parliamentary Labour Party. The outbursts from Boris Johnson, Jacob Rees Mogg and other strong Brexiteers who say that Theresa May’s Chequers plan is dead in the water are all adding to the sense of confusion and turmoil surrounding Westminster at the moment.

Signs of Judgment

But these are classical biblical signs of judgment. Deuteronomy 28 gives a list of curses that would come upon Israel if they turned their backs upon the word of God and got heavily into idolatry and rejection of the truth.

One of the consequences would be “The Lord will send on you curses, confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to until you are destroyed and come to sudden ruin because of the evil you have done in forsaking him” (Deut 28:20). This prophecy was certainly fulfilled in 586 BC when Jerusalem including the temple, the palace and all the great houses of the city were destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army.

Coronation Oath

Of course, Britain is not in a covenant relationship with God as was the nation of Israel; but our Sovereign, on behalf of the nation, swore an Oath of Allegiance to the God of the Bible in her Coronation Ceremony in 1953. Since then, as a nation, we have steadily turned away from biblical truth, passing one law after another that is directly against the word of God such as: The Abortion Act 1967, The Divorce Reform Act 1969, The Children’s Act 1989, The Sunday Trading Act 1993, The Gender Recognition Act 2004, The Equality Acts 2010, and The Marriage Same-Sex Couples Act 2013.

"We have steadily turned away from biblical truth"

Warnings

It is simply not possible to do all these ungodly things without bringing upon the nation the retribution we deserve. Another warning in Deuteronomy 28:28 says, “The Lord will inflict you with madness, blindness and confusion of mind.” We are certainly seeing this among our politicians today. We have had the truth in the Bible for centuries and as a nation we have chosen to discard it and go our own way.

In so doing, Britain, that had been under the protective cover of God for 1,000 years, moved outside that cover of protection and what we are seeing today is the result. There is no greater example of the rejection of the ‘God dimension’ in public life than Jeremy Corbyn’s behaviour in regard to the Jews and Zionism. 

Zionism

Zionism is the recognition of God’s covenant with Israel that is at the heart of our Judeo-Christian faith. The promise goes right back to the time of Abraham: “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:2-3).

Has Corbyn never read the Bible? As leader of a major political party in Britain whose Sovereign has sworn on oath to uphold the word of God in the Bible, he surely should have some understanding of what this means and of his own responsibility for upholding biblical truth.

It is a simple historical fact that the people of Israel occupied the land of Israel for many hundreds of years until the Roman army slaughtered half a million Jews and drove the remainder out of the land, destroying Jerusalem, renaming it ‘Capitoline’ and renaming the land of Israel – ‘Palestine’ – ‘land of the Philistines’ – as a deliberate insult to the Jews. That was in AD 135 and they remained scattered across the globe until their land was restored to them in 1948. Until that date the hope of returning to their traditional homeland had been expressed in the term ‘Zionism’ since the 1890s. It was endorsed by British Foreign Secretary Lord Balfour in a 1917 Declaration which was endorsed by Lloyd George and Winston Churchill and became part of British foreign policy.

Anti-Semitism

But anti-Semitic prejudice has plagued the British Foreign Office ever since the 1920s and that is what we see reflected in Jeremy Corbyn and his followers today. Their get-out-of-jail-free-card added to the international definition of anti-Semitism this week allowing them to criticise Israel is a pathetic cover for the anti-Jewish prejudice at the heart of their policy. But the prejudice they are trying to conceal is not just a social attitude. It is, at root, a hatred of God and of the Covenant he made with the people of Israel through whom he has given his teaching (Torah) and revealed his nature and purposes in the Bible; and as Christians believe – He has also given us the Messiah, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Hope

Is there any hope for Britain? Of course there is! Bible-believing-praying Christians should be asking God to use this time of confusion to cause people to recognise our need of God’s help. The 100 young people who have died on the streets of London since the beginning of this year are evidence of a sick society that can only be cured by crying out to God for help. We have reached the stage in the corruption of society that only spiritual revival can cure! None of our problems can be solved by human ingenuity because at root they are spiritual rather than social problems that only God can solve.

None of our problems can be solved by human ingenunity.

Shaking the Nations

It is not only Britain that is in desperate need – the USA similarly is going through a time of political and social upheaval with President Trump under siege in the White House, and Democrats and Republicans hurling insults at one another in the run-up to the November mid-term elections.

