Forgiveness is central to both the Lord’s prayer and the Bible as a whole. It was the foundational purpose of the ministry the Tabernacle and Temple and of the sacrificial death of Jesus. Jesus’ prayer for us from the cross, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34), resounds to us through history to release from the burden of sin all those who come to Him in repentance.

Immediately after teaching the prayer to His disciples, Jesus emphasised again the importance of our forgiving others so that we too might be forgiven (Matt 6:14-15).

God’s Heart of Mercy

The importance of forgiving others was also taught to Peter when he asked how many times he should forgive someone who had sinned against him (Matt 18:21-22). Peter offered a ‘generous’ suggestion of seven times, which Jesus multiplied up to a symbolic 70 times, to show how much we should have the attitude of forgiveness for others. This came as a surprise to Peter, just as it might to us, especially if we read the way many of the Psalms call down curses on the enemies of Israel.

Was something new released when Jesus taught His disciples to forgive as they also asked Father for forgiveness? The nature of God did not change at this time, who had made provision for forgiveness for His people when He led them as a nation through the wilderness. Nor were the principles of the Law of Moses compromised, nor the consequences of sin that is not atoned for and forgiven.

Jesus taught about God’s heart for mercy – a heart that He also wants us to have. The parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) illustrates this. It was through the son’s returning in repentance that the father could give forgiveness. Nevertheless, the father’s heart was shown by the fact that even though the son was allowed to suffer the consequence of his sins, the father longed for his return.

Forgiveness: A Spiritual Transaction

So what is forgiveness? The two main Hebrew words used for forgive bring some understanding. One word is salach, meaning ‘to pardon’. The other is nasa, a word with wide applications associated with ‘lifting up’. Together these words show us that when someone sins, they carry a burden that must be lifted away through the one ready to pardon them.

The same willingness to pardon must reside in us so that when someone asks us for forgiveness, that person is totally released of the burden.

This is a spiritual transaction. Experience shows that if we have the nature of harbouring grudges and find forgiveness difficult, then we can bring spiritual harm to ourselves, like a cancer of bitterness or resentment eating into our inner being. That is how important it is for us to be like our Father in Heaven - sorrowful for division between ourselves and others on account of sin, and ready to lift away their burden immediately they ask forgiveness from us.

The Power to Forgive

The attitude and act of forgiveness bring spiritual healing and restoration. This is what Jesus wants between us all and between us and the Father. It is as important as His going to the Cross for us.

His sacrifice enabled the release of spiritual power that lifts our burden of sin when we ask forgiveness of the Father, and also enables us to forgive others when they ask for our forgiveness. In this respect it was indeed a new thing when He taught His disciples to pray in this way. We are now enabled, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to forgive just as we are forgiven.

Author: Dr Clifford Denton

The phoney war is over. The battle with the EU has begun.

Both our Prime Minister and Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, have made statements this week. It feels rather like the first nine months of World War II, when nothing much happened and then soon after Dunkirk the Battle of Britain began and the German Luftwaffe began bombing the City of London.

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, has declared that Brexit is going to be very bad for Britain. What Germany failed to do through military attack in the 1940s they now intend to do through economic power. They are intent on luring banks away from London to Germany and they are determined to force Britain to pay as much as possible. Brussels, at the same time, is stepping up the political war against Britain. It’s all beginning to get quite nasty – but these are only the opening salvos of conflict.

We all knew that it was not going to be easy. But the majority of the population voted to leave the European Union despite plenty of warnings before the Referendum that it would be tough. We knew it would be a battle but what most people probably did not know is what sort of battle it would be.

Judging the Nations

We were discussing this in the Issachar Ministries office this week and remembering the international gathering of ministry leaders at Mount Carmel in Israel back in 1986, when Lance Lambert received a prophecy that we all believed was a word from the Lord. It was based on Haggai 2:6 where God promises to “shake all nations” and at the same time he will “shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land”.

All the leaders present believed that this prophecy would shortly be fulfilled in our lifetime. The word Lance received was:

I will judge the nations and the time is near. It will not only be by war and civil war, by anarchy and terrorism, and by monetary collapses that I will judge the nations…I will also judge them by giving them over to their own ways, to lawlessness, to loveless selfishness, to delusion and to believing a lie, to false religion and an apostate church, even to a Christianity without me.

Germany and Brussels are stepping up the political war against Britain – but these are only the opening salvos of conflict.

When we were discussing this, one of my colleagues said, “If you want to know what God is doing to fulfil his purposes today you only have to look at what the enemy is up to, because the ‘father of lies’ always knows what is important to God.”

So, what’s going on in the European Union that is making Germany and Brussels so angry with Britain and can also be seen to be anti-God? Of outstanding significance is its movement towards the establishment of a ‘United States of Europe’ in which each of the members would lose their sovereign identity.

The political elite were making good progress towards achieving this objective, until Brexit shattered their dreams. But many Christians believe that our sovereign identity is given by God and should not be surrendered. Deuteronomy 32:8 says that God “gave the nations their inheritance” and “set up their boundaries”.

