THE TORCH – ISSUE 2 2006

Greetings!

Whoever said that retirement would lead to a quiet, relaxing life? Peter and I certainly find we’re busy visiting Torch friends here in Falmouth, preparing talks and sermons, running our son to music practices and caring for 96-year-old Granny – not to mention the housework!

Sometimes Peter and I are so busy we hardly see each other from morning till night. So it is important to us to make time to be together. There may be matters we need to sit down and discuss. At other times we just go for a walk along the sea front and enjoy God’s creation and each other’s company. These are occasions for a really good long talk.

Those leading busy lives may only find time for short prayers to their Heavenly Father. “Please, Lord, help me to know what to say to this needy friend” or “ Lord, I need You, I can’t find that important phone number.” Our Father always wants to hear our prayers, and He is glad that we turn to Him first when an emergency arises. But if that is all we have time to say it’s rather like me shouting all day long to Peter, “Quick, get the washing in it’s raining!” or “I need your help with the washing up.” God is not our servant!

Let’s try and spend more time in God’s presence, showing Him our love, sharing our hopes and fears and enjoying His company. That’s how relationships grow. I certainly need to talk less and listen more to Him.

Sue Richards

by Gordon Temple

In January many churches around the world observed a week of prayer for Christian unity.

In John 17 we have the longest recorded prayer of Jesus. He prays that we may be one, just as he and the Father are one. It’s as if Jesus knows that unity – or rather disunity – is going to be one mega issue for his church.

God himself provides a perfect example of unity. We have one God but three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Although three individual persons, with three different roles they are so united they are indivisible: they are one God.

Jesus prays, “that they may be one as we are one”. In his first letter, the apostle John makes the simple yet profound statement “God is love”. The trinity is an expression of that statement: Father, Son and Holy Spirit – three persons, one God. At the heart of God is relationship – one of perfect unity. And Jesus craves for us the same love-motivated unity that bonds the trinity so firmly together.

Jesus prays, “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me”. He exposes a link between our unity and our witness to the gospel. If we don’t ourselves live in unity we can’t expect our audience to pay much attention to the unity we talk about.

Unity needs to be demonstrated; it must become visible to onlookers and be in some way exceptional or unexpected. It’s the expression of the love that Jesus commands us to show to each other, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34,35). In his first letter John declares that if there is any genuine response in us to God’s perfect love for us then it will be evidenced in our relationships with each other. “If anyone says, ‘I love God’, yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother,” (1 John 4:20,21).

Let’s face it – it’s not always easy to love other Christians. We are always going to struggle with this. The church is like a family – we don’t get to choose the other members! A real unity will only come from our relationship with God; a relationship made possible by Jesus. We have to start by loving God. The stronger the love we each have with God the closer we will be drawn to each other.

The truth is that we are perfectly united in Christ. St Paul wrote, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28). But this truth is sadly all too often hidden behind disagreement and disputes that tend to be more evident (and newsworthy) than the underlying unity we have in Christ.

Of course there are many types, styles and denominations of church. There always will be. Perhaps that’s what is to be noticeable about Christian unity: that though we go to many different churches we display an unexpected unity that comes from our shared devotion to our one Lord.

The church was born out of a crowd of ordinary people whose curiosity was centred on Jesus. They got fascinated by what he said and did – and by who he was. Yes, there was an inner circle – but not of the great and good. Just fishermen and the like – even a despised tax collector.

The picture Paul uses for the church is that of a body: many different parts working together to create one complete whole. To leave any part out, even the less obvious and less attractive parts, leaves the body – the church – disabled. “Those parts that seem weaker are indispensable,” writes Paul (1 Corinthians 12:22).

There’s a recurrent sense of wholeness or completeness that runs through the Biblical pictures of unity. The body used by St Paul to illustrate the church implies completeness. The Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit shows completeness in its perfect unity.

Just as the Trinity demonstrates unity, so the church is expected to as well. Love is in the nature of God and the church is to make that perfect love visible before the watching world.

We may belong to all sorts of churches with different forms and styles of worship but we have one Lord – a God of three persons that live and function in perfect unity.

