Lloyd Denny’s blog Number 121 – 17th May 2012

“PRAY”

The full extent of the economic crisis is lost on most of us in the UK, because we either don’t understand how serious things are or because we are not seeing the effects here in the UK we don’t believe it or we simply don’t care, so let’s all cover our eyes and ears until the crisis has passed.

The Governor of the Bank of England used a number of weather metaphors and similes this week as he spoke about the state of the British economy. Sir Mervyn King said the recovery would be “slow and uncertain” as the economy tried to navigate its way through a potential “storm heading our way from the continent.” ”We have been through a big global financial crisis, the biggest downturn in world output since the 1930s, the biggest banking crisis in this country’s history, the biggest fiscal deficit in our peacetime history, and our biggest trading partner, the euro area, is tearing itself apart without any obvious solution,” he said.

Sir Mervyn said it was impossible to quantify the potential impact on Britain of the worst possible outcome in the eurozone.

“We don’t know when the storm clouds will move away. But there are good reasons to believe that growth will recover and inflation will fall back. Along the way we will no doubt be buffeted by winds from unexpected quarters.”

In parliament this week and also in a subsequent speech, British Prime Minister, David Cameron spoke very clearly about the dangers of the financial crisis in the eurozone.

Days before that Government Minister, Vince Cable was asked about the crisis responded thus: Britain ‘must hope’ the eurozone’s firewalls were strong enough to prevent contagion, and warned there could be ‘a massive impact’ on trade if they were not. “Britain isn’t in the eurozone, so my Government isn’t in the business of having to manage this crisis. When asked what Britain could do, he admitted: ‘There isn’t a great deal.’

Former Prime Minister, Tony Blair in an address to 4,000 people this week spoke of the time when he wanted to close a very important speech to the country with the words God bless Britain and he was talked out of doing so. In the address Mr Blair recounted the occasion thus: “I had to do some address to the country when I was Prime Minister, you know the American president finishes an address to the American people by saying ‘God bless America’. “I had the idea of finishing my address by saying ‘God bless Britain’. “This caused consternation in the whole system. A committee was convened, and we had to discuss it. “I remember we had this debate on and off but finally one of the civil servants said in a very po-faced way ‘I just remind you Prime Minister, this is not America’ in this very disapproving tone, so I gave up the idea. I think it is a shame that you can’t since it is obviously part of what you are.” On another occasion when Mr Blair was asked about his beliefs the former Prime Minister’s Director of Communication responded: “we don’t do God”.

Mr Blair defended the role of religion in public and private life, warning that a world without faith would be on a path to “tragedy and disaster”.

I am certain there are people in government, parliament and the civil service that are praying and living out their faith as Christians; in fact I know this to be true in respect of the House of Commons. The problem is the UK as a nation, has lost confidence in its willingness to express faith in public. But this is the country of William Wilberforce who entered parliament as a Christian and fought right up until the day he died, but thank God, he lived long enough to see the enactment of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833, which abolished slavery in most of the British Empire. However, modern day commentators and historians neatly forget the role played by John Wesley and John Newton both Christian Ministers and also until very recently, by Olaudah Equiano for different reasons.

This is also the country where once public witness was welcomed and promoted, where we were not ashamed to call upon God in public. Winston Churchill during the worst times of the Second World War called upon the nation to pray. Last December Prime Minister, Cameron called for a revival of traditional Christian values to counter Britain’s “moral collapse”. In the same speech Mr Cameron said “we are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.” (I responded to the speech with a blog, titled: Amen, blog number 77).

As a minister of Christ, let me say what we as a nation can do: PRAY! Let us humble ourselves and pray. Pride, greed and selfishness are the root of the financial crisis in Europe. The very best brains in Europe and elsewhere have been deployed to solve the problem but still the crisis gets worst.

Political leadership has recently changed in France and Greece must have a second general election next month. Germany and USA will be choosing new leaders this year and so the crisis persists. Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace who can calm the storm but we must humble ourselves and pray.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“RULING IN THE FEAR OF GOD”

Rulers are in power for the good of society, they are what the bible calls servants of dishonour. This does not mean every ruler is raised up and appointed by God, nor does it mean that all are dishonourable. The truth is some are diabolical or at best tyrants who are in power for their own cause. The leader of North Korea is in no sense there by God’s appointment but rather through a corrupt dynasty which sees power passing from father to son. Notwithstanding, if we call upon God He promises that He would hear our prayers for He rules in the kingdom of men and is able to raise up one and remove another for in the end His will must be done.

In a democracy the leaders are chosen by the people in an election. Once elected their mandate to rule is by courtesy of the people and the people have the power to remove them from power in the subsequent election. Notwithstanding, God’s will must be done here on earth as it is done in heaven.

In recent history democracy is the most preferred form of choosing leaders in the world, save for a few notable exceptions, for example China. India a country of more than a billion people chooses its leaders through the democratic process.

