Keep Calm, The King Is Coming!

Amongst the multitude of 'Keep calm' posters circulating in gift shops, on line etc there was one recently which caught my eye that simply said: 'Keep calm, the King is Coming!' What a glorious summation, I thought, of the Christian faith. Embodied in that 'keep calm' statement was for me the word 'hope'. The gravitational pull of bad news, which effects even Christians, means we are in danger of being pulled down by world events and losing the sense of perspective the Bible gives. The King is coming! He's got to come. Only He can sort out the mess. Only He can destroy injustice and violence and war. Not taking into account the 'last things' and not meditating on the culmination of all of Biblical prophecy means we are caught in the swirling currents of the world's pessimism. Now we must add very quickly that we are not to be so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good; we must weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. We must show empathy with this suffering world. But we must always keep the sense of perspective and fuel the hope that is within us. This world is not going to get any better. We must be salt and light in it whilst we have opportunity, but we must not succumb to the world's climate. The King is coming! The holiday brochure fires us up for the destination. What good is a holiday journey without a destination? Our feelings, our anticipations regarding that holiday, are supremely fired by the thought of the destination. The King is coming! That's our perspective. That causes us to raise our eyes. To see beyond this world and towards a Kingdom where every tear will be wiped away, where there is no more death, no more crying. That far-off country is getting nearer every day.

I remember as a young child making the journey from Essex all the way up to West Kirby near Liverpool. My grandparents owned a fish and chip shop, which had expanded to become a general store as well. I knew that a new world awaited me: sand and fresh horizons; ice cream and soda pop. Upon arrival my grandfather had always prepared for us fish and chips, mushy peas, lashings of tomato ketchup and the fizzy utopia of dandelion and burdock, all accompanied by delicious white bread and butter! After a few days it was on to Prestatyn on the North Wales coast and the excitement of a caravan holiday: a caravan hand-built by my grandfather.  I remember running through hot sand, racing over the top of the sand dunes to behold the sea. At night, after a long day in the sun and with sunburnt shoulders, I would look out of the caravan window at the pin-pricks of light from the houses huddled under the slopes of Fish Mountain.

Every good story has a good ending. Every journey has a destination. Every night has a new morning. This is what spurs us on. The hope that the King is coming. One day the King will come. This is our glorious ending and also our wonderful beginning. Keep calm, the King IS coming!

A Lesson in History (and the Future!)

 I got an un-graded mark in my GCE history when I was sixteen; it was my best subject and I was expected to get a high grade. I understand the examiner couldn't read my writing! What was the point of doing all that writing when it couldn't be understood?

As the years have gone by I've still got that deep love of history and important historical events. I remember standing by the Dakota building in New York City, feet from the place where John Lennon was murdered. In the same city we looked down from the South Tower of the World Trade Centre, two weeks before it was destroyed. In Paris I gazed down the tunnel that bore, on one of its columns, the still fresh scars of the place where Lady Diana's car had crashed. In Washington my wife Jenny and I stood at the graveside of President Kennedy, near to the simple cross that marked the grave of his murdered brother Bobby. Together we stood in the great rotunda of the Capitol building where President Kennedy's body had lain in state. In Cobh in southern Ireland we walked along the quayside that had been the departure point for small boats ferrying passengers out to the Titanic, anchored out in the deeper water of the estuary. In northern Germany I stood amongst the ice cold forests that surrounded the former death camp of Bergen-Belsen, flanked by a great number of mass graves, a testimony to the brutality of the Nazi regime. In Berlin, in the Olympic Stadium, I paused near the place where Hitler had encouraged the supremacy of the German race in the athletic field, only to see the great black athlete Jessie Owens win more than one gold medal. In Salem, U.S.A. we passed the place where the infamous witch trials had taken place; a town now hostage to those events, where even the police cars have witches on their doors.

Recently I travelled part of the coastline of southern Spain where one of my favourite authors, Laurie Lee, was rescued by a British warship and immortalised the event in the second part of his autobiography 'As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning'. In Barcelona we saw the still preserved bullet marks from that same Spanish civil war. In northern Belgium our train passed near to the great battlefields of the First World War. In Venice Jenny and I stood together in the great inner room of the Doge's Palace, the same room where Marco Polo had been given his commission to head East towards China. In Saltzburg, Austria, we sat and drank English tea below the plaque that marked the birthplace of Mozart.  Walking the ancient high street of the city of Ephesus in Turkey reminded me that the great apostle Paul had travelled this way. Visiting the remote island of Patmos, a tiny island in the Aegean Sea, we visited the cave where tradition says the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation. I remember clearly passing through the valley in central Israel where David slew Goliath and also standing at the well south of Beersheba, on the edge of the Negev desert, where Abraham had dug one of his wells.

