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CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE TO US OUR RESPONSE TO JESUS John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me”. Booklet 37
CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE TO US
OUR RESPONSE TO JESUS
John 14:6 – Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.
No one comes to the Father except through me”.
Booklet 37
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INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES
This series of booklets on Celebrating God’s Love to Us began several years
ago with a collection of Prayers, Psalms and Hymns to help us all with our
devotions. Since then other resources have been produced to help us grow
in our discipleship (please see back pages of this booklet).
All of this is offered in the hope that the resources are helpful to you and
others.
I am extremely grateful for all the assistance given by Mr Robbie Lumb in
helping to prepare this booklet.
My prayer is that these booklets will also help us Celebrate God’s Love to
Us and keep us focused in our mission to tell through words and actions
that God wants the world to know and respond to Jesus.
Please visit the website: http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com
Father Richard Lindsay
INTRODUCTION TO THIS BOOKLET
Jesus is the greatest treasure we can ever have. He is God’s amazing
wonderful gift, the Saviour of the World and the Way the Truth and the Life.
Further, and incredibly Jesus invites us all to follow Him, to trust in Him, to
be our Saviour, to be our Friend. This invitation needs a response from each
of us, the response of trust and repentance of our sins.
This booklet is a collection of articles that illustrate to God’s love in Jesus. It
is the author’s hope that it will help the reader to rejoice in God’s love in
Jesus and respond to this love in faith and repentance: that they may share
in eternal life now and after death.
Please download the free booklets and leaflets (a list is found at the back of
this booklet), particularly leaflets 197, 198 and 199.
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A VERY IMPORTANT STATEMENT
3REASONS WHY WE NEED JESUS
Jesus loves us! He desires to have a relationship with us, and to give us a life
full of joy and purpose. Why do we need Him in our lives?
1. Because we have a past.
We can’t go back, but He can. The Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same
yesterday, and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
He can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe the slate clean and
give you us a new beginning.
2. Because we need a friend.
Jesus knows the worst about us, yet He believes the best. Why? Because He
sees us not as we are, but as we will be when He gets through with us. What
a friend!
3. Because He holds the future.
Who else are we going to trust? In His hands we are safe and secure —
today, tomorrow, and for eternity. His Word says, "For I know the plans I
have for you... plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope.
In those days when you pray I will listen" (Jeremiah 29:11—13).
If we would like to begin a personal relationship with Jesus today, please
pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus Christ, I am sorry for the things I have done wrong in my life. |
ask your forgiveness and now turn from everything which I know is wrong.
Thank you for dying on the cross for me to set me free from my sins. Please
come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit and be with me forever.
Thank you Lord Jesus, Amen.
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WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
He was born in an obscure village the child of a peasant woman. He grew
up in still another village, where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he
was thirty.
Then, for three years he was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He never travelled 200 miles from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and went through mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only
property he had on earth.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a
friend.
Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is a central figure of
the human race, the leader of humankind’s progress.
All the armies that ever marched,
all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat.
all the kings that ever reigned,
put together,
have not affected the lives of men and women on earth as much as that
One Solitary Life.
Jesus asked his disciples, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Peter answered him, 'You are the Messiah.’
May our answer be the same.
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JESUS SAID – ‘I AM’
Jesus Said I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)
The Light of the World (John 8:12)
The Door (or the Gate) (John 10:9)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:11)
The Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)
The Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)
The True Vine (John 15:1)
You may well find it helpful if you read the
Gospel of John Chapter 6: 1 – end of Chapter 15. Where these seven true
statements are then seen in their appropriate context.
___________________________________________________________________
JESUS IS THE REAL REASON FOR CHRISTMAS
JESUS IS THE REAL REASON
FOR EASTER
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CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN..... JESUS
Jesus's Birth
The stories of Jesus's birth (Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2) are written to show:
(a) that God made a fresh start with Jesus.
(b) that Jesus fulfilled Jewish hopes.
(c) that Jesus was not only fully human, but also Son of
God. (Jesus claimed this Sonship for himself, but he
did not appeal to his birth to prove it.)
Jesus's Mother
Mary consented to be the mother of our Saviour (Luke 1:38). Without that
consent, the incarnation could not have happened as it did. Mary was
responsible for Jesus's upbringing as a child, so that his human nature must
have been influenced by her. She is to be honoured because of her Son
(Luke 1:42), but Jesus gave higher honour to doing the will of God. (Luke
11:28)
The Hidden Years
For most of his life (until he was about 30) Jesus lived an ordinary obscure
life, following the family trade at Nazareth. These 'hidden years' show:
(a) the great humility of God.
(b) that ordinary quiet lives can be pleasing to God.
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The Ministry
This lasted probably about three years.
Baptism. Jesus was baptised. For him baptism was tremendous spiritual
experience. It meant conscience of the Power of the Spirit in his life (Mark
1:10). It began a new life. He became conscious that he was the Son of God,
that he had a special calling as the humble Servant of God (Mark 1:11)
The Twelve. Jesus called his friends to be with him and to spread his Good
News about himself and the coming Kingdom he would bring (Mark 3:14).
Since his message concerned people, he chose people to spread it. Hence
the appointment of the 12 apostles.
Teaching. Jesus taught in synagogues (Mark 1:21) and later in the open air
(Mark 4:1) about God's love and care and his requirements for people's
behaviour towards God and each other. He spoke mostly about the
Kingdom of God which he was inaugurating when men and women fully
accept God as King of their lives.
Healing. Jesus healed people partly because he was sorry for them
(Matthew 9:36) because there was a little medical knowledge in those days,
but also because his healings were acts of power showing that the Kingdom
was at hand (Luke 11:20)
Misunderstood Messiah. Jesus was popular with the crowds so long as they
thought of him as the leader who would restore sovereignty to the Jews by
miracle or by force (John 6:14-15). The Twelve hardly understood him any
better (Mark 8:32-33). Jesus himself came to realise that, if he were to
remain faithful to his Father and his message, his mission would end in
death (Mark 10:33-34)
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Jesus's Death
Jesus knew he was to be betrayed. He waited in the Garden of Gethsemane
to be 'handed over' to the Jewish authorities (Mark 14:41), who in turn
'handed him over' to the Roman secular power (Mark 15:1). Both Jews and
Romans condemned him to death.