Long-Term Objective

Back in 1993 when the Treaty of Maastricht was signed there was a meeting of the secret Bilderberg Group in Greece. Of course, the Group never make any announcements about their deliberations or policy agreements. But it is significant that two British politicians, Kenneth Clarke and Tony Blair (one Conservative and one Labour) who were there at the meeting, subsequently wrote articles in British newspapers in support of the abolition of the pound and the Bank of England, and in favour of a European single currency and European Central Bank.¹

The political elite were making good progress towards achieving their objective of a super-state, until Brexit shattered their dreams.

Both of these politicians today are ardent supporters of the European Union and anti-Brexit campaigners – Tony Blair is currently saying that he’s going to return to active politics to fight Brexit. There are numerous other British politicians, including a number in the House of Lords, who are fighting against Britain’s decision to leave the EU – men such as Denis Healey who died in October 2015.

Healey was one of the early members of the Bilderberger Group (founded 1954) and was Secretary of State for Defence and Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government. He hated UKIP and was an active supporter of a united Europe for many years. In 1979 he received the Grand Cross of Order of Merit from Germany for his efforts to bring about a united Europe – a policy that was part of Hitler’s 1942 ‘New Order’ plan.

Elitist Pressure

There are many like Healey still active in the House of Lords who are determined to keep Britain in the EU, which is a major reason why Theresa May called a General Election - to strengthen the Government’s hand in the negotiations to leave, which anti-Brexit politicians would love to undermine.

The backlash against this elitist group of politicians with their globalist objectives has been the cause of the populist uprising that brought Brexit in the UK, Trump in the USA and rank outsiders Macron and Le Pen in France.

There is no way of measuring the reasons why people have been voting for popularist candidates and rejecting the ruling elite. At least part of the reason must be a growing awareness of the obscene salaries and bonuses that globalist elites have been awarding themselves whilst avoiding paying taxes – but perhaps more broadly it is because ordinary people feel an ominous sense that there is something wrong with the current system and the direction in which it leads.

There are many politicians in both houses who are determined to keep Britain in the EU.

The PM and the People

In the current climate of populism, a remarkable political development has been seen in the local council and regional election results in Britain this week. The swing to the Conservative Party appears to go against popular trends. This could be very largely due to the way Theresa May has been able to distance herself from the political elite.

Her inaugural speech outside 10 Downing Street on the day she became Prime Minister set the tone of her leadership, when she declared her concern for ordinary working people who were having difficulties in making ends meet.

At the Conservative Party Conference, she signalled an end to the David Cameron style of government favouring the better off. She pledged a quiet revolution, rightly perceiving the significance of the Brexit vote among working-class voters. The increase in the Conservative vote this week has underlined her success in aligning herself with the populist cause – although it remains to be seen whether or not the high hopes she is creating will be realisable.

Wake Up, Church!

Probably only a small percentage of those who voted to leave the EU did so because of theological convictions that the EU is a demonic institution and that if our national future is to be prospered by God’s blessings, we have to repent of our ungodly laws and policies, many of which were inspired by the EU. But thankfully, God does not require a democratic majority in order to answer the prayers of his people!

God does not require a democratic majority in order to answer the prayers of his people!

The biblical strength of the new Government in June and the success of the Brexit negotiations do not depend upon chance – they depend on prayer, on the faithfulness of the Church and on the sovereign choice of God.

Perhaps the most pertinent question is – are Christians in Britain prepared to go into battle, not only against greedy globalists where they would have popular support, nor just against secular humanists who are brainwashing our children in state schools and are exercising their influence in the media and government, but against the spiritual powers of darkness that are contending right now for the soul of the Western nations?

Ultimately, this battle is not as much about the destiny of nations (though of course this matters) as it is about the eternal futures of millions of individual citizens and their chance to hear the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. It is essential that Christians should understand the spiritual nature of the battle and the importance of mobilising the power of focused, believing intercession at this crucial hour in world history.

References

1 The information in this paragraph is drawn from Rodney Atkinson, Europe’s Full Circle: Corporate Elites and the New Fascism’ Computing Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1996, p89.

Some recent news to inform your prayers.

Society & Politics

• Britain refuses to apologise for Balfour Declaration: The Foreign Office officially rebuts Palestinian pressure on Britain to apologise for her role in creating the state of Israel. Read more here.
• Armed police throw Jews out of pro-Palestine Labour event: Those evicted were accused of asking ‘disruptive questions’ during the Q&A at the Parliamentary event, which was organised by the Palestine Return Centre and hosted by Labour MP Mark Hendrick. Read more here.
• Anti-Semitic student leader loses return bid: Outgoing NUS president Malia Bouattia, known for her anti-Semitic rhetoric, will be replaced by Shakira Martin, while Jewish student Izzy Lenga has been voted Vice President for Welfare. Read more here. Meanwhile, official concerns are being raised about UK campus support for BDS.

Church News

• New bishop to defend traditional marriage: Following its 2017 annual meeting, GAFCON announces a new missionary bishop for Europe to give pastoral oversight to Anglicans wishing to remain faithful to a biblical view of marriage. Read more here and here.

World Scene

• Trump declares May ‘Jewish American heritage month’: The President called on the US to use May to celebrate the nation’s indebtedness to Judaism and the contributions of Jewish Americans. Read more here.
  
• Persecution of Christians in India rises sharply: The All India Christian Council has declared a 20% increase in attacks through 2016 alone, spreading across 23 of India’s 29 states, with an attack now happening every 40 hours. Read more here.
  

