<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!--Generated by Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/) on Tue, 29 May 2012 01:47:09 GMT--><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/"><title>Blog</title><subtitle>Blog</subtitle><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/</id><link rel="alternate" type="application/xhtml+xml" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/"/><link rel="self" type="application/atom+xml" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/atom.xml"/><updated>2012-04-08T04:19:37Z</updated><generator uri="http://www.squarespace.com/" version="Squarespace Site Server v5.11.81 (http://www.squarespace.com/)">Squarespace</generator><entry><title>Today, 8 April 2012, Jesus is Alive!</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/6/today-8-april-2012-jesus-is-alive.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/6/today-8-april-2012-jesus-is-alive.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-06T13:06:44Z</published><updated>2012-04-06T13:06:44Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p class="Body">Say it out loud... <strong>Jesus is alive! </strong>...How did it sound?... Truthfully now... how did it sound?</p>
<p class="Body">Imagine saying it at work, school, uni, to your  neighbor. To someone you know; someone who knows who you are. Just  saying I believe Jesus is alive!</p>
<p class="Body">How do you feel now? ... &ldquo;I can&rsquo;t do that. They&rsquo;ll think I&rsquo;m daft. I&rsquo;ve lost it. Talking nonsense!&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Body">Some women tried it once, said it to men they knew, men  they lived beside, men they worked beside&hellip; but... they didn&rsquo;t believe...  &ldquo;their words seemed to them like nonsense.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Body">Rough tough men they were, hard-nosed realists... What else did they expect?</p>
<p class="Body">Only... these men&hellip; had been known as Jesus&rsquo; disciples!!!??</p>
<p class="Body">When Mary and the other women told the apostles that Jesus was alive</p>
<p class="Body">&nbsp;&ldquo;it seemed to them like nonsense.&rdquo; (Luke 24 v 11 NIV)</p>
<p class="Body">Let&rsquo;s not be surprised or upset when people laugh at the  thought of Jesus rising from the dead. That was the first reaction of  those who knew him best, men he actually told he was going to rise  again.</p>
<p class="Body">Things changed... boy did they change!&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="Body">How?&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; ... They met him for themselves.</p>
<p class="Body">Peter went to check the facts for himself and&hellip; &ldquo;wondered to himself what had happened.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Body">Two others talked about &ldquo;everything that had happened&rdquo; as they walked to Emmaus.</p>
<p class="Body">Thomas was just hanging about with those who had already met him.</p>
<p class="Body">Jesus revealed himself to them all.</p>
<p class="Body">Our job is not to try and persuade people that Jesus is alive..........<strong>He <span style="text-decoration: underline;">is</span> alive</strong>.</p>
<p class="Body">We just need to: Share the facts. Talk about &ldquo;everything  that happened&rdquo; and Make sure people who&rsquo;ve not met him yet can hang  about with us.</p>
<p class="Body">Then &ldquo;their eyes will be opened&rdquo; and they will &ldquo;recognize him.&rdquo;</p>
<p class="Body">It&rsquo;s not just about knowing <strong>Jesus is alive</strong> it&rsquo;s about <strong>knowing Jesus</strong>.</p>
<p class="Body" style="text-align: right;">David R</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Christ's Burial</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/6/christs-burial.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/6/christs-burial.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-06T12:58:51Z</published><updated>2012-04-06T12:58:51Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>The 15<sup>th</sup> February 1952 is a date that probably holds no significance for most. It was however, the last time the funeral service of the reigning monarch of Great Britain and the Commonwealth took place. Just over sixty years ago, King George VI passed away peacefully in his sleep. His body was dressed in full military uniform, and placed in a great coffin. His coffin lay in-state in Westminster Hall for five days to allow the nation and Commonwealth to pay respects. As the coffin was taken from Westminster Hall, it was draped with the Royal Standard, and the Sceptre and Orb, symbols of his Kingship, were laid on top. Around two million mourners lined the streets of London, heads quietly bowed in the chill winter air, as the funeral procession slowly made its way through familiar landmarks such as Whitehall and Horseguards Parade en route to Paddington Station. No voices were