Guilt can kill! Some have the capacity

to feel no guilt, but average Joe collects

a fair amount of it in a lifetime. Others

will go to great and terrible lengths to

cover up their guilt.

Look at the story of the woman con-

demned to be stoned to death for adul-

tery in John’s Gospel. Let’s look at the

facts: “Teacher, this woman was

caught in the act of adultery”.1

If Jesus had asked one simple question

I believe the crowd would have dis-

persed: “Where is the man, the man

that she was caught in the act with,

where is he? He too is guilty of adultery

and according to the law, should die.”2

But Jesus stooped and wrote on the

ground, in answer to their questions.

We don’t know what he wrote. Was it

the ten commandments? The name of

the man she was with? We don’t

know. But we know that his answer,

an answer that has thrived, has been

abused and politicised, speaks to every

human on this planet. Straightening up

like a barrister in front of the judge,

Jesus stated, “If any one of you is with-

out sin, let him be the first to throw a

stone at her.”3

Now, picture the scene as this crowd of

self-righteous thugs get involved in a

bit of self examination. Hear the stones

dropping one by one. Listen for the

loudest thud that is the biggest brick

that hides the most guilt. Who was

holding that one? Was it the man? His

father? These guilty men believe they

are right until the Lord reveals to them

that they too are sinners.

Have you ever felt guilty about some-

thing you were about to do, but went

ahead anyway, knowing it was wrong?

The result is more guilt, guilt com-

pounded, proven, life breathed into it.

But because we are corrupt we have

the ability and capability to delete it to

the great recycle bin of the mind. Not

for long though—it keeps popping up

like an unwanted pop-up on a com-

puter. So we delete, and delete, and

yet it’s still there—hanging about like

a corner boy, waiting to be confronted.

Jesus is asking us today; are we with-

out sin? He is there to cleanse us, set

us free from sin and guilt, and have

eternal life.

Almighty God, forgive me a sinner,

Thank you for the Lord Jesus.

Thank you for loving me.

Please come into my heart.

Take away my guilt,

And change my life Lord,

That I may live for you.

“Everyone who believes in him receives

forgiveness of sins through his name.”4

“Therefore, since we have been justi-

fied through faith, we have peace with

God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”5

C o l i n G l e n C h r i s t i a n F e l l o w s h i p

Number 10, Spring 2006

Guilty, but declared innocent!

1

The beauty in God’s plan 2

Nostradamus doesn’t hold a candle!

2

Walking in the light 3

Science and Religion 3

Contact Details 4

Open House 4

Prayer Requests 4

The Passion of Jesus Christ

4

Jesus, cartoons and art...! 4

Inside this issue:

Cross alk Guilty, but declared innocent!

1 - John 8v4, 2 - See Leviticus 20v10, 3 - John 8v7, 4 - Acts 10v43, 5 - Romans 5v1

Statue of justice, with scales, sword

and blindfold (Minnesota, USA).

“The chances of Jesus fulfilling only 48 of the 300+ prophesies

about him is equivalent to winning the National Lottery 22

weeks in a row!”

Page 2

Nostradamus doesn’t hold a candle!

The Beauty in God’s Plan Palm trees lift their heads up into the blue sky

Their faces look to heaven and unto it draw nigh

Mountains with broad shoulders hug the earth below

In shades of green and purple, the Lord made it so.

Spectacular sunsets in orange, yellow and red

Kiss the evening sky good night as they tuck it in bed

Stars dot the night-time sky like diamonds on display

The moon falls prey once more to the first light of day.

Ocean waves roll in and pound the sandy shore

and then race back out again to sea once more

The earth brings forth her beauty as the seasons unfold

Each one is special when its story is told.

All nature is obedient to the Maker's plan

Only one creature rebels against it, his name is man

God in His heaven looked down upon the earth

and provided the way for sinful man to have rebirth.

Won't you join nature in the beauty of His plan

by accepting Jesus while you still can?

