Are you or is someone near to you facing the imminent prospect of death and with it experiencing a sense of fear and uncertainty? www.stillwaters.infooffers some direction and guidance out of that fear and into a certainty. |
****************************************NOT BY MIGHT BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORDIn his work “Discourse to Magistrates and Men in authority” Bishop Berkeley wrote this- “Morality and religion have collapsed to a degree that has never been known in a Christian country. Our prospect is very terrible and the symptoms grow worse from day to day. The youth born and brought up in wicked times without any bias to good from early principle or instilled opinion when they grow ripe, must be monsters indeed. And it is so feared that the age of monsters is not far off.”That makes pretty devastating reading don’t you think. It was made by a man who surveyed the political situation very closely. Gordon Brown this week announced that he is going to come down very heavily upon young people carrying knives because of the concern over the number of young people being stabbed not only in society at large but in the expected safe environment of the school system.One man who has had first hand knowledge of both gun and knife crime culture when asked if he thought such a crackdown would be effective replied- “The problem is that what we have today is the product of the celebrity, must have, must get now environment we have created”. The inference here was that the guns and the knives used by youths today…and lately fighting dogs where guns and knives are hard to come by….are merely instrument to promote recognition and obtain what they want instantly. Where have the youth of today acquired this mentality?Doesn’t it resemble, to some considerable degree, the massive debt problem the nation is experiencing with adults, many living beyond their means, afraid to be left behind in the accumulation of material assets and desperate to be noticed ? A look at the levels of credit card debts and the conglomeration of ‘talent’ shows on television begins to suggest the same thing.So is Gordon brown about to waste his time and tax payer’s money on a mission that will provide no real solutions but keep many civil servants occupied?Bishop Berkeley’s work was produced and published way back in 1738. So what happened? Why is it, one wonders, that his prediction of rampant youth monsters swarming over society didn’t actually happen? We believe there was a very particular and special reason society didn’t go the way Bishop Berkeley predicted- at least on a continual basis?Well, Bishop Berkeley’s work was produced in the same year that John Wesley records his conversion to Christianity and as Wesley grew in his faith and fervour for the things of God he became instrumental in the Spiritual Revival that took place in this land.The death of ‘Christian religion’ that Berkeley had mourned had an incredible ‘injection’ of new, Holy Spirit life and, as a result, the death of morality that Berkeley had also mourned also experienced a resurrected life. The terrible society problems came under the influence of God and the disaster Berkeley had foretold never transpired. Similar things happened in the Welsh Revival in 1904- society experienced an incredible ‘clean up’. Police used to patrol crowds at football matches found themselves redundant to a degree as crowds transferred their allegiance from football clubs to God and church. Public house population also dwindled as drinkers forsook alcohol for worshipping God. ..and even pit ponies had to learn the new cleaned up language of the miners whose foul mouths underwent a transformation.Gordon Brown’s problem is that he thinks he has the answer and will not turn to the God who has.We believe that what this nation needs is not more legislation to lock more youths up…it is a new society with a much better influence on growing youth…a society whose template was forged in the times of the revival under Wesley and the Welsh Revival.We believe that what this nation really needs is a church that truly believes God can and will do it again.We believe that what this nation needs is wholehearted prayer and faith…and not woolly minded church leaders who don’t know what they believe from one day to the next and at very best are consumed with doing 'church' things rather than seeking the heart and mind of God.In a nation obsessed with punitive legislation to solve most of its problems what is needed is a strong church, under strong leadership preaching God’s strong truth about salvation and judgement...and trusting Him.Look around the prospective Prime Ministers of this land – is there one who has the answer?Quoted elsewhere on this site are the verses from Psalm 118 v8 and 9 – “It is better to take refuge in the Lord that to trust in man, it is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.”We endorse that statement unquestioningly and completely------------------------------------------------------------Are you or is someone near to you facing the imminent prospect of death and with it experiencing a sense of fear and uncertainty? www.stillwaters.infooffers some direction and guidance out of that fear and into a certainty. |
