Theologian Dr Robert Beckford explains what he learned at Hillsong London when he visited the
Church as part of his documentary which airs on BBC One this week
Hillsong London is the only church I’ve ever been into where I felt old! It was an amazing spectacle to see 3,000 people worshiping God. 70% of them are under 25. I was
participating in a worship service in a theater with smoke and multimedia
screens. It was very dynamic and very modern.
I hear from thousands of Christians each week, and sometimes that many
in a day. I also hear from those from other faiths or no faith at all. They are
diverse—from almost every denomination and nation. I don't base the following
on scientific polling, but it is a good sampling and may be even more accurate
than the polls have been recently.
Most seem to think that Trump is either a messenger from the Messiah or
from the antichrist, and few are in between. Some Christians are shocked that
other Christians would vote for Trump, yet polls indicate that more than half
of evangelical Christians are voting for him. Why?
This is a valid question that reveals a lot about the state of the
nation and also the church. The following seem to be the main reasons
Christians have given for supporting Donald Trump rather than the other more
vocal or devoted believers.
FACTOR #1: Many no longer trust politicians who claim to
be Christians or conservatives. These seem to inevitably change when they
get to Washington and fail to keep their promises.
Donald Trump's candidacy has sparked a civil war inside American Christianity.
Trump's popularity among self-identified evangelical Christians has led national figures in American Christianity toquestion whether large swaths of the church even know what their faith teaches, and how it applies to public and political life.
The split is between a subset of evangelicals best categorized as "creedal"
believers—those who take their faith most seriously and who oppose
Trump. Less devout Christians, often described as "notional" or
"cultural," are more open to the businessman and GOP front-runner.
The majority of national evangelical leaders are on the side of creedal
believers.
If Trump becomes the Republican nominee many of these creedal evangelicals who have traditionally voted Republican say they would distance themselves from the GOP. But nobody knows whether this would result in evangelicals moving over to vote for the Democratic nominee or whether there would be a broader movement among conservatives to form a third party.
Nonetheless, many anti-Trump Christian leaders believe that the American church has been in decline for decades, leaving many casual Christians — for whom faith is more of a cultural identity rather than a day-to-day experience — vulnerable to Trump's appeals to anger and resentment.
I love Easter, It was at
Children’s Service in 1981 at Neath, that an 11 year old boy although
raised in a Christian Family and to be honest had never known a life outside
Church, give his life to Jesus, that 11 year old was me, that day
was over 30 years ago and I remember as if it was yesterday.
A lot of things have happened in
the meanwhile, and a lot of water has passed underneath the Bridge, times have
been enjoyable and times have been less than enjoyable, yet that 11 year
boy has grown up and hopefully matured and has become a 46 year old man.
When I look back with hindsight and I see the highs and the many lows, the
times that yes it’s been difficult.
Lamentations 3:22-23
English Standard Version (ESV)
22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[a]
his mercies never come to an end; 23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
Some
2,000 years ago, a man was lead to his death by an occupying army to die a
death that was both humiliating and agonizing both the political and
religious authorities had conspired to end the live of this one man because
they felt threatened by his message and popularity his friends had
run away from him and where now in hiding.
One of his friends had betrayed him and one of his closest friends had
denied him, he was beaten and bloodied, and was led to certain death by public
execution, of all the tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands who shared
his fate or will share his fate including some of his latter disciples, this
one death out of thousands of similar deaths of those who had been crucified on
a cross of wood,
This one death was and is of eternal significance, this death bought
God’s Gift of Salvation, the forgiveness of sins, The Redemption of Mankind.
When
our Lord Jesus came, He had one mission in mind, he voluntary laid aside his
divine attributes and was born by a woman, he lived a normal life in seeming
obscurity, he launched his mission by these words The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me see Luke 4:18-19, he had been tempted to sin by the deceiver and
accuser Satan, yet had not sinned, indeed there was no sin found in Him, his
mission then and now is to save sinners. John the Baptist said these words when
Jesus came to him to be baptised in Water, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world, and see John 1:28-30
In
1904, The Lord moved mightily in the land of Wales and tens if not hundreds of
thousands give their live to the Lord and became followers of Jesus, one of the
most famous hymns to come out of that time was Here is Love vast as the Ocean
or Dyma Gariad Fel Y Moroedd
Dyma
gariad fel y moroedd,
Tosturiaethau
fel y lli:
Twysog
Bywyd pur yn marw—
Marw i
brynu’n bywyd ni.
Pwy all
beidio â chofio amdano?
Pwy all
beidio â thraethu’I glod?
Dyma
gariad nad â’n angof
Tra fo
nefoedd wen yn bod.
Ar
Galfaria yr ymrwygodd
Holl
ffynhonnau’r dyfnder mawr;
Torrodd
holl argaeau’r nefoedd
Oedd yn
gyfain hyd yn awr:
Gras â
chariad megis dilyw
Yn
ymdywallt ymâ ’nghyd,
A
chyfiawnder pur â heddwch
Yn
cusanu euog fyd.
Here is
love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness
as the flood,
When
the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed
for us His precious blood.
Who His
love will not remember?
Who can
cease to sing His praise?
He can
never be forgotten,
Throughout
heav'n's eternal days.
On the
mount of crucifixion,
Fountains
opened deep and wide;
Through
the floodgates of God's mercy
Flowed
a vast and gracious tide.
Grace
and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured
incessant from above,
And
heav'n's peace and perfect justice
Kissed
a guilty world in love.
Let me
all Thy love accepting,
Love
Thee, ever all my days;
Let me
seek Thy kingdom only
And my
life be to Thy praise;
Thou
alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing
in the world I see.
Thou
hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou
Thyself hast set me free.
In Thy
truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy
Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy
grace my need is meeting,
As I
trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou
art pouring
Thy
great love and power on me,
Without
measure, full and boundless,
Drawing
out my heart to Thee.
It's
now Easter, a time of renewal and restoration, hope and
transformation because Jesus paid the ultimate price and died for our sins and
rose victorious from the grave and now is in Heaven. I would ask you to
think about the real reason for Easter which hasn’t nothing to do with Easter
Eggs, Hot Cross Buns or indeed the Easter Bunny, but it’s because of Our Lord,
Our Saviour, Our Redeemer Jesus Christ. I could continue but I will close with
this video.