And it's Israel that of all these places is the most exciting. I remember the first time looking out of the cabin window as the big bird began its slow descent to Tel Aviv and seeing for the first time a rather plain, featureless coastline appear out of the mist and realising for the first time that this place of history, Israel, really existed. No longer was it confined to the pages of a book, a very special Book, but here, like all the other places I had visited, reality checked in. It really existed! But this was a country that was unique. For not only had I had the pleasure and inspiration of studying its history, I knew its future - because its future is firmly linked to the final purposes of God!

I loved my history lessons at school. But now I know and even greater future. Not one bone has been found of Jesus Christ! He's alive! The great I Am, the same yesterday, today and forever. He transcends history. He has no monument, no place. Yet He lives and His Life extends into His true Body, His Church. There are ruins, and places of battles and associations with famous people and events. But, given time all will pass into dust. But Christ remains and so does His true Church. Hallelujah!

The River Is Rising

How the world is changing! Since the last blog, the Middle East has erupted, scandals have affected those in the entertainment industry and in politics and this Friday (July 18th) the Assisted Dying Bill will be debated in the House of Lords. To my horror I read that a much-respected evangelical former Archbishop of Canterbury has come out in support of this Bill. Like an exponential equation the world is rapidly changing, faster than it has ever done. Bible believing people are becoming a remnant, just as Scripture promised. This should not come as a surprise; Paul writing to Timothy, two thousand years ago, said:

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God - having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.

So Scripture again is proved true. What does it mean for us as Christians? It means we should “strengthen the things that remain”. Things are not going to get better and we should not been drawn in by false prophets who say there will be revival, when there’s no call to repentance. We are, and will remain, a Biblical remnant and we must strengthen one another in the faith. We must evangelise, yes, because that is the Great Commission, but we must also look out for one another. In Jesus' commission to Peter he told him to feed His lambs and sheep, those young in the faith and older ones too. The Bible is under attack in a way unknown in human history. We are dealing with a new heresy: “Did God say?” - the oldest, vilest lie, spoken first by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. This is the first generation that is seeking to undermine and reinterpret the Scriptures by using culture as a lever. Not for nothing did Jesus talk of those “who stand till the end”. He also says “in the last days the love of many will grow cold”. It is not being selfish to work out our own faith and seek to strengthen the faith of others. The time will come when some people within the church “will not put up with clear doctrine but will have itching ears to hear what they want to hear”. We are seeing this happen right before our eyes.

Yesterday Jenny and I took a boat trip up the Thames to Kew gardens. We were told of the difference in tide levels on the upriver and downriver journeys. As we returned in the beautiful light of the drowsing day we were amazed at just how much the tide had come up - some 15 feet! The river of godlessness is rising. In London, not far from Greenwich, is a place called Execution Dock. Here, pirates were executed by being tied to a post and having three tides pass over them. If you were that pirate you watched every inch of the creeping water; it was a matter of life and death. The Scriptures are like a tide gauge, predicting every inch as the water rises. We should not be surprised; indeed we should encourage ourselves that the Scripture is being proved true. We need to be vigilant, aware and Scripturally equipped. We should not just be able to quote the Scripture and know about it, but much more importantly we need to follow the Hebrew mindset, which is to know God and not be satisfied to know about Him. We need to cultivate, however imperfectly, a relationship with Him.

We must “guard the good deposit” that has been entrusted to us, the wonderful Gospel, uncorrupted by changing culture. We must encourage and build one another up, continually. It won't get better but we can be salt and we can be light, however insignificant we feel. The Master, our Saviour, our heavenly Father and the Holy Spirit are our constant companions. And with their strength, their guidance, their love, we will come through the darkness, to glory!