Israel & Middle East

• 43% of the world’s Jews now live in Israel: New statistics to mark Israel’s 69^th birthday show that the country will soon contain the majority of world Jewry. Read more here.
  
• Archbishop Welby and Chief Rabbi Mirvis pray together at Western Wall: During a visit to the Holy Land, the Archbishop has also visited Yad Vashem and spoken out about Europe’s history of Christian anti-Semitism. Read more here.
  
• Trump announces launch of new Middle East peace process: The announcement comes during PA President Abbas’s visit to the White House. It is expected that the US President will visit Israel at the end of May. Read more here. Meanwhile, the PA refuses to bow to US pressure to cut payments to terrorists and their families.
  
• UNESCO resolution passes denying Israel rights to Jerusalem: The resolution passed 22-10 (a lower number of Yes votes than usual), with 23 abstentions. The United Kingdom voted against the measure. Read more here and here.

Upcoming Events

• Foundations Taster Day (13 May): 10am-4pm, Bedford. With Steve Maltz and Paul Luckraft. Click here for more information.
• Unbelievable? The Conference (13 May): London. World-class Christian apologists and evangelists show how Jesus is “the answer to life, the universe and everything”. A Premier event. Find out more and book here.
• ‘Thy Kingdom Come’ Wave of Prayer (25 May – 4 June): Join the Anglican Church’s call for a global wave of prayer between Ascension and Pentecost 2017. Click here for more information.
• A Night to Honour Israel (22 June): 7pm, Westminster. Unite with Christians and Jews in the Balfour centenary year to show your support for Israel. Click here to find out more and book tickets (£10 for adults, children free).

Recommended Sources

At Prophecy Today UK we are aware that the world is moving very quickly and it is difficult to keep up with all the latest developments – especially when the material circulated by our mainstream media is increasingly far from reality and definitely not devoted to a biblical perspective!

Though we are not a news service, we want to help keep you informed by passing on updates and reports as we are led. This will be a selective, not an exhaustive, round-up, which we hope will be helpful for your prayers. Click here to browse our News archive.

We also recommend the following news services for regular updates from a Christian perspective:

• Christian Concern (UK)
  
• Christian Institute (UK)
  
• JNN News (Barry and Batya Segal, Israel)
• Family Watch International
• Barnabas Fund
  
• Kehila News (Israel)

British politicians seek ‘way of peace’, but are back in appeasing mode.

British politicians are once again demonstrating the moral confusion that has seen them pass so many laws contradicting the biblical precepts upon which our civilisation was based. The latest example is the suggestion from an influential House of Lords committee that the UK Government recognise a new state of Palestine.

In a report titled The Middle East: Time for New Realism, published on Israel’s Independence Day,¹ the upper house’s International Relations Committee (chaired by former Conservative cabinet minister David Howell) called for the government to “give serious consideration to now recognising Palestine as a state, as the best way to show its determined attachment to the two-state solution”.

And the relevant paragraph was prefixed by the extraordinary statement that “the balance of power in the delivery of peace lies with Israel”.²

Yet the Palestinians have repeatedly made clear their commitment – not to the two-state solution so precious to Western leaders, but to a single-state solution with Israel driven out of the region altogether. PA president Mahmoud Abbas and his rivals in Gaza, Hamas, want all of it; that is why they refuse to recognise the Jewish state!³

The Palestinians have repeatedly made clear their commitment – not to the two-state solution, but to a single-state solution with Israel driven out of the region.

Surely – judging from their oft-repeated comments over the years – it is obvious to anyone with a semblance of elementary education (Lord Howell went to Eton) that these men do not want peace, but rather a jihad (holy war) against the ‘infidel’ seed of Abraham!

The ancient ruins of a synagogue at Capernaum undermine the Palestinian narrative about land.Promises of Peace

The report does not specify where the borders of this new state should be drawn, or even who should run it – Fatah, in charge of the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) in the guise of the Palestinian Authority, or Hamas, who run a chaotic Gaza; factions which are constantly at loggerheads with each other. What kind of stable society will that produce?

The report also suggests that Britain work with Iran, despite current US policy, “to ensure the stability of the Iran nuclear deal”, adding: “That would be a way of peace in a region needing stability.”

Oh really! Such potential treachery has echoes of 1938, when Neville Chamberlain returned from Germany promising “peace in our time”. Have we learnt nothing in the past 80 years; that appeasement with dictators doesn’t work, for instance? In the case of the Munich meeting, it only further encouraged Hitler in his madness and hastened the death of some 50 million people!

Palestinian Pressure

Meanwhile the British Government has rightly refused persistent requests by the Palestinians to apologise for the Balfour Declaration which, 100 years ago this November, promised to do all in its power to enable Jews to re-settle their ancient homeland.

Such requests suggest that the Jews should never have been allowed to return to the region, which is in fact exactly what the Palestinians think. But instead of giving the Palestinians short shrift while fully backing Jewish aspirations, we keep kowtowing to international demands for endless peace talks which only ever seem to produce more conflict.

The British Government has rightly refused persistent requests by the Palestinians to apologise for the Balfour Declaration.

Israel withdrew from Gaza under international pressure, for example, in one of these so-called ‘land for peace’ deals. And what was the result? A continuous volley of rocket fire into Israeli territory.