Next time you look at nature and marvel at what you see

Thank God that He's shown mercy and paid your penalty. Jane Hauck (2001)

1 - See http://urbanlegends.about.com/cs/historical/a/nostradamus.htm 2 - Micah 5:2, Matthew 2:1-6 3 - Isaiah

7v14; Matthew 1v21-23 4 - Zechariah 11v12; Matthew 26v14-15 5 - Psalm 22v16; John 20v25; Luke 24v40

6 - Psalm 16v10; John 20v19-20 7 - Peter Stoner, Science Speaks, Chicago: Moody Press, 1969, 4

The prophecies

of Nostradamus

have intrigued

many for centu-

ries. His 16th

Century cryptic

poems are

claimed by some

to predict future

events. His writings are claimed as either

marvellously prophetic, or so obscure that

they can be interpreted to fit many situa-

tions. Some ’proofs’ are actually hoaxes,

such as claims that he predicted the 9/11

attacks in New York.1

It is not so well known that there were

over 300 prophecies predicted in the Bi-

ble about Jesus by different authors, often

hundreds of years before his birth. In

contrast to those of Nostradamus, these

were not obscure, but gave exact details,

such as his birth in Bethlehem2 to a vir-

gin, Mary.3 Even the details of his be-

trayal and crucifixion were prophesied;

betrayed for 30 silver coins,4 his hands

and feet pierced,5 along with his resur-

rection.6

Some people claim that Jesus tried to

fulfil the prophecies himself. By coinci-

dence, someone might be able to fulfil a

few prophecies, but not the 300+ that

Jesus fulfilled. And no-one can manipu-

late all their circumstances, especially

their birth.

What are the odds of Jesus fulfilling all

these? Science Professor Peter Stoner

along with 600 students of Westmount

College, USA, made some conservative

calculations. These were later verified

by the American Scientific Affiliation.7

The chances of Jesus fulfilling only 48

of the 300+ prophesies about him is

equivalent to winning the National Lot-

tery 22 weeks in a row, with only one

ticket a week! (Or, 1 in 10^157, i.e. 157

zeros.) Compelling evidence that Jesus

is the promised Saviour of the world.

Also, that the Bible’s predictions of the

future can be fully trusted.

“Beliefs on origins: 22% creationism

17% intelligent design 48% evolution theory

UK Education curriculum

should include: 44% creationism

41% intelligent design 69% evolution theory.”

Mori survey for BBC3

“Religion without science is blind, Science without religion is lame. ”

Einstein

Page 3

Walking in the Light 1 John 1v5-10 (NIV)

“This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in

him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in

the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is

in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son,

purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the

truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our

sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we

make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”

Science and Religion Richard Dawkins (a.k.a. Darwin’s Rott-

weiler) recently dismissed all religious

faith as “an indulgence of irrationality

that is nourishing extremism, division and

terror”.1 There is no doubt that religious

extremism is rife. But extremism is also

alive among scientists who have aban-

doned true scientific principles. Like a

sheriff who has gone out of his territory,

scientists can stray outside the bounds of

science, to promote their beliefs.

For example, Darwin’s theory of evolu-

tion is claimed as a proven scientific fact.

But it remains unproved and unprovable,

since it cannot be scientifically proved by

repeated experiment. What’s more, some

non-religious scientists, such as Michael

Behe, claim that it no longer agrees with

the facts.2 They argue for ‘intelligent de-

sign’ behind the universe, but don’t go so

far as to conclude that this is God.

Scientific theory is not true science when

it is believed in the face of poor or oppos-

ing evidence. Or, if it is used to account

for matters that it cannot explain. It is

then a belief system or philosophy, with a

lot in common with religion. It can be

used to give answers to the origins and

meaning of life, our relationships to oth-

ers, the universe and God. The ‘scientific

proof’ of evolution implies that God was

not involved in our beginning, is not in-

volved in our present, and that there is no

life after death.

If only scientists were like Mr Spock from

Star Trek. They could then weigh up the

facts in an unbiased way. But they’re not,

and they don’t. In varying degrees they

let their beliefs guide their understanding,

as we all do. Anyone who doesn’t want

1 - In his two-part Channel 4 TV programme “The root of all evil” (9/1/2006). 2 - See www.discovery.org/csc/ 3 - Horizon

programme Survey , Jan 2006, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4648598.stm. See also “Dawkins' God” by Alister McGrath.

to answer to God will easily believe evo-

lution, since it has little place for God.