At its best the church in all its forms and expressions is still a crowd with Jesus as its focus: individuals and groups of individuals that though different in many ways all share a fascination with Jesus – and want to be with him . . . So centred on Jesus, “seeking his kingdom and his righteousness”, that the grit of our differences softens as our love for him – and therefore for fellow travellers also – grows ever stronger.

This was Jesus’ number one prayer request in his last hours of freedom before arrest and crucifixion, so perhaps one week in 52 is hardly enough prayer towards unity for the vulnerable church of the 21st Century.

1 Corinthians 12:12-25

The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body – whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free – and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honourable we treat with special honour. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honour to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Music with a Mission – the story of Keynote Ministries

by Peter Jackson

For most of my itinerant ministry, I have acknowledged the power of music as a junior partner to the gospel.

I am described as a gospel pianist: using music to pave the way in many different situations. My ministry started way back in the 1950’s with Reg and Grace Tomlinson who sang duets and solos in their own right. This lovely, dedicated couple taught me many gospel songs, and we toured the British Isles in a caravan, assisting in city-wide gospel campaigns, and conducting missions as the Gospel Witness Trio.

Some years later I joined a team of evangelists in the Movement for World Evangelisation. Once again, music played a big part in Crusades.

More and more, people were asking me whether I had a mailing list and a newsletter. The need for prayer partners began to dawn on me, so that, as well as having the important blessing of our own church in Ammanford, my wife Margaret and I would have the support of people in many other parts of the United Kingdom.

In April 1994, the idea formed in my mind to enlist this potential support. It didn’t take me long to formulate a title for our ministry; it would be “Keynote Ministries”, with the obvious allusion to a keynote in music, and the gospel being the keynote in everything we do.

The Lord impressed on me the need for fellow blind people to hear the gospel, as so often they cannot get out to church without assistance. He gave me the idea of having Torch Fellowship groups, and I love to visit and encourage these whenever possible. I also proofread Torch’s braille library books, using my frequent long journeys for this task.

Our ministries include recordings of gospel music on CD, video and DVD. We have two autobiographical books, a book of edited stories and poems from the Internet, and two songbooks of our own worship songs.

We are as motivated as ever in our desire to bring the gospel to people in every walk of life.

When I was young, I used to pray: “Lord, may I be the first to bring the gospel to some person today?” Now, I am in no doubt that, very often, I’m the last person to communicate the gospel to people in my generation.

·        Three new Torch Fellowship Groups have started in UK: 1) Tunbridge Wells, formed out of a previously over-large group serving both Tunbridge Wells and Tonbridge. 2) Torbay in the southwest. 3) Fermanagh and West Tyrone, Northern Ireland, which up till now has been a Prayer Group.

·        Two new audio transcribers and one audio proofreader started in January.

·        60 parcels of braille library books have been posted to Malawi for the setting up of a library in the Lower Shire area.

·        Braille library books sent from Torch UK have been received with great joy at Canterbury Education Centre in Madagascar.

Here is someone who would like to correspond with others. You may like to braille a letter to this person. Introduce yourself by giving your name, your correct postal address, your age, and some information about yourself, your family and your country.

Anybody reading this who would like us to include their name and information in our next bulletin, send in your full name, postal address, age, and tell us about the things you enjoy doing. The aim of having a penfriend is to develop a friendship and exchange information and ideas.

IBRAHIM UMAR ABDULKARIM, PO Box 5426, Kano, Kano State 700001, Nigeria.

He is 36 years old and enjoys taking home study courses and listening to short-wave stations. He also likes country music and perfumes. He could be called using either of these two numbers: +234.802.992.4341 or +234.803.657.1820.

by Mike Townsend

Chapters 19 and 20

John’s journey through time is coming to an end. Will God be victorious?

We move from the disgusting funeral of Babylon to a glorious wedding feast. The multitude shouts, “Hallelujah! For our Lord God almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready.” (Rev. 19:7,8).

Weddings can be great fun. This wedding feast is for Jesus, the bridegroom, with his church the bride (See Ephesians 5:22-30). “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (verse 8). (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) The clean wedding clothes contrast powerfully with the gaudy outfits of Babylon described in the previous study. Jesus told the parable of the wedding where a guest was rejected for not wearing a wedding outfit. (Matthew 22:1-15). On the face of it, that parable seems grossly unfair until you know that in Jewish weddings of the time, the bridegroom provided the wedding clothes. We may think we are good enough but “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). Jesus, when he instituted the communion, said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now until that day when I drink it anew with you in my father’s kingdom.” (Matthew 26:28-29). Our righteousness comes only from Jesus’ sacrifice and is provided as a gift. This bridal feast is the very one that Jesus looked forward to at that first communion.