Former British Prime minister, Winston Churchill once said: “No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those others that have been tried”; and again, “the best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.”

It is commonly accepted that democracy was invented by the Greeks. Indeed, the word is Greek. Democracy is a word that has come to mean very different things to different people.

In origin it is a composite of demos and kratos. Since demos can be translated as “the people” (qua “native adult male residents of a polis”) and kratos as “power,” democracy has a root meaning of “the power of the people.”

US president, Abraham Lincoln, defined democracy as “government of the people, by the people and for the people.”

In the above paragraph I made the point that the concept of democracy is accredited to the Greeks, however, the act of electing a leader by the people pre-dates what began in Athens, Greece in the 7^th Century BC. Saul, the first king of the United Kingdom of Israel, was directly elected by the people approximately 1079 BC.

As a form of “people power” it was even a more “perfect” form of democracy, and it was God that gave it to the people.

In short, the people wanted a king to rule over them as was common at the time. The Prophet Samuel took it badly, for he was both a judge and a prophet, he saw it as a commentary on his stewardship. God made it clear to Samuel that it was He that they were rejecting and not him, so let them have their king. God then, through the prophet, described the kind of person that hereafter would rule over them. This would be true of the one they chose then and thereafter and even until today; when we choose a leader we truly never know what we are getting.

The perfect form of democracy I refer to above is in the fact that it was the people who also selected the candidate, unlike today where parties or interest groups select the candidates, and only then the people get a chance to vote from those selected.

Before voting, God tells the people what their king would do: “He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.  

And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.

And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.

And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.

He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day. 

Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, nay; but we will have a king over us.” (1 Samuel 8: 11-19).

Despite the very clear description of what the elected king would do, the people still said we will have a king over us. In selecting the king the people chose someone that outwardly was impressive. God respected the people’s choice and even gave Saul help before and after. Saul also had the wisdom of the prophet Samuel and later the loyalty of David to be a successful king. Sadly, his reign was fated to fail, not because he was from the wrong tribe; that is Benjamin, God overlooked that, nor because he was from a humble background, or that he did not have the education to be king; his failure came about because he refused to obey God. His attempt at obedience was selective and when found out he blamed everyone but himself, he even tried to lie to the prophet and to God and attempted to make things right by offering to make sacrifices but it wasn’t sacrifices God wanted it was obedience.

Personal obedience is one thing, we all struggle to obey God, not necessarily in areas of morality, though this is equally true, but more often in every day decisions: to do this or that, to minister this word or that word in a church service; or to give so much in an offering or to a charitable cause.

Obedience in terms of policy or law is all together different especially when it’s for the public good. Moses was taken home because he did not follow the Lord’s instructions and struck the rock a second time. Moses’ work as deliverer of Israel almost ended before it started because of his excuses and procrastination.

I yielded to the call of the apostleship, for I truly was against the title, apostle for even when I was a senior manager in secular work, I rarely told anyone my position. The thought of being called apostle made me very uncomfortable, for I magnify the office and never saw myself in this way. It was only after I wrestled on a hot and humid night in Lagos, Nigeria that I surrendered to the will of God for my life and only after a specific prayer I had prayed that night was later answered.

The successor to Saul was David, who was a man after God’s own heart, in that he was God’s choice, not because David would do everything perfect, or that David would be morally unimpeachable, for David on becoming king would make some serious mistakes.

The difference with David was he acknowledged God before becoming king and during his reign. He was willing to change policy and change direction; he was willing to acknowledge his mistakes and that included his own sins, and then to repent. Finally, David knew he was in office but the power came from God.

The title of this blog is part of words spoken by King David, when close to death and as he reflected on leadership: “he that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God.” (2 Samuel 23: 3).

The mark of a good leader is not following what the majority wants all the time, nor is it pandering to the agenda of our own class, section of the country or racial group. It is about being just but even more importantly, ruling in the fear of God.

Let us pray for our leaders and also when given the opportunity to choose, vote for the leader we believe will do the right thing for the country. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach unto any people.”   

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“IT IS WRITTEN”

Barack Obama, the US president who is seeking a second four year term as president said on Wednesday this week in an interview on US television that he was now in favour of same sex marriage despite 32 of the 50 States being openly against it. Mr Obama in the interview said his position has been one of evolution, for up until recently he thought a civil partnership was good enough, but after speaking to his family and thinking about it, same sex marriage is okay with him.

In the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness at the start of Jesus’ public ministry, as set out in the Gospels, we can read how best to deal with temptations.

In the three temptations of Satan, our Lord responded to each temptation with the words it is written. Incidentally, one should take note that each temptation was prefaced with reference to the Holy Scriptures, Satan is not averse to using scripture to mislead or deceive. It is for this reason the Spirit spoke clearly to apostle James when he wrote that true faith, was more than simply saying I believe, for devils believe; the issue is are we willing to obey. Jesus once said to some religious type that to love him, is to obey his commandments.

