The gospel of Jesus Christ crucified for sinners was proclaimed in central Uxbridge on March 3rd by Pastors John Sherwood and Peter Simpson.
One of the helpers, Mrs Pilkington, and Pastor Simpson had lengthy conversations with a young man who had grown up as a Roman Catholic but who has converted to Islam. It is sad that his exposure to the Christian faith in his formative years was thus far from being thoroughly grounded in the Scriptures.
He argued vigorously that the Christian doctrine of the Trinity was tantamount to a belief in three Gods. Pastor Simpson responded that the nature of Almighty God cannot be reduced to the crude mathematical logic of fallen man with all his darkened understanding. Yes, the Holy Trinity is a mystery, but it is plain Biblical teaching that the one God has manifested Himself to the world in three Persons, who each comprise part of the one Godhead. The minister explained how, for example, the Spirit of God is referred to separately from God the Father right at the beginning of the Bible :
“And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters” (Genesis 1:2).
The second Person of the Trinity, the eternal Son of God, was also there at the Creation, alongside His heavenly Father, bringing this world into being.
Pastor Simpson explained how God the Son is active throughout the Old Testament period, appearing for example to Abraham and Joshua and he referred to Proverbs 8 where the personification of wisdom in that chapter is all about the Lord Jesus Christ. A mere abstract concept could not possibly say,
“Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gates, waiting at the posts of my doors. For whoso findeth me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD” (Proverbs 8:34–35).
No, this is a Person speaking, namely “Christ … the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:24).
Conversation was entered into with a group of young people who were very pro-LGBT in their thinking and who stated that musically they were into ‘black metal’, which has a strong emphasis on the worship of Satan.
Wikipedia states concerning black metal that its characteristics include “a shrieking vocal style … heavily distorted guitars … and an emphasis on atmosphere. Artists often appear in corpse paint … in the 1990s members of the (black metal) scene were responsible for a spate of church burnings” . Apparently corpse paint is “the makeup … used to make the musicians appear inhuman, corpse-like or demonic” . How tragic to see young people focusing on such dark and unwholesome topics. What a contrast is this horrifying environment and unclean ethos to the Biblical injunction in Philippians 4:8,
“Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
Concerning their advocacy of the LGBT agenda Pastor Simpson told them that it was quite likely that their acceptance and embracing of this sinful lifestyle was because were simply conforming to the spirit of the age and the fashion of the moment. After all, as Paul tells us, Satan is the god of this world and has “blinded the minds of them that believe not” (2 Corinthians 4:4).
Prayer is now being offered up that the spiritual blindness of those who were witnessed to upon this day might be removed as the gospel is proclaimed of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.