Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 8th December 2022

Joy to the World

"Joy to the world the Lord has come, let earth receive her King . . . ” 

The joy is that there is hope for us all. God is love, and perfect love casts out fear.

I remember that, when my brother and sister and I were children, we would run down the driveway to hear the Christmas carols being played by the band on the back of the truck as it stopped at our farm gate.

The music, brought a wonderful presence, because young as we were, we knew the tunes told the wonderful story of God’s love.

Jesus said, “I am the truth” and also “Don’t let your heart be troubled . . . ”

I used to worry about many things when I was farming until someone
showed me what God had promised thousands of years ago that while the earth remained there would be continuing seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, and day and night. (See Genesis 8:22 in the Bible) So we don’t have to worry or fret.

Sadly, for the last two or three years we have been constantly bombarded with words of unending fear. Living in fear can even cause you to despair.

But there is good news, thousands of people around the world are beginning to trust in Jesus and great miracles are happening in their lives.

“Joy to the World the Lord has come, let earth receive her King . . . ”

God bless you, and have a wonderful Christmas.

Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 13th May 2021

God is here with us

What an incredible time in history to be alive! We have come to a time where the dividing line between right and wrong, truth and lies, light and darkness, is becoming glaringly obvious. Standing for truth is becoming very costly.

For example, highly trained medical doctors are being silenced from voicing their opinion on the vaccine.  In the free world Governments are turning on their own people.  Truth tellers are being silenced by Big Tech and Mainstream News Media outlets around the world.

Sadly, even in free countries, some church leaders are being imprisoned and held in solitary confinement for holding Church meetings in their own Church buildings.

This is NOT a time to despair.

Here is the GOOD news: “GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN US here in New Zealand.”

God Almighty is about to sweep across the nations of the world with the greatest displays of his love for mankind that the world has ever seen - with Signs, Wonders and Miracles - drawing millions into the Kingdom of God as in Bible days.

When people heard the Gospel preached, they experienced real encounters with the Living God. Those who were crippled were healed, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, broken hearts were mended.

There are Christians in this country who are about to hit the streets proclaiming that God has NOT forgotten you.  Local Evangelists are about to come to towns and cities throughout New Zealand, with crowds flocking to their meetings to receive the freedom that only Jesus Christ can deliver.

Jesus said, “The thief (devil) comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I (Jesus Christ) have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.”  John 10.10

Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 13th May 2021

God is here with us

What an incredible time in history to be alive! We have come to a time where the dividing line between right and wrong, truth and lies, light and darkness, is becoming glaringly obvious. Standing for truth is becoming very costly.

For example, highly trained medical doctors are being silenced from voicing their opinion on the vaccine.  In the free world Governments are turning on their own people.  Truth tellers are being silenced by Big Tech and Mainstream News Media outlets around the world.

Sadly, even in free countries, some church leaders are being imprisoned and held in solitary confinement for holding Church meetings in their own Church buildings.

This is NOT a time to despair.

Here is the GOOD news: “GOD HAS NOT FORGOTTEN US here in New Zealand.”

God Almighty is about to sweep across the nations of the world with the greatest displays of his love for mankind that the world has ever seen - with Signs, Wonders and Miracles - drawing millions into the Kingdom of God as in Bible days.

When people heard the Gospel preached, they experienced real encounters with the Living God. Those who were crippled were healed, the blind could see, the deaf could hear, broken hearts were mended.

There are Christians in this country who are about to hit the streets proclaiming that God has NOT forgotten you.  Local Evangelists are about to come to towns and cities throughout New Zealand, with crowds flocking to their meetings to receive the freedom that only Jesus Christ can deliver.

Jesus said, “The thief (devil) comes only in order to steal, kill, and destroy. I (Jesus Christ) have come in order that you might have life - life in all its fullness.”  John 10.10

Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 14th May 2020

Motherhood:  There is nothing as honourable.

Last Anzac Day we honoured our War Veterans and those who gave their lives in the fight to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this beautiful country today.

May 10^th was Mother's Day. It is also important for everyone of us to honour our parents whether alive or not. Even Jesus himself while hanging on that cruel cross looked down and gave special attention to his mother and made sure she was going to be cared for by the Apostle John. (see John 19:27)

“Honour your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you....” (Deuteronomy 5:6)

We should never degrade the most honourable role of motherhood. No-one should coerce a young girl or woman to remove the life of a child they are carrying. She will end up honoured if she bravely brings her child into the world and God will help her.

Not a human being living on the face of this earth, would be alive today without their mother bringing them into this world. There is an old saying, “The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” It is an honour to be a mother.

My mother was wise and kind, something I appreciated more as I grew up. A very competative sportswoman, she also enjoyed driving and was very good at it. I remember the exhilaration I felt as a child when she was driving the car and not many cars passed us on the 10km trip to town. When she reached her 90's she was still winning the competitions at indoor bowls in Hamilton.

