Interview with Bex Lewis

regarding Partake and BibleFresh!

Question 1 - So, Dave, briefly explain to us your journey of life & faith, which has taken you fro.m the sunny shores of Australia to ‘England’s green and pleasant land’.

I was raised to be a sceptic cum agnostic cum atheist with the words “Churches are dangerous places” and this is like 30 years before Dawkins and his ilk uttered the words! So coming into my teenage years, I decided if they are so dangerous lets go for a bit of danger! So I rebelled, became a Christian and started attending a local Christian youth group. After a bit, it was thought by my family that I was being brainwashed, so was stopped from going for a couple of years, until I met somebody who I used to go to school with who invited me to her church, and I restarted from there…

As to how I came to the UK! Well, I came here from Australia for 6 months travel around Europe! Or so I thought! That was in 1990 - 21 years it will be on the 26th of February 2011! I view it as God having a sense of humour. He knows I don’t like rain, cold and in particular - together! He has even given me the most beautiful of women as a wife but she doesn’t like hot weather! God sure has a sense of humour! 7 years ago I had a minor stroke and I view that as God giving me a clip round the ear to stop being stubborn and to listen to Him for direction. So instead of moving north with my job at Royal Mail, I took redundancy and went off to Moorlands college where I graduated in 2007.

Question 2 - You run ‘Partakers’ which looks to encourage and resource more Christians and churches to partake online. When did you set this up and what inspired you to do so?I set up Partake Ministries up in 2007. I had recorded some audio files as part of a block placement during my 3rd year at Moorlands. 6 months later I looked back on the site and discovered that the 16 audio files had been downloaded several thousand times, mainly in a country where evangelical Christians are persecuted. It was also part of my dissertation investigating if a Virtual Church could be part of the universal church. I based my study on the old maxim: one, holy, catholic and apostolic church.

I still took the normal route post-bible college and applied for pastor jobs around the UK. I often was interviewed but the 2 main reasons given for not being successful was that I was too radical (as in application and use of internet/digital space etc), too much of a teacher or both! It was like “You cant seriously use the internet to evangelize and disciple others!” Bit like when the printing press came out and the church’s collective bellybutton puckered and said “You cant give the bible to people, they may actually read it!” So, I continued doing the Podcasts etc.

As for the name Partake itself, I got the idea straight from Matthew 5v6, which im the NIV says “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” or as I paraphrased it “Blessed are those who partake after righteousness for they will be filled.” I have an accountability team set up by the church we attend, for mentoring, prayer, guidance, advice and accountability. I also have people on Facebook & Twitter to keep an eye on what I say and do to see that those things are within biblical confines.

Question 3 - What digital media tools do you use? It’s clear to see that you use blogging, Twitter, Facebook extensively, what does each do for you, and what else do you use?Blogging, podcasting, Youtube, Facebook and Twitter… I consider Facebook my online church and have many opportunities to encourage the Christian family as well as have good dialogue and friendships with many non-Christians who would never darken the door of a church. Yet those same people, message me prayer requests and ask questions which they know I will answer honestly. Podcasting is what I do mainly, but as with all the other things, I don’t do them for myself. Rather, I do it to share what God has given me to others, both those I know and those I don’t know, so that when I stand before Him, He will say “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have bought me much honour with the things I gave you.” As for the tools I use, its all open-sourced such as Audacity for recording voice or already installed as part of the Windows package such as Windows movie maker.

Question 4 - You also have lots of experience with podcasts, what particular advice would you give people who wished to start a regular podcast, and which tools would you recommend?Be yourself. I am not naturally a talker, or as we say back home in Australia a gum-flapper, so I tend to keep what I say to the point and don’t waffle on. Others are different but for me, it is to see that God is glorified and honoured through what I do. I use the open-source software Audacity – it is brilliant!