The Resurrection
Jesus' friends knew that they had seen and were in touch with Jesus within
two days of his death. He was alive! This was the last thing that they were
expecting, but nothing could shake their conviction. Jesus gave them their
instructions which resulted in the founding of the Church.
The Ascension
After a few weeks, they no longer saw him. But the disciples were just as
convinced that they were still in touch with Jesus. He was still directing
their lives but had passed to his place in Heaven (Acts 1:10-11).
Whitsun/Pentecost
A few days later, not only the disciples but many others came to know the
power of Jesus's spirit. First they were to repent (turn to God) and then to
believe (accept Jesus's message) and then his Spirit was released in them
(Acts 2:38).
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The Meaning of Jesus
Jesus was fully human. He shared in ordinary family life and grew up like
us from birth to adulthood. He had a fully human body and human feelings.
He made human friendships, and he had human limitations.
Jesus prayed because he was a human being. His relationship as a human
being to God was that of obedience. 'I do nothing on my own authority, but
in all that I say, I have been taught by my Father' (John 8:28). 'Son though
he was, he learned obedience in the suffering' (Hebrews 5:8).
Jesus was often tempted (Luke 4:13), even on one occasion sweating blood
(Luke 22:44). There is nothing sinful about temptation. It is inevitable.
Temptation is the inner conflict between what we want to do and what we
know we ought to do.
From many separate biblical sources we learn that Jesus was 'without sin'
(John 8:46; 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 4:15; 1 Peter 3:18). This, however,
does not make him remote from us; on the contrary, 'ours is not a high
priest unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but one who, because of
his likeness to us, has been tested every way, only without sin'. (Hebrews
4:15)
Jesus was born into a Jewish home in the first century BC. He shared fully
in this Jewish inheritance. He was born under God's providence at a time
and place when the Jewish genius for religion, Greek thought and Roman
justice all coincided.
Jesus completed God's self-disclosure to the Jewish people, and fulfilled
the best hopes of their prophets. He was their 'Messiah' ('anointed' or
'chosen' one), the Christ, sent to work out God's purpose for the whole
world, both Jews and Gentiles.
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Jesus became conscious that he was in a unique relationship to God, that of
a son to his father (Mark 1:11), the Son of God. His disciples learnt this at
the transfiguration (Mark 9:7) and a pagan realised it at his death (Mark
15:39).
As Son of God, Jesus spoke with his own unique authority; not 'Thus says
the Lord' but 'I say to you'. This authority is seen in his love and in his
judgement, and convinces us too that he is the Son of God.
Jesus rose from the dead. His friends were certain that after he had died he
was alive. We can know him in our lives as Son of God today.
Jesus is the full self-disclosure of God in human terms, showing us in human
personality the character of God, his love and power and righteousness.
We would expect God to reveal himself in the highest form of life known to
us-that of human beings. And so we would expect him, if he wished to reveal
himself to us as fully as we can comprehend, to become man.
The fact that God became a human being shows us is amazing love in
coming 'down to our level', to help us and to show us what he is like. God
'emptied himself' and became a very humble and self-effacing person a
servant.
TRUE WISDOM
True wisdom is in learning
On Jesus Christ our Lord;
True wisdom is in trusting His own life-giving word; True wisdom is in living
Near Jesus every day True wisdom is in walking
Where He shall lead the way.
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CHRISTIANS BELIEVE..... JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR
Jesus 'handed himself over' and put himself in the power of
his enemies. His death shows us God willing to endure even
the worst that human beings can do. It shows God caring for
us as much as that. It shows God forgiving and accepting us
without any reservations-not as we should be, but as we are,
as bad as we can be.
Jesus's crucifixion was ordered by Pontius Pilate, the Roman
Governor, probably in AD 33 after a trial in the Jewish High
Court. The Jews today are in no way responsible for his death.
Jesus died by being nailed to a wooden stake, with his hands nailed to a
cross bar. It was the normal way of execution by Romans for criminals.
Death was the result of shock, weakness and asphyxiation
Jesus's death shows up very ordinary human weaknesses:
(a) One of his own friends betrayed him.
(b) The rest let him down by fleeing in fear.
(c) The Roman Governor knew he was innocent, but condemned him
because he was frightened that otherwise he would be sacked.
(d) The High Priest thought that it was worth a man's death to keep in
with the ruling power.
(e) The Pharisees thought that Jesus was religiously dangerous
because he upset their religious convictions.
(f) The Sadducees feared that, if he lived, they would lose their
religious status.
(g) The Zealots had no use for him because he would not use force.
(h) The crowds were led by their cheerleaders.
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may
have eternal life. John 3:16
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Jesus suffered terribly on the cross in various ways:
(a) He suffered physical agony-'a most cruel death', a Roman historian
called it.
(b) He suffered spiritually-like us, he did not want to die.
(c) He suffered the taunts of others, mockery, betrayal, indifference
and weakness.
(d) He suffered the loss of his Father's presence nothing was left. He
was stripped bare. He hung in the void. 'My God, my God, why hast
thou forsaken me?
What the Cross Means
(a) Sacrifice is used of Jesus's death to show that it was costly and
involved death.
(b) Reconciliation is used to show that man is no longer estranged
from God.
(c) Justification is used to show that we have all been 'put in the right'
with God (i.e. accepted).
(d) Ransom is used to show that his death was costly and that it
brings liberation.
(e) Triumph is used because by his death Jesus passed beyond the
powers of evil, and so triumphed over them.
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What the Cross Is Not
The angry Father appeasing his wrath by taking it out on his loving Son.
Such a viewpoint betrays a sub Christian idea of God. God may be angry at
sins, but always loves the sinner. God's feelings are not swayed by the
punishment of anyone.
What the Cross Is
(a) God does for us what we cannot do for ourselves. The Son of God
dies on our behalf {not 'instead of us') as our representative, to
show God's love for everyone. By so doing he takes away our guilt.
(b) God, by accepting on the cross the worst that human beings can do
to him, draws the sting of our rebellious resentments, and
removes our basic fears and insecurities.