Furthermore, Jesus told some of the Pharisee leadership of his time that they were of their father the devil and his works they would do, for Satan was both a liar and a murderer from the beginning. Their desire to kill Jesus was all the proof that was needed that they were of the devil. Yet, they said that it was Jesus’ blasphemy or healing on the Sabbath that made them angry to the point of wanting him dead. To want to kill Jesus was a violation of the commandment thou shall not kill.

It is written thou shall not steal; it is written thou shall not commit adultery and it is written thou shall not commit murder. It is also written that to be saved and enter the Kingdom of God, one must believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sins and to immerse (baptize) in water in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of our sins. It is again written, that we must be holy for God is holy. Finally, it is written that a same sex relations is a sin and one cannot expect to enter the Kingdom of God without repentance; this is true for every kind of sin. For it is written all unrighteousness is sin.

No one should be defined by the sin or wrong they have committed. The adulterer should not be defined and therefore labelled an adulterer. Adultery is an act and anyone caught in the act of adultery can be pardoned and go on to live a new life. Equally, a thief should not be defined and labelled a thief. It is for this reason we should stop referring to former prisoners as ex offenders for the rest of their lives. For it is again written that “he who knew no sin became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God through him”.

In the time of Jesus he came across adulterers, one in particular was a serial adulterer, in that she had had five husbands and was at the time of meeting Jesus, living with another woman’s husband. Another adulterer was on the verge of being stoned to death but after her accusers brought her to Jesus to pronounce upon, Jesus told them: “he that is without sin should cast the first stone”. The words of Jesus pricked every man’s conscience and they left her alone and went their way. Jesus after letting her know that he did not condemn her either, but that she should go and sin no more.

Jesus did not come to condemn but to rescue us from our sins and this includes sexual immoralities, like homosexuality. The church of Jesus Christ is not called to condemn but to call all men to repentance. Sadly, the sin of homosexuality has been politicised as an issue of human rights and not morality. Not all desires are moral for while we may pass laws to say certain things are okay this does not make it moral for even nature tells us the same. Pornography may be legal but it is immoral; prostitution may be legal in some countries but I doubt whether anyone would say it is moral. Incest is wrong; paedophilia is wrong; and same sex marriage is wrong. Fornication is also wrong even though it is accepted as normal, preferable, in that the prevailing advice to our young people is to “try it” before you commit and even encouraged in drama on TV and in films.

Mr Obama may see nothing wrong with same sex marriage but it’s not what he thinks that matters but rather is it moral. Sin is a reproach to any people while righteousness exalts a nation. The politicisation of homosexuality means that politicians use this issue to garner votes on the pro or anti side, which is wrong. This politicisation also means that people march and lobby in favour or against it. Consequently, homosexuals find themselves in a very dangerous situation in that this sin is compounded with pride.

Homosexuality is the only modern day sin that men are proud to march about, or to broadcast to the world. Of the six sins of Sodom which led to their destruction pride is featured on two occasions: the first and fifth with the reference to sex listed as the last of the six reasons. (For a greater insight into this, please read blog number 57, titled Sodom and Gomorrah).

As a Christian minister, I want to see all walk with God in newness of life, for in the words of Apostle Paul: “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new”. This is true for the adulterer, the murderer, the thief and also for the homosexual, for it is written.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“IDOLATRY”

Today, the Olympic flame was lit in Olympia, Greece in an elaborate procession which marks the journey of the Olympic torch from Greece and across Europe to arrive in London for the start of the 2012 London summer Olympics. The flame was kindled by an actress, playing a “high priestess”, who caught the sun’s rays in a parabolic mirror at the Temple of Hera ruins, by the ancient Olympic Games stadium.

The gods of sports will be on display: hopefully putting in the performance of a lifetime and soaking up the adulation; with the most successful ones going on to fame, riches and worship. Some will go home to a hero’s reception: ticker a tape street parade, TV appearances and even a very public reception by the head of state.

The modern Olympic Games are conducted on the greatest stage or more accurately, arena in the world. They occur every two years, alternating from summer to winter.

Playing sport is hugely important for it brings young people together it also encourages fitness and good health. Sport is the most popular past time for people the world over, the very best sportspeople are indeed stars, idols and human deities. So, whether the sport is football, the single most popular sport in the world, or an array of sports staged at the Olympics, sport is king.

Why then the title for this blog? Well I am troubled because sport and other forms of entertainment are turning people into idol worshippers and the performers into gods and this is not good. For while we spend billions of pounds on sports each year and worship these sporting personalities, lavishing on them great riches and super star status, millions of children and young people die because of poverty: poor sanitation, curable diseases, bad water and hunger. All the major sporting events are broadcast live by satellite and onto very large screens and sometimes very tiny ones too, into the major cities, towns and even into some of the most remote parts of the world yet in some of these countries there are tens of thousands of children living on the streets and going hungry.