heard, nor words spoken. Big Ben tolled for fifty six minutes, one for each year of the King&rsquo;s life. Ten thousand troops of the armed forces, mainly on foot, but some on horseback, in a parade three and a half miles long followed in a slow march. Military bands played familiar tunes as the procession moved, with the Pipes and Drums of Scottish and Irish Guards haunted the stillness with tunes of lament. Sporadically, the thud of artillery saluted the passing coffin. The family followed, with the Queen Mother and the New Queen, a young twenty five year old woman, mourning her father, with the weight of the Commonwealth now on her shoulders, to name but two. Then there were the dignitaries, hundreds had come, Dukes, Kings and Queens from far and near, Presidents from the Western civilisation and Eastern communist states, Prime ministers, all contributing to the grand funeral procession. Highland pipers played &ldquo;The Flowers O&rsquo; the Forest&rdquo; as the coffin was gently place into the carriage of the steam train &ldquo;King George VI&rdquo;. The coarse whistle from the guard gave the signal. The massed bands gently began to play Chopin&rsquo;s Funeral March as the train pulled out of Paddington Station, taking the King on his final journey to Windsor Castle, where he would be laid to rest in a tomb, where people can still today, pay their respects.</p>
<p>Similar stories could be told from around the world, of funerals of great men and women, kings and queens, presidents and politicians, whose funerals have been occasions of great pomp and ceremony.</p>
<p>But what about the funeral of the greatest man who has ever lived? The man whose name people use and abuse by the minute even though he lived and died over two millennia ago, the man whose life story has sold more books than any other, the man who changed the worldwide dating system, the man who is described as &ldquo;King of Kings&rdquo; and &ldquo;Lord of Lords&rdquo;. It may surprise you to know that his funeral was something of a non event. Two fairly anonymous men took his body down from a cross, dressed it in the burial attire of a poor man, and laid it to rest in a small unidentified cave near Jerusalem. Only a handful of people watched this humble burial. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Messiah, the Saviour of the World, who had died so publicly and brutally, was buried, and hardly anyone noticed or cared.</p>
<p>When Jesus was buried there was no kingly attire or lying-in-state, no ceremonial procession or mourning crowds, no bands or salute of guns, no world leaders, kings or queens. There was no grave that would become a place of homage or pilgrimage.</p>
<p>Why?</p>
<p>Because there was no need! The grave was not the permanent abode of the body of Jesus. Read these words from the Bible, Matthew Chapter 28,</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><sup><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">1</span></sup></em></strong><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.</span></em><em></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;<strong><sup>2</sup></strong>&nbsp;There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.&nbsp;<strong><sup>3</sup></strong>&nbsp;His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.&nbsp;<strong><sup>4</sup></strong>&nbsp;The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;<strong><sup>5</sup></strong>&nbsp;The angel said to the women, &ldquo;Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.&nbsp;<strong><sup>6</sup></strong>&nbsp;He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay.&nbsp;<strong><sup>7</sup></strong>&nbsp;Then go quickly and tell his disciples: &lsquo;He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.&rsquo; Now I have told you.&rdquo;</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;<strong><sup>8</sup></strong>&nbsp;So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples.&nbsp;<strong><sup>9</sup></strong>&nbsp;Suddenly Jesus met them.&nbsp;&ldquo;Greetings,&rdquo;&nbsp;he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him.&nbsp;<strong><sup>10</sup></strong>&nbsp;Then Jesus said to them,&nbsp;&ldquo;Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.&rdquo;</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">This is the Good News of Easter, this is the message of Christianity, summed up by the Apostle Paul as he wrote to the Christians in Corinth (1<sup>st</sup> Corinthians Chapter 15, the Bible),</span></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><strong><em><sup><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">3</span></sup></em></strong><span><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">&nbsp;</span></em></span><em><span style="color: black;" lang="EN-US">For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance<strong><sup>[</sup></strong></span></em><a title="See footnote a" href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20corinthians%2015&amp;version=NIV#fen-NIV-28722a"><strong><em><sup><span style="color: #b37162;">a</span></sup></em></strong></a><strong><em><sup><span style="color: black;">]</span></sup></em></strong><em><span style="color: black;">: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,<span>&nbsp;</span><strong><sup>4</sup></strong><span>&nbsp;</span>that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.</span></em></p>