We have been accepted. We can accept ourselves. We can begin to return
God's love, and to hand it on to our neighbours. We are no longer estranged
from God, but reconciled both to God and to one another.
'I am the resurrection and the life,' says the Lord. 'Those who
believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who
lives and believes in me will never die.' John 11:25-26
Since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through
Jesus, God will bring with him those who have died. So we will be with
the Lord for ever. 1 Thessalonians 4:14-17
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CHRIST THE LORD
IS RISEN TODAY!
CHRISTIANS BELIEVE IN.....THE RESURRECTION
Jesus would have been utterly unknown today
(except perhaps for an obscure reference in some
Jewish document) if his earliest followers had not
been utterly convinced that against all expectation,
he had been raised from the dead. Since the fact of
the resurrection is central to the Christian story, and
the meaning of the resurrection is central to the
Christian Gospel, it is worth while looking at the
evidence in greater detail.
Jesus three times foretold his coming death and resurrection in the
Gospels, but the disciples did not seem to grasp the meaning of what he said
until after his resurrection. At Jesus's arrest the Twelve all forsook him and
fled (Mark 14:30). Although Peter subsequently followed him when Jesus
was taken away for questioning (Mark 14:54), and John (if he was the
beloved disciple) is said to have stood with Mary at the foot of the cross
(John 19:26), none of the Twelve were expecting anything but the collapse
of his mission, and found it hard to believe that he had been raised from the
dead (Luke 24:11).
The early Church was convinced that he had been raised for three reasons.
(a) The tomb was empty.
(b) Jesus appeared to them after his death.
(c) They felt his presence among them.
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The Resurrection Appearances
Appearances are found in three Gospels, in Acts and in 1 Corinthians 15:5ff.
The pattern of most stories is a short description of the situation, then
Jesus's appearance, followed by a greeting, a recognition, culminating with
a word of command by Jesus.
Jesus is not always immediately recognised in these appearances. He can
pass through doors, can materialize anywhere, can eat and drink, and is
susceptible of being touched. He can suddenly dematerialise. Jesus usually
has an authoritative word of command for his followers, and up to 500
people saw him at once (1 Corinthians 15:6)
Christian Experience
The early Christians were convinced of the presence of the risen Lord
among them and in them, as indeed Christians have been so convinced in
their own experience down the centuries. On the evidence of the empty
tomb, the resurrection appearances and Christian experience, Christians
believe that the evidence favours belief in the resurrection of Jesus.
The Meaning of Jesus's Resurrection in the Gospels
St. Mark's Gospel sees Jerusalem as a dark tunnel through which Jesus
must go to his vindication at his resurrection appearance in Galilee which
is invested with the awe, mystery and fearfulness of the final event.
St. Matthew's Gospel sees the resurrection as a foretaste of the final event,
presaged by an appearance on the mountain in Galilee in which Jesus is
invested with power and authority. But before the final event itself, there
must be a mission of teaching and preaching to all nations.
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St. Luke's Gospel sees the resurrection as the completion of one great
phase in God's plan for his world. First there is the period of Israel (the Law
and the Prophets); then the period of Jesus, which gives a foretaste of future
salvation; and finally the time between the coming of Jesus and the final act,
the period of the Church and of the Spirit. (This is the last age, but Luke does
not tell us it will be short.) In this scheme, Jerusalem is the place where the
good news is preached, and where the ascension takes place.
St. John's Gospel, like St. Luke's, sees the resurrection as rooted in history,
but the author is also insistent on turning the mind of his readers to the
invisible realities which give these events their meaning. St. John's regards
the resurrection both as pointing to a final event (with an appearance in
Galilee) and also as the occasion when the Spirit is poured out (as the
Jerusalem appearance makes clear, John 20:22).
Each of the four Gospels has its different details and its particular nuance
about the meaning of the resurrection, but there is unanimous affirmation
of the fact of the resurrection, and its central importance for the vindication
of Jesus's ministry.
The Meaning of the Resurrection for St. Paul
(a) God affirms Jesus by raising him from the dead and attests his
lowly ministry of service and suffering (Romans 1:4), and his true
divine status is made clear by stories of his ascension (Ephesians
1:20)
(b) The resurrection of Jesus is 'the Father's Amen to the Son's "It is
finished'" (Philippians 2:9ff.) It is the public proclamation of the
meaning of the cross.
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(c) The resurrection shows Jesus as 'the first fruits of the harvest of
the dead' (1 Corinthians 15:20), i.e. The One who anticipates the
final destiny of all, and who inaugurates a new era of God's power
in the world.
(d) The resurrection shows the triumph of good over evil, and the
conquest of sin and death by the power of God (Romans 6:8; 8:1)
(e) The resurrection is shared by Christians through union with
Christ, so that his risen life works in and through Christians.
The Meaning of the Resurrection for Us Today
The chief meaning of the resurrection is that the claims of the Christian
Gospel are true. The risen Jesus in his spiritual presence is always with us,
wherever we are, especially in worship. He himself said: "Where two or
three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them".
(Matthew 18:20)
Lo, Jesus meets us,
Risen from the tomb;
Lovingly he greets us,
Scatters fear and gloom;
Let the Church with gladness
Hymns of triumph sing,
For her Lord now liveth,
Death hath lost its sting.
Thine be the glory,
Risen, conquering Son;
Endless is the victory
Thou o'er death hast won!
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JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE
He was the real light, who, in his coming into the world,
gives light to all. - John 1:9
Please read John 8: 12-20.
John is saying that Jesus is the real light that has come to bring
enlightenment. Before Jesus came there were other lights which were
followed. Some were flickers of the truth; some were faint glimpses of
reality; some were will o' the wisps which when followed led people out
into the dark and left them there. It is still the case. There are still the partial
lights and there are still the false lights; some people still follow them. Jesus
is the only genuine light, the real light to guide us on our way.
John says that Jesus, by his coming into the world, brought the real light to
everyone. His coming was like a blaze of light. It was like the coming of the
dawn. A traveller tells how once in Italy he was standing on a hill
overlooking the Bay of Naples. It was so dark that nothing could be seen;
then all of a sudden there came a lightning flash and everything, in every
detail, was lit up. When Jesus came into this world he came like a light in
the dark.