The cost of staging sporting events at the local, national and international level is astronomical. The opening ceremony alone for the last summer Olympics in Beijing, China is estimated to have cost $100 million (US). Greece who hosted the 2004 summer games is bankrupt and cannot pay its bills because of the huge costs of staging the Games.

The cost of staging the summer Games in London this summer is estimated to be $14.8 billion (US) at a time when there is economic hardship right across the country. The Diamond Jubilee celebrations, a very good thing, and the extra public holidays because of the Jubilee celebrations and the summer Games will have a huge impact upon the nation’s finances. Do expect a fall in productivity especially over the summer months as the nation goes to play.

Our politicians in Britain like those in Greece and before that Sydney, Australia will say what a great success it was. As for China the Beijing Games was a huge PR exercise, the true cost will never be known added to the fact that in an autocratic state like China the truth is just never a priority.

The Greece of Alexander the Great fell and has never recovered itself, as predicted in the bible. Before its fall to Rome, its sporting arenas were like temples of worship, some of their ruins can still be seen even today, long after the sporting gods have been forgotten.

The mighty Roman Empire rose, conquered all before her and fell, again as predicted in the bible. The arenas or coliseums became the place where gladiators were transformed from slaves to heroes and for some, gods. And once again the Roman Empire fell and mighty was the fall, never to rise to its former glory.

The common thread between the fall of these empires and today is sport. It has become a religion to some and its performers, gods. The gods and worshippers come together each week in stadia and arenas in all the major cities of the world. Huge sums of money are squandered each year on keeping the religion going.

This religion is patronised by leaders and heads of corporations. Huge investments are made into promoting this religion and securing the very best performers. The masses travel from stadium to stadium all year round to participate in the religion of sport and no one sees the idolatry involved.

The philosopher, Karl Marx wrote that “religion was the opium of the people”, that is, it numbs the pain of everyday life for the poor. Well, sport may well be said to do this.

For me, Jesus Christ came to give life, to liberate and to usher in truth. As a man he did not encourage adoration or worship but instead directed worship towards the Heavenly Father.

Let me conclude this blog with a quotation from Apostle Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi:

“Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. (Philippians 2: 7-11).

In short, the Apostle was writing that we should not be selfish and greedy but we should be willing to help those less fortunate than ourselves. How can we continue to spend such large sums of money on sporting events when millions go hungry every day? Jesus was at every level God in human form; so as not to idolise man, he down played who he really was: he humbled himself, became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And because of his humility, God has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.

2012 is a very important year for the UK, the world will be focusing on London because of the Diamond Jubilee celebrations and the London Summer Olympics; I pray that the year will not end in tears followed by years of economic recession, social unrest and spiritual depression because we have become a nation of idolaters. Belshazzar’s feast ended in the fall of an empire (Babylon), again a kingdom that loved sport and entertainment and worshipped the performers as gods.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“PEACE, BE STILL”

Last night I had a dream that was so vivid involving Prime Minister, David Cameron. In the dream he collapsed and was in deep distress and I picked him up and started carrying him to a place where he could get help. While carrying him I ministered to him through prayer and the word of God but I also told him he had to make changes to some of the policies he wanted to introduce for God was not pleased with some of the things he was doing. He listened as I carried him over quite a distance until we reached the destination. I cannot, however, recall where we ended up but he was given the opportunity to hear and to make changes.

As a minister of Christ it would be sinful of me not to pray for our Prime Minister and other leaders nationally and locally, so I regularly pray for them. It is also my duty to offer a word of counsel, encouragement and help whenever I can for it is not easy being a leader especially in such high offices. It takes more than intelligence and oratory to be Prime Minister. It also takes courage and humility. A good leader must be willing to listen to good counsel from every good source: sycophants and the obsequious is not what is needed, sometimes clear direct advice is what’s needed for the sake of the nation.

Recently, a member of the Prime Ministers own political party spoke critically of the government and the PM in particular because of policies she felt were not good for the country, I do pray he will listen and make changes.

Last Saturday, 5^th May was the day of the protest and counter protest here in Luton. The groups involved are not welcomed but they have a right to protest under certain conditions, for this is a free and open society. I woke up expecting it to rain heavily, for I had earnestly prayed that God would send rain, for so I reasoned it would reduce the number, cut short the procession and hopefully dampen spirits. Instead it was a bright day but a little cold, especially for May, which made me a little miserable for my prayers, had not been answered the way I had asked. Yes, it is true that I prayed unceasingly for peace but I thought torrential rain would do the job. As the day went on I still expected rain but instead the sun kept shining, still to my disappointment, which I took every opportunity to express to God as I moved to and fro across the town.

As I and others engaged with the people: in shops, on the streets, in front of their homes and in their cars, everyone was so calm, relaxed and peaceable. Drivers caught up in the road blocks, diversions and the consequential traffic were so peaceable, no horns blaring or loss of temper it was then I began to think perhaps this was the best way to keep the peace. In fact the evening before I was asked to address a crowd of people, which included both MP’s, and a number of faith leaders, I spoke about the calm and the sense of peace that was upon the town and that no one need be afraid for the prince of Peace, Jesus Christ had heard our prayers. So, it seems that God’s way of bringing peace and calm to the town was certainly not my way for in fact if it had rained the way I had prayed I, other community mediators and the police, would have been thoroughly soaked, even more than the protesters for we had to be on the streets and I personally was outside for more than eight hours.