Of Tides and Jewels and Presidents

Along the banks of the River Thames there is a place once known as 'Execution Dock'. Here unfortunate criminals, usually pirates, were killed. They were tied to stakes and three tides were allowed to pass over them. One would have thought that one would have been enough! I guess if you were one of those being executed you would watch every inch of that tide as it progressed. It would be a measure of just how long you had to live. When I was a boy I use to enjoy holidays at Prestatyn on the North Wales coast. We spent hours in the sea. But you had to watch the tide or it would creep up silently behind you in channels that would finally cut you off from the shore. What had been safe sand was now under several feet of water. Watching the tide, either inch by inch or going away and returning some hours later, can be a matter of life or death. We guard our safety and take necessary measures to ensure self survival.

In the Tower of London, in the Jewel House, are the Crown Jewels, an incredible collection not only of crowns and orbs and swords, but also of dazzling gold tableware. It is an amazing collection, a veritable feast for the eyes - and it's well guarded! Soldiers, metal doors feet thick and everything alarmed. The collection is precious to England. Also I remember watching with my daughter Naomi President Obama being driven past after a visit to Westminster Abbey. His car looked like a limousine, but was built like a tank. His convoy consisted of a dummy presidential car, 6 other cars, no doubt full of secret service men, an ambulance and, bringing up the rear, a Range Rover bristling with men armed to the teeth with all sorts of aggressive hardware. The President was in town and great lengths were taken to ensure his safety!

Paul writes to Timothy telling him to guard the Gospel. Paul is reaching the end of his life; he has "run the race". Now he hands over to Timothy the charge of guarding the good deposit (the Gospel) that was handed to him. So it is today. But modern secular culture, with its intricate and pressurising webs of influence, is seeking to impose a new gospel on the Church, a gospel which does not prioritise the power of the Cross, the necessity for repentance, or cleansing by the precious Blood of Jesus. It seeks to influence the Church in such a way that the Gospel becomes user friendly: Find out what the people want (and don't want), then give them only what they want. In essence it moves towards being ashamed of the Gospel. The Gospel is embarrassing they say: Don't talk about sin and repentance, talk about feeling good, being blessed. Don't speak of discipleship. It's a subtle tide, coming in slowly, almost imperceptibly. We are in danger of sacrificing truth on the altar of love. But, as it says in Ecclesiastes, there is nothing new under the sun. So today we to must guard the gospel, in the power of the Holy Spirit, and hand it on, just as Paul did with Timothy.

That's what we as a Company seek to do in the summer, when we produce our musical 'Guard the Gospel'. Hand it on: Unpolluted; undiluted. For it is the power of God unto salvation!

Of Eagles and Bling

The heat of Malaga airport hit us as we disembarked from the aircraft. We were in Andalucia to record interviews with Revelation Television and to fulfil a televised preaching engagement. The hot dry landscape of Spain spread out before us, a chequered carpet of vineyards and small farms. Gaunt mountains wrinkled by the sun stood snowless above the plains. This is the land of one of my favourite authors, Laurie Lee, who had written of this place years ago in his book 'As I Walked Out One Midsummer Morning'. He exchanged the enveloping green of a Gloucestershire England for the salty sea villages of southern Spain. 

A studio in a garage basement we were told. Some garage! It was a converted underground car park, with several studio sets rigged. We were most impressed with this professional set up and the opportunity it gave to raise the profile of the Company and its work. As well as the preaching session Jenny and I also had the opportunity to record two sessions in the 'In Conversation' series. We were able to talk not only about the musicals, but also about the work of the Bible School and other projects. This channel is doing a tremendous work, ranging from interviews, testimonies and services to profiling political and social issues with a spiritual perspective. Israel is strongly profiled. It is a unique station. We were so encouraged by the hospitality and kindness that we were shown. An added bonus was the use of a beautiful apartment that overlooked both the sea and the mountains.

We had opportunity for some down time. I can understand why Brits like to retire here. The beach was quiet. For two days we enjoyed the sea and sunshine as well as the numerous beach sellers with their hand-held cargoes of bright clothing, sun winking jewellery and bunches of watches, all guaranteed for life of course and accompanied by the comments 'bling bling, 'cheap cheap' and 'lovely jubbly’: Mediterranean Del Boys!

We also had opportunity to travel high into the mountains by cable car with the added bonus of being treated to a display of birds of prey, including two magnificent, majestic eagles and grand eagle owls with great round faces and deep staring eyes. This was followed by a display of Spanish horse riding with proud shining horses and gorgeous colours worn by the riders.

