British Muslims flock to hear God's word.

We are pleased to bring you news of the great success of a recent ‘Muslim-Christian Dialogue’ event at the Manor Park Christian Centre (see the report below).

The event was led by minister Steven Hanna, a vicar from Dagenham with a heart to see Muslims come to know the Lord Jesus Christ. 150 people came, 110 of whom were Muslims. Among the Christians present were representatives of a number of missions including Frontiers, Open Air Campaigners and London City Mission. Read on to find out more!

Report: Is this an indication that there is an underlying hunger?

“...but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus
is not from God...You, dear children,
are from God and have overcome them because
the one who is in you is greater
than the one who is in the world.”

NIV, 1 John 4:3-4

Everyone was shocked when 110 Muslims in addition to 40 Christians showed up at the Muslim-Christian dialogue that was held at MPCC. With the exception of one regular such dialogue in East London that draws around 50-60 people, there are usually only 5-10 Muslims who show up for these events. We very quickly ran out of table and chair space in our side hall and had to revert to “standing room only”.

Is this an indication that there is an underlying hunger among Muslims to know the truth about God? It could very well be. One imam who is the leader of a local mosque and who was in attendance at the MPCC dialogue event is one such person. Having witnessed the natural death of several of his close friends, he himself is fearful of dying. He admits that Christians have an inward assurance that they will be in heaven, but he does not. He has an inward hunger for the truth about God but is naturally resistant to embracing any element of Christian truth that goes against his social norms, his peer pressure, and what he has chosen to believe his entire life. But he asked for my mobile phone number so that we can get together to privately discuss these things further.

Please pray that the seeds of God’s Word that were sown at this Muslim-Christian dialogue will start to take root within the hearts of many of the Muslims who were present. “The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labour” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 3:8). We can plant the seed, others can water it, but God is the one who makes it grow and gives the increase.

“The Lord in not slow in keeping his promise,
as some understand slowness.
He is patient with you,
not wanting anyone to perish,
but everyone to come to repentance”

NIV, 2 Peter 3:9

Every blessing in our Lord Jesus Christ,

David Foster

Taking festive opportunities to share the Good News of Jesus Christ.

We are delighted to bring you a prayer request from our friends Syd and Liz Doyle, inspirational evangelists from the US. Read on to be encouraged – and perhaps inspired to do something similar in your community!

Dear Praying Friends,

We are asking for special prayer as we go Christmas caroling in the Dearborn, MI area this Saturday afternoon and evening (2 December, 2017).

This year we are planning our annual ‘Caroling to our Neighbors’ on 2nd December, meeting at 1pm and also 5pm. It's our 13th annual Christmas Caroling Outreach. We are expecting around 200 carolers from many different churches and groups from southern Michigan and northwest Ohio to join us!

We begin with prayer, a bit of training, simple instructions on how to approach the doors and what to say and do - then we organize ourselves in groups of 6-8 and go out to assigned streets prepared to give out 500 gift bags and share the love of God with our Arab/American friends.

Christmas caroling is a tradition for many of us, but is a new experience for most Arabs. When they open the door they are delighted as they listen to us sing. They are very hospitable and often invite us in for delicious treats.

We also bring a present for them - a gift bag filled with Christmas material, a Jesus story DVD, a New Testament in Arabic, and some candy.

We ask each family if they have any prayer needs, then pray for them. Pray for receptive hearts as the Lord shows His love to them. Pray for the weather to be good, and for us as carolers to follow the lead of the Holy Spirit as we sing, pray and give the gifts.

We are also inviting each family to a "Live Nativity" to be presented at church the following day. We hope the draw of the animals and the story of Christmas will bring many to the church and to Jesus Christ the Savior of the world!

Thanks for praying for safety, boldness, love, friendliness and peace for everyone.

Happy Christmas, prayer warriors!

Syd & Liz Doyle

How a hot seaside property unlocked the door to the nations!

Having lived in a ‘bubble’ during a lengthy tour of Israel visiting sites connected with the Gospel that has changed the world, it came as a shock to re-enter the atmosphere of nations in turmoil – Germany in trouble, Mugabe finally deposed in Zimbabwe and Britain continuing to fight both internal and external battles in the wake of Brexit.

There is perhaps a message in this strange transition – the countries in difficulty have been built largely on a Judeo-Christian ethos, but have begun to cast off its ‘shackles’ in favour of a no-holds-barred secular humanist system.

The Story of Cornelius

The last ten days of our four-week trip was spent at Jaffa, just south of Tel Aviv, an old port city known in Bible times as Joppa, where the Apostle Peter had a vision that brought the good news of Jesus to the entire Gentile world.

He was staying at Simon the Tanner’s house (which is still there) and was resting on the rooftop when he fell into a trance and saw a vision of all kinds of animals, including those regarded as unclean by Jews.

This was not, as some suppose, a license to eat pork, but a supernatural message that he was not to regard Gentiles as being unworthy of God’s love. It coincided with a similar encounter experienced by a Roman centurion called Cornelius in the coastal city of Caesarea, some 40 miles north. Cornelius was a God-fearing man who loved the Jews, and an angel appeared to him saying that his prayers had been heard and he was to send for a man called Peter, who was staying with Simon the Tanner at his house by the sea. The rest is history.