(1) His coming dissipated the shadows of doubt. Until he came, it was
possible only to guess about God. "It is difficult to find out about God" said
one of the Greeks "and when you have found out about him it is impossible
to tell anyone else about him". To pagans God dwelt either in the shadows
which no one can penetrate or in the light which no one can approach.
When Jesus came, however, people saw fully displayed what God is like. The
shadows and the mists were gone, the days of guessing were at an end;
there was no more need for a wistful agnosticism. The light had come.
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(2) His coming dissipated the shadows of despair. Jesus came to a world
which was in despair. People, as the philosopher Seneca said, are conscious
of their helplessness in necessary things. They were longing for a hand let
down to help them up. They hate their sins but cannot leave them. They
despaired of ever making themselves or the world any better. With the
coming of Jesus, however, a new power came into life. He came not only
with knowledge but with power. He came not only to show people the right
way but to enable them to walk in it. He gave them not only instruction but
a presence in which all the impossible things had become possible. The
darkness of pessimism and despair was gone forever.
(3) His coming dissipated the darkness of death. The ancient world feared
death. At best, death was annihilation and the human soul shuddered at the
thought. At worst, it was torture by the gods and the human soul was afraid.
But Jesus by his coming, by his life, his death and his resurrection showed
that death was only the way to a larger life. The darkness was dispelled.
Robert Louis Stevenson has a scene in one of his stories in which he draws
the picture of a young man who has almost miraculously escaped in a duel
in which he was certain he would be killed. As he walks away, his heart is
singing: "The bitterness of death is past". Because of Jesus, the bitterness of
death is past for every one of us.
Further, Jesus is the light who lights everyone who comes into the world.
The ancient world was exclusive. The Jews hated the Gentiles and held that
they were created for no other purpose than to be fuel for the fires of hell.
True, there was a lonely prophet who saw that Israel's destiny was to be a
light to the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6) but that was a destiny which Israel
had always definitely refused. The Greek world never dreamed that
knowledge was for everyone. The Roman world looked down on the
barbarians, the uncultured peoples without the law. But Jesus came to be a
light to all people. Only the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has a
heart big enough to hold all the world.
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THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS BRINGS Mark 1:14-15
After John had been committed to prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
announcing the good news about God, and saying, ‘The time that was
appointed has come; and the kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe
the good news.’ There are in this summary of the message of Jesus three
great dominant words of the Christian faith.
(1) There is the good news. It was pre-eminently good news that Jesus came
to bring to all. If we follow the word evangelion, good news, gospel through
the New Testament, we can see at least something of its content.
(a) It is good news of truth (Galatians 2:5, Colossians 1:5). Until Jesus
came, it was possible only to guess and search after God. ‘O that I knew
where I might find him,’ cried Job (Job 23:3). Marcus Aurelius said that the
soul can see but dimly, and the word he uses is the Greek word for seeing
things through water. But with the coming of Jesus we see clearly what God
is like. No longer do we need to guess and search; we know.
(b) It is good news of hope (Colossians 1:23). The ancient world was a
pessimistic world. Seneca talked of ‘our helplessness in necessary things’.
In the struggle for goodness, humanity was defeated. The coming of Jesus
brings hope to the hopeless heart.
(c) It is good news of peace (Ephesians 6:15). The penalty of being human
is to have a split personality. In human nature, the beast and the angel are
strangely intermingled. It is told that once Schopenhauer, the gloomy
philosopher, was found wandering. He was asked, ‘Who are you?’ ‘I wish
you could tell me,’ he answered. Robert Burns said of himself, ‘My life
reminded me of a ruined temple. What strength, what proportion in some
parts! What unsightly gaps, what prostrate ruins in others!’ The human
predicament has always been that we are haunted both by sin and by
goodness. The coming of Jesus unifies that disintegrated personality into
one. We find victory over our warring selves by being conquered by Jesus
Christ.
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(d) It is good news of God’s promise (Ephesians 3:6). It is true that the
tendency has been to think of a God of threats rather than a God of
promises. Non-Christian religions think of a demanding God; only
Christianity tells of a God who is more ready to give than we are to ask.
(e) It is good news of immortality (2 Timothy 1:10). To the pagan, life was
the road to death; but Jesus came with the good news that we are on the
way to life rather than death.
(f) It is good news of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). That salvation is not
merely a negative thing; it is also positive. It is not simply liberation from
penalty and escape from past sin; it is the power to live life victoriously and
to conquer sin. The message of Jesus is good news indeed.
(2) There is the word repent. Now repentance is not as easy as sometimes
we think. The Greek word metanoia literally means a change of mind. We
are very apt to confuse two things – sorrow for the consequences of sin and
sorrow for sin. Many people become desperately sorry because of the mess
that sin has got them into, but they know very well that, if they could be
reasonably sure that they could escape the consequences, they would do
the same thing again. It is not the sin that they hate; it is its consequences.
Real repentance means coming not only to be sorry for the consequences
of sin but to hate sin itself. Repentance means that anyone who was in love
with sin comes to hate sin because of its exceeding sinfulness.
(3) There is the word believe. ‘Believe’, says Jesus, ‘in the good news.’ To
believe in the good news simply means to take Jesus at his word, to believe
that God is the kind of God that Jesus has told us about, to believe that God
so loves the world that he will make any sacrifice to bring us back to
himself, to believe that what sounds too good to be true is really true.
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THE UNIQUENESS OF JESUS
What is it that makes Jesus Christ unique among all the men in history?
What is it that accounts for the influence he has had and still has on the
world? The answer is, of course, that Jesus Christ was not merely a great
teacher and religious leader; he is the Son of God. He is the Redeemer
promised by God, who brought salvation to the human race, who ransomed
man by his death on the cross.
Jesus Christ is a true Man. He is the Mediator between people and God. No
person can come to the Father except through him. Jesus Christ is also God.
His teachings, therefore, are the word of God revealed to the people.