Britain’s Historic Failures

We certainly have no need to apologise for the Balfour Declaration. But we do need to apologise for repeatedly going back on our word in subsequent years, as we betrayed the Jews again and again – firstly, by giving the bulk of the land we originally promised them to the Arabs (now Jordan) and then by persecuting them in various ways during Britain’s Mandate of the territory then known as Palestine, particularly by restricting Jewish immigration (to appease the Arabs) at a time when they could have done with a bolthole from Nazi threats.

Then, shamefully, we abstained in the 1947 UN vote to recognise the new state. And it was around this time (70 years ago this summer) that, quite disgracefully, we turned away Holocaust survivors from the port of Haifa, sending some of them back to Displaced Persons’ Camps in Germany, of all places.

For such treatment we should hang our heads in sorrow and shame. Among the dozens of refugee ships turned back in this way by the Royal Navy was the Exodus, with over 4,500 on board, mostly Holocaust survivors. Boarding the ship in international waters, the British killed three and wounded many more.

We have no need to apologise for the Balfour Declaration - but we do need to apologise for repeatedly going back on our word in subsequent years.

Leading the Way of Repentance

I’m glad to report that, two years ago, such sorrow and shame was expressed on our behalf by a group of some 100 British people, including Col Richard Kemp and Rev Alex Jacob.⁴ They travelled out to Israel for an event at Haifa and Atlit (location of one of the camps) where they asked forgiveness for our action from a similar sized group of Israelis, many of whom had suffered under the Mandate.

We do need to apologise – but not for the Balfour Declaration which, to quote journalist Melanie Phillips, was “the high-water mark of British decency towards the Jewish people. But it’s been downhill all the way…ever since”.⁵

Notes

1 Also on Independence Day, UNESCO (the UN’s Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) voted – by 23 votes to 22 – to adopt a resolution denying Israeli claims to Jerusalem. Britain voted against it.

2 Recognise Palestine State says Lords. Christian Voice, 2 May 2017.

3 Hamas has unambiguously stated that “there is no solution for the Palestinian question except through jihad”. And senior PA official Jibril Rajoub has emphasised that “all of Palestine, from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean), it’s all occupied,” clearly implying that he does not accept Israel’s right to exist under any borders. Taken from Peace in Jerusalem by Charles Gardner, olivepresspublisher.com, pp143-149.

Reports that Hamas intends to remove the call for Israel’s destruction from a new policy document have sceptics suggesting it is merely a ploy to improve relations with Egypt and the Gulf states.

4 Richard Kemp is a retired British Army officer, best-selling author and fervent supporter of Israel. Alex Jacob is CEO of the Church’s Ministry among the Jewish people (CMJ).

5 Phillips, M. As I see it: The British Foreign Office remains true to type. Jerusalem Post, 27 April 2017.

Monica Hill looks at the spiritual gift of showing mercy.

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

We come to the last of those spiritual gifts which are listed in Romans 12. At first glance the phrase ‘showing mercy’ can give the impression that this gift is about ‘good works’, but it is much more than that. Performing acts of mercy means being prepared to help those who are undeserving. In many cases, sentence has already been passed on the recipient - they have been pronounced ‘guilty’ and should, by human judgment, serve out that sentence.

There are over 150 mentions of asking for mercy in the Bible, well over half of them in the Old Testament where the Israelites called upon the Lord for his help - for his mercy when they had gone astray.

Asking for Mercy

When we ask someone for mercy there is usually already an acceptance that we are not living up to their expectations, whether we understand or agree with these or not. In most cases, for mercy to be effective some acknowledgement is required by the recipient of their need for it - a contrite heart is required.

When we come to being judged by the Lord, Christians and Jews have assurance that he will hear us when we ask him to remember mercy (“Remember, Lord, your great mercy and love” (Ps 25:6)). This also gives fresh understanding to Habakkuk’s prayer “in wrath remember mercy” (Hab 3:2).

When we ask someone for mercy there is usually already an acceptance that we are not living up to their expectations.

We often say or sing the lovely prayer Kyrié Eléison – “Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy” and in the General Confession we say “And grant us thy salvation” in response to the minister’s call “O Lord, show thy mercy upon us”. When we plead “Lord have mercy” we are already aware that we have fallen short of our Father’s expectations: we recognise our own failings and resolve to do better next time, if we are given another chance. We know that the Lord is eager to forgive us when we say we are sorry and we believe that he will grant us mercy in the next life if not in this.

Note the significance of Jesus’ response on the cross to the criminal who repented: “today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:40-43). It is also noteworthy that this was only reported by Luke, who had the doctor’s gift of compassion. We value this example of the care and compassion set by our Father; and those with this gift have an eagerness to follow his example.

How Does Someone with This Gift Behave?

In the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy” (Matt 5:7) is one of the Beatitudes. It is granted following a close walk with the Lord as the spiritual gifts he has given us come into fulfilment. It is one of the characteristics that mature believers are encouraged to embrace.

This, though, needs a very special approach by someone with this gift – so that the actions are not seen as condemnatory, but as gracious and supportive of those who may often seem to deserve what is happening to them. A strong degree of godliness is needed to be able to exercise this gift, as there should be no vestige of judgment. Neither are there any conditions that the recipient needs to fulfil – the giver gives freely and performs acts of mercy willingly and lovingly. They are aware of the problems but see and accept that there is a need for care and support.

