Dear Friends,
Greetings in the name of Jesus. It is now several months since John Mackay’s last visit to the UK. This was a most encouraging time, not because he was continually being pursued by the media asking for interviews as in 2006, but because we heard several reports of people who had been converted after listening to John’s ministry. Standing against the godlessness of evolution is only a means to a much greater objective - that people will find release from sin through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not essential that we at Creation Research hear about all who benefit in this way from our ministry, but it is very encouraging when we do.
JP wrestled for the best part of a year with the implications of what he had realised. Then at Easter 2005 he heard something which unlocked the situation for him. A local pastor said, “faith... isn't a feeling, no-one else can tell you to believe, it's not a test you can take or a certificate you can earn. Faith is what you choose to place your trust in...” These words were music to his ears. JP says of that time, “I could choose. And if for a moment I could lay aside my doubts, my questions, my reservations, even for a moment only, and choose what I wanted, it was indeed to have the only Begotten Son of God, God manifest in the flesh - Jesus Christ - as my Lord and Saviour, to wash away all the sins that I would never be able to put right, and to rule over my life.”
Jesus told His disciples that “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” We invite you to join in the heavenly celebration over JP’s conversion and that of several others whose conversions we were told about. We also ask you to pray for them to go on in the faith and stand firm at all times. Another encouraging testimony from Dave and Gill Nuttall can be found on our main web site www.creationresearch.net On the front page click the link on the left below their picture. Pray for them, JP and for a young girl from a church youth group who was struck by John’s ‘direct presentation of the gospel’. She became a Christian shortly afterwards. We are grateful to The LORD for allowing us to hear of some of the fruit of our ministry.
According to John, Richard Dawkins majored on just a few points including: our charitable status; he asked if creation makes any testable predictions; he argued for billions of years for the age of the earth. He also argued that creationists are not relevant because they are not in agreement with evolutionists, and suggested that people like John can't actually believe what they are saying so it must be a well-paid act! During the interview John took the opportunity to challenge him (and the producers) to do a public debate in Darwin's birthplace, Shrewsbury, in 2009 to mark Darwin's 200th birthday. Dawkins declined and John’s feelings afterwards were that his reluctance to debate is because, “he seems to not be the world's best at thinking fast on his feet. He has a set line and if you depart from it he seems to get stuck” However, John was able to include the Gospel as well as talk about creation, so we ask you to pray for Dawkins and the recording team.
More information should appear on the UK web site over the next few weeks - click on the graphic to the right for a PDF version of the poster. Pray that I will have wisdom to know in what other ways to bring this invitation to the attention of those who often speak about evolution in the media, and also to know how to make the wider public aware that it is not the Christian creationists who are unwilling to debate this issue, but the secular evolutionists. Of course, as JP recognised, if evolution is flawed, then their ‘safety blanket of materialism’ is nothing more than a figment of their imagination.
Here in the West, the rejection of Christianity and the embracing of secularism by the various sectors of the establishment are the major reason why today's young people in our schools and universities have no knowledge of the God who created them. A central argument in the so-called “science” which has been “raised up against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:5) is the theory of evolution. To stand against such lofty speculations, Christians need to equip themselves with far more than human wisdom; our weapons need to be divinely powerful.
Hosea pointed out that there were various consequences arising from this lack of knowledge of God in Israel. The first was a breakdown in society, “There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.” (v2) There is no need for me to amplify how that description is also true of present day, post-Christian Western societies. But we need to ask why no-one is willing to admit the connection between institutional secularism and the social problems which are growing so rapidly. In at least two school/college shootings (Columbine USA Apr. 1999 & Jokela, Finland Jan. 2007), those who carried out these horrific acts made videos prior to the event in which they spoke about their planned actions with reference to evolution or natural selection.
However, it is the decision by the UK government to allow schools to install metal detectors in an attempt to cut back violence which really highlights the fruit of teaching young people to forget their Creator in the days of their youth. (Eccl. 12:1). Repentance is desperately needed in the West, not to the end that our nations should be nicer places to live, but that neither young nor old should stumble into an eternity cut off from their Creator. “And He said to His disciples, ‘It is inevitable that stumbling blocks should come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.’” (Luke 17:1-2). For the moment The LORD allows people to experience some of the consequences of their rejection of Him – whilst holding back the full force of them – because He wants them to see that through their unbelief they are both sowing and reaping death.