<p style="text-align: right;"><span style="color: black;">Jackie L</span><em><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></em></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>The Gift of God</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/4/the-gift-of-god.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/4/the-gift-of-god.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-04T21:05:02Z</published><updated>2012-04-04T21:05:02Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>From the very beginning of time, spanning onwards to time beyond our comprehension; this was the day in which everything is centred.&nbsp; Everything before led up to, and everything afterwards looks back on; the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.</p>
<p>This week we have been looking at the final days of Jesus&rsquo; time on Earth before his death and resurrection, and something that has been occurring is Jesus&rsquo; willingness to walk straight into the hands of the enemy and suffer and die.&nbsp; He told his disciples he would do so, repeatedly, and made no effort to escape Jerusalem, fight or thwart the plans of his enemies to betray and arrest him, put him on false trials which claimed he was blaspheming, where they beat him and scourged him.</p>
<p>&nbsp;Jesus was spat on, mocked, struck in the head with a staff and a prickly crown of long, sharp thorns was put on his head, where they saluted him, and pretended to worship him.&nbsp; He was led away to be crucified, where Roman nails were pierced through his hands and feet to a large wooden cross which was raised that left him to hang in agonising pain.&nbsp; Two criminals were executed with him; one on either side. A signboard was nailed above him saying &ldquo;<em>This is the King of the Jews</em>&rdquo;.&nbsp; Soldiers gambled for his clothes and some onlookers shouted insults:</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&ldquo;Let him save himself if he is really God&rsquo;s chosen one.&rdquo;</em></p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&ldquo;He saved others, but he can&rsquo;t save himself&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>It is unbelievable that while going through this horrible pain Jesus would say &ldquo;<em>Father, forgive them, for they don&rsquo;t know what they are doing&rdquo;</em></p>
<p>As horrible and as devastating as everything he subjected himself to at the hands of the men he created, he suffered something incomprehensively horrifying and punishing at the hands of God.&nbsp; From 12 noon &ndash; 3pm there was complete darkness as God poured out his wrath on his own Son for your sins and mine, so that we don&rsquo;t have to be punished for our wrongs and are free to approach God.&nbsp; Jesus was not a weak man or caught out by his enemies.&nbsp; He was completely in control of the circumstances, and went through this punishment willingly to ensure God&rsquo;s will was done: to set us free from our sins.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;">&ldquo;<em>Even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom to many</em>&rdquo; <em>Mark10 v 45</em></p>
<p>As sinners we have all fallen short of God&rsquo;s glory and deserve eternal punishment.&nbsp; However God has made provision for us in giving up what meant most to Him</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&ldquo;For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life&rdquo; John3 v 16</em></p>
<p>After this Jesus was thirsty, so they soaked a sponge in a jar of sour wine and held it up to his lips.&nbsp; When he tasted it, he said &ldquo;<em>It is finished!</em>&rdquo; At this moment the Lord&rsquo;s work was accomplished and all our sins were taken away.&nbsp; All our guilt and shame that should have been imputed on us, was put on him, and Jesus proclaimed in victory that our salvation is won!&nbsp; Our sins are forgiven!&nbsp; He then gives up his life and commends His spirit to God.</p>
<p>If you read the accounts of the death of Jesus you may think it strange that it is something celebrated and joyfully sung about, when it was a time of suffering for Jesus and a horrific scene displaying the brutality of man.&nbsp; However this day was when the only One Who was perfect, and the only One who could provide the way for us to be forgiven, demonstrated His love for us by becoming an amazing sacrifice; the gift of God!</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&ldquo;For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith &ndash; and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.&rdquo; Ephesians 2:8</em></p>