Jesus Christ is “the Way and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) It is by
union with him that people receive the life of grace. It is through the
acceptance of his teachings that people find salvation. It is by submission to
his rule that people find the freedom of the sons of God.
Jesus said to his disciples, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of
the world.” (Matt: 28:20)
Although he ascended into heaven, and we can no longer see or hear him as
did his mother and his contemporaries, Jesus in his great love for us
remains with us in his Church. He continues to give life and truth and
guidance to those who are joined to him.
Does Jesus Christ promise happiness to those who love him?
Yes. Christ promises eternal happiness to those who love him.
Does Jesus Christ promise us happiness in this life?
Yes. Christ promises us happiness in this life, but not the kind of happiness
the world seeks.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give
to you. Let not your heart be troubled; nor let it be afraid. (John 14:27)
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How does the happiness which Christ promises differ from that which
the world seeks?
The kind of happiness which Christ promises in this life comes from loving
God and being loved by God, and from the expectation of eternal happiness
in heaven. Christ does not promise us pleasure or wealth. Rather, he tells
us that it is only through suffering and self-denial that we can attain joy and
peace of the soul in this life.
Lay not up for yourselves treasures on Earth; where the rust and moth
consume and where thieves break through and steal. But lay for yourselves
treasures in heaven; where neither the rust nor moth does consume, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal. For, where your treasure is,
there is your heart also. (Matt. 6: 19-21)
In what words did Christ tell us how to attain happiness in this life?
In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said: (Matthew 5: 3-10)
a) Christ here is promising happiness. The word “blessed” means happy.
b) The reward promised in each of these Beatitudes is primarily heaven.
But if we live according to the plan of Christ we shall have a foretaste of the
happiness of heaven in this life.
c) Christ tells us that we must not set our hearts on money, whereas many
people want even more money than they have.
d) Christ tells us that we must forgive our enemies and love them, whereas
many people want to “get even with” or at least avoid those who hurt them.
e) Christ tells us that we must avoid all sin, He tells us that we must be
willing to take a lower place that we must suffer for him, etc. These are
things which are distasteful to us and which we think would make us
unhappy. But the Lord says just the opposite.
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JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE John 14:6
Jesus is the Way.
The life and words of Jesus have reached far beyond his native country and
people. Followers of Jesus Christ believe his message is for all people and
for all time. To understand this belief we need to look closely at the claims
of Jesus himself who says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”
“Where do you come from?” is a question we often ask when we meet
someone for the first time. It was the question about Jesus that puzzled
everyone. During his public life Jesus tried to answer that question. To
those who followed him, he gave this answer, “I came from the Father and
have come into the world and now I leave the world to go to the Father”
(John 16:28). It is important to realise that in their teachings Jesus and the
Jews had very much in common. The rift between them developed only
gradually, as Jesus’ claims became clearer. For Jesus was not just laying
down a set of laws for entry into the kingdom of God. Rather, he was
claiming that his presence is the kingdom of God amongst men and
women. Jesus came from his Father in heaven, and his coming creates,
quite literally, a heaven on earth.
The condition for sharing in this “heaven on earth” is to believe in the One
who the Father has sent; to believe in his Son and what he tells us. In
Christ’s own words this means, “changing and becoming like a little child”
(Matthew 18:3). Christ is the “Way” to the Father because his life taught us
how to become “children” of the Father. This is not a “way” which can be
reduced to rules and regulations. It is a life of love. But of course the closer
the intimacy between the Father and us, his children, the greater our
longing to respond to all that we experience in life in the way of love. The
“Way” that Jesus showed us.
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Jesus is the Truth.
It’s always useful to have “inside information” about someone who is
unfamiliar. Is that perhaps how we tend to view Jesus, someone who has
come from heaven to tell us about God and what God wants us to do? What
do we mean when we say that Jesus “reveals” God to us? Do we mean that
because Jesus came from God, he can give us the information that we could
not otherwise get? That is not quite the picture that comes over in
the Gospels. That’s not the way Jesus speaks of himself. He says, “I am the
truth”. Not, “I speak the truth” or “I reveal the truth”, but “I am the truth”.
This is not to deny that Jesus had a message to proclaim and went about
Palestine proclaiming it. Of course, he did. But Jesus did not only call upon
men and women to believe in his message; he called upon men and women
to believe in himself!
And that was something completely new. There had been prophets and
teachers in the past with a message to proclaim but none of them had
demanded belief in himself. Jesus, however, slowly and gradually revealed
to his disciples that he was much more than a teacher, much more than
a messenger; much more than a prophet. He had come not merely to tell
men and women about God. He had not come merely as a messenger or as
someone who could give us ‘inside information’. In Jesus, God is actually
made present to men and women. That astounding fact shines through
everything Jesus said and did. In every word and action, Jesus reveals God
to us, he shows us, in human terms, what God is like. It’s as though the
Father is pointing to Jesus and saying, “Look! This is the kind of God I am”.
In other words, we cannot separate the person of Jesus from his
teachings. Every action and gesture of his is full of meaning. He is never
‘off duty’, there is never any moment in his life when he is not showing God
to men and women.
The miracles of Jesus speak for themselves. They are an essential part of
his message. Through the miracles men and women can see that the
Kingdom of God has begun.
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Sent by his Father, Jesus does not merely tell us about his Father. He
shows us his Father in everything he says and does. “If you know me, you
know my Father too. From this moment, you know him and have seen
him.”
Philip one of his followers said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we
shall be satisfied”.
“Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still
do not know me? To have seen me is to have seen the Father…” John
14:7-9
Jesus is the Life.
All of us want to use and enjoy our lives to the full. But we can never forget
that the greatest treasure we have, life itself, is a very fragile
possession. The Jewish psalmist put it this way:
For no man can buy his own ransom or pay a price to God for his own
life. The ransom of his soul is beyond him. “He cannot buy life without
end nor avoid coming to the grave.” Psalm 49:7-9.
In the face of death, men and women are powerless. It was this sense of
powerlessness, this awareness of their own insufficiency, which intensified
the Jewish desire for a saviour. They longed for the gift of everlasting life.