Germany, Italy and many other European nations are also going through a period of political turmoil; so too is Australia. Throughout the Western world there are many signs that the great shaking of the nations prophesied in Scripture (Haggai 2:7 and Hebrews 12) are coming true in our generation.

We are rapidly moving towards the time when the situation will become so desperate that Christians will be battering the gates of heaven with their prayers calling upon God to send spiritual revival as the only hope of saving the nations from destruction!

Paul Luckraft reviews ‘The Last Reformation’ by Torben Sondergaard (Laurus Books, 2013).

This is a book which has influenced many and will interest anyone who wishes to explore how the Church today has changed since the 1^st Century and how it can recover its early life-force (hence the subtitle: ‘Back to the New Testament model of discipleship’).

The title itself is intriguing – what does the author mean by ‘last’? Is this part of the Reformation, or another phase of a larger scenario which has been developing over five centuries? The answers become clear in the Preface as Sondergaard, a Danish evangelist, begins to make his case.

After the Lutheran reformation of the 15^th Century came the Wesleyan one in the 18^th. If the former was a doctrinal reformation, then the latter was a spiritual one, “in which personal intimacy with Christ was rediscovered” (p11). However, neither changed the structure of how church operated, its framework and services. In fact, Sondergaard asserts that “none of the revivals of the past have seriously done anything about the church structure” (p11). He is looking for a new and radical reformation, a third and final one that will transform everything.

Luther and Wesley both brought reformation, but the structure of how church operated has remained the same.

Preparing to Meet the Bridegroom

Although he has not included other movements in his assessment (such as the Evangelical awakening, Pentecostalism or the more recent Hebraic roots movement), he does accept that each revival has brought the Church closer and closer to the 1^st Century model. But overall, these small changes have not made a radical difference. They have simply produced more denominations!

Sondergaard calls for a completely fresh start based on the Word of God and Jesus himself. Only then will we have a reformation where God can “put together all the pieces and prepare the church to meet her Bridegroom” (p16).

What Could Church Look Like?

The strength of his case, and hence of the book, is that the author has been putting this into practice and seeing it work.

His opening chapter draws us in nicely with a thought experiment: imagine there is not a single Christian in the whole world - no churches, no Christian books, no Christian TV. Just one Bible, which someone picks up and reads all the way through. He is converted, decides to follow Jesus completely, witnesses to others and, gradually, churches start.

Sondergaard’s question is: “What do you think their churches would look like?” (p19). And here is the challenge – why aren’t our churches like that? Different traditions and cultures have got in the way, and it is possible today that for many, ‘church’ prevents people coming to Christ.

The strength of his case, and hence of the book, is that the author has been putting this into practice and seeing it work.

The later chapters are powerful in what they propose. The author is against popularising Christianity at the expense of promoting the true Gospel and offering a biblical model of discipleship. ‘Seeker friendly’ services don’t work. It is often said that Christians are the Church (i.e. the Church is the people, not a building), but he goes further, asserting that Christians are also meant to be the ‘church services’. Every member is to be equipped for ministry, as per the early churches in the New Testament.

The chapter on leadership is key to his overall argument. Too often, leaders are put (or put themselves) into elevated positions over their flock whose role is simply to ‘obey their leader’. Recognising that a leader is simply a brother or sister with greater responsibilities can go some way to restoring the balance and encouraging others to play their full part in the Body of Christ.

A Thought-Provoking Book

Overall, this is a thought-provoking book with much to say on the current state of the Church, in this country and elsewhere.

Perhaps its main downside is that there are several chapters of autobiographical details which, for some, may be rather unnecessary and get in the way of the main flow. It may be important to know something of Sondergaard’s personal journey in his ministry, but it does delay the reader in getting to grips with the key message of the book. A shorter book would have worked just as well, maybe even better.

That said, the book will be of interest to all who have a passion to see the Church escape unnecessary trappings and embrace her true calling. It is accompanied by a feature-length movie, also entitled ‘The Last Reformation’, which affords viewers an insight into Sondergaard’s practical application of his passion for the Church. The Last Reformation: The Movie is available to stream for free online.

The Last Reformation (paperback, 173 pages) is for £13.98 on Amazon. Also available as an e-book and as an audio book.

500 years ago this coming week, Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany.

500 years ago this coming week (31 October 1517), Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. In those days, this was the traditional way to initiate a public debate on a given theme.