<p style="text-align: right;">David B<em><br /></em></p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>The Garden and Trial</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/4/the-garden-and-trial.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/4/the-garden-and-trial.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-04T17:48:01Z</published><updated>2012-04-04T17:48:01Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>After Jesus had kept the Passover with His disciples they went to the garden of Gethsemane. He prayed to His Father, and we can see how the prospect of bearing our sin on the cross (remember He was sinless) really troubled Him. He prayed &ldquo;If it be possible let this cup pass from Me &ndash; nevertheless not as I will but as You will&rdquo;-but there was no other way to bring salvation to men and women and so He went back to His disciples (they were sleeping-sometimes we are like that &ndash;we sleep when we should be praying) and told them to arise He was going to be betrayed.</p>
<p>Then He was arrested and put through a trial-charged with claiming to be the son of God.</p>
<p>Meanwhile Peter who had said, several hours earlier that he wouldn&rsquo;t deny the Lord, denied three times that he knew Him-even with oaths and curses. Seeing Jesus being arrested and beaten and spat upon probably terrified him. Just then the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus predicting this and realized what he had done and the bible says &ldquo;He went out and wept bitterly.&rdquo;</p>
<p>We can be just like Peter-perhaps we don&rsquo;t actually deny with oaths and curses that we know Jesus but then we probably are not in fear for our lives. Perhaps we just keep quiet when we should speak up for Him. When we do let Jesus down as Peter did it is good to feel as he did-genuinely sorry because its only then that we can be changed.</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Elma A</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>The Upper Room</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/3/the-upper-room.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/3/the-upper-room.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-03T20:24:02Z</published><updated>2012-04-03T20:24:02Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>It was in the upper room that Christ instituted the Lord&rsquo;s Supper with the symbols of the bread and of the wine. Bread for His body given for us; Wine his blood shed for the sin of the world. Yours and mine. Through this feast the believer remembers the death of the Lord Jesus Christ. It makes us remember the immense cost of our Salvation.</p>
<p>It was in the upper room that Christ also made three promises:</p>
<ol>
<li>That he would rise again on the third day.</li>
<li>That he would send &ldquo;The Helper&rdquo; (Holy Spirit) who when he came would convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.</li>
<li>And last but by no means the least He would come again!</li>
</ol>
<p>He has already fulfilled the first two promises. He rose from the dead on the third day and is now seated at God&rsquo;s right hand forever more. The Holy Spirit has been sent into the world and is convicting men of sin. We don&rsquo;t know when our Lord will come but we can rest in the assurance that he will come again and the world had better be ready.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>&ldquo;For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord&rsquo;s death till he come.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </em></p>
<p style="text-align: right;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;1<sup>st</sup> Corinthians: chapter 11, verse 26</p>
<p>&nbsp;Robert K</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Jesus is Anointed</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/2/jesus-is-anointed.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/2/jesus-is-anointed.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-02T21:05:04Z</published><updated>2012-04-02T21:05:04Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>In the last blog we thought about the Lord Jesus, at the beginning of the week, entering Jerusalem on a donkey.&nbsp; Prior to this Jesus was heading towards the city steadfastly for this final week.&nbsp; It was clear the religious authorities were plotting against Him.&nbsp; His disciples were warning Him against going to the city but nothing would stop the Lord Jesus from carrying out His Father&rsquo;s plan.&nbsp; Time and time again He told them very plainly that He must be arrested, beaten and killed, and then three days later rise again (Mark ch10 vs32-34). But they didn&rsquo;t understand Him; this made no sense to them.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>The following two days after arriving in Jerusalem Jesus taught in the temple after throwing out the moneylenders.