Peter’s vision was not, as some suppose, a license to eat pork, but a supernatural message that he was not to regard Gentiles as being unworthy of God’s love.

Joppa: The Start of Western Civilisation?

Cornelius and his extended family heard the triumphant message of the Gospel and were filled with the Holy Spirit, just as the Jewish disciples had been on the Day of Pentecost. This opened the door for the good news to spread across the nations, bringing kindness, compassion and justice with it which helped to establish a powerful force known as Western civilisation.

Tragically, the Jewish people were exiled throughout the world within a generation of Jesus’ death and resurrection after the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and massacred many of its inhabitants. And Christians eventually translated the Bible into hundreds of languages, further enabling the Gospel to spread.

But God had not forgotten the people with whom he had made an unbreakable covenant and, in fulfilment of many ancient prophecies, the scattered seed of Abraham finally took root in the Promised Land after nearly 2,000 years.

Israel’s Spiritual Restoration

Just as the Gospel was originally ‘exported’ from Joppa, so it has now become a re-entry point for Jews¹ – not only coming back to the land, but in being restored to their Lord.

My stay there was unplanned as I was initially prevented from returning to the UK due to new restrictions on ‘foreigners’ like me. Though South African-born and still a citizen of that country (my wife is British), I have lived in England for nearly 50 years. Yet I now apparently need a visa – though an inked stamp in an old passport sent over by neighbours eventually proved sufficient!

We stayed in a guesthouse which also hosts two Messianic congregations (Jews who follow Jesus) as well as a music school led by a former director of the Russian Philharmonic Orchestra. It was a very moving experience to witness hands and eyes lifted to the skies in adoration of the Lord in a revived form of ancient Hebrew as we worshipped together on a Friday night – the start of the Jewish Sabbath. Headsets were provided for Russian members and English visitors like us.

Just as the Gospel was originally ‘exported’ from Joppa, so it has now become a re-entry point for Jews – not only coming back to the land, but in being restored to their Lord.

Committed to the spiritual restoration of Israel, this peaceful oasis is perfectly placed to go some way towards achieving this divine goal, with its great potential for reaching out to Greater Tel Aviv where almost half the country’s Jewish population lives.

The whole ethos of the place beats loudly with a heart of love for the largely lost world around them, who find welcome, warmth and hospitality in this gem of an international community steeped in history and within a short walk of some of the most significant sites in biblical history, not to mention magnificent beaches.

Reality is Tough

Life in Tel Aviv is tough, rough and expensive! I watched poor people struggling as they waited in the swamp of a filthy launderette while others begged for food and wandered the streets with no apparent hope. But there are also swanky high-rise hotels and a bustling downtown area overshadowed by skyscrapers, with many indulging in a hedonistic lifestyle of clubs and coffee bars. But they are living in a bubble, afraid to confront reality.

I met one of them at the airport, a charming young lady commuting between London and Tel Aviv, confessing to being a ‘secular Jew’ yet listening with interest when I shared of our study tour learning about the Jewish roots of the Christian faith. She admitted to being shocked when she left her ‘bubble’ to visit friends in the north who lived within the sound of exploding bombs across the border in Syria where violence continues to rage.

But even in Tel Aviv the mangled wreck of a beachside café stands as a stark reminder of the constant threat facing its inhabitants – a bloody terror attack killed 21 mainly young people enjoying a night out there just three months before 9/11.

Although in general we sensed an atmosphere of profound peace throughout our tour, there were a couple of incidents to remind us of the conflict that has raged here ever since the Jews began returning to the land. The IDF bombing of a Hamas terror tunnel raised a security alert as the organisation had promised vengeance, and a suicide bombing in a Druze village just across the border in Syria caused another alarm – and a long wait at a checkpoint.

Messianic congregations in Tel Aviv, committed to the spiritual restoration of Israel, are perfectly placed to help achieve this divine goal.

Turning and Returning

The resettling of Jews in Israel following their long exile is very reminiscent of the time of Nehemiah 2,500 years ago when they returned from 70 years in Babylon. Nehemiah was given authority by King Artaxerxes of Persia to restore the broken walls of Jerusalem, but his work was strongly opposed by others in the surrounding lands.

Now the Jews have returned once more to the Promised Land, and yet again they face fierce opposition. Nehemiah’s men built the walls using one hand for construction and the other to hold a weapon – exactly as Israel has developed since the birth of the modern state as ancient ruins have been rebuilt, barren wastes have been richly cultivated and wars have been won against all odds.

When, in Nehemiah’s time, the city was finally re-built and made secure, Ezra was assigned to read the Book of the Law, as a result of which the people repented of how far they had strayed from God’s rule. And now Jewish people are returning to the Lord once more in fulfilment of ancient prophecies, with Jeremiah adding that there will come a day when they will all know the Lord, “from the least of them to the greatest” (Jer 31:34).