The Lord is eager to forgive us when we say we are sorry and we believe that he will grant us mercy in the next life if not in this.

Some people have a natural gift for being open and forgiving of others and are able to use this gift effectively. Acts of mercy need to have a genuine cheerfulness or joyful eagerness – they should not just be performed as a duty. Those with this gift will also show a real love for and empathy with others. They will not perform acts of mercy just as good acts for the wrong reason.

Transformation of the Natural Gift

It is very appropriate that mercy is the final gift to be listed in Romans, as it can be all-embracing. It is noted that all the gifts in Romans can be seen as starting as a natural attribute which God can make into a more beautiful spiritual gift. All natural gifts can be strengthened by allowing the Holy Spirit to take control.

Some people are born with a natural caring ability for others in whatever situation or condition they are in – whether it is their own fault or the source is unknown. But with the addition of the power and strength of the Holy Spirit, they can become even more effective.

What are Acts of Mercy?

The dictionary defines acts of mercy as “compassionate treatment, especially of those under one's power; clemency; a disposition to be kind and forgiving: a heart full of mercy; alleviation of distress; relief”.

In the Catholic catechism the works of mercy are “charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbour in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead”.

What do you see as acts of mercy? How will you exercise this gift with or without the aid of the Holy Spirit?

If you have any other comments on ‘acts of mercy’ as a spiritual gift, please do add them.

Ian Farley reviews ‘Leaven: The Hidden Power of Culture in the Church’ by David Brown (2016, RoperPenberthy).

Retired naval captain David Brown has written an alternative book to the many in the market which tell the Church, both members and ministers, what new things they ought to be doing to see their congregations grow. Of these kinds of books there is no end.

This book, however, approaches affairs from the other direction, taking the New Testament injunction to ‘throw out the old leaven’ seriously. Indeed, not to do so will leave whatever else you might do subject to corruption from the bad stuff still within.

Church in Distress

This is not a book which goes on to talk about our individual failings, as might be expected: ‘If only I were a better Christian then the Church would be a better Church’. Brown moves in bigger (and one might say, murkier) waters, outlining what he calls the “institutional distress” of the Church. He argues that the Church has allowed the culture of the world to infiltrate herself.

Particularly, he identifies four major cultural intruders: controlling power, the enchantment of historic custom, individualism and dogmatism. He outlines these in some detail in the first part of the book and argues that they all destroy relationships and are all variants of lovelessness.

The Church has allowed the culture of the world to infiltrate herself.

By contrast, of course, Jesus built the Kingdom with a focus on relationships and was personally sustained by his close intimacy with his Father, which led in his own life to an attentive, habitual discipleship.

Anglican Perspective

Brown then goes on to suggest what should be thrown out. Here readers need to be aware that, although in the advertising blurb it says this book is for all churches, Brown is an Anglican (and 12 years a lay assistant to a Bishop) and this immediately flavours his response.

Reader responses to this part of the book will, likewise, be shaped by their own denominational preference (for example, some nonconformists will no doubt rejoice over his castigation of the current role of bishops).

Most of Brown’s suggestions, however, are rightly transferable across denominations and, if heeded, would revolutionise the Church. In the example above, for instance, even churches which don't have bishops should pay careful attention to what Brown argues as he identifies what proper, biblical ministry roles and pastoral care should look like, regardless of church structure.

Most of Brown’s suggestions are transferable across denominations and, if heeded, would revolutionise the Church.

Removing the Vestiges of Pomp

The author makes deft judgments which should cause the reader to shout "hurrah, hurrah", especially in his analysis that old temple symbolism must be replaced by the teaching of the New Testament. This would necessitate the removal of all vestiges of pomp in any church and the notion of clerical Eucharistic presidency.

There are endless other suggestions that make this book a fascinating read for any Christian concerned about the cultural health of the Church. The depressing thing is that those who are in power will probably not be readers. This is depressing because, as Brown himself argues, "there is little point in adjusting my car's clutch whilst ignoring its corroded chassis. The time for ecclesiastical spanner work has passed." (p27).

Leaven (254pp) is available from the publisher for £12.99.

When I was young, I remember when our family went to the coast for the day in April, and lunch was a picnic sitting against a little wall for shelter at the top of the beach. After a while an elderly couple came along and sat down near us. I watched them as they took out a sandwich, held the bread in their hands and said a prayer of thanks. In conversation later, they said that they were Polish and had strong memories of the war when food was very scarce, and they learned to survive by finding occasional small pieces of bread. But now when food is plentiful, they still acknowledged God's daily provision for them, and gave thanks. The Greek of the New Testament record of this first request in the Lord's Prayer for ourselves is instructive, because it emphasises our dependence upon God the giver of life. Literally, it says: The bread that is our needful sustenance for each day give to us on this day (Matthew 5:11) and the bread that is needful for us give us day by day (Luke 11:2). It is asking God just for what we need for each day.