&nbsp; During this time the Pharisees and Sadducees questioned Jesus trying to catch Him out.&nbsp; After He left they planned His death just as He had predicted.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s as if they were closing in on the Lord Jesus as the week began to grow darker.&nbsp; Mark tells us (ch11 vs11) that Jesus spent each night of this final week in Bethany with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.&nbsp; This little family (two sisters and a brother) were very close to Jesus. They cared for Him and gave Him and the disciples a place to stay as He travelled.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m going to tell you why Mary from Bethany is probably my favorite woman in the whole bible.</p>
<p>In Mark ch14 vs3-9, Matt ch26 vs6-13 and John ch12 vs2-8 an amazing event is recorded for us.&nbsp; Mary quietly enters the room and anoints the head and feet of the Lord Jesus with <em>very </em>expensive perfume (that cost her years wages) and wipes His feet with her hair.&nbsp; The disciples (Judas vocally) begin to criticize her but Jesus cuts them off.&nbsp; He tells us she did this for His burial.&nbsp; This is amazing, Mary knew that Jesus was going to die and rise again.&nbsp; How did she know this?&nbsp; She listened to Him. &nbsp;Luke says she sat at His feet and listened (Luke ch10 vs39).&nbsp;</p>
<p>Out of everyone in the world only Jesus and Mary knew He must be killed and rise again.&nbsp; She knew more than all the disciples because she simply listened to Him and believed Him.&nbsp; Mary isn&rsquo;t present at the cross or the grave with the other women who are too late to anoint the Lord&rsquo;s body (he had risen again) because she did it in advance.&nbsp; Imagine what this meant to the Lord Jesus in a week where His friends would abandon Him. One would betray Him; the whole city wanted Him dead; He would be falsely accused, beaten, mocked and forsaken at the cross.&nbsp; No one had any room for Him except from one woman who came to Him and demonstrated for everyone to see that she loved Him. She is devoted to Him; she knows what He is going to do for her; she is thankful, and He means everything to her.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>This event angers Judas so much that it is the final straw. Mark records right afterwards that Judas left and plotted with the authorities to sell Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. In other words Jesus meant nothing to him.&nbsp;</p>
<p>The bible teaches us that Jesus died for us to save us and He rose again three days later.&nbsp; One day He will come back again and all the world will be judged according to what we have done with Jesus.&nbsp; What about you?&nbsp; Are you like Judas: Jesus means nothing to you?&nbsp; Are you like the disciples and other women who didn&rsquo;t listen and were too late?&nbsp; Or are you like Mary: grateful to Him for dying for you and wanting to please Him and follow Him?&nbsp; He died for you.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p style="text-align: right;">Gareth A</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>What a week!</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/1/what-a-week.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/4/1/what-a-week.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-04-01T09:26:56Z</published><updated>2012-04-01T09:26:56Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>Have you every started your week and when you look at your diary and thought what a week? Sometimes for all sorts of reasons we have difficult weeks ahead of us and wonder how we will get through them.</p>
<p>Today starts the anniversary of a week, which was Jesus last week around Jerusalem before HE rose from the dead. I don&rsquo;t think anyone would disagree that it was a very difficult week. Unlike you and me though, He know all that would take place as He rose from sleep that particular Sunday all those years ago.</p>
<p>He knew what He would find in the Temple &ndash; His house of prayer. Over the week how the religious rulers would treat Him. How He would be rejected by the world and put to death on a cross. His agony in the garden as he thought of what He was going to go through. The terrible experience of being forsaken on the cross &ndash; something that He had never experienced ever! And still he headed toward Jerusalem that Sunday.</p>
<p>Over this week we will look at some of the days He went through culminating in His death on the cross and next Sunday &ndash; the glorious resurrection. Jesus is Alive!!!!!</p>
<p>On the first day of that last week Jesus went to the temple &ndash; He went there a lot during that last week. Earlier He had been welcomed to the city by all the people &ndash; they cried out as he entered the gates of the city &ndash; &ldquo;Hosanna! Blessed is He that cometh in the name of The Lord. Blessed be the kingdom of our Father, David, that cometh in the name of The Lord. Hosanna in the highest. 4 days later they would be shouting Crucify Him! We have no King but Caesar!</p>