If Jews are thus turning back to God, it means the return of Jesus is that much closer (Zech 12:10, 14:4; Rom 11:26). But what of the nations to whom the Gospel was graciously given? Will they be among the sheep or the goats on Judgment Day (see Matt 25:31-46). On the closing page of the Bible, Jesus says: “Yes, I am coming soon.”

Come, Lord Jesus!

Notes

1 Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport is not far away.

Searing criticism of ‘pansy’ Christians who fail to challenge godless culture.

Much of Western society has been bewitched by a political elite seeking to change the order of God’s creation, with the result that the Church has lamely retreated from the public square with a message that could otherwise challenge it.

In a passionate call for Christians to engage with today’s world (Gospel Culture, published by Wilberforce Publications), Joseph Boot packs a powerful punch. Rarely do you find an academic/theologian calling a spade a spade, but it was a most refreshing experience as I became thoroughly absorbed in this scholarly work despite the author’s frequent use of words with which I am unfamiliar!

He castigates many of today’s Christians as being part of a “weak, ineffectual, intellectually impotent, compromised and complacent church culture of inward Christian pansies” by the way in which they have allowed the world to dictate how the Church should be run.

And he concludes that much of the Western Church has failed in its mission to bring the Word of God to every aspect of life. For the most part, he argues, we have subscribed to a heretical ‘Two Kingdom’ theology separating the sacred from the secular as a convenient excuse for not engaging with an apostate Western culture.

We retreat into our holy huddles and dare not raise the issue of politics in our pulpits, with the result that congregations are rarely, if ever, encouraged to weigh topical debates in the light of Scripture.

The Bible Speaks to the World

But this is God’s world, and the Bible speaks of all life – there is no big issue of our day on which it doesn’t have something pertinent to say. On the issue of abortion, for example, Boot’s experience has clearly mirrored my own with the way some church leaders don’t seem to see this as a topic on which the Bible speaks, and on which they ought to be giving guidance to their congregations.

In a passionate call for Christians to engage with today’s world, academic/theologian Joseph Boot packs a powerful punch.

When I was asked to lead intercessions at a church of which I was once a member, I included this issue in my prayers as it was being discussed in Parliament. But after being told off by the vicar for doing so on the basis that there were politicians in the church who might have been offended, my wife and I promptly left the church – for good!

Joseph Boot says we are not only called to win converts to Christ; we are called to be salt and light in a dark world and thus affect the culture around us, as our forebears did in bringing an end to slavery, child labour, illiteracy, poor health and much more.

But more recently we have allowed the secularism and humanism of the political and media elite to influence how we think, so that we are now effectively conforming to the world rather than being “transformed by the renewal of our minds” as St Paul urged the church at Rome (Rom 12:2).

Recovering the Full-Orbed Gospel

Boot argues that today’s political agenda is a resurgence of ancient witchcraft with its manipulative and brainwashing techniques.¹ And many of our churches have been influenced by it – a pretty damning and alarming thought. Disengaging from the public square was a “fatal flaw” which led to endless divisions among Christians “frantically drafting peace treaties with non-Christian thought”.

I guess this is why I’ve struggled for 40 years to convince Christian leaders in this country of the need for a media bringing a biblical worldview to mainstream debate. And I concur with the author’s statement that “for us to deny that we have a task on the earth to apply his salvation victory and lordship, his beauty and truth to all aspects of life and thought is to renounce Christ.” (author’s emphasis).

Boot argues we are not only called to win converts to Christ; we are called to be salt and light in a dark world and thus affect the culture around us. 

Just because culture is being relentlessly driven in the opposite direction to Gospel teaching, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t challenge it. It leaves the public at large not only alienated from God (and we are called through the Gospel to reconcile man with God) but now seeking to alienate God’s world from its Maker - “to separate what God joins and join what God separates”.

We desperately need a recovery of a truly scriptural view of life – “a full-orbed gospel” that takes God at his word and understands and applies the implications of Christ’s resurrection to all of life.

Dr Boot’s sphere of influence straddles both the UK and Canada. As well as being founder of the Ezra Institute for Contemporary Christianity and senior pastor of Westminster Chapel, Toronto, he is director of the UK’s Wilberforce Academy and head of public theology for campaign group Christian Concern.

Gospel Culture (2017, 128pp) is available for £5 + P&P. Also available as an e-book.

Notes

1 Boot writes: “If we are to understand the radical changes in our society today as inspired by diabolic principalities and manifest in ideological strongholds that set themselves up against the knowledge of God (Ephesians 6.12; 2 Corinthians 10.4-6), then we must grasp the essential instrumentality of modern political life as engaged, wittingly or not, in witchcraft – employing a ‘secret’ (elitist) knowledge in an attempt to join opposites.”

He further explains: “Our current culture is thus bent on defacing the image of God by denying that man is man and woman is woman, by negating the God-given nature of marriage and by politically manipulating people to believe and act as though an illusion were true – that homosexuality is normative, gender is fluid and that androgyny is the human ideal.”

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.

Ian Farley reviews ‘The Nation's Gospel: Spreading the Christian Faith in Britain Since the Reformation: Volume 1’ by Jeremy Thomas (Wilberforce Publications, 2017).

