A FALLING AWAY FIRST....

THIS, to me, is a very typical Church of England church, found dotted throughout the British Isles. Some of them have been where they stand almost a thousand years, and others stand on the site of churches built long before.    When I was a youth of about seventeen I often attended services both morning and evening - and the churches were not empty even then; in the 1950s.
BUT the decline in attendance had begun.
To me these church buildings are synonymous with the English Countryside, and they witness to the continuing presence of God everywhere one goes.    I could never get on with the idea of turning such buildings, even Chapels, into furniture stores, cinemas, and other commercial enterprises.      Churches are built for God and God alone, and the very fact that their only use is to be filled with the Praise and Glory God always gave me a sense of His Holiness and Awe on entering.       To me they still have this effect upon me.   But today we are told they may soon be extinct; empty monoliths slowly decaying or pulled down even, their stones used for some other purpose.      Perhaps to become quite unable to even bring to mind the original reason for their existence - like Stonehenge or Aylesbury Ring.    It could happen.   Yes!  A day when even the Name of JESUS will be forgotten.............

WHY, what has happened?       Jesus said, concerning the last days, and the state of the last generation of Man upon the earth, that the Love of many would become cold.        The interest for God in the hearts of the people would become COLD.     INIQUITY will cover the earth!!      St.Paul writing in the 2nd Letter to the Thessalonians 2v3 also supports this when he says ' Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come (the Day when Jesus returns)  except there come a falling away first - unless the apostasy comes first (unless the predicted great falling away of those who have professed to be Christian has come).....'    And for my part I believe we have every reason to believe and see that this is well on the way to being fulfilled - certainly in the United Kingdom and also in the United States of America.       Please understand that I do not only link this 'falling away' to the Church of England alone either.   This situation will be felt and realised by all Christian Witness everywhere.       ANY TIME NOW THE ANTI-CHRIST WILL BE REVEALED - even BEFORE Christ comes!

The DEVIL's purpose IS to destroy the testimony. Witness, Evidence of GOD in this world of which he is Prince.     He would obliterate all knowledge of God, and finally destroy His Image universally.
He has been planning for this down through the millenia, and NOW we see a quickening of his purposes coming into effect; a hastening of the fulfilment of his plans as the 'Tide of Iniquity' roles in upon our planet, covering up every memorial and landmark witnessing to the FACT of GOD, and even endeavouring to blot out EVERY 'Lighthouse'; every Voice of Warning, every Trumpet sound made by ANY 'Watchman, to the end that none will be saved.        We live today in VERY dangerous waters able to come upon us suddenly to carry us off into eternal darkness and enslavement.
What has happened ?     The END is upon us, the Return of the King of all the Earth, JESUS, is upon us, and Satan knows this for sure.     He would prevent it, forestall it, deceive us and divert us all from BEING READY - but the TRUTH has been given to us.    We are able to ESCAPE from Satan's net.

BUT Satan is no fool.     He is said to be VERY clever and wily.    He has from the beginning continually attacked Mankind, and endeavoured more and more to 'pull the carpet', so to speak, from under his feet by encouraging Man away from giving heed to GOD, and instead helping him to believe his way is better, more enlightened.      Ever since he first spoke to Eve, Satan has continued to bring doubt upon God's Word, and about our understanding of it.      And the CHURCH which has endeavoured to be a 'repository' of the TRUTH, has not been forgotten by Satan, and he has managed to worm his way in, and bring doubt and confusion even there.      The Church has forgotten the TRUTH and replaced it with humanist and modernist doctrines unhelpful to life.     Those who went to seek for comfort, deliverance, and even LIFE - those who, sick with sin, went to find Healing and Forgiveness have more and more found nothing at all.       It is CHRIST that draws people.   He alone who has the ANSWER to their problems.     Lift HIM up and the churches would be full, but cover Him up, hide and misrepresent His Good News, and none will listen.     Like rats discovering their ship has holes in it, they will RUN.    The will leave the churches.
But this is not the only reason they will leave.      The majority growing up and being born see no need of attending church even as a traditional duty - the see themselves less and less as sinners!!

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THIS WEEK, in Eldoret, has been comparatively COLD with temperatures in the 60fs.   It is strange that it should feel cold since in other places it might feel quite warm.    We are quite far inland of course, and more important we are 6.000ft above sea level.     The skies are grey and gloomy with heavy cloud, AND a fair amount of RAIN still.     But this IS the Season, and we have needed rain so much after the long dry season,.

TODAY Testimony School held its first Meeting of the School Alumni.      Not too many came, but in December this year we shall hold the 1st Annual Luncheon, and we expect to have quite a few hundred coming to that.      

TOMORROW we are expecting to BAPTISE some of our School Children in our Swimming Pool!

Brrrrh!!!     Probably about 6 or eight will go through the waters.    You really must WANT to be Baptised to brave the cold at this time of year.        It will form part of our Sunday Morning Service which usually begins here about 10.30 Kenya Time.

NEXT FRIDAY will be our Board's Annual General Meeting

We are all (me, Esther, Helen and Jesse) still having colds and coughs.    Still we are improving and we are managing to cope with our various duties and chores.     We do thank God for your prayers and for His Hand upon our lives, and those of all our many children.

Not much else this week.     The Lord has sustained us until now, and we have rejoiced to see our situation improving.     We do thank you all who have prayed for us and even contributed toward our Provision.     The Lord Bless you all.

Lovingly in His Name

John, Esther and Daryl Green