Words matter. They are the only way we can accurately communicate what we mean. So, what does the expression, 'Coming to faith', mean? Where has it come from, and is it helpful?
Scour the Bible text, and you will find it totally absent. The verbs, 'to believe' or to 'put faith in', abound. The noun 'faith' (the trust believers have put in Jesus), or 'the faith' (as a synonym for the gospel of Christ), are in the New Testament. But there is no 'coming to faith' anywhere in the Bible.
The appalling scenes from Nepal have rightly shocked us. Villages, schools and homes, were quietly getting on with their day, until a sudden torrent swept many away. The screams of terror were soon swallowed up by the boiling avalanche of mud and debris.
The catastrophic power unleashed was greater than anyone could withstand. Some, however, heard a warning and took immediate action.
When Jesus cursed a fig tree, because it had leaves but no figs, the disciples were shocked to see that it soon died. It was a warning that God's patience with arrogant unbelieving religion would not be stretched indefinitely (Matthew 21:18-22).
The fruitless tree symbolised the fanatically religious nation, but with no relationship to God who had 'planted' her. Within 40 years of God's people finally rejecting God's Messiah, their temple was destroyed.
We, particularly those of us with a western mindset, are trained to be good at fixing problems. That is how things get done.
But when it comes to praying, perhaps we do the same thing - working out how a problem might be solved, and then asking the Lord to make that solution come true.Either that, or we may be so frazzled by a problem that we are incapable of thinking coherently at all; as a result our prayers neither have focus nor conviction.
Every month, some new opportunities arise for BeaconLight.
Many of these are not massive orders, or contacts from large partner organisations. They are from individuals serving the Lord where they live and work. We may never meet them until heaven, but the Lord knows them and uses them.
We must never overlook individuals who serve Jesus nor minimise their gospel work, because it is small. BeaconLight wants to be available to help and support anybody who is sharing the gospel.
It fascinates me how language is changing in our liberal, free-thinking culture in the UK. Having thrown out our Christian heritage, and God's Word as our ground for morality and community ethics, proclaiming the individual's right to self-determination - and that there are no limits to what is right nor wrong - there is a new hunger for certainty.
Global turmoil is close by. But two scriptures have taken my attention.
The first assures me that when we do not know what to do, the best way to start is to tell the Lord that we don't know what to do! And not to be ashamed of saying so in front of the family and congregation. When we do, the Lord will find His way to show us what to do - sometimes we just need to stand still and trust that the Lord will fight for us.
We talk about 'Gospel Outreach' but what do we mean? And do we all mean the same thing?
The first two letters of 'Gospel' should give the clue. Jesus said, "Go into all the world and make disciples...". That is what the apostles did, and as people repented and put their trust in Jesus, many were saved and churches were planted. Firstly in the Holy Land, and then in the Mediterranean islands, and what is now Turkey and Europe.
Our ideas of government might involve democratic elections and a free-speaking parliament. But history reveals repeating cycles of major world powers becoming increasingly autocratic and hostile to weaker countries. Ukraine reminds us that this is now happening closer to home, and too close for comfort.
So when the Bible says, ".. the government shall be upon His shoulders" in Isaiah 9:6, what does that mean?
This Christmas, performances of Handel's Messiah will still fill concert halls. His musical setting of Bible verses, selected by his friend Rev. Charles Jennens, is a brilliantly undiluted gospel narrative. Around halfway through, is a chorus from Psalm 68:11 - "The Lord gave the Word: great was the company of the preachers". Although translations vary, the meaning is clear: God gives His message to be distributed by many believers, so that others can respond to it in faith.