There is a bible story in the Gospels of Jesus on the seas with a few of his disciples. As they journeyed, Jesus fell asleep at the rear of the boat. A very powerful storm arose and was so strong that the disciples, who were seafaring men, became afraid that they woke Jesus from sleep, with the words “don’t you care that we perish”? On waking, Jesus spoke these words to the storm: “Peace, be still”. Immediately the storm abated, the sea was calm and there was no more danger.

On seeing this, the disciples were dumb struck for if they had not seen it they would not have believed this was possible.

The answer lies in the fact that He that is peace said unto the conditions: Peace, says unto you, be still.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“DECONSTRUCTION”

Today, I had to complete a form in which I was given the following choices to select from in respect of my sex: male, female and other. Is this political correction, reductio ad absurdum?

I am in despair for children born today or being raised today in certain parts of our world in respect of a host of issues. Life is challenging enough but we humans are determined to self destruct, but worst than that, it’s not only adults that are affected, our children are the true victims; they are the ones I worry most about. Sinful man never seems to know when to say no; or knowing when enough is enough. Instead we plough on and damn the consequences; even when what we do, produces utter confusion, mental illness and death.

Deconstruction is the title of this blog because I believe this is what is happening. To construct is: to build, to raise up and to establish.

Deconstruction on the other hand is the opposite of these but in a determined and pernicious way, for it is a philosophy.

The process of deconstruction is: to attack and try to destroy what has been constructed and has served society well; then construct the opposite and persuade society that what has been built is better, inclusive or as in the case of the bible, what God really meant.

Deconstructionism is a philosophical theory that seeks to challenge the status quo, the norm and even received wisdom by way of criticism. It has been described as a tendency to subvert or pull apart and examine existing conventions having to do with meaning and individualism. Everything in literature, music, business, politics, religion and in particular, Christianity can be subject to deconstruction so that what was accepted as good becomes questionable and even regarded as evil while what was evil is re-defined as a matter of opinion and given time, might even be regarded as good but only relatively speaking.

Moral absolutes have been replaced by relativism, but this should be no surprise to readers of the bible, for thus it is written in the book of proverbs: “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts”. (Proverbs 21: 2).

Let me give some examples of deconstruction: the word “wicked” is a negative word but in the last couple of decades it has been redefined among young people to mean good. Another example is in the music world of hip hop; so much of its style and lyrics is all about deconstruction, it’s for this reason I am personally very much against this genre of music for the proponents of hip hop have an agenda to deconstruct the culture and establish a counter, sub culture where almost anything goes.

In Christianity there is also deconstruction being perpetrated by individuals who are intent on changing the holy and pure into the profane. For centuries, despite a prohibition by the Bible, artists have painted images of Jesus but have you noticed how effeminate such paintings are: the long blonde hair, the gentle and meek like features, and the cropped beard all this was to prepare us for the time when someone would say that Jesus was homosexual. Well we know that there are those who have made this claim that Jesus might have been homosexual.

Another example of deconstruction in Christianity is to elevate Jesus Christ as everything that is good: his teachings, works and character while at the same time dismissing the church as: irrelevant, dangerous, too controlling and the coup de grace in the deconstruction argument, that one need not go to church or be part of a church to be a Christian. Yet conveniently forgetting that the institution of the church is the Lord’s doing, for Jesus told Peter “upon this rock, I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”. (Matthew 16: 18).

I believe this feminization of Jesus may explain the reluctance of men to be part of the church. Only in modern Christianity is men so under – represented in their public allegiance to the church. At the beginning it was not so, men came to Christ in large numbers and were willing to suffer and die for Christ. Perhaps herein lies the problem, modern Christianity is no longer about suffering, persecution and martyrdom but is more about: feelings, emotion and relationships.

Children need to know what is right from what is wrong, in terms of: the law, language and yes morality. There are only two sexes, namely male and female to say otherwise is to confuse, corrupt and deconstruct our culture.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“EAT IT AND SEE”

Yesterday, I heard a radio discussion about the damage internet hardcore pornography was having on young people in the UK. A PHD, social researcher, in response to findings by a parliamentary group said “the best thing we can say is that we don’t know”. This view was challenged by the MP who commissioned the report, who in effect said we do know.

Claire Perry, the MP for the Devizes Constituency who chaired the Independent Inquiry said:

“Our Inquiry found that many children are easily accessing internet pornography as well as other websites showing extreme violence or promoting self-harm and anorexia. This is hugely worrying. While parents should be responsible for their children’s online safety, in practice people find it difficult to put content filters on the plethora of internet-enabled devices in their homes, plus families lack the right information and education on internet safety. It’s time that Britain’s Internet Service Providers, who make more than £3 billion a year from selling internet access services, took on more of the responsibility to keep children safe, and the Government needs to send a strong message that this is what we all expect”.