My mother passed away last year at the age of 95 years.

Mary the mother of Jesus must have been a lady that was very courageous too. She once said,

“Do what Jesus tells you to do.” (John 2:5) That's good advice.

When you honour your parents (as having brought you into this world), you too will be honoured.

In conclusion; I suggest that you look up the song “MUM” by Prince Tui Teka on YouTube. This song will tug on your heart strings as it did ours when we listened to it on Mother's Day.

by Pastor Bruce Judd – Te Awamutu Christian Centre.

Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 16th May 2018

Bible Instils Morals For A Good Life

Would you rather be told the truth or be lied to?

Many years ago we were living in a town where the main road bridge crossed a wide fast flowing river. One night a sudden storm washed the bridge away leaving the roadway completely open to the flooded river below. That night a quick-thinking Truckee parked his truck and trailer directly across the road just meters before the river, to stop the traffic.

Some approaching drivers may have verbally abused that driver for blocking the road with his unit that night, only to discover later that he had saved their lives.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the truth and he was always doing good, yet the people of His day became so enraged that they wanted to kill Him rather than, (for their own good), change their destructive lifestyles. Jesus taught the people how to do right and live right i.e. guidelines for morality. 

Acts 10:38 “... God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

Have you noticed that we are seeing and hearing more words quoted from the Bible on Mainstream and Social Media recently? The use of technology to communicate with one another is very quickly becoming the norm in society. We are constantly being reminded to be “Tolerant” of every ideology out there. However, when anyone suggests that we should base our life decisions on good old fashioned morals from the Bible, the so-called “tolerant” explode in anger.

By applying good morals in life you will save yourself from much unnecessary pain, disaster, loneliness and heartache down the road of life.

I will leave you with Proverbs 23:23 Buy the truth, and do not sell it, also wisdom and instruction and understanding.

God bless you and have a great day.

Pastor Bruce Judd

Te Awamutu Christian Centre

www.christiancentre.co.nz

Christian Comment - published in the Te Awamutu Courier Newspaper on Thursday 12th July 2018

God’s rules are still relevant

Today I spent a while “walking down memory lane” and came across an old photo of my Grandfather, the photo was taken when he was sitting at the dining room table reading his Bible. (I was 15 years old at the time)

The words of this old chorus we used to sing in Sunday School came to mind:

Yesterday, today, forever

Jesus is the same

All may change but Jesus never

Glory to His name

Glory to His name

Glory to His name

All may change but Jesus never

Glory to His name

We are living in a day when activism and social engineering are beginning to erode away many of the old established norms in our society, and we wonder why depression and suicide are so prevalent out there.

The God of the Bible says:  “For I am the LORD, I change not.”  Malachi 3:6

God loves you – He really does, and He accepts you just as you are when you call out to Him.

In Jeremiah 31:3 God says:  “I will always love you.”

But we have to realise that the God of the Bible is a God of justice as well.

If we insist on disobeying the road rules and choose to drive on the wrong side of the road, eventually we will have a serious accident and get hurt and may cause injury or death to an innocent person as well.

The same goes for the rules God has in place too.

Have you noticed how loud people scream and yell when they are trying to insist that they are right, when they know deep down they are not?

God has not only put rules in place to protect us not to harm us but has given us an inner voice called conscience.

A friend at a late night party was offered a ride home by her Auntie because all the drivers were “getting tanked up.”

When our young friend declined the offer her inner voice was saying  “Go Now.”

Early in the morning travelling home with her boyfriend there was a serious car accident and our friend severed her spinal cord and lost the use of her legs.

She said later that it was God telling her to go home but she had ignored the inner voice.

Life is full of choices: “I am now giving you the choice between life and death, between God's blessing and God's curse, and I call heaven and earth to witness the choice you make.  Choose life.”  Deuturonomy 30:19.

Just to add some more information about my Grandfather.  He was raised, together with his siblings, by his solo mother and at the age of 18 he dedicated his life to Jesus.  He had a very healthy and successful life and died at 94 years of age.

God bless you

Pastor Bruce Judd

Te Awamutu Christian Centre

www.christiancentre.co.nz

Gospel Tract

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 14:6  Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

John 1:12  But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

John 14:1  Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

John 14:27  Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Jeremiah 33:3  Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

Romans 10:9  That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 

Isaiah 41:10  Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Your prayer:

Dear God, I come to You in the Name of Jesus.  I admit that I am not right with You, and I want to be right with You.  I ask you to forgive me of all my sins.

The Bible says in Romans 10:9 if I confess with my mouth that "Jesus is Lord," and believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead, I will be saved.

I believe with my heart and I confess with my mouth that Jesus is the Lord and Saviour of my life.

Thank You for saving me!

In Jesus' Name I pray.  

Amen.