Those who believe in God will accept

intelligent design more easily, and so on.

Atheism and religion are both belief sys-

tems, based on different interpretations

and acceptance/rejection of the same facts.

Yet true science and religion are com-

patible. Problems occur where they are

not kept in a proper balance. There is a

lot of science in the Bible, and a lot of

the Bible in science.

Christian faith is not based on what can

simply be seen or measured, but on the

wider facts of God working in history

and in our lives, as well as science. It is

not irrational, but intelligent, and brings

understanding, hope and peace.

“I have never seen Atheism dry the tears

of a widowed bride. I have never seen

Atheism comfort the single mother. I

have never seen Atheism calm the spirit

of a distressed father. And I have never

seen Atheism offer hope to the hopeless,

forgiveness to the sinner, and grace and

mercy to all who ask it. Atheism indeed

denies humans of the one thing our souls

so long for; an answer. I have found the

answer! The One and Only Answer.”

Logan McAdams

To receive a free booklet of

‘Our Daily Bread’, with a

thought for each day from the

Bible, post this slip to the ad-

dress above. Or, email, or

send your details through the

website ‘Contact Us’ page.

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in prayer. Ring or email (details above). Or, fill in the form on the website — click on the

‘Prayer Requests’ link: www.cgcf.net All details will be kept in strict confidence.

Prayer Requests

‘Open House’ - Every Wednesday

We meet on Wednesday evenings for Bible study and fellowship with tea,

coffee and a bite to eat. Join us as we

look into the Bible to see what we can

learn from it, and how it is relevant to our

lives today.

Everyone is welcome - just turn up, or

ring for more details. Every Wednesday

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Contact Details: John and Elaine Duffy 42A Cloona Park Upper Dunmurry Lane Belfast BT17 0HH Phone: (028) 90600323 Email: info@cgcf.net

Website: www.cgcf.net

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Jesus, cartoons and art...!

The Passion of Jesus Christ 50 reasons why Jesus came to die - John Piper The most important questions anyone can ask are: Why was

Jesus Christ crucified? Why did he suffer so much? What has

this to do with me? Finally, who sent him to his death? The

whole message of the Bible leads to this conclusion.

Jesus was God's Son. His suffering was unsurpassed, but the

central issue of Jesus' death is not how he died, but why.

John Piper has gathered from the New Testament fifty reasons.

Not fifty causes, but fifty purposes -in answer to the most

important question that each of us must face: What did God

achieve for sinners like us in sending his Son to die?

For a free copy, write to the address above. Or, email, or send

your details through the website ‘Contact Us’ page.

receiving end of fair criticism, as well?

What about when it comes closer to

home? Are we upset at the everyday

misuse of the name of Jesus, Christ, as a

swear word? Or, what do we think of

Monty Python’s 1979 film ‘Life of Brian’

which was banned in the Republic of

Ireland for eight years, as well as in other

parts of Europe and the USA? It featured

the song ‘Always look on the bright side

of life’ sung by those on the three crosses

during a parody of Jesus’ crucifixion scene.

Or more recently, Jerry Springer’s ‘The

Opera’ shown on BBC TV, where Jesus

is portrayed as a partially-gay woman-

beater in nappies, and worse? Yet again,

the ‘Da Vinci Code’ where Jesus’ death

and resurrection are denied, etc?

What do our reactions reveal about us and

our love for God? If we have offended

him, sincerely ask him for forgiveness,

and in his love, he will gladly forgive us.

The things that we react to reveal what is

important to us. The degree to which we

react shows how important they are. Our

reactions can tell us a lot about ourselves

individually, or as a community. For

some, anything goes, while for others

there are many taboos. We all have our

‘buttons’ which, when pressed, cause us

to get hurt, or respond in anger.

A Danish newspaper recently

commissioned its famous cartoons of

Mohammed, resulting in severe public

reaction worldwide by Muslims. But

months beforehand it had refused to

publish cartoons mocking Jesus, because

they could be offensive to its readers, or

more to the point, they were just not funny.

Journalistic art, like other art forms, can

be used to inform or confront. But should

freedom of expression allow disrespect

for the legitimate views of others? How

would we react when we are at the