This time the theme was a 95-fold challenge to the corruption of the Roman Catholic Church of the day, that was bent on fundraising at the expense of the poor by selling so-called ‘indulgences’, whereby the unsuspecting were persuaded that they could purchase forgiveness of sins.

The 95 items¹ were headed with the words:

Out of love for the truth and from desire to elucidate it, the Reverend Father Martin Luther, Master of Arts and Sacred Theology, and ordinary lecturer therein at Wittenberg, intends to defend the following statements and to dispute on them in that place. Therefore he asks that those who cannot be present and dispute with him orally shall do so in their absence by letter. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Luther summarised his overall purpose under three headings:

1. Selling indulgences to finance the building of St Peter's is wrong.
   
2. The pope has no power over Purgatory.
   
3. Buying indulgences gives people a false sense of security and endangers their salvation.
   

Thus broke out what became the Protestant Reformation, with the rallying cry of Habbakuk 2:4:

Behold the proud, his soul is not upright in him; but the just shall live by his faith.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day but became cut off from this community, instead propelling into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church, which has spread its influence widely over these 500 years.

Luther did not succeed in reforming the Catholic Church of his day, but propelled into existence the Lutheran wing of the Protestant Church.

Luther’s Blind Spot

This week, we should celebrate this astounding move which brought freedom to millions who were no longer to be chained by the religious orders of the historic Roman Catholic Church, but free to explore the life of faith which pleases God. The later reforms of the Roman Catholic Church surely also owe something to this early proclamation of Luther.

The church door in Wittenberg, Germany, where Luther pinned his 95 theses for all to see. See Photo Credits.

Yet, great though the Protestant Reformation has been, we would also be wise to perceive an unfinished work. Luther had one tremendous blind spot. When he failed to impact the Jewish community with his proclamation of the Gospel, he turned against them. In his publication of 1543 ‘On the Jews and their Lies’, he described Jews as a "base, whoring people, that is, no people of God, and their boast of lineage, circumcision, and law must be accounted as filth." He wrote that they are "full of the devil's faeces...which they wallow in like swine," describing the synagogue is an "incorrigible whore and an evil slut".²

He proposed the following seven actions:

1. To burn down Jewish synagogues and schools and warn people against them;
   
2. To refuse to let Jews own houses among Christians;
   
3. For Jewish religious writings to be taken away;
   
4. For rabbis to be forbidden to preach;
   
5. To offer no protection to Jews on highways;
   
6. For usury to be prohibited and for all silver and gold to be removed, put aside for safekeeping, and given back to Jews who truly convert;
   
7. To give young, strong Jews flail, axe, spade, and spindle, and let them earn their bread by the sweat of their brow.
   

Luther could not have foreseen that this unfortunate after-thought in his later life, following many years of powerful and fruitful ministry, would be taken up literally by Hitler’s Nazis as an impetus to the terrible ‘final solution’, culminating in the horror of the Holocaust.

Let us thank God for the good fruits of Luther’s ministry, but now take responsibility for the completion of the Reformation.

The True Life of Faith

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought. He saw the Epistle of James as a “perfect straw-epistle” because he did not understand James’ teaching that faith without works is dead (James 2:26).³

No doubt his mind was already so much against those from a Jewish background (like James, whose name was actually Jacob) to consider them as having a doctrine of salvation by works, like the Roman Catholics of his day.

He did not consider the Hebrew emunah sufficiently to observe that it means both ‘faith’ and ‘faithfulness’, so that Hebrews 11:1 can be translated equally “faith is the substance of things hoped for” and “faithfulness is the substance of things hoped for”, which completely validates James’ teaching that the faith which pleases God involves the fruitful outworking of our lives.

Luther was fluent in Hebrew yet he failed to fully understand Hebraic thought.

A Careful Eye on Prophecy

Of course Luther did not live in our day when we see the miracle of Israel’s re-birth as a nation. Nor did he witness the increasing numbers of Messianic Jews declaring faith in Yeshua HaMashiach. Would he have been ashamed if he knew of his own contribution to fanning the flames of Replacement Theology still rampant in the Christian Church?

Had he lived today perhaps he would not have been so foolish as to speak against the Jews as he did and may well have written a 96^th thesis. He may have had a more careful eye on the outworking of prophecy. In his day, just as he discarded the Epistle of James and also that of Jude, he discarded the Book of Revelation. Perhaps he had not the prompting to consider end time prophecy as we have, with signs all around us.