During his public preaching Jesus said, “I have come to give them life that
they might have it to the full” (John 10.10). And as time went on he began
to explain to his followers exactly what he meant when he used the word
“life”. He told them that the only life that matters is the life that does not
die - life everlasting, “I am the resurrection…if anyone believes in me even
though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never
die.”
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The word used in the Russian Orthodox Church for a saint, prepodobnia,
means “very, very like” and is a perfect description of what Jesus meant by
the “true life”. If we want to obtain life everlasting, we must become “very,
very like” Jesus himself. And we can only do this if we receive the gift of the
Holy Spirit - the Lord and Giver of life.
Throughout his time on earth the Holy Spirit worked within Jesus guiding
and inspiring him. As John baptised Jesus “…the Holy Spirit descended on
him in bodily shape, like a dove” (Luke 3:22). And when he was led into the
desert to prepare for his public preaching, it was the Holy Spirit who took
him there (Luke 4:1). When he eventually began to preach in Galilee, it was
with the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14).
To be really like Jesus then, we must have the Holy Spirit within us too. That
is why when the time came for him to leave his apostles, Jesus promised to
send the Holy Spirit. “It is for your own good that I am going,” he said to
them, “because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I
will send him to you” (John 16:7).
When the Holy Spirit came to the apostles at Pentecost, they were
completely transformed. The Holy Spirit bound them more closely to Jesus
by making them more like him. They were filled with new life, the life of
Jesus himself, and so St Paul exclaimed, “I live now, not I, but Christ lives in
me” (Gal. 2:20).
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JESUS – THE CORNERSTONE
The picture is that of a great building - a cathedral, a capitol, a temple - rising from
its foundations. The contractor inspects a load of quarried stone which has just
been delivered. Some stones he approves, a few he rejects. Late in the day the
architect arrives on the scene to survey the growing structure and sees a small
heap of discarded stones piled on the edge of the site. One stone catches his
attention and he examines it closely. He has never seen anything so flawless. It will
make the perfect cornerstone. Calling the contractor, he asks "Why have you
rejected this one?" The builder replies "It doesn't fit in with the others". "Then the
others must be chiselled to fit in with this one, says the architect. So the stone which
the builders refused is polished, inscribed and set in the place of honour; it
becomes the head stone of the corner.
This is the figure of speech used by an Old Testament Psalmist to describe the
activity of God in his life. We don't know who wrote the 118th Psalm nor what were
his exact circumstances but we can quickly infer from the Psalm itself that the
author had been tossed aside like an unwanted stone, alone and rejected. He turned
to God, believing it "better to trust in the Lord than to place confidence in princes".
His trust was not ill-founded because, in the end, God came to his rescue. God
vindicated his faithful servant and the Psalmist describes his personal triumph:
"The stone which builders rejected has become the head of the corner" (Psalm
118:22).
That could be a parable of Jesus and these exact words were quoted by our Lord
(Matthew 21:42) and also by Peter in the Book of Acts: "This (Jesus) is the stone
which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner"
(Acts 4:11). Another stone appears in the Gospel for Easter Day - the stone that had
been taken away from the tomb of Jesus. Not a stone of construction, as a
cornerstone, but a stone of destruction, sealing a tomb, a place of death and decay.
Two symbolic stones: one symbolising life, the other symbolising death. One
brightens the corner of a magnificent 10 edifice, the other darkens the entrance of
a tomb. Symbols of life or death, of faith or fear, of hope or despair.
The significant choice is which stone does one choose for one's life and which stone
is rejected. One must be careful in the choosing for it is not as easy a choice as it
appears. For choosing Christ as one's cornerstone usually doesn't fit in with most
well-ordered lives. Life, like a building, must be fitted around the cornerstone.
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JESUS IS THE VINE WE ARE THE BRANCHES
Please read John 15:1-15 (Also Leaflets 55, 60 & 160)
There are three ways in which we can be useless branches. We can refuse
to listen to Jesus Christ at all. We can listen to him and then render him a
lip service unsupported by any deeds. We can accept him as master and
then, in face of the difficulties of the way or the desire to do as we like,
abandon him. One thing we must remember - it is the first principle of the
New Testament that uselessness invites disaster. The fruitless branch is on
the way to destruction.
The secret of the life of Jesus was his contact with God; again and again he
withdrew into a solitary place to meet Him. We must keep contact with
Jesus. We cannot do that unless we deliberately take steps to do it. To take
but one example - to pray in the morning, if it be only for a few moments, is
to have an antiseptic for the whole day; for we cannot come out of the
presence of Christ to touch evil things. For abiding in Christ will mean a
constant contact with Him. It will mean arranging life, arranging prayer and
arranging silence in such a way that there is never a day when we give
ourselves a chance to forget Him.
There are two things laid down about the good disciple. First, they enrich
their own life; contact makes them a fruitful branch. Second, they bring
glory to God; the sight of their life turns people's thoughts to the God who
made them like that. God is glorified when we bear much fruit and show
ourselves to be disciples of Jesus. The greatest glory of the Christian life is
that by our life and conduct we can bring glory to God.
The work of Jesus, the whole aim of Jesus is not for his own glory
but for the glory of God; the aim of Jesus was to focus men's eyes
upon God.
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FOUR FACTS OF THE GOSPEL
Printed below are four facts of the Gospel that we really do need to take to
heart. Please look up the Bible references too. It is GOOD NEWS TO SHARE
WITH OTHERS.
FACT ONE
God loves you and wants you to know Him personally.
“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17: 3)
FACT TWO
Your sin separates you from God and stops you experiencing His love.
“Your iniquities have separated you from God; Your sins have hidden His
face from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59: 2)
FACT THREE
Jesus Christ is the way back to God and experiencing His love.
“For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous,
to bring you to God” (1 Peter 3: 18)
FACT FOUR
You must turn from your sins and believe in these facts.
“Repent and believe in the ‘Good News’” (Mark 1: 15)
God loves all people John 3:16
But their sins have separated them from Him Isaiah 59:2
Christ died to bridge the gap between them Romans 5:8
Everyone must receive Christ into their lives John 1:12
Turning away from their sins and coming to God Acts 3:19
They cross over from spiritual death to eternal life John 5:24
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BRIDGE TO LIFE
YOUR RESPONSE SHOULD BE TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST
Acts 3:19
Now change your mind (repent) and attitude to God and turn to (have faith
in) Him.