The following is an extract from the parliamentary inquiry:

The Inquiry panel heard from those involved in making and distributing porn that the amount of free explicit content has “exploded” in recent years. Historically, commercial pornography sites would site more explicit material behind a pay wall and adult content warnings but the growth in user-generated material on the internet has dramatically altered the economics of the industry.

As a result, more hard-core imagery is now available in the “free shop front” of commercial porn sites and only 3 per cent of pornographic websites require proof of age before granting access to explicit material while two-thirds of these sites do not include any adult content warnings.

Witnesses acknowledged the ethical difficulties in assessing the impact of exposure to pornography on children, but repeatedly told the Panel of the changes that they are witnessing in terms of body image, sexual behaviour and relationship difficulties.

Overuse of pornographic material has been shown to desensitise children and young people to violent or sexually aggressive acts, diminish sympathy for victims of sexual assault and reduce children’s own inhibitions, making them more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. Moreover, a vicious circle of behaviour can develop where exposure to porn leads to early sexual involvement and an increased consumption of sexual media.

The Panel heard many disturbing examples of internet pornography forming part of the toolkit used to abuse children; young adolescents being pressured into risky sexual behaviour; girls and boys being referred to counselling for porn addiction, and the overall concern that children and young people have neither the experience nor maturity to contextualise this imagery. Witnesses described this situation as a “social experiment with unknown long-term consequences”.

To say like the social researcher that we don’t know the effect hardcore pornography is having or is likely to have on children is not only untrue but dangerous. Arguments like this one was offered up by so called experts about the dangers of smoking. Similarly, concerning the dangers of alcohol, cannabis and even gambling. Yet all around us the consequences are clearly seen. Councils have had to introduce alcohol free zones in their city and town centres to spare their embarrassment. New powers have been given to the police in an attempt to “clean up the mess”.

The line that is still pushed, which is the title of this blog is, “eat it and see”, a line first pushed by Satan in the Garden of Eden. God had expressly told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil but later Satan came along and said otherwise, in truth, he said, it will make you wise.

Incidentally, the social researcher referred to above recently wrote a book with the title “the sex myth: why everything we are told about sex is wrong”. This is a woman, who like Satan has an agenda. Satan’s agenda is to kill, steal and destroy. Jesus Christ, however, came to give life. It was life that God offered Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden but sadly and to all our woes, they ate the forbidden fruit in order that they might see, but death was the consequence.

Why take the risk? It is foolish in the extreme to take a risk with such dangers. It’s like the joke about the man who goes up to a stranger and asks him if his dog bite. The stranger replied, no! So the man proceeds to pat the dog that swiftly bites his hand. “I thought you said your dog doesn’t bite,” asked the man”, he is not my dog replied the stranger.

The moral of the story is all dogs bite.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“PROTOCOL”

Last night I had a dream in which I was explaining to a group of believers the reasons for there being so many Christian denominations and an ever increasing number of independent churches and ministries whose nomenclature is after the founder. What I said in the dream was so simple yet so very true, I wondered that I had not thought or said this before. In short the issue was to do with pride.

In the dream I gave a couple of scenarios in which I said pride was the source of this problem.

Scenario one: in a remote village somewhere a simple farmer becomes frustrated with his life and one day he has what he later calls, a revelation from God. As a result of the revelation he begins a new work and goes about propagating the message. After some time the message he brings is received by some in the village which eventually spreads to neighbouring villages. At no stage does this preacher confer with anyone for he is sure what he has received is from God. His knowledge of the word of God beyond the so called revelation is limited but this doesn’t deter him for he soon convinces himself that he is chosen and anyone that doesn’t agree with him is lacking in spirituality.

Scenario two: the young minister who gets restless in his local church and walks away to start a new work. Soon afterwards he starts to preach a new doctrine that gets the attention and rebuke of other church leaders. The young minister has no time for his elders in the faith for he is sure he has received clear direction from God.

As I gave these two scenarios in the dream I made the point that it was pride that led to both situations. The title of this blog is protocol because I believe it engenders good manners as well as giving protection to all.

It is pride of the worst kind that either man in the two scenarios could be so arrogant to think that everyone else was wrong or less spiritual. It was arrogant to presume that even if God was talking to them that somehow he stopped talking to other ministers at the same time. It was also arrogant for the two men to be so unyielding and to be so unwilling to seriously listen to the counsels of others especially their elders.

Does this therefore mean that God could not have given a revelation to either man? The answer is a quick no! For God can, and does. This is where protocol makes all the difference.

Apostle Paul is converted and retires to Arabia and later back to Damascus to seek God concerning the revelation he had received concerning Jesus, the church and the message of salvation.