We should recognise our dependence on God's provision

God knows that we need physical food to live, and He has provided seed and soil to grow it. Thanksgiving for this provision is echoed in the Jewish Shabbat blessing for bread – Baruch ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz (Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, who brings forth bread from the earth) and this underlines our dependence upon His provision. Our independence from God results in reliance on our own resources which so often fail. It's when we have no resources that He can, and does, provide our daily bread, as he did for the ancient Israelites in the desert with daily bread-like manna. We recall that Jesus was born among fields of wheat in Beit-lechem (the House of bread), and He said, I am the bread of life (John 6:35). The word lechem can also mean 'food' or 'provisions' in general, so our prayer would be that God would give us everything we need to sustain us each day. In the 1984 famine in Ethiopia, the Times newspaper reported that the earth had produced in the past year 10% more food than the current world population needed. Yet today one-third of all food produced worldwide, worth $1Tn, is wasted in food production and consumption every year (in the USA)¹. In a world full of hunger, that is morally outrageous, and constrains us to be more conscious of what we buy, eat, or throw away, and to acknowledge our apathy and ingratitude for God's daily provision for us. Maybe then we would be more grateful to Him, and share what we don't need with those who have little or nothing. Jesus tells us too: Let nothing be wasted (John 6:12).

Fellowship and reconciliation

Bread as part of a meal is synonymous with fellowship. In the Tabernacle, God instructed Moses to place a golden Table of Shewbread² (lechem panim, literally the bread of the Face, or Presence) having two rows or piles of six loaves 'before the Lord continually', representing the 12 tribes of Israel. This was to present all the people before the Lord in close fellowship (face-to-face), as in a meal with God, like the elders did to celebrate their covenant together (Exod. 24:9-11) – amazing thought! God relates to His people at all levels, but especially through the breaking of bread in a fellowship meal, as with Jesus' disciples in the Jerusalem or in Emmaus after His resurrection (Luke 22:11; 24:30). He longs to do this with us today if we will but open the door to Him (Rev. 3:20). It is a tragedy that so many families today do not spend time eating together (face-to-face). In the ancient Middle East, hospitality for strangers or relatives was a welcome expressed in a fellowship meal, like Abraham or Jacob did (Gen. 18:6-8; 31:54). Today, this meal, even between Jew and Arab in tragic loss, can still be a place of peace and reconciliation (a sulha), because Jesus created in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace (Eph. 2:14-16). This table may be considered as an altar where we can lay down our sin and hostility, and this too is part of the sustaining power of our daily bread in Jesus, as we take Him into our heart, and welcome 'enemies'.

Jesus is the Living Bread from heaven

God's desire to dwell with His people brings an invitation to all who believe in Him to meet together panim-el-panim, face to face, to 'eat' this Living Bread who came down to bring us fellowship through eternal life (John 6:50-51). For Jesus is the full sustenance that we need, daily. Bread sustains those who eat it, but Jesus sustains all who take in this Bread of life, and we are complete (with everything we need) only in Him (Col. 2:10). He tells us that those who eat this Bread will live for ever (John 6:58). That is His answer to our prayer: Give us this day our daily Bread. Amen.

Author : Greg Stevenson

References

^1. A report by UN Environment Programme and the World Resources Institute (WRI) on the World Food Day, October 2015
^2. The word 'Shewbread' comes from the German word Schaubrot – bread required to be shown, or on display, evidence of the fellowship meal of God dwelling with His people.

In The Complete Jewish Bible, this line is written as “Give us the food we need today”.

When the Jews listening to Jesus heard this part of the Lord’s Prayer, what might their thoughts have been, knowing the Old Testament scriptures?

They may have remembered their ancestor Joseph, who was the provider of food for all of the known world around Egypt for seven years of famine. The people came to him saying “Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be enslaved to Pharaoh” (Gen 47:19).

They might have thought of Exodus 16, which gives the account of God feeding the people of Israel with manna for 40 years until they crossed the Jordan into the Promised Land.

The disciples might have recalled a prayer in Proverbs 30:7-9, similar to this part of the Lord’s Prayer: “God…provide just the food I need today”, or Isaiah’s words: “Though Adonai may give you but bread and water, and not very much at that; your teacher will no longer hide himself, but with your own eyes you will see your teacher…” (Isa 30:20).

These passages may have led the disciples to think that there was something more involved in Jesus’s words than simply provision of food for the body. This man Jesus was requesting what the Israelites would have requested in the wilderness, but with the wisdom of Solomon from his proverbs; and maybe…just maybe, Jesus was the teacher Isaiah prophesied.

What else did Jesus teach concerning the daily need of food?

Jesus provided the day’s main meal for 5,000 men, plus women and children (Matt 14:15-21) and for 4,000 men, plus women and children (Matt 15:32-38). Later, in Matthew 16:5-11, when His disciples were still thinking about bread to fill their stomachs, Jesus explained that His point was not actually about baked bread.

In telling them to guard themselves from the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees, he was not talking about a method of baking, but the wrong teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Each of the two times Jesus provided such food, it was a culmination of His teaching a right understanding of the scriptures, accompanied by signs and wonders. Then, to make the point a memorable one, He gave them something for their stomachs as well. Each person’s whole body had been satisfied.

So, back to “Give us the food we need today”.

For many years, just like the disciples, I have thought that this line referred to the food for our bodies and the means of getting it, albeit trusting God so as not to worry about the future.