Question 5 - We’ve been Facebook friends for a while, and there’s always quite a lot of comment going on your pages – what’s the best debate you’ve had? I don’t think I have had any real debates, but it was probably with a Dawkins clone who insisted that all religions were equally bad and that no religion had never done anything good for anybody at any time and they should be all abolished. To which I simply replied so that means no education system, increased literacy etc…

Question 6 - I’ve met you at a number of conferences, which focus on the nexus of digital media and Christianity. What are the key thoughts that you’ve taken away from such events? New Testament church was relevant to their community, radical in applying Scripture in those efforts and were willing to take Spirit-led risks – the 3 r’s if you like. I am passionate that the 21st century church should be the same and using digital media and digital space is one way to do that. I am sure you have heard me say this before, but with the advent of digital space and social networking, the only real barrier to practically loving others is a limited imagination. Moltmann once said that the church needs to embrace a creativity for doing the impossible and with social networking and digital space we can do just that.

Question 7 - Of course we’re interviewing you with regards to @Biblefresh and @bigbible, so we’re particularly interested in what you think can be achieved with regards to getting the Bible online, and let us know what you’re doing with this, e.g. how do BAM and POD work? Firstly there was POD or Psalms On Demand. With the help of St Pixels, the church I attend and a few other people around the globe, we have managed to get all the Psalms recorded. Including Psalm 119 which was done by a Los Angeles Youth Group and Psalm 117 which was recorded by the 9 year old autistic daughter of a friend of mine! As I said previously, using digital media allows almost anybody to use their talents and gifts for the glory of God! Secondly there is BAM! Which is Bible Book a Minute, where I summarise the key point of the book and offer 2 key verses! As I usually speak about 180 words a minute it is possible! Plus there have been several series including a set of 25 studies “Scriptural Delights” based on Psalm 119; a series 18 studies called JOG (Jesus Overview in the Gospels) and a 12 module discipleship course with 6 studies in each module.

Question 8 - So, finally, what do you particularly want to offer to churches and individuals with regards to working in the Digital Space… and where do you see things going over the next few years? Leading on from my dissertation and other work with Partake, I have developed an hour-long seminar to get churches, Christians and small groups to be more involved in Digital Space. We had two trials at at the church we attend in the New Forest, the last one being on November 26th and are hoping to take this out to other churches and help them catch the vision. We have another planned for early 2011 involving all the churches in our town. There have been a couple of interested parties also elsewhere in the UK, as well as the US and Australia…

The world is rapidly changing and church history shows us that where the local church fails to adapt and be relevant to their local community, they either become merely a local cultural curiosity or they simply close up. By embracing these new technologies and using them for God’s glory alone, churches and Christianity can thrive and continue to thrive.

There are people in our communities who can’t get to a church – such as the housebound and geographically isolated. Using Digital Space is one way to show that the church is radically caring for these people. They have talents which can be shared through digital space such as poets, artists, photographers etc… The ability to help somebody, even if we don’t know who it is, is no longer limited by distance or geography, but only by our imagination. Technology is only going to increasingly develop and we can use it for the glory of God – the originator of imagination and sciences.

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Partake WISE - Serving

Serving God and others is the mark of a spiritually mature Christian Disciple and through service, we reflect the greatest servant of all, Jesus Christ. It was He, who came in order to serve and give his life for others (Mark 10v45). As Christian Disciples we are to be as Jesus Christ (Romans 8v28; Philippians 2v5) and to serve. Yet if we are honest, we sometimes feel incapable, just as Moses did (Exodus 3). An excellent example to follow is that of Stephen in the Book of Acts.

Go Serve!

As a Christian Disciple, you are called to a life of serving God and other people. You are not alone to do this however, but are part of a larger body of people, where each person is also called to perform a serving function. By serving others, it shows unity and solidarity to those outside of the church who frequently accuse the church of infighting and "devouring one another".

The Christian life is not to be static or inactive. The Christian life is to be dynamic and active. The word servant is key in Scripture. It is used at least 500 times in its various derivations. Spiritual growth comes from serving rather than being served. This is because what ever is given in service of God and others, faith grows and Jesus Christ gives back even more. Jesus speaking in Matthew 25v15-30 tells of the rewards for faithful service and the penalties for being faithless. Serving others is a sign that you, as a Christian Disciple, trust God and are having faith in Him.

In serving others, you fulfil the command that Jesus gave to love God and love others. Showing love and serving each other through your Spiritual Gifts and giving, achieves this aim of obedience to Jesus. As the church, we are dependent upon each other, just as one part of the human body has dependence on another part. That is why we serve each other and use the gifts generously given by God.