While there, he seeks to comprehend the revelation he had received and only afterwards was he willing to communicate such but not until he conferred with the leading ministers at Jerusalem privately. The Bible says that the leading ministers listened to Paul: his testimony and revelation and were satisfied that God had truly called him and given him such revelations.

Any so called revelation from God must be based on: a credible testimony; the revelation itself must be in keeping with Holy Scripture and the nature of God; it must be comprehended and only then communicated. The revelation might be from God but it must be understood by the recipient first; the onus is on the recipient to communicate the revelation and this will also require good communication skills. Time spent with God at such a time is essential to get a full understanding of the revelation. Often our spirit is enlightened ahead of our mind so we must make sure we understand what the Lord is saying before we communicate. Remember we communicate with the mind not our spirit.

The revelations that God gave Moses concerning the beginning of the world and of the tabernacle of witness saw Moses spending 40 days on both occasions in the presence of God. Imagine the great danger if Moses after receiving the revelations did not comprehend what he had received and then tried to communicate it.

A revelation can be received in an instant and then takes days or months to understand and a lifetime to communicate.

Protocol can also be found in the world of science. Any new idea is first an hypothesis, then a working theory; the theory is then subject to peer review to check calculations, carry out the same tests and produce their own findings. Only after this process and providing the results are found to be accurate, does it go public.

In recent times Jimmy Jones led many to their death in Guyana for he believed he had received revelations from God. Before that, there was Joseph Smith, the founder of the Mormon religion who is said to have had a visitation from an angel and that he was given a supplement to the bible in what became known as the book of Mormon. Despite its growth over the century the Mormon Church teachings that came from Joseph Smith are false for he made the mistake, through arrogance, of not being accountable to anyone and refused to listen to anyone.

The watchtower religious organisation is another case in point, in that its founder Charles Taze Russell went his own way, refusing to listen to others more learned, more spiritual and more experienced than him. Today we have in both religious organisations what the book of Revelation calls “synagogues of Satan”. Examine their origins, false claims and worst of all their teachings and you will see the danger of which I write.

Cults are the product of this pride of which I have written. For what one finds is after arrogance comes isolation from other church leaders and churches, self righteousness in believing that the isolation and perceived rejection is a badge of honour. Eventually, the isolation and siege mentality leads to further drift from sound doctrine.

For let’s not forget Satan can appear as an angel of light. What began may have been true but through pride instead of giving what they have and learning from others they make out as if everything that they say or do is from God. This is hubris or pride. Satan knows how to trap us into a corner and then when on our own we don’t know friend from foe, or God from Satan. If left unchecked what may have started as truth can become a cult. The early Church and Paul in particular, did not succumb to this for they were well taught by Jesus.

Despite the opposition and later rejection by the religious elite, Jesus kept ministering and meeting in public. Jesus even went to the temple and engaged with the wider community to the very end. Our messages must always be preached and lived in the light where it can be criticised, commended and effect change.

So once again, we see the danger of pride. God hates pride more than any other sin.

If you believe you have a revelation from God then make sure you comprehend it before you communicate it. Do confer with trusted ministers not for the sake of getting approval and never come over as the only one God is speaking to. Stay in fellowship with trusted and respected ministers for as you are seeking to share the revelation with others, be open and willing to learn from others who may equally have revelations on other matters.

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Ephesians 4: 11-14).

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny

“A SAFE PASSAGE”

I have just got back from taking my wife, Merline to Heathrow airport to board a flight to Atlanta, Georgia to spend time with our daughter, Christine and our son in law, Anthony as together they celebrate the third birthday of Anthony junior, this coming Saturday. The church prayed with my wife on Tuesday and we prayed again before setting off this morning for a safe passage. Our praying for my wife’s safe passage is not because we are superstitious but rather we have learnt never to take travel, work, things and most important of all, life for granted. Superstition is defined as: an irrational belief i.e., one held in spite of evidence to the contrary usually involving supernatural forces and associated with rituals. For example, the belief that spilling salt is bad luck and that one must toss a pinch of salt over one’s shoulder to dispel misfortune.

Praying to an idol is futile, but praying to the God of the Bible is an all together different matter. Christianity is about experiencing the incredible and defying the impossible. The strength of the Gospel is in the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. His was a very public death; he was buried in the tomb of a rich noble with great connections. Before His death he made many references to his death and resurrection on the third day, so by the time he was crucified, even though his detractors did not believe that he would come back to life, nevertheless insisted and got the Roman authorities to guard the tomb for the three days.

Well the bible through the many witnesses attest to His resurrection for they saw the risen Christ for up to 40 days later. Christianity is a faith steeped in the miraculous, so we have great confidence in the prayers we pray.