The Nation's Gospel, according to the publishers, is “a living history, telling the stories of the Christian faith of past generations and its outworking in society”.¹

There are two important points to note about this book: first, it is the opening volume of a four-volume series. Second, the author is a lawyer.

This volume covers 300 years (1516-1791 - from ‘Reformation to Revolution’), whereas Volume 2 covers 100 years (1791-1900) and Volumes 3 and 4 each cover only 50 years (1900-1945 and 1945-2015, respectively).

These are significant differences, especially considering Volume 1 deals with such enormous topics as the English Reformation, the Civil War era and the 18^th Century revival. On each of these topics you could, of course, read multiple books. Inevitably this means the book is very brief on many issues - and yet remains quite dense, given its scope.

So, for those who know anything in reasonable detail about these 300 years, there will be little to learn, but for those readers who know less about Britain’s religious history (mainly England’s, but with small excursions into Scotland’s and Wales’), here is a one-volume whizz through the main points.

What Makes the Gospel Spread?

The subtitle of the book is ‘Spreading the Christian faith in Britain since the Reformation’. With this focus, Thomas goes beyond a simple description of what has happened in Britain’s Gospel history, to ask the intriguing question of what makes the Gospel spread successfully.

It is this that makes the book worthwhile (and hopefully will make the subsequent volumes worth perusing, especially the 20^th Century ones).

Thomas asks the intriguing question of what makes the Gospel spread successfully.

In the vast scope of this first volume, Thomas focuses on just a few individuals at a little more length than others, as he explores this key question. He picks Catherine Parr (perhaps surprisingly) for the Reformation period, Richard Baxter for the Civil War, and George Whitefield for the 18^th Century (with a special sub-section on Selina, Countess of Huntingdon).

He ultimately concludes that it is the doctrine of the Great Commission that matters most. In other words, in the midst of sermons, catechisms and good works, the Gospel spreads when simple personal faith in the substitutionary death of Jesus is proclaimed as the need of man (the main villain in Britain’s history, therefore, has been the teaching of baptismal re-generation, particularly by the Established Church. We presume that the next volume will have much to say about the Gorham controversy).

Legal Tone

Without resorting to a Dickensian Jarndyce and Jarndyce caricature, the fact remains that Jeremy Thomas has spent his life in legal matters, working as a corporate lawyer in the City.

As a result, his writing is laid out rather like a legal report. Every paragraph is numbered in bold type – 14.14, 14.15, 14.16 and so on – which makes the book rather staccato in style, with a lack of flow and continuity. For academics this might be helpful, and for some this will make the reading simpler and clearer – but for others it will be very dry.

Nevertheless, this remains a useful overview of a topic in which every British Christian should rightly take an interest and desire some sense of ownership – especially those who are concerned about the loss (and possible recovery) of this heritage today.

The Nation’s Gospel: Volume 1 (393 pages) is available here for £14.

References

1 Christian Concern News Release, 28 June 2017.

Charles Gardner and Maureen Trowbridge review ‘Beyond the Final Curtain: What Happens When We Die’ by Richard Roe (Zaccmedia, 2014).

As a journalist of more than 40 years, I am well used to deadlines. But I take my hat off to fellow writer Richard Roe for daring to tackle the ultimate deadline. In his excellent book, Beyond the Final Curtain (Zaccmedia), he addresses an issue most of us try all our lives to avoid – what happens when we die.

It may well be a taboo subject not suited to livening up a party, but it’s not as morbid as it sounds, and the book is both well-written and hugely insightful.

Man’s Greatest Enemy Defeated

Basically, Roe’s thesis is that the resurrection of Jesus has dealt with man’s greatest enemy, if only we will have the sense – and humility – to believe and act upon it. As Richard puts it, “Jesus is God’s solution to the problem of death; He has conquered death.”

But at the same time the author pulls no punches, asserting that Jesus is the only way to heaven and the only means of avoiding hell.

The resurrection of Jesus has dealt with man’s greatest enemy – if only we will have the sense to believe and act upon it!

His reasoning is intelligent, sound and practical, but essentially biblical, concluding that the word of God – the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and authenticated by Jesus himself – holds the key to the hereafter. And the Bible says that all of us are serving a ‘life sentence’ of being ‘enslaved’ by our fear of death (Heb 2:15).

Jesus the Ultimate Sacrifice

When faced with a deadline to complete a task, our minds become focused and we won’t rest until it is finished. Yet with a deadline we will certainly all face sooner or later, we pretend it will never happen and thus refuse to face the inevitable questions of life and death.

Endorsed by famous preacher RT Kendall, the book is a stirring challenge to that mindset. But it’s also a clear and beautiful presentation of the Gospel that tells us Jesus has paid the price for our sins, which would otherwise condemn us to everlasting torment.

And for those familiar with the Jewish Tanach (what Christians call the Old Testament), the author ably demonstrates how so many well-known Bible passages point to the role of their future Messiah, so perfectly fulfilled in Yeshua (Jesus). For example, the Passover lamb of Exodus, whose blood protected the Israelites and set them free from slavery in Egypt, foreshadowed the crucifixion of Jesus, the ultimate Passover Lamb, who freed us from slavery to sin.