Hosea however warned that the consequences of forgetting God would reach much further than society. Turning our backs on our Creator also degrades the environment around us. “Therefore the land mourns, And everyone who lives in it languishes Along with the beasts of the field and the birds of the sky; And also the fish of the sea disappear.” (v3) Starting with The LORD’s words to Adam in Genesis 3, throughout the Bible there are repeated warnings that godlessness damages the earth. Hosea sees not only the land suffering as a consequence, but animals, birds and fish too – quite a comprehensive list. Today many are caught up with the need to protect the environment in which we live, so much so that the climate and the environment are now championed with religious fervour. However, as I pointed out in our last newsletter, Isaiah made clear that sin is the real polluter of the land (Is. 24:5) and Hosea concurs. The modern Western world bears all the wounds of forgetting Jesus Christ our Creator and Saviour. Yet, as predicted in Revelation (9:20-21 & 16:9-11), the majority are not willing to repent of their deeds and give Him the glory. Remember that through the book of Revelation, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit warn mankind that our arrogance against them will eventually bring global environmental disasters as well comprehensive social breakdown upon the whole earth. Whilst Christians are not able to prevent these things from coming about, we do have a pressing responsibility to warn those around us of their individual need to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15).
Returning to Hosea, we see that The LORD has one more warning about the consequences of a lack of knowledge in a society. Speaking to the priests of the day He said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4:6), adding that they had also “forgotten the law of your God”. These days there does indeed seem to be a growing shortage of solid Biblical exposition in the Western church. Last century liberal churches led the way, but now fellowships which say they are Bible-believing seem more and more to be adapting the teaching of Scripture to meet the demands of the world. Many Christian leaders no longer have confidence in the historical accuracy of the book of Genesis, yet so many major doctrines have their foundations in its early chapters. As we have pointed out previously, it was to these chapters that Jesus turned when he taught about marriage and divorce. Most Christians would be surprised to see how many references there are in the New Testament to these opening chapters of Genesis. The first promise of a Redeemer is given in Ch. 3, along with the first blood sacrifice to provide a covering for sin. Adam had forfeited his life, but found it redeemed by the death of a God-given sacrifice – the first type of Christ there is in the Bible. We at Creation Research, whilst being known for our stand on the reliability of Genesis in all matters, see that such confidence is only fully valid if it is matched by a similar commitment to the whole counsel of God. Just as the world around us is reaping the fruit of secularism, so we see in the Church an increasing lack of knowledge of God and His ways, leading to an undermining of people’s confidence in Him.
There is a desperate need for Christians to tell those around us why society is breaking down and why the environment is crumbling, but unless we are willing to go against the tide of popular opinion, we fail to tell them the truth. These things are falling apart because of human arrogance, as people forget their Creator and refuse to give Him the glory which is due to His name. Too much of the modern church has become as naturalistic as the secular humanists, who see no spiritual root to practical problems. On the other hand, Jesus reminded His disciples that His Father is the one who day by day sends His rain on the earth and causes His sun to shine. Please join us in telling those around us that they have forgotten their Creator and that they need to humble themselves before Him.
This DVD contains excellent Bible teaching on what sin is and its consequences, which is just as applicable to the thief and the liar as it is to the adulterer, homosexual or lesbian. John also reminds Christians that, like Ezekiel, we too have been appointed to be His watchmen in our society. The LORD has no pleasure in the death of the wicked and He will hold us responsible if we fail to pass on to sinners His command that they need to repent from their sins and put their faith in Him. The first step on every ladder of sin which a man or woman climbs is failing to love The LORD their Creator with all that they are. After that we each chose the type of sin we will distract ourselves with – no sin is worse than any other, but as sin visibly increases, so Christians bear greater responsibility to interpret the signs of the times for those who have forgotten their Creator. This DVD will be an encouragement to everyone whose desire is to be faithful to Jesus Christ in increasingly difficult times. (See our DVD and Audio CD pages for more information on this and other resources available from Creation Research.)
As ever, we do ask you to continue to pray for the ministry of John Mackay and the whole Creation Research team around the world. At the time of writing, John is in North America and he is there until early June. He returns to the UK in September and most of his meetings are already arranged. He will be back at least once in 2009, so if you would like him to speak in your area and I don’t have your details already, please return the enclosed form as soon as possible. Please remember also to pray that The LORD will open up an effective way for His name to be honoured next year when so many will be singing the praises of Charles Darwin. Pray that those of us involved in Creation Research will be able to declare even more loudly that “Jesus is Lord! Creation’s voice proclaims it!”
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