John 1:13
To all who receive Him, He gives the right to become the children of God.
HOW CAN YOU RECEIVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST PERSONALLY AS YOUR
SAVIOUR.
1) Admit you need (“I am a sinner”)
2) Be willing, God helping you, to turn from sin (repent).
3) Believe that Jesus died to save you (on the Cross).
A Suggested Prayer:
LORD JESUS
It is true I am a sinner. I honestly want to turn from all my sin. Thank you
for dying on the cross for my sin. I am glad you are alive again. Please Lord
Jesus come into my life right now. Thank you. Now help me to live the rest
of my life in the power of your Holy Spirit, under His control. AMEN.
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OUR RICHES IN CHRIST
In Christ we have:
A love that can never be fathomed.
A life that can never die.
A peace that can never be understood.
A rest that can never be disturbed.
A joy that can never be diminished.
A hope that can never be disappointed.
A glory that can never be clouded.
A happiness that can never be interrupted.
A light that can never be extinguished.
A strength that can never be overcome.
A beauty that can never be marred.
A purity that can never be defiled.
Resources that can never be exhausted.
AN INVITATION
Behold I stand at the door and knock;
If any man hear my voice and open the door,
I will come unto him,
And will sup with him and he with Me
(Revelation: Chapter 3: 20)
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CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE TO US Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Please can I invite you to look at the six booklets on Opportunities for God.
These resources have already proved helpful to many people.
These resources are now freely available to access on a computer at:
http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/.
My prayer is that these resources will help us and thousands of people to
celebrate God’s love and keep us focused in our mission to tell through
words and actions that God wants the world to know and respond to Jesus.
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These booklets (below) have been, and are, helpful to very many people. It
is hoped that you too will enjoy reading these resources and gaining a
wealth of knowledge about the Christian Faith. They are freely
downloadable on:
http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/
Booklet 1 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 1
Booklet 2 Prayers/Psalms and Hymns
Booklet 3 The Old Testament Part 1
Booklet 4 The Holy Eucharist
Booklet 5 Lord teach me to Pray
Booklet 6 The Good News of Jesus Part 1
Booklet 7 The Good News of Jesus Part 2
Booklet 8 Christians believe in the Reality of God, Sin and Forgiveness etc.
Booklet 9 Christians believe in the Bible, Confirmation, The Sacraments etc.
Booklet 10 The Church Grows Part 1
Booklet 11 The Church Grows Part 2
Booklet 12 An Introduction to the Four Gospels
Booklet 13 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 2
Booklet 14 Some Saints / Festivals to Celebrate Part 1 (Jan-June)
Booklet 15 Some Saints / Festivals to Celebrate Part 2 (July-Dec)
Booklet 16 How Not to Visit the Sick at home or in hospital
Booklet 17 How to spread The Gospel
Booklet 18 Helpful to know when Reading the Bible
Booklet 19 Old Testament Part 2
Booklet 20 Old Testament Part 3
Booklet 21 Bible Teaching for Today
Booklet 22 The Ten Commandments for Today
Booklet 23 More ‘Just Food for Thought’ Part 3
Booklet 24 More Prayers, Canticles and Hymns
Booklet 25 How Not to Witness and some suggested alternatives
Booklet 26 Praying The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)
Booklet 27 An Introduction to the Bible
Booklet 28 The Beatitudes – The Teachings of Jesus
Booklet 29 The Thoughts of Jesus
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Booklet 30 Silver Service: Ideas for sharing the Gospel
Booklet 31 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 4
Booklet 32 An Introduction to The Old Testament Books Part 1
Booklet 33 An Introduction to The Old Testament Books Part 2
Booklet 34 An Introduction to The New Testament Books
Booklet 35 An Introduction to St Paul and The Early Church
Booklet 36 Even More Food for Thought Part 5
Booklet 37 Our Response to Jesus
MORE TO COME!
I have, over many years as a priest in the Church of England collected some
sound helpful resources on many Christian themes/topics. Here is a list of
these (mainly A5 leaflets) I have given out to the attending congregation as
they arrive in the hope they will be read at home and pass on to family,
friends and neighbours.
My prayer is that these leaflets/handouts will help us and thousands of
people to celebrate God’s love and keep us focused in our mission to tell
through words and actions that God wants the world to know and respond
to Jesus.
These resources are now freely available to access on a computer at:
http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/.
Hopefully your congregation would like to avail this free resource too:
please do give them an opportunity!