I am now, however, seeing that Jesus’s prayer is teaching me to include prayer for daily spiritual sustenance and the obtaining of right teaching, as true and accurate as possible - not watered down or poisoned by man’s interpretation to suit his own agenda.

Later, in Matthew 6:31-33, Jesus makes matters clearer by saying not to be anxious about any of our worldly needs “but seek first his (heavenly Father’s) Kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Author: John Quinlan

Charles Gardner makes a passionate plea for Christians to be more active in their faith.

It’s time British Christians rose up to say, ‘enough is enough’.

As we stand at the crossroads with multiple challenges before us as a nation – politically, economically and spiritually – our greatest need is prayer. But in order to be aroused to the urgency of the times, we need leaders called “for such as time as this” – men and women who refuse to be intimidated by political correctness – conforming to the current worldview.

The Bible says: “…If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chron 7:14). This promise was given to Israel, a nation in a covenant relationship with God. But Britain has voluntarily affirmed its biblical heritage through the Coronation Oath and may expect to see God’s blessings if we are faithful to honour his word.

But where is the Church, and where are our leaders calling us to pray? By contrast, South African Christians responded to such a call by travelling hundreds of miles across the country to join an estimated 1.7 million people petitioning the God of Israel to intervene in their nation’s desperate problems with corruption at Government level spiraling out of control.¹

Where is the Church, and where are our leaders calling us to pray?

The immediate euphoria of the early post-apartheid days, when a rainbow nation swept clean of injustice basked in the new sunshine, are long gone. Instead of godliness taking root for the long-term, a spiritual vacuum was left in the corridors of power, and it is as if the demons of the past have returned with fellow spirits making the last state of the nation worse than the first, as in the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 12:43-45 where he explained that some cases could only be dealt with by prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29).

Men of Courage

In a book written in the wake of the 7/7 bombings in London, Oxford vicar, Charlie Cleverly, likened the church to the position of Queen Esther when called to rescue the Jewish people from destruction in ancient Persia. The author calls for men of courage to rise up and lead us to the foot of the cross, to be prepared to suffer for our Lord as our forbears did when burnt at the stake for bringing us the Gospel in our own language.

A mini-version of Foxes Book of Martyrs, The Passion that Shapes Nations² also compares England to the spiritual dilemma described above by Matthew. We were swept clean by martyrs and others who lit a flame for the Gospel to be spread throughout the world, but we have since disowned our Godly heritage and are now seven times worse off than under the likes of Henry VIII.

Where is the courage that took Paul Hannington to Uganda where he died preaching the gospel; that took Hudson Taylor to China at great personal cost? Where are those who will stand up to godlessness and compromise in both church and state? We are approaching a crucial election, but God is apparently not on the agenda – politicians are afraid to mention God – a shameful situation for a nation granted the inestimable privilege of spreading the Gospel across the globe.

Preachers are being hounded and arrested for quoting the Bible.

Lib Dem leader Tim Farron, a declared Christian, has long refused to be drawn on his view of gay sex, but has now finally succumbed to press intimidation by stating that it is not sinful. As Cleverly states in his book,

…the Church today, when faced with homosexuality, hardly dares to mention sin in this context. She is intimidated like Esther into silence.

The alarm bells are sounding. Preachers are being hounded and arrested for quoting the Bible: a student has been expelled from Sheffield University for his biblical views on sexuality.

It's Time

Appropriately, the South African prayer gathering was called It’s Time. Surely, it’s time to say, as the irrepressible farmer/evangelist Angus Buchan has said, ‘enough is enough’. As he addressed the teeming masses gathered on a former Springbok rugby player’s farm, he thundered to the young men present: “You will not sleep with anyone until your wedding night!” Cries of ‘Amen’ echoed across the veldt (I have watched videos sent by friends on the ground).

Need I say more? The great need of the hour is not political correctness or even political debate, but urgent, passionate prayer. God’s people, and especially church leaders, need to humble themselves and pray and seek the face of the Lord for the healing of our nation.

The destiny of nations is not in the hands of politicians but in the hands of the people of God who pray.

The Old Testament refers to the “men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what Israel should do” (1 Chron 12:32) and the prophet Hosea calls us to break up our unploughed ground – “for it is time to seek the Lord” (Hos 10:12).

As Charlie Cleverly puts it, Esther understood “that the destiny of nations is not in the hands of politicians but in the hands of the people of God who pray”. He adds: “I believe the Church is under threat as in the days of Esther and she needs to awaken to a coherent strategy.”

As John Knox called out, “Give me Scotland or I die”, where are those crying out in the wilderness: “Give me England or I die”?

References

¹ 'It's Time': South Africans hold largest prayer meeting in nation's history. Gotera, J, The Christian Post, 30 April 2017.

² Victor, an imprint of Kingsway.

Clifford Hill looks at the spiritual significance of the French Presidential election.

The people of France are between a rock and a hard place. Who should they vote for to be the President of their country?

Many have said that they will spoil their ballot papers in protest against the impossible choice they are being offered. Do they vote for a "reckless rebel" or a "bigoted racist" - as they are described in the French press? But what has happened to create this incredible situation?

The mainline parties of both the left and the right (the Socialists and the Republicans) that have governed France for decades have been firmly rejected by the people. Their candidates for the President of France were decisively defeated last week in the First-Round contest. So two outsiders, Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen, have won through to the final round of voting that takes place next week.