The word of God – the source of all wisdom and knowledge, and authenticated by Jesus himself – holds the key to the hereafter.

In the same way the bronze serpent Moses raised on a pole for those suffering snake-bite foreshadowed the ‘healing’ of our sin and sickness by Jesus, for “by his wounds we are healed” (Isa 53:5).

Signs of the Messiah

Another such sign cited by the author (and Jesus himself – see Luke 11:29-32) is the Prophet Jonah, who was in the belly of a whale for three days before being spewed up on a beach. As with Jonah, Jesus died and was buried before being raised to life after three days.

And in his gospel, the Apostle John records Jesus’ first miracle of turning water into wine, which the author asserts as proof enough that he is the God of Creation, the Lord of the Universe to whom Jews pray every Sabbath.

This miracle also indicates that, when you put your trust in Jesus, life will taste sweeter. And if you read the account in John chapter 2 (verses 1-12), you will see how the Messiah saves the best wine till last!

Just taste and see that the Lord is good! (Ps 34:8)

Charles Gardner

Further comment from Maureen Trowbridge:

Richard Roe writes much about the assurance of eternal life after death for those who believe, quoting the words of Jesus. The book goes through the Old and New Testaments commenting on the lives and beliefs of the characters with much research and depth.

This is a helpful book for any who are uncertain about their future. The end of the book includes a prayer for any who do not yet know Jesus, which is adapted from RT Kendall’s tract ‘Can you know for certain that you will go to Heaven when you Die?’ (Westminster Chapel, 1986).

Beyond the Final Curtain (140 pages) is available from Amazon for £7.99 + P&P. Also available on Kindle.

A word from Dr Clifford Hill.

For several weeks, in my prayer times, I have been hearing something I did not want to hear. The weekend before last, at a team retreat with Issachar Ministries trustees and the Editorial Board of Prophecy Today, I shared with them the message that I’m hearing – “stop praying for the nation”.

This sounds outrageous, but before you pick up stones to throw at me, please join me in a little Bible study. The Prophet Jeremiah spent 40 years of his life bringing God-inspired warnings to the people of Jerusalem and the nation of Judah. He pleaded with them to repent of their idolatry, injustice, oppression, violence and immorality; all of which are detailed in his famous ‘Temple Sermon’ in chapter 7.

He constantly pleaded with God on behalf of the nation for mercy and for God’s continuing protection, even though he knew the people to be unworthy of the Lord’s blessings.

But there came a point where God told Jeremiah to stop praying for the nation as he would no longer listen to his pleas. His Temple Sermon concluded with a striking passage:

Will you steal and murder, commit adultery and perjury, burn incense to Baal and follow other gods you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which bears my Name, and say, “We are safe”…?

Jeremiah then almost exploded,

Safe to do all these detestable things? Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the Lord.

This was followed by the Lord’s declaration, “I will thrust you from my presence, just as I did all your brothers, the people of Ephraim.” This was followed by a direct command to Jeremiah, “So do not pray for this people nor offer any plea or petition for them; do not plead with me, for I will not listen to you” (Jer 7:16).

Jeremiah constantly pleaded with God for mercy on behalf of the nation, but there came a point where God told him to stop praying.

Repeated Warnings Ignored

Three times Jeremiah was given the same instruction, to cease praying for the nation. The other two times are in 11:14 and 14:11. The latter enables us to understand just what God was saying. It says, “Then the Lord said to me, ‘Do not pray for the well-being of this people. Although they fast, I will not listen to their cry; though they offer burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them.’”

You notice that God did not say that he would not listen if they repented, but that he was no longer interested in their ritual religious offerings while they continued all their idolatrous practices and showed no trust in him. This is very similar to what Isaiah had said some 200 years earlier:

The multitude of your sacrifices – what are they to me? Says the Lord. I have had more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals…When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you. (Isa 1:11, 15)

God had been calling for repentance for 40 years and his words, through Jeremiah, had been ignored. The corruption in the nation had now reached the point where the people were being driven by evil forces that made them blind to the danger facing them and deaf to the warnings they were given.

After giving his Temple Sermon, God said to Jeremiah, “When you tell them all this they will not listen to you; when you call to them they will not answer. Therefore, say to them, this is the nation that has not obeyed the Lord its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips” (Jer 7:27).

Disaster Inevitable

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain – not only in the nation where our politicians are squabbling among themselves in confusion and the BBC forces homosexual propaganda on us on a daily basis, but also in the Church of England, our official state church, which has departed from the truth. As Charles Gardner pointed out two weeks ago, the Archbishop of York declared to the General Synod that the Bible should be ignored and measures passed to please lesbians and homosexuals.

The Synod also voted to call on the Government to ban the practice of ‘conversion therapy’ for gay people and is considering whether transgender people could be given special church services to celebrate their new gender identity. 25 years ago David Noakes sent a prophetic warning to Dr George Carey, who was then Archbishop of Canterbury. The warning is even more relevant and urgent today.