What would this 96^th thesis be? Let me suggest it:

96 For discussion: We live in the sure expectancy that God is drawing together both Jews and Gentiles into the one community of faith which Paul calls the ‘one new man’ (Ephesians 2:14-15). It is now time to rediscover the original roots of our faith together. God, in His wisdom, is enabling a fresh interaction between Messianic Jews and believing Gentiles as never before to firmly establish the common faith. Surely this will be the means of strengthening for the days ahead, for washing away all doctrinal and denominational division when we are united in Spirit and Truth through Faith in the One True God and His Son Yeshua the Messiah. This is to be the goal of all who believe in Him, whether from Catholic or Protestant backgrounds. Surely this will complete the Reformation begun so sacrificially 500 years ago, but now to be completed as we wait for the return of our Saviour.

References

1 Click here for a translation of the entire 95 theses.

2 Anti-Semitism: Martin Luther - "The Jews & Their Lies" (1543). Jewish Virtual Library.

3 Martin Luther and the Book of James. Biblestudy.org.

Jill James reviews 'The Lord's Orchard: God's Charter for Reformation' by Colin Urquhart (2015, 240 pages, RoperPenberthy Publishing)

This book is a significant contribution explaining - not judgmentally but positively - the process needed for reformation in the Church today. It lays out a comprehensive vision for what God wants his Body, the Church, to look like, and applies both corporately and individually.

Colin Urquhart is a prolific writer and best-selling author of Christian books, and has written before on the subject of the Father-heart of God. In The Lord's Orchard, God reveals his plans for the Church through a vision of a vast orchard, with each tree representing a church and each branch representing a believer, but with each planting also in a different state of health, growth or decay.

A Most Important Book

Through this vision, God subdues his disappointment with the modern Church by generously revealing his 'Charter for Reformation', so that the Church can repent and reform, to prepare and get ready to become the Bride of Christ. This is, therefore, a most important book - not for the bookshelf but for constant use and reference.

This book is a significant contribution laying out the process needed to reform the modern Church.

It is excellent in content and presentation, with a brief introduction from the author followed by 44 short(-ish!) chapters each dealing with an aspect of the vision God has for his people: including that they become a people who live in his mercy, a people who live by the truth, a people of the Holy Spirit, a people of humility and a people who live in the glory of God.

The soul searching required by this book is aided by a list of 'Key Questions' at the end. It all seems daunting at first, however readers can take comfort that the author himself has tried to put the book's themes into practice – so they are possible to follow.

Jolting Us Out of Complacency

Somewhere in every chapter there is a negative declaration, in bold print, usually starting with "No true believer would think or say such and such..." which jolts the reader suddenly out of complacency! This clever approach certainly alerts the conscience to self-searching honesty and even indignation – and the sudden negatives also work to dramatically accentuate the positives!

Sometimes the text seems quite wordy and some of the biblical references at the end of each chapter are not correct - probably due to a proofreading oversight. However, the text can stand alone because it is, of course, Bible-based.

Through a vision of an orchard, God graciously subdues his disappointment with the Church and generously reveals his charter for its reformation.

This book will surely encourage believers to have a closer walk and a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ, to love God more as we ought, to pray in Spirit and in truth and to understand increasingly how to enjoy being reformed, both personally and corporately.

The Lord's Orchard has its own website, where you can find out more about the vision and watch an introductory video from Colin Urquhart. The book is available from the publisher for £9.99 + P&P. Also available on Amazon.

Linda Louis-vanReed challenges us to understand better the power we have in Christ - and to not be easily overwhelmed by worldly displays of strength.

Although day to day, life appears to be returning to normal here in Ferguson, Missouri, there is a war going on - and it isn't about race.

It's about power.

System in Need of Reform

In March 2015, a report issued by the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) was critical of Ferguson's police practices and its 'profit-driven' municipal court system which relied heavily on revenue from traffic tickets to fund the city and its resources (two things which, I regret to say, are not uncommon in the smaller cities and suburban communities of the United States). Negotiations between the DOJ and the city government in Ferguson ensued.

Public meetings were held where, many times, voices promoting peace and reason were drowned out by those whose purpose was to foment dissent, mainly for the benefit of a restless media. Most of those voices were not residents of Ferguson. Nevertheless, they were loud, they were present and they were perceived as powerful.

Clash of Authorities

After seven months of talks, a 407-item consent decree outlining a top-to-bottom re-shaping of basic police practices – everything from how to conduct traffic stops to when to utilise force – was submitted to the City of Ferguson. The caveat was that, should Ferguson refuse to sign the decree as it was, the DOJ would file suit.