<p>The welcome Jesus received on the Sunday was prophesied hundreds of years before &ndash; indeed so many of the things Jesus went through this week were foretold in the bible &ndash; some of them thousands of years before they happened. He was no ordinary man.&nbsp;</p>
<p>You know, things really haven&rsquo;t changed much in the world we live in. We like to think about Jesus as the baby in the manger, the Jesus that said so many wise things. We like to think about our &ldquo;religious holidays&rdquo; like Christmas and Easter as long as we remember them the way we want to but in reality there is nothing for God in our lives.</p>
<p>Jesus is man but at the same time He is truly God. He is the creator and sustainer of the universe but at the same time He went all the way to Calvary to die for you and me &ndash; what a Saviour. Are you like the fickle crowd who like to think about Jesus on your terms &ndash; one minute they are shouting Hosanna to him &ndash; the next they don&rsquo;t want anything to do with him. They would rather He was dead.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Hopefully this week, you will get to hear more of what Jesus did and who He is. Let us know what you think?</p>
<p>Don&rsquo;t forget our Praise Nights next weekend on Saturday and Sunday night as we celebrate Jesus is Alive!. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Right or Wrong</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/3/24/right-or-wrong.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2012/3/24/right-or-wrong.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2012-03-24T19:45:41Z</published><updated>2012-03-24T19:45:41Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p>Jesus said, &ldquo;I am The Way, and The Truth and The Life. No one can come to the Father except through me&rdquo;</p>
<p>When you think about the world we live in that&rsquo;s a pretty radical statement. When you consider the time Jesus said this and the society He was part of at the time &ndash; it was enough for Him to be put to death as far as the religious establishment was concerned at that time.</p>
<p>We live today, in a very diverse and multi cultural society in the UK. There was a debate a few months ago at the start of the redefinition of marriage debate as to whether the UK was still a Christian country. For the record I don&rsquo;t know what a Christian country means &ndash; I think I know what people are referring to but there is no concept of a country being Christian in the New Testament. When someone is a Christian it&rsquo;s a personal and individual experience that involves a spiritual birth &ndash; something that takes place with repentance and putting their total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. Where you live has nothing to do with a personal faith in God.</p>
<p>Anyway back to my reason for this blog.</p>
<p>When there is any discussion about faith or what you believe &ndash; which is rare in Scotland. People really don&rsquo;t feel comfortable even discussing these things. Many will say &ldquo;I have my own faith&rdquo; Some will say &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really know&rdquo; and a lot these days will certainly indicate they don&rsquo;t believe anything &ndash; as far as they are concerned they will tell you &ldquo;There is no God&rdquo;.</p>
<p>The thing is, the statement I introduced this blog with is so absolute, so pointed. It leaves no room for personal opinion or grey area. Either Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation and redemption or he is an imposter and every Christian is deluded and to be pitied.</p>
<p>He is either right and needs to be followed &ndash; the alternative to the individual if Jesus is The Way, The Truth and The Life is truly awful.</p>
<p>Or He is wrong &amp; Christianity is a total myth along with the rest of the bible and all it says. It&rsquo;s simply a work of fiction like all other books.</p>
<p>This is my point &ndash; although we don&rsquo;t really discuss the bible and our faith in the UK how can anyone decide Jesus is wrong without actually looking into what He is saying.&nbsp; I&rsquo;m not talking about what you think it says or what is commonly believed about religion or church. I&rsquo;m certainly not talking about church attendance or you trying to be religious. Far from it!</p>
<p>If you have taken the time to look into what Jesus is asking of us and have decided that it&rsquo;s not for you, I respect that. It&rsquo;s the reasoning of an intelligent person to look into something for yourself and then made an informed decision.</p>
<p>Any other approach when you consider the radical statements Jesus made and the extent to which He went to, does not make sense. He willingly went to the cross and gave his life as a sacrifice &ndash; this in itself deserves our attention.</p>