When you, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, serve in any capacity, then God's honour is released. This is done because service shows the beauty and glory of Jesus Christ to those being served and to those watching. That is to be our motive for service. Serving is never about what you can get out of it. When that is the motive, God is not glorified. God's glory and supremacy is the goal of all those who would call themselves a Christian Disciple.

So go and serve. Ask your church leader how you may serve Jesus in your church today.

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Testimony - Sharon

The story of Sharon, from China, who converted to Christianity from Daoism/Buddhism

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Interview with a Christian answering 6 simple questions about their journey of faith. Today it is Sharon - a Chinese believer. Tomorrow we will hear her testimony of faith.

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Interview of less than 3 minutes with a Christian answering 6 questions.

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Interview of less than 3 minutes with a Christian answering 6 questions.

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Interview of less than 3 minutes with a Christian answering 6 questions.

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Community

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Jesus said in Matthew 10v16: “Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.”

How should individual Christian disciples react in regards to a life of Discipleship in an age where church attendance is rapidly declining? It is by being a radical community of radical individuals, which will help stop this decline. The Church needs Christian disciples to be living a radical Discipleship, engaging with the culture, counting the cost of Discipleship and reflecting true humanity while not compromising core beliefs.

Radical Community

Firstly, the church needs to be a community that is seen to be radical by the surrounding society. At Pentecost, the church began when the Holy Spirit filled the Disciples (Acts 2v4). This momentous occasion started the Discipleship process of how Christians were to live as God’s people. The hallmarks of this community were commitment and transformation. This community was radical. It was where people’s lives were being changed as the Holy Spirit filled them. Instead of being a withdrawn people filled with fear of retribution from the Roman government and Jewish leaders, they became a people filled with boldness and joy. The New Testament church grew by being a radical community imbued with radical individuals engaging with others.

Today’s church will grow by building a strong community. A community which involves joining together isolated and solitary individuals where people are imbued with love, showing care to each other, particularly the frail, elderly and young, with what Moltmann calls a “creative passion for the impossible.” An inherent human need is the need to belong, and by fulfilling relational needs, the radical community will become relevant to the people within it. It will then also become relevant to those who are on the outside and looking in.

This involves improving present societal conditions, rather than remaining a conservative community, which merely repairs the status quo. In doing this, today’s church will be emulating characteristics of the early church (Acts 2v44-45). As individuals became Christian disciples, they were added to the church. Discipline helped ensure that the community was being seen as a holy community. To be excommunicated from the community for gross sin was a severe punishment. However church discipline is not primarily about punishment, but rather a “formative and corrective” service as part of Discipleship. Church discipline is foundational to Discipleship making, because it concerns the community’s spiritual health, and strengthens the community bonds.

The church must be a community of Disciples, willing to be holy. It is by being holy, that the church will grow. The role of the community engaged in radical Christian Discipleship is to help people to be holy and not merely happy. Happiness will flow from holiness, but holiness will not necessarily flow from an induced ‘feel good factor’. The radical community needs to be making Christian Disciples who are trained, equipped and developed in order for them to make Disciples themselves. Whereas in the past, Discipleship processes and programmes have emerged after people have joined the church, it should be foundational. The best way is for the leadership to set the example, and show a way forward. Good leadership has good accountability to each other and to the whole community.

Radical Discipleship & Radical Leadership

A radical community requires radical discipleship. Radical discipleship commences with compassion, similar to that of Jesus when he looked over the crowds, and commented that they were like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9v36). It should be a compassion driven like that of Jesus towards the woman at the well (John 4vv1-26). With compassion as motivation, and a contrite heart, the radical church community can reach out to those emerging who primarily see Jesus and the church as irrelevance.

A radical Christian Disciple needs also to involve the voices of others by engaging in dialogue with trusted others. This will involve having a diverse team in the Church who are both willing and empowered to give advice. This team will require an individual leader to have relaxed grip on control, with power delegated to others, which is radical in that it goes against current strains of leadership.

