"But how insensible and unmoved are most men, about the great things of another world! How dull are their affections! How heavy and hard their hearts in these matters! Here their love is cold, their desires languid, their zeal low, and their gratitude small.

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The need for the prophetic voice

No one wants to see an end to the Anglican Communion. That is why the Primates went to Canterbury.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That is what the Bible tells us.

We are commanded to enter the kingdom of God by entrusting ourselves to Christ as our Lord and Saviour. That is, we enter and continue through repentance and faith.

No sooner do I begin my new series of the state of the Church in Scotland than the Scottish Social Attitudes survey is published, resulting in headlines along the lines of ‘Atheists now the majority in Scotland’.  

As we think through the significance of the meeting of Primates in Canterbury, we come to the key subject of repentance.

The issues before us have doctrinal and political aspects. But, finally, they are spiritual and that is why repentance matters.

It’s Easter.  Time for Easter bunnies, crowded roads and of course Easter chocolate eggs.  But as regards the latter, not for long. Sainsbury’s, Nestle and Cadbury’s have apparently removed Easter from our seasonal chocolate. Why?  

After the recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, news reporters are again raising the agonizing question of why so many young people who have grown up in Europe are being radicalized and joining ISIS or other extremist religious organizations. The statistics are truly disturbing.

Fellowship, or Communion, is a very precious gift of the gospel. The Lord Jesus laid down his life for his Church, his Bride. Christians are united to Christ for their salvation. Inevitably, then, we are united with one another. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Since the Primates gathering in January I have been trying to assess its significance for the Anglican Communion.

To assess the implications of the Primates’ gathering in January and what we have seen subsequently, I am suggesting that we go back to basics. The first point was the authority of the Bible over our consciences and over the churches. It is God’s word written.

From Whitefield, we learned that trusting Jesus Christ shouldn’t wait but instead happen right now. 
 
Unbelievers are needy now, so should turn to Jesus now—but can they do that?

We need to learn and grow from God’s Word. As that happens our faith will be active in our lives. But it isn’t easy for that to happen. Our Bible reading and meditation are becoming less and less important to us. We hear too many sermons that only describe the gospel and do not bring it home in our lives.