Surely the Lord is saying of the Church of England: “Truth has perished from their lips!”

I believe this is the situation we have reached in Britain - not only in the nation but also in the Church of England.

Justine Greening, the lesbian Secretary of State for Education who is determined to brainwash all our children with LGBT values from the age of five, put further pressure upon the Church last month saying, that if churches do not perform same-sex marriages they are “not part of a modern country”.¹ Our politicians and our church leaders are colluding to distort the truth and deceive the nation: “truth has perished from their lips!”

By contrast this week, the Archbishop of Uganda has stated that he will not attend the next meeting of Anglican leaders because he cannot have fellowship with those who deny biblical truth. Good for him!

God holds his Church primarily responsible for the spiritual and moral state of the nation. When the church becomes as corrupt as the nation, judgment becomes inevitable.

This is the reason why I can no longer pray for the welfare of this nation. I cannot pray, “Peace! Peace!” When the Lord is saying: “There is no peace!” I believe some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf, and the Lord will use it to bring the nation to our knees. I also believe that this is the only way that God’s salvation is going to reach this nation.

A Coming Harvest!

In the 40 years before the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in the year 586 BC, God raised up three prophets in Judah – Jeremiah, Zephaniah and Habakkuk. All three brought strong warnings to the people; but all three saw beyond the catastrophe to the time of restoration, blessing and prosperity that would follow.

I am convinced that there will be a great spiritual awakening and harvest for the Kingdom in Great Britain with multitudes being saved - but it will not happen until there is repentance and turning. Just as many people whose lives are broken by sin, hear the Gospel and respond with joy as their sins are forgiven and they come into a right relationship with God, the same can happen with the nation.

I believe that some kind of catastrophe is now inevitable in order to open eyes that are blind and ears that are deaf.

For many years God has been warning that the time will come when he will shake all nations. The prophecy of Haggai 2:6-7, repeated in Hebrews 12, is coming true today: “This is what the Lord Almighty says: ‘In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations’”. Note also that the prophecy concludes with a promise of restoration, “I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty”.

I am looking forward to the great spiritual awakening that will follow the great shaking! I can no longer plead with God to spare this nation from the judgment we so richly deserve. My prayer now is, “Make the shaking effective, Lord! And work out your good purposes!”

References

1 Interview with Sky News, 23 July 2017.

Monica Hill continues to look at the ministry gifts of Ephesians 4.

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

“It was Christ who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:11-13, emphases added)

An evangelist is usually defined as one who has the ability to communicate the good news of the Gospel in meaningful and convincing ways to those who have not heard or understood it fully, with a view to people responding in faith, baptism and commitment to the body of Christ. Without evangelists, the Church would lose its calling and settle down to being just another community group.

The enabling aspects mentioned in Ephesians 4 include the ability to galvanise God's people in the area of evangelism, so that it becomes a prime factor in fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:16-20: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Old Testament Teaching

Evangelism is a New Testament concept – introduced to spread the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ widely across the nations. Neither evangelism nor the evangelist are mentioned in the Old Testament. Judaism is not a proselytising religion¹ – you are born into it. The religion is passed on from generation to generation and proof of ancestry (especially in the maternal line) is needed in order to be recognised as Jewish.

Without evangelists, the Church would lose its calling and settle down to being just another community group.

God-fearing Gentiles were acknowledged, and even one of the Outer Courts of the Temple was called the Court of the Gentiles. It was set aside for them to pray and was probably the one that Jesus cleared of money-changers (John 2:12) just before Passover, when he became very angry over its wrong use.

New Testament Teaching

Although there are only three references to an evangelist in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; Eph 4:11; 2 Tim 4:5), there are numerous references to people evangelising (euangelizo in Greek) in the book of Acts. This is referring to the spontaneous witness of ordinary believers who could not keep quiet.

Evangelism became of paramount importance following the stoning of Stephen, when Christians began to suffer great persecution (Acts 8:1). In fact, the more persecution there was, the more the Church grew! In the 2^nd Century AD, Tertullian commented: “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”. And certainly this was the way the early Church grew.

When the Christians were forced to leave Jerusalem following the stoning of Stephen, there was a significant change in recording this growth – from “the Lord added to their number” (Acts 2:47) to “the church…multiplied” (Acts 9:31 ESV). Even those with little mathematical understanding will be able to deduce how significant this was.

There are numerous references in Acts to the spontaneous witness of ordinary believers who could not keep quiet.

There were named evangelists in Acts 8: Peter and John after their visit to Samaria evangelised many villages on their way back to Jerusalem (v25); Philip evangelised the Ethiopian eunuch in the desert (v35) and then evangelised in all the cities as he travelled to Caesarea (v40). But the greatest growth was brought about by every believer sharing their faith.

Ministry vs General Calling

We are all called to be witnesses and should be brimming over with the Good News to share with others - although only some will be called to the ministry of an evangelist. But even they are dependent on God entering the lives of those they have introduced to the Gospel, because only God can bring that life-changing relationship into being.

Evangelists are single-minded and so full of the Good News that they are able to share it wherever they go - and in all situations. Paul even said “Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor 9:16-19). It was his whole calling – he as so full of the risen Jesus that he could not keep quiet!!

