Saturday 6 September 2008

from our sending Church, by Pastor Mark Bradfield

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since our last update and a lot has been happening.
To begin with we had a good week in the town centre - handing out over ten thousand tracts (at our best estimate) over the five days. We invested in a couple of banners but towards the end of the week had to save them from a couple of lesbians that took offence at being warned of the destructiveness of their lifestyles.
The next week - commencing 18th August we had our kids club week. The theme was 'Back to the Bible' and we had on average about twenty nine children there each day. They all had a good time and the week following, one of the little girls that attends church throughout the year accepted Christ as her own personal Saviour.
We took an easy week after that to gather our wits again and now are getting back into the fray!
We have had some ambiguous news which should make us weep but when looked at through gospel eyes is in reality a relief to us all.
A number of 'missionaries' have announced their intentions to leave Northern Ireland and return to the States because of economic reasons.
We read everywhere that there is a recession around the world and yet we all seem to have plenty of food in our cupboards and freezers. Our clothes are all clean ( or could be) and we're not short of a few pounds to spend on our Starbucks and entertainment.
Some of these missionaries are those that have been preaching the false doctrine of Landmarkism ( Baptist Bride) others - those that have refused to separate themselves from the worldly churches and organisations on every hand for the sake of popularity and numbers (of souls in pews). The churches that had been started have been run down to nothing and yet still have pictures of full churches on their websites. Such pastors of such churches should be ashamed of themselves - firstly for preaching false doctrines and secondly for misrepresenting their work abroad in order to 'get' more money from their supporters.
Others yet crying poverty found to their shame that they actually had more money coming in each month than even the wealthiest members of the church!!A member of a church stated that she didn't know how these people could come over to Northern Ireland and have all these 'activities' because of the cost involved.
Yet another 'christian missionary' invites the Mayor of Londonderry to open (again) his church and opens the doors of the church to cater to the orange men of the town. How does this church then intend to reach out to the Roman Catholic souls of the town after this? What astounds me even more is that only a week or two previously the Mayor was represented at the opening of the Gay Pride week in the town whilst Christians from the free Presbyterian church and ourselves protested! How do you reconcile the two? Having studied Pure mathematics, applied mathematics, physics and computers science to degree level - I STILL CAN'T - HELP PLEASE!
To a bible believing bystander like myself there seems to be only one reason; Life is not just as comfortable as it once was (recession) also the people here are not the 'thick micks' that the rest of the world makes us out to be and once we open the Bible for ourselves we can see for ourselves the error that is so plain in their lives. Why does this affect a Bible believing man of God - it doesn't - but when you love money, men and power you will compromise your testimony, your church and your family for it - in fact you'll do just about anything for it. And when the goose stops laying the golden eggs or the going gets just a little to rough, then they just get going.
One of these missionaries at the behest (and much complaint of his family) has left the mission field claiming that it's God's will - after promising all and sundry that he wouldn't do what all the other missionaries had done - leave.
You know what - in retrospect - maybe it is God's will - His people can certainly do without such compromising and money oriented characters 'ministering' to the lost. One missionary has had it so difficult that he will be going home with nearly one quarter of a million dollars in his back pocket - what a tough life they lead!!!!
So we are relieved at last not to have the good name of Christian dragged through the mud and sorely misrepresented.
There are more than enough thinking reasoning people here to start and lead churches so if you are reading this dear saved soul do it.
Stick to the Bible - even if it hurts - and God will bless. Any other way is a fool's errand. Pastors - your pastor is God Himself - not any other member of the congregation. They are supposed to listen to you after you listen to God. Not the other way around.

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