Back in wind-swept England we now look forward to the Mall Tour as we minister with the choir and tell the Christmas story through song and reading to spiritually hungry people in Bluewater and Beales. Next year we celebrate together 30 years of ministry with the choir. In the power of the Spirit our strength shall be renewed like the eagle's, those magnificent creatures that we saw gliding and diving in a clear, hard blue sky, catching the thermal winds. May we too, in the coming months of work for the Messiah, catch the wind of the Spirit.

That's An Awful Lot of Sheep!

Here we are, moving towards the end of September, having just celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles. We had as our special guest Bishop Mussa Magwela, from the diocese of Geita in Tanzania, an area near Lake Victoria. This giant of a man has 90 diocese and over 400 congregations to watch over, including 60 islands on Lake Victoria. That's a lot of sheep! It was a great privilege talking to this man of God. He told us about the plan to transport a ship from Mombasa to Lake Victoria - across land! I said that Noah had got there first. The project means sailing the ship to Mombasa, taking it apart and then transporting it across land to Lake Victoria, where it will be reassembled. This will cost £2 million pounds and they are well on the way to achieving the necessary funding. The ship will be a floating hospital, specialising in dentistry and eye treatment. The Bishop was so sad that this country appears to be losing its spiritual way; it's Africa and the South Americans who are seeing revival on an unprecedented scale.

This weekend Jenny and I will be flying to Spain to undertake an hour-long interview for Revelation Television. This will give us a wonderful opportunity to share with a world-wide audience the work of The Absolute Gospel Company and the plans we believe the Lord is leading us into. I will also have the opportunity to bring a 15-20 minute message, which again will allow me to share the prophetic message we believe we have been given as a Company.

The following week-end the choir will be travelling to The Park, Moggerhanger, near Bedford, to share in a week-end festival called 'Alight in the Park' where the theme will be the reconciliation of Jew and Gentile: One new man in Christ. Then, the following week, we shall be coming together for another Bible School session, when the theme will be 'Messianic prophecies in the book of Zephaniah'. We must work, as Jesus said, "whilst there is still light". We also have our first Christmas booking, an invitation to sing at Bluewater, a large shopping mall east of London.

We are also recording new music for a future musical based on the book of Job and a play about Dreyfus the Jew is also awaiting production. Busyness, though, is not necessarily spirituality. We, as a Company, need wisdom to what to say 'yes' and what to say 'no' to.

We need a Divine shepherd to keep the sheep in order and following Him, not wandering off doing their own thing, however green the grass looks. But, in faith, we work on, seeking to build the 'temple' that is the Lord's Kingdom.

If you're not the Queen are you a princess?

If you have the Queen in your car and a Union Jack flying from it, it's amazing how many people give way on the highway! Recently, as part of our publicity for our musical ‘Majesty’, we asked one of our choir members if she would mind impersonating the Queen and walking Tonbridge High Street, inviting shop managers and their staff to a performance. Hence the title of this blog: It was a remark made by a small girl walking with her mother on that Saturday morning.

Last night (1^st June) was our first performance of ‘Majesty’. We were greatly encouraged by the large turn out of people and they all appeared to have really enjoyed the evening. The Mayor and Mayoress of Tonbridge were present, as was the Chairman of Tonbridge Council. All ages were represented and it was wonderful to hear the robust singing of the National Anthem at the end of the evening. We were greatly encouraged by the audience response and we look forward to two more performances in the next two weeks. Our three narrators consisted of a retired surgeon, a magazine editor and a retired J.P. The team of dancers exceeded themselves and the choir sang with fire and passion. It was a great evening, part of which had the audience guessing who certain individuals were on the screen: Characters who became famous during the Queen's reign. Our excellent technical team were kept busy and everything went smoothly - always a relief!

We shall be sending a copy of the script to Her Majesty together with a copy of the prayer that we prayed for her and the Royal Family. As the script says: “It is not the power she has, it’s the power she denies”.

It is a great shame that, in schools, our children are being denied the rich heritage of our nation and, particularly, the history of our unique monarchy. On a lighter note, I always remember a remark by George Harrison of the Beatles when asked who the female lead might be in their next film. He replied: “We're trying for the Queen: She sells!”.

I remember as a six year old pupil standing by the side of the A12 as the Queen's car sped through on its way to Harwich and the Hook of Holland. In a moment she was there and then gone. What a privilege it has been to help people honour this wonderful Christian lady. Long may she reign, not as a princess, but as the Queen!