In fact, only Philip, one of the Seven, is called an 'evangelist' (Acts 21:8), although Timothy is told by Paul to “do the work of an evangelist” (2 Tim 4:5). Timothy took every opportunity to share Christ – so Paul probably meant that that Timothy was not to wait until people came to him asking questions.

But of course Paul is often seen as the model evangelist – the one who does not settle for too long in an area but is an itinerant tent-maker and church-planter. Our concept of evangelists usually accepts this definition - but there may be ways in which in future we need to change our mindset towards evangelism, in order to be more effective.

Evangelists are single-minded and so full of the Good News that they share it wherever they go.

In the ministry of Jesus, we can see all five ministry gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4, including that of an evangelist: in the synagogue at Nazareth he claimed that he was the fulfilment of Isaiah's prophecy “to preach good news to the poor” (Luke 4:18).

Evangelists Today

Today, we have often taken evangelism out of the local church and assigned it to para-church organisations, who flourish, commending different types of evangelism. But this in many ways means that evangelism is seen as an optional extra – reserved for ‘professionals’ or those from an evangelical tradition.

Crusade evangelism with named individuals like Billy Graham or Luis Palau is still seen as a major (if not the main) form of evangelism, with seaside, street, marketplace or door-to-door outreach drawing church members away from activities with the faithful to become involved with not-yet-believers. But these kinds of evangelism rely on limited encounters. This does not mean they are not worthwhile, but they must be supplemented with the building of continuing relationships, which is so important. This is where the personal sharing of faith – or friendship evangelism - has been proved to be the most effective.

Ideally, every church member should be taught how to share their faith with others - and when and where. They should be prepared to share their faith especially in their links outside the church – say in the family, workplace, school, and even in prisons (although all of these are becoming more difficult). Surely the worst comment any believer can receive is “I did not know you were a Christian!”.

Evangelism is the most important gift for the continuity of the Church – we know in theory that ‘God has no grandchildren – only children’ but we are not very good at passing the baton on to others, and so there is a large gap in age within many of our churches.

We also often fail to recognise that the best evangelists are the newly converted – they still have non-Christian friends and the experience of conversion is a living daily subject with them – they are excited by everything that is opening up for them. Perhaps this was what was lacking in Ephesus (referred to in Revelation 2:1) – that the members had lost their first love. This enthusiasm and excitement for sharing the Good News with others should continue to be present in every member of the Body so that there is a living witness portrayed to the world.

We often fail to recognise that the best evangelists can be the newly converted.

But we also need to realise that evangelists are not pastors – and should not try to be – churches and believers do not grow up to maturity with just evangelism. Pastors and teachers are needed to take people to the next stage of discipleship and continue the work started by the evangelist. This is why all the five ministry roles are needed in the Church.

Finally, two or three illustrations that might help from the world scene:

• From South America – where one flourishing new church would not allow anyone to become a full member until they had brought someone else to Christ.
  
• From Singapore – where at one time, acceptance to membership in the Anglican Church required training which included a week on mission to share their faith with Muslims in neighbouring Malaysia.
  
• From the underground Church in China - where they could not build up large congregations as meetings of more than ten were restricted; they were in a way ‘forced’ to send their new converts out, and the Church flourished.
  

Next week we will be looking at the more familiar role of the pastor, which is indispensable in our churches today.

Notes

1 Proselytising is converting or attempting to convert someone from one religion to another. Islam is a proselytising religion – by force if necessary, whereas Christianity evangelises by love. In Islamic nations, conversion away from Islam is usually banned.

This is the day of your salvation!

Whilst we continue to challenge those in positions of leadership in Church, nation and the Islamic world to stop fudging the issue of the divide between the Bible and Qur’an, let us remember God’s high priority: this is the day of salvation!

When God revealed in the mid-1980s that he was about to bring forth a great harvest from among Muslims, there was not much evidence to back it. Yet, since then such prophecy has been verified as true, as millions of Muslims have turned to the Lord across the world. Is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad and drawing up battle lines?

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep. There are many young people who have been born into Muslim families but whose hearts are being stirred for truth. God is opening hearts to receive the Gospel message as never before in the Muslim communities on our doorsteps. It is God’s time for the Muslims!

Millions of Muslims are turning to the Lord across the world - is it any wonder that our spiritual adversary has risen up in hate, whipping up jihad?

Time for Equipping

There are a number of ways that God will send the Gospel to these people, but every Christian would do well to be equipped to be God’s mouthpiece for one-to-one evangelism. Witnessing to our Muslim neighbours could bring one or many to salvation - the angels in heaven rejoice over each and every sinner brought to faith in Jesus.

It is time for churches, especially those near Muslim communities, to ask questions of their own understanding and attitude. If God is holding out a loving hand of invitation, we must be his willing ambassadors.

Practical Preparations

It is foremost a time for prayer: prayer for understanding, prayer for wisdom, prayer for opportunity, prayer for individuals.

