Our man in Japan

 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.  1 John 1:8  It really is very basic and yet atheists in particular seem to find it incredibly hard to grasp. 

 The elements shall melt with fervent heat.. 2 Peter 3:10 Is Saint Peter talking about a forthcoming nuclear war?  Maybe..

 Whereas angels, which are greater in power & might.. 2 Peter 2:11 If you are ever tempted to believe that Western Christianity is doomed, destined to fall to increasing secularism and Islamization, then it is worth remembering we down here on earth don’t see the whole picture. CNN or the BBC certainly don’t see the whole picture, nor do even academic researchers, because ultimately they can’t read people hearts, nor can they measure supernatural reality. So many science minded people fail to see a reality beyond the material, that their false worldview does rub off on Christians within the Church sometimes. But ultimately angels are real, and they together with their Lord and Master ensure the Church will never be overcome by the gates of hell. 

 There were false prophets also among the people, even as there were false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies.. 2 Peter 2:1  Women shouldn’t even be priests, let alone bishops. So the new female Anglican bishop of Dover saying that ‘woke’ is a good thing is one more sign that Christians should be moving out of Anglicanism to churches that actually follow the New Testament..

 Deceiving & being deceived.. 2 Tim 3:13  Spoke to a German Buddhist this morning that was convinced he had experienced past lives. No such thing.  

 Subverting of the hearers… 2 Tim 2:14  Election years are fraught. Lying is everywhere. The left wing in Britain today is howling because somebody dared to call out the disgraceful way Muslims in London have been behaving under their left wing Muslim mayor, who seems to have forced the police to do nothing, or very little. We all see that Muslims get special treatment whilst the right are leaned on much more heavily. And Labour is absolutely complicit. 

 Add to your faith virtue..  2 Peter 1:5 Watched Scorsese’s movie about the Dalai Lama last night. I was not impressed- it’s much more of an uncritical hagiography than a real biography. And issues around his seeming sexual attraction to children were not addressed. 

 The elders which are among you..  1 Peter 5:1  In the Mormons you get to be an elder straight out of high school on your first mission. For those of us in less heterodox churches, at 54 I’m really still too young to be one…

 Jesus Christ, to whom be praise & dominion for ever and ever..  1 Peter 4:11 This may sound counterintuitive, but when Muslims immigrate to secular Britain or Buddhist Japan, Jesus actually gains, because although Muslims fail to recognize the full divinity of Christ, they do at least revere Him as a great prophet, which is more than Buddhists or secularists do. So Ali’s perceptive piece in the Daily Mail today about the Islamization of the West is not the full story. It is the Jewish community that loses out, because like Buddhists and secularists, they mostly deny Christ. 

 Baptism doth also now save us..  1 Peter 3:21  The unbaptized have a problem..

 The weaker vessel..  1 Peter 3:7  Did you see the NBA shootout between Curry & the leading 3 point scorer of the Women’s league yesterday? She lost but it was close! 

 Give attendance to reading..  1 Tim 4:13  ‘When Jacob first came to Haran, we are told that “he rolled away the stone from the mouth of the well” (Genesis 29:10)  Rabbi Menahem Nahum of Chernobyl Now it’s hard for a Christian like me not to see a parallel here with Matthew 28:2 (an angel of the Lord descending from heaven, came to the stone, rolled it from the entrance of the tomb, & sat on it) but Jews like the Rabbi here mostly don’t read the New Testament. 

 See that none render evil for evil..  1 Thessalonians 5:15 Time these wars ended. 

 An holy nation..  1 Peter 2:9  Greece is still worth a visit, but sadly it’s no longer upholding Christian Orthodoxy quite as well now that it has legalized same sex ‘marriage’. It is the only Orthodox nation to do so. So Bulgaria, Romania, etc deserve your tourist $ more! (And I suspect your money will go further in Bulgaria than in most of Western Europe!)

 The parents brought in the child Jesus..  Luke 2:27  Why would you poison your own child? 

 Sweet water and bitter..  James 3:11 Even though St Valentine was Catholic, the Catholic Church is mostly ignoring him today as Ash Wednesday takes precedence. This hardly ever happens! 

 Jesus answered & saith unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee?  Mark 10:51 If you knew Jesus would answer one prayer what would you ask for? 

 Here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come.. Hebrews 13:14 Onojo is not my forever home. 

 Touch not the unclean thing..  2 Corinthians 6:17  Yoga fucks you up. 

 Will they not say that ye are mad?  1 Corinthians 14:23  Atheists often like to question the sanity of Christians, but we are not the ones desperately trying to prop up an very elderly man with probable dementia who is claiming he is still fit to be in the White House. 

 Alienated from the life of God..  Ephesians 4:18 I’m alienated from the local Baptists & Catholics because I still struggle with Japanese.. I probably would go to the English mass in Tenjin more often if it were nearer, but it is a bit of a trek, without rail fare. So I end up watching churches online. Great for comprehension, not so great for fellowship..

 Speaking the truth in love..  Ephesians 4:15  It’s Valentine’s Day next week, so here is Saint Paul referring to love. This one is usually topical. The left  focus on love, often to the exclusion of truth. The right can sometimes lose sight of love in their concern for free speech. Transgenderism is the topic of the moment in the UK. Rishi mocked Kier’s rather foolish statement on gender and biology, itself a climb down from an even more extreme position Kier had previously held, and now the left think they can make Rishi out to be somehow heartless. The father of a murdered boy, who pretended to be a girl, instead of perhaps reflecting on his life choices as a parent, now is avoiding all of his own responsibility for what happened & is blaming Rishi, as if making a joke is the same as murdering a teen. Good grief the left need everyone to wallow in their own misery they create for themselves… if that Dad had encouraged his son to dress more normally he would pr...

 Glory in the church by Christ Jesus..  Ephesians 3:21  There is still much beautiful architecture, music and art in the church. Plus many good works. 

 The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering..  Galatians 5:22 King Charles III has cancer..

 Dead in trespasses & sins..  Ephesians 2:1

 Who shall lay anything to the charge of God’s elect? Romans 8:23  Got called a religious fanatic today. Well, yes, guilty as charged, I am a fan of Jesus! He is far more worthy of devotion than any sports team or TV show! 

 The grace of God in truth.. Colossians 1:6 Jesus is the Truth. 

 Perfect in every good work..  Hebrews 13:21 Some of these job adverts want saints, it seems, or a level of genius multitasking I don’t possess. I guess that sort of job goes to the best liar. 🤥 

 The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God..  James 1:20 Revenge thrillers are fun to watch sometimes but taking revenge is usually not a good idea in real life.