<p>We have arranged 2 services over the Easter Weekend at Townhead Christian Fellowship. The web address is <a href="../../">www.townhead.org</a> The time of each service is 7.30pm both Saturday and Sunday night. This would allow you at least to hear what Jesus is saying and make up your mind for yourself.&nbsp;</p>
<p>We are also very aware that walking into a place where you don&rsquo;t know many people can be quite a daunting experience. These meetings are held for the specific purpose of allowing anyone to come along and listen. There will be many people at both meetings who don&rsquo;t normally visit TCF. If you&rsquo;re free it would be good to see you along.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Well? Did you experience the Roofdiggers Weekend in Stevenston this year?</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2011/4/25/well-did-you-experience-the-roofdiggers-weekend-in-stevensto.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2011/4/25/well-did-you-experience-the-roofdiggers-weekend-in-stevensto.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2011-04-25T22:16:56Z</published><updated>2011-04-25T22:16:56Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">The weekend has finally come to a close (for some of us) after 4 days of Roofdiggers in Stevenston. There have been so many highlights of the weekend as I look back and personally reflect on the weekend. In no ranking order they are;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span><strong><span lang="EN-GB">The Truth was preached faithfully;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">Over the various meetings, in the open street, via the web, in bus adverts &amp; in the written word The Truth was proclaimed in the Stevenston area. People will now need to make up their own minds. Do they accept the Truth or go on believing the lie. Go on accepting the kind of life that always leaves us asking for more &amp; never addresses the problem of sin or take God at His Word. This is the work of The Holy Spirit now and I will leave it there. TCF are praying people who heard The word will realise the Truth and take Christ as their Saviour.</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><strong><span lang="EN-GB">The praise and worship from the Praise Nights was fantastic;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">Sometimes as a christian I get so used to what God has and is doing in my life &ndash; I very much take it for granted. It was great to focus all our attention and singing on my Lord Jesus and what He has done. The singing was just fantastic over the weekend. Both praise nights were brilliant but Sunday night in particular was a stand-out. Despite what we&rsquo;re like &ndash; He has done all things well. He has placed my feet on higher ground and has given me a new song. He deserves all the praise and the glory.</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><strong><span lang="EN-GB">The number reached with the Gospel;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">Over 4000 leaflets distributed. All Stagecoach buses in the area carrying God&rsquo;s Word. The Open Air Services in both towns but in particular Saltcoats.&nbsp; Over 500 people in the Hall over the weekend. Many from the 3 towns at the meetings and many new contacts made as a result of the weekend&rsquo;s outreach. Our simple prayer in the lead up to the Weekend was that God would speak loudly in the area. I can confidently say that He answered our prayer. Asking folk to sit on the platform, bunch up on the seats &amp; make sure any free seats were called out was fantastic &ndash; this doesn&rsquo;t normally happen when the Gospel is being preached!</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><strong><span lang="EN-GB">The response of those helping;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">The absolute resolve of everyone at the weekend, young and old working together for the sake of the Gospel was a real encouragement. From Friday morning all through to last thing Monday evening we toiled together. It was an Easter Bank holiday weekend. Families could have been away all weekend on holiday but they chose to get involved with the Roofdiggers weekend with enthusiasm &amp; a real joy. The enthusiasm for the whole event was tangible, it was real &ndash; you can&rsquo;t mimic this. From the work in the kitchen, the band, the singing, the preaching &ndash; even the BBQ this afternoon &ndash; We did it as to The Lord. Thank you to everyone involved.</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><strong><span lang="EN-GB">The prayer meetings;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">All through last week &amp; over the weekend the prayer was real and we laid hold of God. To hear old and young alike just praying with a focus that sometime eludes our formal prayer meetings was such an encouragement. God delights to answer prayer!