This radical leadership style requires a pursuit of relationship in order to work, rather than a pursuit of aims and outcomes. This will enable trust to form and helps establish the community on a firm relational foundation. Once relationship has been formed, then the spiritual gifts of the Christian disciple can be used in order to serve the community. By exercising gifts and being functional enables the Christian Disciple to grow, be used by God and to flourish with confidence and support. Radical leadership and radical Christian Discipleship encourage the fringe members.

Finally, Jesus recommends that Christian disciples be wise like serpent and innocent as doves (Matthew 10v16b). The means Christian Disciples are to be skilful and shrewd in making decisions that are characterised by intelligence, patience and cunning. Additionally, Christian Disciples are to be gentle and harmless, like doves. This would make Christian Disciples and leaders who are accountable to live a life of integrity worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1v27). This is a life, which is seen to be as holy and blameless. In order to do this, dependence on the Holy Spirit for strength and care is a vital necessity. By relying on the Holy Spirit, the Christian Disciple is perpetually connected to Jesus Christ, who is after all, the Head of the church community.

The Christian Disciple is to be a shepherd leader rather than a manager, so that guidance and nurture are central, rather than merely feeding the community. A Christian Disciple who cares and loves is one who goes out to find the lost rather than waiting for the lost to come. This shepherd is also involved in the training of other Christian Disciples so that care is disseminated. This does not mean however that a radical Christian Disciple leader becomes a subordinate to the community, catering to every whim and fad suggested by others. The Christian Disciple leader needs be a servant but also requires discernment.

Discipleship at most churches these days is organized around their programmes of small groups, Sunday services, prayer groups, leadership group and opportunities to serve. Discipleship in these churches usually involves some form of leadership accountability in four key areas: Mission, Maturity, Outreach and Leadership. Mission involves helping people become Christian and nurturing their faith diligently. If Western churches and Christian disciples started to take radical steps, both in being and making Christian Disciples, then growth would systematically increase. The Church would no longer be seen as irrelevant but as a thriving community where Jesus is glorified and transformation sought.

For more to think about please do read Acts 2v42-47. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1. How, and in what ways, were the early church community creative?

Q2. What creative ways can I serve the community I live and work in?

Q3. How can I help my church be more relevant in the community, without compromising?

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Contentment...

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Paul writing in the Book of 1 Timothy 6:6-10; 17-19 "A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.  But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after. Tell those rich in this world's wealth to quit being so full of themselves and so obsessed, with money, which is here today and gone tomorrow. Tell them to go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage-to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. If they do that, they'll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life."

There are generally two main opinions in the West regarding money & material possessions.

Now the first of our big two is the prosperity doctrine, which stipulates that since as Christians we are children of the King, then we should be living like kings in the physical sense.  If you are God's child, then God will bless you so abundantly you will have that earthly mansion, a million pounds in the bank, a good wife or husband and children, if only you follow him.  And if you don't receive these things, then maybe you should be asking for forgiveness, because apparently you are not a child of the King.  What a load of rubbish! It is just materialism in another disguise where possessions and material things are their gods and not the living God. Its very source is pride, and not humility, because they proudly proclaim "I am first, and everyone else is last". I defy anyone who believes this prosperity doctrine to take a trip to the poorer areas of the world and tell that false doctrine to the leaders of the churches who are working faithfully in those areas.  I guarantee you would cause more harm than good.  That is not to say that God never blesses His children with material possessions, because He does - the Old Testament King Solomon is a prime example of this.

Contentment.

In the Bible passage I read earlier, Paul commands Christian Disciples to be content with godliness.  We came into this world with nothing, and we will leave this world with nothing (v6).  The bare necessities for contentment of life are food, clothing & shelter (v7).  However, we could, with justification say that some other things are also necessary.  Cars, books, and computers may with some justification to ourselves as individuals, be a necessity.  That is up to our own individual consciences. But what we need to do, when considering purchasing items is, not to ask "Can I afford it?" but rather "Can I justify it, and could the money be better used elsewhere?"  There are many Christian organisations that need money to continue operating.  Perhaps, the money I was going to use for the trip overseas, could be of better use elsewhere in the kingdom of God?  Further on in Chapter 6, Paul states that we are not to desire riches, lest we fall into the temptation of coveting and wander away from the faith of God (vv9-10), not to love money because it is a source of evil (v10). Everyday Christians pray that God would not lead them into temptation; and he does not, they do that quite easily by themselves.  And those that are rich, are not to flaunt it arrogantly and are not to place their hopes in them (v17).  Those who are rich, are commanded to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and sharing (v18), building up heavenly treasure instead of earthly rubbish (v19).  I should hasten to add, that contentment should also carry with it, the idea of living simply, in sympathy and solidarity with the poor of the world.  Every one of us, could to some degree, live that little bit more simply, and donating the money saved to a worthy concerned organisation helping out the poor of the world.  Remember we are blessed by God, in order to bless others!