Last Tuesday the City of Ferguson agreed to sign the decree, but only if the DOJ agreed to seven 'conditions of acceptance' tailored by the City in an effort to make the extra costs associated with implementing the items within the DOJ document financially bearable.

The following day the DOJ filed a lawsuit against Ferguson. The 'powers that be' prevailed.

Crippling Costs

As for Ferguson, the cost of implementing the reforms spelled out in the consent decree with the DOJ approach around $3.7 million in the first year alone.

Other cities that have entered into a similar consent agreement with the DOJ have been forced to incur costs into the millions to implement similar reforms. In 2015, the Albuquerque Police Department in New Mexico agreed to a settlement following an investigation that determined a pattern of use of excessive force. The first year of reforms could cost the City of Albuquerque up to $6 million.

In Ferguson, reforms being imposed by the Department of Justice will cost the city a quarter of its annual operating budget.

In Cleveland, Ohio, an agreement with the DOJ which requires a new use-of-force police policy and enhanced officer training could cost the City of Cleveland at least $10.6 million in the first year and $7 million for each of the subsequent four years.

But Ferguson, with 21,000 residents and a total annual operating budget of $14.5 million, is smaller by far than either Cleveland or Albuquerque — and its residents are far less able to absorb costs in the millions. Already Ferguson suffers a $2.8 million deficit since the incident occurred.

Costs to cover overtime pay for police and emergency personnel, vehicles and equipment during protests, loss of sales tax revenue from businesses damaged by fires and looting, legal fees, and lost income from municipal court reforms already in place have all but knocked the lock off the city treasury. Jobs are on the line, as power grabs are being made just to be the one on top when the legislative smoke finally clears.

Concern on the GroundAttorney General Loretta Lynch responds to questions in the wake of the DOJ's lawsuit announcement.

In April the city will be asking its voting residents to approve increases to their property and sales taxes. All this at a time when Ferguson businesses are in their first real year of recovery, and property values - according to Breitbart.com - have dropped by 45-50%.¹

Many of the people are concerned. Some are frightened that the City of Ferguson could possibly be legislated into a financial crevasse so deep that the only outcome could be the dissolution of its city charter. They feel helpless and overpowered by a system much larger than they can either understand or affect.

Yet, the majority of residents here are not willing to allow their city to remain broken and tarnished by media reputation, nor by outsiders who come not to visit, but to foment unrest in this historically peaceful, suburban community.

In spite of all the hype, population statistics current for 2015-16 show that Ferguson actually has more residents now than in 2013.² It isn't because families cannot afford to leave – it's because they do not desire to do so.

Working to Rebuild

In the year and a half since the Michael Brown incident I have watched the people of Ferguson work together to rebuild this community, and have been involved personally. People of every colour and background have pooled their money, lent their tools, fed one another, prayed together, traded skills and hired one another to repair fire damage.

Many of the people feel frightened and overpowered by a system much larger than they can either understand or affect. Yet, they are not willing to allow their city to remain broken.

Although an altercation between protesters and one of the vendors on site forced the Ferguson Farmer's Market to close, it is now open and running stronger than ever after just a few months. Drive down the streets and every few buildings have construction projects going on. New facades are being erected, giving the entire community a facelift. People are donating their time and resources to conduct personalised studying sessions for those who dropped out of school and want to re-enter to receive their degree.

Churches Stepping Up

Churches in the area are stepping up in remarkable ways. Through a contact within its body of believers, one church is working with a local company who made 24 permanent positions open to people who are homeless and have no vehicle. Not only did the church use its building to house the job fair for this company, but it also allowed a follow-up hiring workshop, and provided clothing and bathing facilities. Now every morning, those two dozen new employees walk to the church where, for $7 per day, they are bussed to and from their new jobs.

First Baptist Church of Ferguson opened its doors for kids at Christmas so those who attend the Crisis Nursery (an organisation that helps kids and mothers in crisis) could meet Santa, have lunch and receive Christmas gifts for the kids. Over 500 mothers and children attended. I was thrilled to see 64 children receive books from our library that they could keep.

Although so many of these activities seem small in the face of government action and financial ruin, they are examples of people using whatever power they possess to effect permanent change from the ground up.

In the face of government action and financial ruin, ordinary people are using whatever power they possess to effect permanent change from the ground up.