The battle of Armageddon is the great battle at the end of time. It has already featured twice. In chapter 16 God completed his judgment with the devastating outpouring of the seventh bowl of wrath. In chapter 18, Babylon was utterly destroyed.

“There before me was a white horse, whose rider is called faithful and true. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses.” (Rev. 11‑14.) The first of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse rides out once again. Clearly he is Jesus. When he first rode out, in chapter 6, his aim was to conquer people’s hearts giving salvation. Now Jesus leads his heavenly armies out to the final battle and the objective is death. “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations.” (verse 15).

There is no doubt about the outcome of the battle. One of Satan’s servants, Babylon, is already dead. We saw the beast (from the sea) and the beast from the earth (the false prophet) in chapter 13. Here they are! “I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet. . . . The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh.” (verses 19-21.) Many frighten themselves with thoughts of Armageddon. Its only terror lies in the fact that it closes the age of salvation. “I tell you, now is the time of God’s favour, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:2). God gives us “now!” to trust Jesus as our Saviour.

The first part of chapter 20 deals with the thousand years, or millennium. This is the only place in scripture where it features, yet many base almost their entire understanding of God’s Word on it. Many things about the boundary between time and eternity are mysterious. We will only understand them when we are there. I take the parallelist view of the Book of Revelation, that the 1000 years again covers the period between Jesus’ first and second comings. The thousand years begin with the binding of Satan. “I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” (Rev. 20:1-2). If this church age is the millennium, then, you might say, Satan does not seem bound! The effect of Jesus cross is immeasurable. “Having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.” (Colossians 2:15). No longer can Satan deceive the nations (Rev. 3.) People are free to trust Jesus. Satan is bound but not beaten.

Nowhere in this passage does it say where the thousand years take place – heaven or earth. I believe this is deliberate. Beheaded martyrs come “to life and reigned with Christ” (verse 5). “Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them.” (verse 6). Two resurrections and two deaths! What is going on? If we die before Jesus returns, what happens to us? Do we enjoy a soul sleep? Do we wait somewhere until time comes to its weary end? Jesus said to one of the criminals crucified with him, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43.) When we die, we leave time. It no longer has any effect on us. Christians move straight into Jesus’ second coming. Paul says, “we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.” (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

The thousand years end with the final act of the battle of Armageddon. Satan is released and his armies surround God’s city. “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. And the Devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulphur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” (verses 9,10). Satan was not present at the creation. He will not be there at God’s new creation.

The “great white throne” marks the final act of God’s judgment. Everyone is there. “Books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life.” (verse 12). The books contain all there is to be known about us. We have already seen that, compared to God, we are clothed in rags unfit for his presence. “If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (verse 15). But there is hope! If we trust Jesus, our names are in that book of life and we can enjoy what comes next!

John and Sue Oldham

[John and Sue retire at the end of February, and look back over their 31 years with Torch.]

In the 1970’s, after much persuasion by a blind friend, John and I joined the Leicester Torch Fellowship Group. At an area rally in 1974 God spoke to me about working with Torch at Hallaton. I did not tell John as I realised that we would each need to be called by the Lord for it to work. We had a young family and would need to trust the Lord in a way we’d never done before.

During that summer we went to Hallaton with some of our youth group to help prepare the house for decorating. Later, God spoke to John through the Bible account of the lady who poured out her precious perfume on the Lord Jesus – a whole year’s wages. Could we give Him just one month’s wages? We could.

In November 1974 John gave up his job and started working for Torch as plumber’s mate, assisting David Ballantyne to install bathroom facilities in the house. During that month, God made it clear that we should move from the security of home and job in Leicester to Hallaton, which we did on 4th July 1975. For five months we lived in a caravan in Torch grounds until our house in the village was sufficiently renovated for us to move in.