One of them will become the President of France. Macron only formed his political party last year and he has no MPs. Le Pen leads a right-wing party and has only a handful of MPs. Neither could lead an effective Government without negotiating complex political coalitions.

What has caused this political earthquake that is in the process of triggering a social tsunami in Europe?

What is happening in France is of great significance. It is part of the same movement that triggered Brexit in Britain and brought Donald Trump to the White House in the USA – it is a movement that is rising among ordinary people in all the Western nations. It is a grassroots ground swell that is rippling through rural communities and urban populations and is slowly gaining in momentum.

What is happening in France and Britain and the USA has enormous significance for Christians because unless we understand what is happening in our lifetime we cannot be effective in bringing the gospel to an increasingly secular population, or even praying effectively.

Many Christians do not realise that God is still active in his Creation.

We have to understand, not only what is happening among people at a human level, but also what God is doing to work out his purposes in our generation. Many Christians do not realise that God is still active in his Creation and if we do not understand what is happening we could be a hindrance to the Kingdom, or actually find ourselves praying against God’s purposes rather than in line with his will. It is essential to remember that God is shaking the nations in order to expose the work of Satan and prepare the way of the Kingdom (Heb 12:26- 29).

Just take a brief look at what is happening in France.

Emmanuel Macron was the Minister for the Economy in the Socialist Party. At 39 he was the prodigy of President Hollande. Just two days before he formed his new political party he casually informed François Hollande that he was going to Amiens to start a youth movement on 6 April 2016. This was seen by political observers in France as part of Macron’s duplicity, that he deserted his Socialist mentors to pursue his personal ambition for power. He is strongly in favour of the European Union and as an ex-banker it is reported that his social and economic policies favour globalisation and big business corporations which makes him unpopular with ordinary working people.

Marine Le Pen is the leader of the National Front anti-immigration party in France. She has vowed that if she becomes President she will close France’s borders and expel migrants with criminal records and those who are a threat to the national security of France. This, of course, has wide appeal in France due to the number of violent terrorist atrocities that have occurred in recent years. None of the mainline parties have tackled immigration in their policies and neither has Macron. Le Pen says that she will take France out of the Eurozone and will also consider offering a Referendum to the French people on membership of the European Union.

The fact that one of these two rank political outsiders will become President of France is a landmark in European history. It results from the grassroots rejection of the ruling elite who are widely thought to care only for their own interests and ignore the interests and the wishes of the ordinary people. It is a kind of peasant’s revolt, similar to Brexit in Britain and the election of Donald Trump in the USA.

The fact that one of these two rank political outsiders will become President of France is a landmark in European history.

The reason for this revolutionary grassroots movement is not hard to see. The gap between the rich and the poor in the Western industrialised nations has been steadily growing in the last two or three decades through the process of ‘globalisation’ and the immense growth of powerful corporations that have no loyalty to their workers in the Western nations. They care only for making greater profits which they can do through employing cheap labour in developing nations and abandoning their Western roots.

Ordinary working people struggling to make ends meet have noticed the vast salaries paid to company bosses who count their pocket money in millions. The people are seeing what they believe is injustice and corruption in the world economic system and they are saying 'enough is enough' – we will not have these people rule over us any longer!

There is something in our human nature that recognises truth and righteousness as good, and injustice, greed and corruption as being wicked.

French voters demonstrate their patriotism. See Photo Credits.This is something that has happened throughout history – there comes a point where people rise up against what they perceive to be evil; because there is something in our human nature that recognises truth and righteousness as good, and injustice, greed and corruption as being wicked.

What most people do not understand is that this recognition of truth and righteousness is part of the activity of God in human history. We can learn this from the history of Israel. There came a point, in the sixth century BC, when the people were suffering under slavery in Babylon where they recognised the reason why God had removed his cover of protection over Jerusalem and let it be conquered by the Babylonians.

There was a spiritual awakening among the ordinary people that it was their own rejection of God and turning their backs upon his teaching that had resulted in national disaster. The Prophet Isaiah recorded this in the form of a prayer:

For our offences are many in your sight, and our sins testify against us. Our offences are ever with us and we acknowledge our iniquities: rebellion and treachery against the Lord, turning our backs on our God, fomenting oppression and revolt, uttering lies our hearts have conceived. So justice is driven back, and righteousness stands at a distance; truth has stumbled in the streets, honesty cannot enter. Truth is nowhere to be found, and whoever shuns evil becomes a prey. (Isa 59:12-15)

The only hope of true reform for the people of France is the recognition of how far they have turned away from the Godly heritage of the Christian gospel.

The only hope of true reform for the people of France is the recognition of how far they have turned away from the Godly heritage of the Christian gospel that has been available to them for centuries. Electing a new President, who does not know God and Jesus as Lord and Saviour, will only compound the problems facing the nation. Further embracing the ungodly values of the EU or raising a fence of ‘protectionism’ around the borders of France will not protect them from national disaster. Only ‘repentance and turning’ can do that.

We, the people of Britain facing a general election, and the people of America facing the possibilities of war in the Far East, should take especial note of the warning signs presently hanging over the people of France. We will not escape the shaking of the nations if we fail to take the opportunity of Brexit and the Parliamentary election to return wholeheartedly to God in prayer and repentance.