1 Needful & Helpful Reflections 2 The Meaning of Jesus 3 Christian? 4 A Scheme of Intercession 5 Praying at the Eucharist 6 Should I go back to Church? 7 Put your heart into being a bright light (Mother Teresa) 8 Practical suggestions that will help us invite someone to church 9 God’s Way to Peace, Truth & Love
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10 The Worldwide Church 11 On Death, On Dying 12 I go to Church/ Something More? 13 The Kingdom of God: The Good News: Christian Faith 14 Becoming Who I am: Christian life 15 Repentance 16 Confirmation 17 The Healthy Way to Fear God 18 The Church in Action 19 A Personal Walk to Calvary 20 Receiving & Being a Blessing 21 Baptism: Why is it so important 22 Who is Jesus Christ? 23 Sharing Good News/Pentecost 24 The Holy Eucharist 25 Stations of the Resurrection 26 If only I could see the point of “Church” 27 Four Facts of the Gospel 28 Choose life! 29 Welcome Everyone 30 Look at the Church 31 The Bible 32 Why say your prayers? 33 Food for Thought + 10 reasons to be at The Eucharist 34 Why tell this news? 35 Parables and Our Lord’s teaching on Them 36 The Power of the Cross 37 We believe in the Church and going to Church 38 A Bible Reading Plan 39 The Love of God for Us 40 Prayers for Personal Use 41 Prayers for Personal Use (Anima Christi) 42 What do Christians Believe? 43 Your Future: A Check List 44 The Joys of Jesus 45 He is RISEN 46 The Lord’s Prayer 47 40 Simple Ways to keep Lent Meaningful 48 The Joys of the Disciples 49 The Sorrows of the Disciples 50 I am the Resurrection and the Life 51 The Joys of Mary
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52 The Sorrows of the Mother of Jesus 53 Come to me and I will give you rest 54 The Ten Commandments of Mercy 55 The Vine and the Branches 56 Made Clean 1) God’s Desire 57 Remain in Me 58 And I will Remain in You 59 If You Remain in Me 60 Ask Whatever You Wish 61 Go Into All The World 62 The Characteristics of the Church Acts 2:42-47 63 Let’s put Discipline back into Discipleship 64 Embittered Moralising 65 Prayers before and after the Eucharist 66 Advent 67 Jesus Speaks of Prayer 68 Everyday Evangelism 69 Battling through Distractions 70 In Hospital “Under Repair” 71 Eight Very Important Christian Statements to carry with you 72 Lord What Shall I Do For You! (Bookmark) 73 Lord, make me an instrument (Bookmark) 74 Our Riches in Christ (Bookmark) 75 God has Promised (Bookmark) 76 The I am sayings from St. John’s Gospel to carry with you 77 Day by Day A Prayer for Each Day 78 Nine Tips For Getting More Out of The Eucharist 79 Prayers For Sick People To Use 80 Why Confirmation? 81 We believe in the Reality of God 82 We believe in Sin and Forgiveness 83 We believe in Jesus 84 We believe in Jesus as the Saviour 85 We believe in The Resurrection 86 We believe in The Holy Spirit 87 We believe in Prayer 88 We believe in The Bible 89 We believe in The Sacraments 90 We believe in Holy Communion 91 William Barclay on Prayer 92 The Marks of the Christian Life: Phil 4:4-5 93 The Life of Jesus’ Chosen People: John 15:11-17
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94 Our Lord Teaches: Matt 5:1-12 95 Some Teaching on Prayer: Luke 11:1-11 96 The Three Judgements: I Corinthians 4:1-5 97 The Marks of the Christian Life A) Joy: Phil 1:3-11 98 The Marks of the Christian Life B) Christian Sacrifice 99 The Light of All People: John 1:9 100 Do You Worry? Listen to Jesus: Matt 6:25-34 101 How can I find a safe harbour in the storms of life? 102 How can I find healing for my soul? 103 How to live my life 104 How can I be set free? 105 How can I live a fruitful life? 106 Diocesan Worship Audit 107 Daily Prayer Intentions 108 Stations of The Cross 109 The Folly of Worry 110 A Short Introduction to the Ten Commandments 111 Who is Jesus? 112 Mary, the Mother of God 113 How Can I Pray? 114 Living the Eucharist 115 The Blessed Virgin Mary 116 The Trinity: Three Persons – One God 117 The Best Book to Read is The Bible 118 Pentecost 119 The Rosary 120 The Laws of Christian Life 121 Gateway to Life 122 My heart is quiet 123 Shafts of Light 124 Light at Last! 125 Gone from Sight 126 A Great Calm 127 New Life in Christ 128 Bridging the Generation Gaps in Worship 129 The Only True Work 130 A Brief History of The Church of England 131 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 1) 132 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 2) 133 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 3) 134 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 4) 135 Our Struggles with Riches
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136 Do This in Remembrance of Me 137 Lord Be Near Me 138 The End of The World 139 The Holy Spirit is a Wonderful Friend 140 Glorious Facts about Jesus and More 141 Nine Facts to Help Us All 142 Understanding The Holy Communion Service 143 Some Stories and Parables of Jesus 144 In Jesus We Have Salvation 145 Being a Christian at Work 146 On Mourning Our Losses 147 Pray For All 148 The Old Testament Timeline 149 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 5) 150 The Great Miracle 151 Are You a Christian 152 Saint Francis’s Paraphrase of The Lords Prayer 153 Missionary Work : Not Just For Priests 154 The Nature of Christian Love 155 The Uniqueness of Jesus 156 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 6) 157 Some Reasons to Believe in God 158 For a Christian in Hospital 159 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 7) 160 The ‘I AM SAYINGS’ 161 Being a Christian in Sickness 162 Learning to Pray 163 Anointing With Holy Oil 164 The Sign of The Cross 165 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 8) 166 Fundraising Can be Fun! 167 Fundraising Ideas 168 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 9) 169 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 10) 170 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 11) 171 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 12) 172 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 13) 173 True God and True Man 174 A ‘Modern’ Version of The Creed 175 Life Forever (Parts 1, 2 and 3) 176 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 14) 177 Our Lords Own Words From The Gospels (Part 1 & 2)
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178 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 15) 179 Church Magazine Articles (Collection 16) 180 Lighten up to Christians (3 A5 Sheets) 181 For you in hospital 182 Aids to Prayer and Meditation 183 Some Thoughts on Evangelism 184 Mary the First Evangelist 185 Church Magazine Article (Collection 17) 186 Public Worship 187 Coping with Suffering 188 Why Confession 189 Tips for Dealing with the Media 190 Jesus Light of the World 191 Continuation of Booklet 21 192 Sermon on Evangelism from Bishop North 193 Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life 194 Does God Exist? 195 Why is there evil in the World 196 Is there Hope? 197 Who is Jesus Christ? 198 Why did Jesus die? 199 What hope does Jesus bring? 200 Why the Church? 201 What life does the Church offer us? 202 Lord Teach Me to Pray Part 1 203 Lord Teach Me to Pray Part 2 204 Lord Teach Me to Pray Part 3 205 Lord Teach Me to Pray Part 4 206 Developing a Culture of Invitations at Easter 207 Some Prayers for the Bereaved 208 After Death occurs 209 Leading Intercessions 210 55 Ideas to Help School and Parish Work 211 The Frustrating Struggle for Humility
MORE TO COME!
COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE: The booklets/leaflets are produced with the intention of spreading the Word of the
Gospel and sharing it with others. The compiler has not been able to trace the authors or publishers of some extracts
and illustrations. He hopes that no copyright has been infringed. If it has, he apologies and will ensure that a
correction is made once he has been informed of the correct owner of any said extract/illustration.