But there are also preparations we can make. There are resources available from existing missionary organisations to equip us to understand the Islamic mindset and to develop a right approach (scroll down for some). Here are key areas that we can consider:

• The history of Islam, its missionary zeal and its methods.
  
• The five ‘pillars’ on which Islam is founded: statement of faith, prayer, almsgiving, fasting, pilgrimage to Mecca.
  
• The call to and nature of jihad.
  
• The structure and message of the Qur’an.
  
• Islamic teaching on sin and good works.
  
• Islamic teaching on Jesus.
  
• The role of the Mosque.
  
• The character of the Islamic god Allah.
  
• The intent of the Islamic movement in the West.
  
• The sects of Islam.
• The basics of Shariah law
• The missionary intent of the Islamic movement (House of Islam versus House of War)
• The concept of the Dhimmi (treatment of Christians and Jews under Islam)
• Women in Islam
  
• Recent evangelistic moves among Muslims, especially individual testimonies of those coming to faith in Jesus.
  
• Testimonies of Christians in fruitful evangelism among Muslims.

In studying these issues, the goal in personal evangelism is not to confront Muslims aggressively, but to be good listeners. Let’s not be seen as crusaders. There are tracts available from some Christian missions to read and have in one’s back pocket. Let’s be serious about our Bible study and prayer and not be on the defensive, or on the attack.

We must be careful not to be fully diverted into this battle and miss the opportunities on our doorstep.

If, as the evidence shows us, this is indeed the day when God is calling many Muslims to himself, some of us will be privileged to find already prepared, open-hearted Muslims ready to respond to the Gospel message. If we meet someone in the earlier stages of questioning, let us leave a good and loving testimony on which the Lord can build as time goes on.

It is one thing to face up to the spiritual battle against Islam. It is another to win Muslims to the Lord. This is the day of salvation.

Resources for Outreach to Muslims

Understanding Islam (including its history, theology and worldview)

Unveiled: A Christian Study Guide to Islam. Barnabas Fund. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £3.50.

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus Study Guide (8 sessions). Nabeel Qureshi, with Kevin and Sherry Harney. Suitable for individuals and groups. Available here for £7.60 (paperback), designed to accompany a DVD study.

Booklets from the Barnabas Fund (£1 each, discount available when purchasing the entire set. Click here to buy):

• What is Islam?
  
• Is the Muslim Isa the Biblical Jesus?
  
• Islam and Slavery
  
• Islam and Truth
  
• What is Sharia?

Books by Patrick Sookhdeo: Unmasking Islamic State (2015), Understanding Islamic Theology (2013), A Christian’s Pocket Guide to Islam (2013), The Challenge of Islam to the Church and its Mission (2009), Faith, Power and Territory: A Handbook of British Islam (2008), Understanding Shari’a Finance (2008), Understanding Islamist Terrorism (2004) and many more. Click here to purchase from the Barnabas Fund.

What Every Christian Needs to Know about the Qur’an (James R White, 2013, £8.99 paperback)

Books by Sam Solomon: Not the Same God (2016, £7.99 paperback), Modern Day Trojan Horse (2009, £11.95 paperback)

Articles by the team at Christian Concern – all available online. Click here to read.

Resources for Engaging with Muslims

Leading the Way (international ministry): plentiful online resources, testimonial videos, books, DVDs/CDs. Many free downloads. Click here to explore the UK site.

Say Hello (US ministry): Online resources for Christian women seeking to engage with Muslim women, including prayer resources, articles, videos. Click here to find out more.

Breaking Through the Barriers: Leading Muslims to Christ (Rosemary Sookhdeo, 2010, £6.99 paperback)

Barnabas Fund Evangelism Pack: Contains Breaking Through the Barriers and Unveiled (both above) plus a selection of tracts designed for outreach to Muslims. £10. Available here.

Mahabba The Friendship Trio courses: three courses (comprising DVDs and worksheets) aimed at equipping Christians to engage with Muslims. Available to purchase in parts or in full - click here. Plenty more resources are available on the Mahabba site.

Books about Mission/Testimonials of Conversion

A Wind in the House of Islam (David Garrison, 2014. £15.20 paperback) – read our review here.

Miraculous Movements (Jerry Trousdale, 2012. £6.99 paperback)

Books by Nabeel Qureshi: Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus (2016), No God but One: Allah or Jesus? (2016), Answering Jihad: A Better Way Forward (2016). Click here to find out more.

Hiding in the Light: Why I Risked Everything to Leave Islam and Follow Jesus (Rifqa Bary, 2016, £13 paperback)

Face to Face with Jesus: A Former Muslim's Extraordinary Journey to Heaven and Encounter with the God of Love (Samaa Habib, with Bodie Thoene, 2014, £8.99 paperback)

The Torn Veil (Gulshan Esther, 2004, £6.99 paperback)

I Dared to Call Him Father (Bilquis Sheikh, 1978, repr. 2003, £8.99 paperback)

Mission Organisations with Which to Engage and Support

• Frontiers
• Leading the Way
• Barnabas Fund
• Mahabba Network
• Arab World Ministry
• Pioneers

If you know of any more useful resources on this topic, do comment below!