This World is God's World 2 -September 2022

September 2022

This World is God's World

News & comment from a Christian perspective

By Peter Ratcliff

Edition 002

September 2022

ENERGY BILL MADNESS

1. Lots of clothes. Approximately 7 layers around the core will keep you warm at 15C. Use lots of sleeveless layers to keep the arms free. It is not so much about heating your head, hands and feet. These are the extremities which feel cold when your core is not kept warm so the key is to mainly wrap up around your middle and only light layers on extremities. (This is based on how cold water swimming works. I am not a doctor. Never take medical advice from pastors without checking with others, it is not our area of expertise!)

2. Hot water bottles. Online you can buy extra long hot water bottles or buy a pair of small ones to insert in jackets with inside pockets etc.

3. The electric heated gilet body warmer. I am quite excited about these. There is a huge choice online. No doubt cautions apply with these to prevent fire etc. Also these should not be used 24/7 to replace the body's natural processes.

4. Ok, if I was in the countryside I'd have a pile of dry wood ready for the woodburner in a little "man cave". But in cities, although there is much scrap wood to be found, we aren't going to win souls by smoking out the neighbourhood.

5. Write to your MP suggesting that the idea of heating our homes is becoming obsolete, certainly until we can get much more efficient buildings and/or cheap nuclear energy, and that the Government must wake up to this reality and make it known that we are in this situation so they can set forth these sort of alternatives rather than making impossible promises to help us pay for what is impossible. In this way the government can prevent a disastrous winter of misery, death and unrest.

LOSING PUBS WINNING SOULS

It is reported that most pubs are expected to go out of business this year due to escalating heating costs plus a very poor harvest of hops. O and the world is sorry to lose these "community hubs".

We would rather it was a revival of Christianity that was closing the pubs as has happened in the past.

Let us pray that the churches will again become the main community hubs, but of course, much more than community hubs.

PRIDE ATTACKS WITH VARIOUS TACTICS

As in any war we expect the enemy to change tactics.

Once the LGBT activists tried to prosecute those who did not go along with them, now they boycott those who don't do it sincerely.

For example, there was the prosecution of Ashers Bakery who did not want the LGBT business to make money promoting a cause they did not approve.

Now the LGBT are using the opposite approach to boycott people who are producing LGBT merchandise in countries where LGBT is illegal.

So on the one hand LGBT tried to force people to produce their goods. On the other hand they will boycott those who produce their goods but in countries where LGBT is not encouraged. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-62597165

Whether this is a change of tactics or simply a further attempt to enforce compliance to LGBT is arguable. What we can be sure of is that a variety of protests, whether environmental anti petrol or LGBT, are getting more and more assertive and aggressive. The consequences are serious: lawlessness and anarchy. Likewise there is much religious rebellion with so many aggressive cults and religions.

Yet, against this most unpleasant backdrop, the grace and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ stands out all the brighter. We must remind ourselves that Jesus Christ is Lord and one day: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth". Philippians 2:10.

While Christians long for this day and actively pursue it and point others to Christ, let us be clear that we do not use the unpleasant tactics of the world. It is God himself who draws people to himself and we must believe in the convicting work of the Holy Spirit to do this. Yes, we must be vocal and firm in our faith but we must be gentle, trusting the Lord. Surely we will see many coming to faith in Christ.

GO AND SIN NO MORE

Boris Johnson is promising that Britain will bounce back after the winter. It is good that despite his faults Johnson has an optimism to get on with things rather than a doom and gloom approach to politics.

However, even passing over Mr Johnson's serious faults and sins, there is no place for being over confident. Mr Johnson is not exactly right that when we were bouncing back out of Covid nobody predicted that we'd have this situation with Russia and an energy price crisis.

Some of us did predict that if the nation did not repent then God might well bring worse upon us.

While some were complaining about Government restrictions we were taking a different approach and warning of the danger of continuing unrepentant.

The fact is that man may be good at politics or economics but without God there is no guarantee of blessing and in fact his hand is hanging over us ready to fall down in judgement.

The matter is difficult. Sometimes God allows the wicked to flourish and fall into hell for judgement. Other times God will bring disaster upon disaster as if man might realise that he is guilty and so will repent. Either way, when our nation is so obviously ungodly, Mr Johnson can hardly promise that Britain will bounce back. Yes, we hope that despite our sins, we will bounce back. However there is no reason why God will not bring worse upon us if we do not respond to the current crisis with prayer and confession and repentance.

The lesson of the energy crisis coming so soon after the Covid crisis should be a sharp wake-up call. Now as Jesus said to one forgiven, Go away and sin no more lest a worse thing happen to thee.

THE DUBIOUSLY NAMED ARTEMIS MOON PROJECT

The mission to the moon is underway again with the NASA project now called Artemis.

It is understandable that the project was named Artemis because he was the twin "god" of Apollo, the name of the original moon mission.

However, what kind of fool will name great projects after fake Greek gods at all!

Artemis, also called Diana, was thoroughly discredited in Ephesus in Acts 19 when the people turned to Christ and her idols became worthless and her magic books were destroyed.

One would have thought that America would at least not be so stupid as to name a bold space project after such a failure.

In all matters we need godly examples to emulate not vain gods and pop idols.

LAST MAN OF TRIBE DIES

It was reported recently that the last member of an isolated tribe has died in Brazil. The man's name is unknown and it was suggested that he died a month or two before he was discovered. It is understood that the rest of his tribe died 26 years ago and that since then he lived on his own. Such a life is hard to imagine as possible. The descriptions speak of the man living like an animal.

The Bible said of Adam that God saw that it was not good for the man to be alone. The Bible also says that God sets the solitary in families.

Such tribes are protected in Brazil by not allowing outsiders to make contact, but what sort of protection is this? The tribes are kept in the darkness of life without knowledge of Jesus Christ. One feels sure that those who prohibit the work of Christian missionaries to these tribes will suffer a more severe judgement of God than this poor man.

By contrast the Lord Jesus saw the whole of mankind in darkness yet he didn't leave us to be undisturbed in our natural sinful tendencies but he came and gave himself as a sacrifice to save all that the Father gave him, turning our world upside down

How we can be thankful that man was unable to stop Jesus coming, as surely they would have done, and even that when they killed him it was all part of God's great purpose.

Meanwhile we might consider what effort we are making in our responsibility to bring the Gospel to the lost multitudes around us.

This World is God's World

News & comment from a Christian perspective

By Peter Ratcliff

Edition 002 September 2022

www.wimbledonchurch.com

Holy Trinity 20 year Anniversary Address

May 2023

On Saturday 27th May 2023 Dr David Allen gave a heartwarming address at a service of thanksgiving for the Holy Trinity congregation of the Church of England Continuing located in Frinton upon Sea, Essex.

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