Feeling Vulnerable?

So many of us (if we will admit it to ourselves in those rare moments of self-honesty) feel small, soft and easy to kill. We feel vulnerable to ourselves, vulnerable to one another, to forces of nature, forces of man, to God.

When we turn our eyes away from our Father, from Truth himself, to focus on ways in which we can take our lives and futures into our own hands, we invent whatever facade we believe will best protect us - and we are dismayed when it fails. Like a suit of armour, it is only a hard shell built to protect that which is soft and vulnerable.

As people who serve God, we often get sidetracked into using those human survival skills we have been taught since childhood. We have never given thought to whether or not we, as individuals, possess a proper understanding of 'power.'

True Power

Galatians 2:20 defines it with eloquence and brevity:

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.³

This is our power - this freedom that Christ offers us through him, by his sacrifice for us. When we apprehend that we died with Christ and rose with him to eternal life, when we understand that we are now heirs to the Kingdom of God through his atonement - and as such, we have access to all to which he has access - we understand that we, through Christ, are not disenfranchised.

The freedom offered to us through Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection means that we are not disenfranchised - we are heirs to the Kingdom of God!

We have the power to open our hands to God, with all our deepest desires and best-kept secrets (even about him), and to ask our Father to help us know him, his voice, his words.

We have the power to live our life through his.

We have the power of choice – to not worry, not argue, not indulge our personal strongholds that separate us from God, but to allow ourselves to be open to becoming the son or daughter that God intended us to be.

We have the power to pray, and through that one simple act, we have the power to turn a nation.

References

1 Nolte, J. Months of Media and Protests Devastate Ferguson Property Values. Breitbart, 16 March 2015.

2 Population Demographics for Ferguson, Missouri in 2016 and 2015. Suburban Stats.

3 The Oxford Annotated Bible, RSV

This magazine believes that Britain needs to take a step of faith and vote to leave the EU.

The first signs of hope for the future are beginning to creep into the British press as journalists right across the political spectrum dismissed the draft agreement with the EU as a Cameron con-trick designed to keep Britain in the European Union.

After racking up thousands of air miles travelling around European capitals trying to reform the European Treaty, the Prime Minister failed to achieve his primary objective of securing British control over our own borders. He also failed to stop the massive burden upon our welfare system of child benefit payments made to East European migrants working in Britain, sent for the support of their children back home.

Europe Will Not Relinquish Power

The temporary break upon welfare payments to migrant workers is dependent upon Britain proving that the strain upon our economy is unsustainable. But even this is dependent upon Brussels - the EU still retains control of the final decision. There is a hint that Britain might be allowed the right to block any EU laws that are considered detrimental to the best interests of our nation. But again, in this the EU maintains control, as Britain would have to persuade at least 14 EU member states to agree!

In the opinion of this magazine, the European Union is clearly not going to relinquish any of its power to Britain or any other single nation-state, as this would undermine its ultimate objective of total control over Europe through the establishment of a European Super-State.

Ultimate ObjectivePrime Minister David Cameron with President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz, Thursday 4 February. Steve Parsons/PA Wire.

This objective of a 'United States of Europe' was there right at the beginning, in the 1972 foundation of the 'European Common Market' which Edward Heath signed in 1973 on behalf of the British people. Before signing, Heath was told by the Lord Chancellor, Lord Kilmuir, that Britain would suffer a loss of sovereignty in three respects:¹

1. Parliament would surrender some of its functions
2. The Crown would lose some of its power
3. Our courts of law would be subordinate to the European Court of Justice

Heath ignored this and deliberately lied to the British public, saying "There is no question of eroding any national sovereignty".² Behind the scenes, however, his government wholeheartedly endorsed the Werner Report which laid out plans for "the ultimate creation of a European federal state".³

Back in 1972, European leaders agreed that there would be a slow motion takeover of national governments. The Treaty of Rome in 1986 followed by the Maastricht Treaty took huge steps towards the formation of an EU Constitution that enforces its laws over all nations within the European Union.

Slowly but surely, the EU has formed a massive unelected bureaucracy that exercises control over member states. The EU is already well on the way to achieving its ultimate objective of forming a European State with its own currency, its own parliament, its own defence programme, space programme, banking system, legal system and Supreme Court - through which it can exercise control over all its member states, in the same way as the Soviet Union exercised totalitarian control over its satellite states.

The EU is well on its way to achieving total control over all its member states – in the same way as the Soviet Union exercised totalitarian control over its satellite states.