The humble, say "God is first, others are second, and I come last" and puts people before possessions.  The Christian Disciple is to place their trust in God alone, and not in their material possessions.  It so easy to fall into the trap of saying - "If only I had that new computer; or camera; or car; or an easier job with more money?"  It is so easy to say these things, and forgetting to be content with what we have.  And it is even easier to forget to say thank-you to God for giving us all our good things.  I would hazard to say, that probably the only time we say thank-you to God, is before the food that we eat.  We hardly ever thank him, for friends and all the other material blessings He does provide and the pleasure we gain from He gives us.  And that is the key to biblical contentment.  "Could I really thank my Lord for this particular item I want?"

For more to think about, please do read for yourself 1 Timothy 6.  Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them.  Then why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1 - As a Christian Disciple, in what ways are you not content?

Q2 - What blessings has God bestowed upon me, that I should give Him thanks for?

Q3 - How can I use the money and possessions God has blessed me with, in order that He is glorified and worthy of honour, this week?

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Universalism

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John writes in John 1v1-5, talking about Jesus "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it."

Jesus talking about Himself John 14v2, 6: "Trust in God; trust also in me. I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 17v1-2 "O God, Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him."

Most modern societies, particularly in the West, are pluralistic with many cultures evident within any city and country. With the advent of pluralism, comes the widely held belief that all religions, creeds, beliefs and non-beliefs are equal, which all ultimately lead to God and that after death, every person will enter heaven and have everlasting life with God.  That is universalism, and sadly, some Christian churches hold this belief.  However, that is contradictory to what Jesus said in the bible passages I read earlier.  That is not to say that each religion does not have an element of truth within it.  But only one religion is ultimate and absolute truth and that is Christianity. As Christians in the twenty first century we are often informed that Christianity is wrong, and that Jesus Christ can't possibly be the only way to God, even if a God or Gods exist.

Just a scant look at each religion throws up the incompatibility between them. For instance the great monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam all profess that there is only one God.  Contrast this against the religion of Hinduism, which has millions of God, or Buddhism where there may well be no God at all! So Universalism could really be just a form of functional religious atheism.

If we were all going to be with God anyway, why would God bother having a plan of salvation as revealed in the Bible? If Universalism is true, why bother with morals or ethics now during this life as each religion has differing codes of morality and behaviour.  Now as soon as a Universalist says that morality is what defines the human (as some do), we can then say well which God, and therefore religion, decides what morality as different religions have different rules of morality!!  Taking it even further we could say why would God bother interacting with His creation at all, if humanity is going to be spending eternity with Him anyway! Why would there even be a thing called death at all, if universalism is true! So why is Universalism wrong? Lets have a look very briefly together, how superior Christianity is to Universalism.

Universalism Denies Salvation by Grace

Universalists inevitably proclaim that it is due to God's nature of love and mercy that everyone will have everlasting life with God. Surely a merciful God will allow all to live with Him, regardless of the path they took in this early life!   However the Bible states that while God is a God of love and mercy, He is also a God of justice and the sins of people need to be dealt with.  That is where God's grace comes in. How does God promise salvation to those reaching out for it? Through His unfailing love, kindness and tender mercy, which is enacted through Grace!  Salvation can be attained by no other means, but only through the combination of God's mercy and grace - God's twin actions working in unison.  Grace is easily defined as: God's Riches At Christ's Expense.  So what about Jesus Christ?