Sunday, 15^th April is one hundred years to the day when the Titanic ocean liner sank after striking an iceberg with the loss of many lives. Because of this, there are a number of programmes on radio and TV as well as articles in newspapers and new books published giving very detailed information of: the ship, the passengers that were on board, the days leading up to the accident, the accident itself and its aftermath. One hundred years after the sinking, the name Titanic still resonates with us, I think for a number of reasons: it was the ship’s maiden voyage, the great and the good were on board, it was the most luxurious vessel ever built, its huge size and the fact that it was dubbed the unsinkable ship.

The USA won the space race against the USSR. The USA successfully delivered on President John F Kennedy’s challenge to successfully land a man on the moon and bring him back safely before the end of the 1960’s. President Kennedy’s goal was accomplished with the Apollo 11 mission when astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed their Lunar Module on the Moon on July 20, 1969 and walked on its surface while Michael Collins remained in lunar orbit in the command spacecraft, and all three landed safely on Earth on July 24. Five subsequent Apollo missions also landed astronauts on the Moon, the last in December 1972. In these six spaceflights, 12 men walked on the Moon. The Apollo programme was successful despite two major setbacks: the 1967 Apollo 1 cabin fire that killed the entire crew during a pre-launch test; and an in-flight failure on the 1970Apollo 13 flight which disabled the command spacecraft’s propulsion and life support, forcing the crew to use the Lunar Module as a “lifeboat” for these functions until they could return to Earth safely. Life here on planet earth is full of pitfalls and can be very dangerous.

The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 EST (16:38 UTC). Disintegration of the entire vehicle began after an O- ring seal in its right solid rocket booster (SRB) failed at liftoff. The O-ring failure caused a breach in the SRB joint it sealed, allowing pressurized hot gas from within the solid rocket motor to reach the outside and impinge upon the adjacent SRB attachment hardware and external fuel tank.

The crew compartment and many other vehicle fragments were eventually recovered from the ocean floor after a lengthy search and recovery operation. Although the exact timing of the death of the crew is unknown, several crew members are known to have survived the initial breakup of the spacecraft. However, the shuttle had no escape system and the astronauts did not survive the impact of the crew compartment on the ocean surface, an impact that would be unsurvivable due to the G forces alone.

The disaster resulted in a 32-month hiatus in the shuttle programme and the formation of the Rogers Commission, a special commission appointed by US president Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident. The Rogers Commission found NASA’s organizational culture and decision-making processes had been key contributing factors to the accident. NASA managers had known contractor Morton Thiokol’s design of the SRBs contained a potentially catastrophic flaw in the O-rings since 1977, but failed to address it properly. They also disregarded warnings from engineers about the dangers of launching posed by the low temperatures of that morning and had failed to adequately report these technical concerns to their superiors. Up until that moment the Shuttle had a perfect record and despite known technical problems as well as the warnings from engineers on the day of the launch it went ahead because of this perfect record.

Time after time Homo sapiens (wise man) get complacent, careless and self confident for after all it has worked many times before, then it must work this time also. We know how, we have the technology. (Blog number 30 is all about Homo sapiens).

When things go wrong, man on the whole is quick to blame God: the weeping family, the distraught community and the individual whose faith is challenged because of what appears to be an inexplicable disaster. Yet there were warnings and information that all was not well beforehand, but still we proceed; until disaster stops us in our tracks. It’s only in the subsequent investigation that we are told that the disaster might have been avoidable after all.

“Give them warning from me” says the Lord. “The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through the Lord Jesus Christ”. “Tell them whether they hear or forbear”, says the Lord. “For God so loved the world (people), that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”.

John the Baptist is arrested and in prison, Jesus knowing that John’s life was about to be taken addresses the people with these words:

“But whereunto shall I liken this generation? It is like unto children sitting in the markets, and calling unto their fellows, and saying, we have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented. For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil. The Son of man came eating and drinking, and they say, behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners. But wisdom is justified of her children.

Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the Day of Judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the Day of Judgment, than for thee”. (Matthew 11: 16-24).

In recent years, I am travelling by air more than ever and I suspect it will increase even the more. Yet if truth be told I would rather not use an aeroplane but modern life requires it. What makes me travel by air is my faith and trust in God. I believe through prayer and the word of God, the aircraft is sanctified, that is, set apart and thus covered by the blood of Jesus. The sceptic may view this as superstition but this is to devalue the efficacy of the blood of Christ.  It was blood that provided covering against death in the time of the historic exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt. 400 years of slavery came to a sudden end because the blood provided a safe passage out. If the blood of a lamb could provide such covering against death, how much more the blood of Jesus, the spotless lamb of God. “When I see the blood, says the Lord, I will pass over you”. Jesus is the Passover lamb whose blood provides for a safe passage: by car, ship, and aircraft and finally from death unto life eternal.

If you or anyone you know is in need of help: prayer, someone to talk to or write to, then do get in touch by email, telephone or by ordinary letter. My email address at the church is:  pastor@rrfluton.org.uk; or 90, Dunstable Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU1 1EH, UK; Tel: 01582 391503.

God save the UK. Our platform is the world and our congregation the people.

The Lord’s servant

Apostle Lloyd Denny