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What is the scientific method? Can science explain everything these days? Is there a need for a supernatural hypothesis to make sense of life? Why should we believe in an invisible God? Modern science and its multiple successes has since the 17th century has been based on a procedure called the scientific method. The scientific method consists of a methodical approach that involves the systematic observation, measurement, and experiment, and the formulation, testing, and the modification of hypothesis for the study [1]. We should also note that a critical approach to each stage forms the backbone of the scientific method and that the process must be based on currently validated scientific methods. Here is an example: The scientific method and the development of the smallpox vaccine [2] Edward Jenner (1749 – 1823) was a medical doctor and scientist who lived in England [3]. At that time smallpox was a dangerous disease for humans, with a mortality rate of around 30% of those infected and also leaving survivors badly scarred or even blind. However, Jenner knew that smallpox in cattle was comparatively mild and could be spread from cow to human through sores located around the cow’s udders. Jenner discovered that cattle workers thought that if they had already contracted cattle pox (which was cured quickly) then they would not get human smallpox. Observation: The starting point of Jenner’s work was that the belief that immunity from smallpox might be obtained from the subject having had the lesser infection of cattle pox. From this observation Jenner went on to the next step of the scientific method, starting with the hypothesis that this belief was true and developing the necessary experiments to prove or refute it. Hypothesis: Infection with cattle pox gives immunity to human smallpox. Experiment: The experiments that Jenner performed would be considered highly unethical today, since they were performed on humans. Although at that time there was no other way to evaluate the hypothesis, experimenting on a child today would be completely unthinkable. Jenner took cowpox sore contents from the hand of an infected milkmaid and applied it to the arm of a boy. The boy was ill for several days but then fully recovered. Jenner later took material from a smallpox sore and applied it to the same boy’s arm. However, the child did not contract the disease for a second time. After this first test, Jenner repeated the experiment with other people and later published his findings. Conclusions: the scientific method confirmed the hypothesis. Therefore infecting a person with cowpox protects against a smallpox infection. Subsequently, the scientific community was able to repeat Jenner’s experiments and obtained the same results. This is how the first “vaccines” were invented: applying a weaker strain of a virus to immunize the person against the stronger and more harmful virus. [1] For a useful overview of the scientific method see https://www.britannica.com/science/scientific-method [2] The smallpox example was adapted from Examples of Scientific Method - Examples Lab [3] Jenner’s life story see https://www.jenner.ac.uk/about/edward-jenner In Part 2 we investigate what questions can be answered by the scientific method and also the type of question it cannot answer.

The imprecatory Psalms The integrity of God’s character is a better explanation of our apparent conundrum of how the God of the Old Testament approves or even commands the things found in the imprecatory Psalms. God has always possessed integrity as part of His eternal, infinite, unchanging and perfect being. The integrity of God is composed of two divine attributes working in tandem which are perfect righteousness and absolute justice. Divine integrity cooperates with the divine love; together forming one perfect, integrated system through which God deals gracefully with humanity. Grace is the expression of God’s love, and integrity is the uncompromising method of His justice. [1] Divine integrity ensures that the God of love and grace is neither inappropriately emotional, nor does He play favourites [2], nor does He fail to be decisive in any human situations. We should note that God’s attribute of absolute justice demands punishment not only upon sin but also of the sinner. If it is right for God to destroy evil including evil persons and even to go as far as commanding his servants to perform the destruction of evil and evil persons, then it can be argued that it was right in God’s eyes for the Psalmists to pray for the destruction of the wicked. If indeed, the imprecatory psalms were inspired by the Holy Spirit and therefore, they must have reflected God’s will. The late Bible teacher Roger Price (Chichester) on a radio programme was asked in the dying seconds of his interview whether his God was the same God who was capable of terrible acts against humans as in the imprecatory psalms. Roger’s reply was clear ; ‘Yes, the God of the Old and New Testaments is a God of love and mercy, but He is also a God of absolute justice and decrees punishment for the unrepentant.’ This is the reason that Christians must urgently share the Gospel of Jesus Christ before it is too late for sinful men and women to come to repentance. The best explanation as to why the imprecatory psalms (and other terrible scriptures) seem to be so different from the God of the New Testament, and is found in the consideration of God’s integrity as mandated between His two divine attributes of His righteousness and His absolute justice. God employs both attributes as required in his dealing with humankind. This seems to me to be closer to explaining why the imprecatory psalms were written but also bids us remember God’s lovingkindness and mercy. What do you think? Footnotes [1] God the Father showed his integrity by not sparing Jesus from the cross. In Psalm 22 we find the Messiah crying out ‘My God my God why hast thou forsaken me’? The Father and the Holy Spirit turned their back on Jesus as he became sin on the cross. [2] For example in Matthew 26:39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