Universalism Denies Jesus' uniqueness being human & divine

That Jesus was a man is not really disputed.  But why did Jesus need to fully human? Firstly, so Jesus death could appease God's anger with us. Secondly so that Jesus can empathize and pray for us.  Thirdly, Jesus exhibited true and perfect humanity.  Fourthly, due to his perfect humanity, Jesus is to be our example to follow.  Fifthly, true human nature is good.  Lastly, while God is both above and beyond, He is not so far removed from us, that He cannot interact with his creation.

But he was more than human, He was also fully God - He was fully divine!  God's salvation plan for humans involved triumphant victory over sin, death and the grave.  However no person could be found that was eligible or capable to do this.  Because of this, God stepped into human history, so that this victory could be achieved.  This God-man would be fully human, so as to live every feature of humanity, including suffering and death.  This God-man would also need to remain fully God, so as to defeat sin, death and the grave.  Jesus, being sinless, was this God-man, consisting as he did of two complete natures, the God nature and the human nature. That Jesus is both human and divine is what makes Christianity truly unique amongst the world's religions.  It is why Jesus' claims to be the only way to God are true and make sense.  It is why universalism is shown to be a fallacy. Universalism is wrong because it makes Jesus Christ out to be either a liar or a lunatic or worse - both.

Universalism Denies Jesus' cross

As all paths under universalism lead to God, why would God have to send Jesus to die on the cross for the sins of the world?  Surely, if all paths lead ultimately to God, then there would be no need for Jesus to suffer the agony of the cross.  On the cross, Jesus died so that all sins - past, present and future sins - can be forgiven.  Salvation is to be found only through God's grace and mercy exhibited by God the Son on the cross.  Moreover, it is only to those who acknowledge Him as Saviour in this earthly life that He will acknowledge before God the Father.

Universalism Denies Jesus' resurrection

The resurrection of Jesus Christ provided the central theme for the sermons and teaching in the early church (Acts 1v22; Acts 4v33, Acts 17v18). But what significance is there in Jesus' resurrection? The resurrection proved and vindicated all Jesus' teaching and claims as the suffering Servant and attested to his being fully God and the last Judge of all mankind (Isaiah 53v10-12; Acts 2v36; Acts 3v13-15; Romans 1v4). The resurrection declared God's approval of Jesus' obedient service and the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises, resulting in forgiveness of sins and salvation being only found in and through Jesus Christ, Jesus' resurrection is a sign of the bodily resurrection for all believers in him, giving a new attitude to death and transforming hopes (1 Corinthians 15v12-58, Romans 8v10, 2 Corinthians 4v14; 1 Peter 1v3 & 21) As the resurrected King, Jesus now intercedes for us and has perfected the redemption of all those who choose to follow him (Romans 5v10; Hebrews 6v20, 1 Peter 1v21).

Universalism Denies Jesus' authority

Jesus has authority (Matthew 28v18) over all things, all people, all circumstances and happenings. has authority over all spiritual beings, whether angels or demons. Jesus has authority over all nations, governments and rulers. Jesus has authority over all earthly and spiritual authorities. Jesus has the authority. Over all religions, leaders and people - Jesus has the authority and supremacy. This means regardless of what ever the Christian Disciple faces, Jesus is in control. Therefore, as Christian Disciples, we can obey him without fear of retribution from those who would seek to harm us. We have been given a free will, but as his Disciples, we should choose to exercise our free will to obey him and live a life worthy of him. As we grow to rely and depend on Jesus' authority, we continually gain wisdom, guidance, and power.  Because of His authority, Jesus has authority and supremacy over all things - created, non-created, religious and non- religious.

Either Jesus was who he said he was - God - or he was a liar and a lunatic not to be trusted.  Universalism and Christianity are non-compatible - the Jesus of the Bible and therefore Christianity, is uniquely superior to all other religions and beliefs encompassed in Universalism.

For more to think about please do read John 14v1-6. Ask yourself the following questions, writing them down if you can, and see how you respond or react to them. Why not share your answers with your spouse or a close friend, so that you can pray over any issues together.

Q1.  How does my life of worship to Christ denounce Universalism?

Q2.  How does the call for me to be a witness for Jesus affect views of Universalism?

Q3.  How have I witnessed universalism in my community or country?

Thank you.

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