</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><span lang="EN-GB">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal"><strong><span lang="EN-GB">A personal appreciation;</span></strong></p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">The is a very personal highlight (but I think others will agree), hearing Karen, Jennifer, Sarah &amp; Sophie sing together for their Saviour at the open air in Saltcoats and witness the street coming to a standstill &ndash; will last with me for a very long time. No need to worry about Britain&rsquo;s Got Talent &ndash; TCF&rsquo;s has Talent. Just keep singing for your Saviour girls!</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">Well I&rsquo;m signing off from the Roofdiggers blog for this year. I hope you have enjoyed them. Our next Praise Night is on the 15<sup>th</sup>&nbsp;of May. The speaker is a guy called Paul Coxall from Aberdeen. If you&rsquo;re free I would encourage you to come along. You will hear Words that will give life!</p>
<p class="ecxMsoNormal">One last point &ndash; shortly we will have a slide show from the weekend as well. Keep a look out.</p>]]></content></entry><entry><title>Lord Teach us to pray!</title><id>http://www.townhead.org/blog/2011/4/21/lord-teach-us-to-pray.html</id><link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="http://www.townhead.org/blog/2011/4/21/lord-teach-us-to-pray.html"/><author><name>James</name></author><published>2011-04-21T21:18:52Z</published><updated>2011-04-21T21:18:52Z</updated><content type="html" xml:lang="en-GB"><![CDATA[<div>
<div>
<p>This was the request of one of the disciples to The Lord Jesus when he was with them after He had prayed (Luke 11). What an amazing request!</p>
<p>The Lord Jesus said to His disciples&nbsp;<strong>&ldquo;Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you&rdquo;&nbsp;</strong>James in his letter near the end of the new testament said&nbsp;<strong>&ldquo;The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective&rdquo;.</strong></p>
<p>For the Christian prayer is the means by which he/she can speak to God. It is vital and crucial in our relationship with God. Without prayer we are just a group of people who meet like any other club or association.</p>
<p>As a church we have been meeting for prayer each night as we prepare for the Roofdiggers Weekend. We do this because we are powerless to effect anything. We think it&rsquo;s vital that our local community hears the true message of the Gospel &amp; the Easter message. There has already been many invites personally given to individuals to come along to the meetings. There will be thousands of invites given out over a whole variety of methods this weekend. Through doors, at various open Air services, via Facebook and personally by many in our church. Our simple prayer is that God saves individuals over this weekend. That God&rsquo;s voice is heard in the 3 towns over everything else that will go on in our community.</p>
<p>The prayer meetings have been fantastic. Have you ever been in a room and conscious of God&rsquo;s presence. Aware that He was with us and present as we strived to lay hold of Him. You might be reading this and having a bit of a laugh &ndash; laugh away. It matters not one bit that people think we are mad. What matters is our total dependence on God. Without Him we will just have a busy weekend. With Him &ndash; something for eternity can be achieved.</p>
<p>I have a definition of madness which might differ from yours &ndash; living your life for yourself and leaving God on the sideline. Ploughing all my effort into things that run out and never last. Putting more emphasis on things that are transient and never really satisfy compared to living for God and preparing for eternity! Jim Elliot said&nbsp;<strong>&ldquo;He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose&rdquo;</strong>&nbsp;He lost his life living for Jesus &amp; thousands found Christ as a result of his sacrifice.</p>
<p>The Easter message with be preached in all the meetings in TCF this weekend. Will you come along and hear words whereby you might be saved?</p>
<p>I really have no idea who is reading these blogs. Perhaps you&rsquo;re already a christian and you are rejoicing in The Lord as you do. Perhaps you are reading the material with a heavy heart knowing you used to run well for Jesus and for whatever reason you are far from your Saviour right now. Maybe you are reading this stuff over recent days and it is totally new to you. Whatever your situation why not come along and hear the message. Even better tell Him you&rsquo;re sorry and He will answer your prayer. Jesus is given all the praise and we will simply preach a message which is powerful and able to change your life. What&rsquo;s more important than this?</p>
<p>We hope you can make it. We are praying that you will.</p>
</div>
</div>]]></content></entry></feed>