For the past eight months our Prime Minister has been touring the capitals of Europe trying to get a deal that he can present to the British people that will persuade us to stay under the control of Brussels. The plain fact is that David Cameron has discovered that the European Union is incapable of reform! It will never surrender its control!

Myth of Economic Ruin

Will our Prime Minister have the courage to admit the truth to the British people? If he does not, in the next five months we can expect to see a deliberate campaign of deception orchestrated by Number 10 of even greater magnitude than was inflicted upon the nation by the Heath Government back in 1973. They will primarily play the 'fear' card – warning Britain's workers that their jobs will be in peril; warning the public that prices of ordinary household goods including food will all go up; warning that our trade will suffer because EU markets will be closed to us.

All this is a pack of lies because Britain pays into the EU far more than we gain! Back in 1972 by joining the European Common Market, Britain was forced to break all its Commonwealth Preference Trade Treaties which had disastrous effects upon the economy of countries such as New Zealand who supplied much of our lamb and butter. We have never apologised to them!

The government may well play the fear card that our economy and quality of life will be in peril if we leave the EU. But all this is a pack of lies.

The British Commonwealth has roughly a third of the world's total population. By leaving the EU we would be able to trade freely with the Commonwealth, without being constricted by the controls exercised over us by Brussels. We would be free from the Common Agricultural Policy which has almost brought our dairy farmers to bankruptcy, as well as the disastrous Fisheries Policy which has oppressed our fishermen and given away our rights to fish in our own waters.

By exiting we would be freed from the immense burden upon our economy of paying billions of pounds into the EU to support a corrupt oppressive system run by unelected officials, who every year fail to get a clean audit report on their accounts.⁴

Step of Faith Required

If David Cameron does go ahead and allow the British people to choose their own future in June 2016 the question then would be: will the public have the courage to take a great step of faith and choose freedom, or will they voluntarily choose to be enslaved by a corrupt totalitarian system?

This is where faith really matters! If we were truly a God-fearing nation prepared to put our trust in the Lord, we would have no fear in going forward under our own traditional British constitution, which has defined the relationship between Government and people for 800 years (since the signing of Magna Carta) and which is reaffirmed in our national Coronation Oath.

If we were truly a God-fearing nation, we would have no fear in stepping out on our own.

If we were a God-fearing people, we could draw comfort and strength from the record in the Bible of God's dealing with his covenant people Israel and his promises that apply to all nations. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God promised: "If at any time I announce that a nation or kingdom is to be uprooted, torn down and destroyed, and if that nation I warned repents of its evil, then I will relent and not inflict on it the disaster I had planned" (Jer 18:7).

Are We Prepared to Lead the Way?

Bible-believing Christians know that God has been warning Britain for a long time that we have been allowing secular humanist politicians to pass legislation that is offensive to God, driving the nation towards the breakdown of family life with disastrous social consequences.

Through hardships of storm and flood and economic austerity, God has been warning us that as a nation we are heading for unimaginable disaster! But in his mercy, we are now being offered an opportunity to shake off the atheistic secular controls of Brussels and put our trust in God. If we are prepared to take a step of faith by leaving the European Union and repenting for the past, God will undoubtedly bless the nation.

The Church should be leading the way in this by public repentance for our share of responsibility for the godless state of the nation - and by proclaiming our confidence in the Lord that if we turn to him, he will undoubtedly bless the nation with prosperity and the healing of our social divisions and broken relationships - bringing love and joy and faithfulness into family life.

We are being given an opportunity to shake off the secular controls of Brussels and put our trust in God. Will we take a step of faith – and will the Church lead the way?

The forthcoming referendum gives the nation the opportunity to choose our future in the same way as Joshua presented a choice to the people of Israel to choose to live under the slavery of men or under the blessing of God. He said, "Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve...But as for me and my household we will serve the Lord" (Josh 24:15).

References

1 PRO/FO 371/150369, EEC Relations with UK, 1960.

2 White Paper, 1971.

3 Quote from PRO/FCO 30/789, Sub-committee of official committee on monetary aspects of UK entry to EEC, 1970. The Heath Government's positive response: PRO/CAB 164/771, Informal talks with the European Commission and the exchange of views with member countries during the negotiation period, 1970.

4 Waterfield, B and Dominiczak, P. EU auditors refuse to sign off more than £100billion of its own spending. The Telegraph, 4 November 2014.