Our three children loved the freedom of the large grounds and the big house – trees to climb, “secret passages” to discover, no end of corners to hide in, tree houses to build. However, as they became older, they did find the remoteness curtailed their social lives. In 1977, Esther was born and in 1980 our family grew again when we fostered 12-year-old Wayne. It has grown still further with the addition of children-in-law and eight grandchildren.

John progressed from plumbing to overseeing braille and giant print production where he saw technology changing the way things were done. I worked in the house and later was also involved in the CST course, teaching braille. In 1988 I learnt tape recording, producing the audio magazine masters ready for copying. This has now changed to recording on computer.

Over the 31 years we have been with Torch, there have been difficult times as well as good times but we can both say that God has never failed to provide and to keep us in His care. One thing I miss in more recent changes is the houseparties that we used to have at Hallaton. I miss meeting the guests, and also realise how privileged I was in being able to benefit from the Bible teaching of visiting speakers as I recorded their talks.

As for the future, we have just completed the purchase of a holiday cottage in Wales. We look forward to spending more time with our children and grandchildren, and we trust our Lord will open up new opportunities for us to serve Him and we continue to look to Him for our daily needs.

by Mum Heath (co-founder of Torch Trust)

I have one precious item of jewellery which my husband gave me when we were engaged 64 years ago. It is my engagement ring. Just a simple gold ring set with three small diamonds, it reminds me of the time when he said to me, “I love you”. Three words, represented by three bright little diamonds.

Some years later we went on holiday. On the second day I suddenly realised that I had lost one of my diamonds from the ring. I despaired of ever finding such a small thing in a strange place. We searched high and low, until, miraculously, we found that little diamond, hidden in the bedclothes. I picked it up and held it in the hollow of my hand. I knew the diamond would be safe there.

Jesus told a story about a woman who had a similar experience to mine. He said, “A woman has ten valuable silver coins (probably part of her wedding outfit) and she loses one. Won’t she light a lamp and look in every corner of the house and sweep every nook and cranny until she finds it? And then won’t she call in her friends and neighbours to rejoice with her? In the same way there is joy in the presence of the angels of God when one sinner repents” (Luke 15:8-10 Living Bible)

Jesus was telling this story to show the crowd around him that every soul is precious, and that He came to seek and save the lost. Jesus is still seeking “lost” people today. He calls them to believe in Him and to be willing to have their lives cleansed from sin. Then they will know what it means to be held in the hollow of His hand. Every one who is “found” by Jesus sets the angels singing with joy.

The Prophet Isaiah knew the security of being held in God’s hand. He wrote “God has hidden me in the shadow of His hand” (Isaiah 49:2). We are secure, cradled in the hand of the Maker of the Universe. But how can we know if He will still hold us safe when we face the storms of life? Just look at His hand! It bears the scars of Calvary’s nails. The hand that holds us is the hand of God, and He has proved His eternal love for us by dying on the cross to redeem us. His was the greatest demonstration of love ever known, and He’ll never ever let us down.

Last July we had a lovely holiday at Pilgrim Hall in Sussex, with Marilyn Baker leading the devotional singing. She taught us a new chorus which says it all. It is recorded on Sandy Clarke’s new album, “Children of the King”

“I’m held in the hollow of His hand – that’s where I am, that’s where I am.

I’m held in the centre of His love – that’s where I am, that’s where I am.

The Lord loves to show us just how much He loves us,

Then our fears and our doubts just melt away.

I’m held in the hollow of His hand, forever more, for eternity!”

Here is something you can do when you are tempted to doubt that Jesus loves you. Hold a small coin in your hand and close your fingers round it. Remember that He is holding you like that. Then thank the Lord that He has you safely in His hands at all times, and however hard life might be you are very precious to Him.

[The album mentioned above is available from Shalom Ministries, 47 Stephenson Drive, East Grinstead, W Sussex, RH19 4BG. Tel: 01342 325105. Email: heathshal@aol.com]

If God had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it. If He’d a wallet, your photo would be in it. He sends you flowers every spring and a sunrise every morning. Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen. He can live anywhere in the universe, but He chose your heart. And what about the Christmas gift He sent you at Bethlehem? Not to mention that Friday at Calvary. Face it, He’s crazy about you! (from “A Gentle Thunder” by Max Lucado).