The imprecatory Psalms How can we match up these curses from the imprecatory Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? Here are some examples of approaches where apologists have tried to reconcile these two quite different pictures of God’s character. The imprecatory psalms cannot be attributed to a single psalmist but rather the list of such including David, Asaph, and other unidentified authors. A solution to our conundrum in explaining these difficult psalms is the assertion that they are not invoking a desire for the doom of the wicked but rather are predicting such. However this is not supported by such psalms that are really prayers such as in Psalm 55:9 Destroy O Lord and divide their tongues. There is a good case that the psalmists were actually praying in the texts of the imprecatory psalms. So it seems likely that the imprecatory psalms had some measure of the doom of the wicked in view and therefore were not merely predictive of their future doom. Christian dispensationalists who split history into seven distinct periods want to put the Psalms into the dispensation of the law not to the later dispensation of grace. This allows the Old Testament believers to call down divine judgement on their enemies as in the imprecatory psalms. However this would be unacceptable behaviour by New Testament believers living in the dispensation of grace. The main problem with this point of view is that seems to give scripture contradicting scripture. It is also of note that a number of the imprecatory psalms are referred to in the New Testament (e.g. in Acts 1:20 reference is made to Psalm 69:26 in reference to Judas Iscariot). C. S. Lewis rightly asserted: ‘The ferocious parts of the Psalms serve as a reminder that there is in the world such a thing as wickedness and that . . . is hateful to God [1]. However the suggestion by Lewis that the imprecatory psalms are due to ‘human qualities’ because scripture merely carries the Word of God [2] appears to contradict the New Testament teaching on the doctrine of inspiration [3] and thus cannot give a full explanation of the imprecations. It should also be noted that the psalmist King David is portrayed as a significantly merciful man who prayed for his enemies and spared Saul’s life when it was in his power to harm him. So it seems likely that David’s imprecatory psalms did not come from a vengeful and violent man. Frederika Pronk [4] has proposed that most people make two basic wrong assumptions when trying to reconcile the imprecatory psalms with the God of the New Testament. The first assumption is that ‘the welfare of man is the chief end of man’ and the second assumption is that ‘God is only merciful and not also righteous and just to punish the guilty.’ The first assumption is a humanistic view and contrary to the sovereignty of God. As the Shorter Westminster catechism taught…’The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.’ The second assumption fails to consider the integrity of God’s character. Footnotes [1] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) p. 33 by C S Lewis. [2] Reflections on the Psalms (1958) pp.87 and 112 by C S Lewis. [3] See 2 Timothy 3:16. [4} The Outlook (1981) The imprecatory Psalms: Christian Library by Frederika Pronk. In Part 3 we find a better answer to our conundrum in considering the character of God.

The imprecatory Psalms The Old Testament describes awful events that God does not just allow but commands. How can God be described as loving when we read such stories? Our approach to exploring this topic is to consider the imprecatory psalms of the Hebrew scriptures in which the psalmists want something bad to happen to someone else. Definition of Imprecatory: Imprecatory Psalms, contained within the Book of Psalms of the Hebrew Bible (Hebrew: תנ"ך), are those that imprecate – invoke judgment, calamity, or curses upon one's enemies or those perceived as the enemies of God [1]. Imprecations in the Psalms Of the one hundred and fifty Psalms, six are com­monly classified as "imprecatory" Psalms. These are Psalms 55, 59, 69, 79, 109 and 137. Besides these main six imprecatory Psalms, there are portions of other Psalms which include statements, calling for God's wrath and punishment to be executed upon the wicked. Some examples are Psalms 17:13-14, 35:4-6, 24-26, 58:6-11, 68:1, 71:13, 83:13-17, 94:1-7, 129:5-8, 140:9-11, 143:12, etc. How can we account for the petitions raised to God to bring curses upon the wicked? For example  ‘’Let death seize upon them, and let them go down quick into hell’’ (Psalm 55:15), or "Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth" (Psalm 58:6), "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living?" (Psalms 69:28), "Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen" (Psalm 79:6), are some of the fearsome curses the Psalmists wish upon their enemies. There are curses for God's wrath to even come upon widows and children: "Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow" (Psalm 109:9f), and speaking about the Babylonians, the Psalmist says: "Happy shall he be, that taketh and dasheth thy lit­tle ones against the stones" (Psalm 137:9). How can we match up these curses from the Psalms with the God of Love described in the New Testament? [1] Wikipedia definition. In Part 2 We we will consider if there can be any justification for these imprecatory psalms.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 What happened next? Then the revival began to sweep into Arnol, another district where men had been praying and crying out to God because of the deadness of religion. In desperation a little band of men made their way to a farmhouse to plead the promises of God. Just after midnight a young man rose and prayed a prayer that will never be forgotten by those present: "Lord, you made a promise, are you going to fulfil it? We believe that you are a covenant keeping God. Will you be true to your covenant? You have said that you will pour waters upon him who is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground (Isaiah 44:3). Lord, I know how these ministers stand in your presence, but if I know my own heart I know where I stand, and I tell thee now that I am thirsty. Oh, I am thirsty for a manifestation of the presence and power of God! And Lord, before I sit down, I want to tell you that your honour is at stake!" The House Shook! Then came the answer - While the brother prayed the house shook like a leaf as God turned loose His mighty power - the dishes rattled on the sideboard. The elder exclaimed, " An earth tremor!" Then wave after wave of divine power swept throughout the farmhouse. - Walking the streets under conviction Simultaneously, the Spirit of God swept through the village. People could no longer sleep. houses were lit all night; people walked the streets under conviction; people knelt by their bedsides crying out to God to help them. As the praying men left the prayer meeting, the preacher walked into a house for a glass of milk. He found the lady of the house, with seven others down upon their knees crying for pardon. 48 hours to change all the youth and every young man Within 48 hours the drinking house, usually crowded with the men of the village, was closed. Within 48 hours every young person between the ages of 12 and 20 had surrendered to Christ, and every young man between the ages of 18 and 35 could be found in the prayer meetings. Message for Ireland and beyond God is looking for his intercessors for Ireland, and I believe that He has sent me here tonight to tell you that it is you and to remind you about a covenant engagement; c.f. the Lewis revival. He has promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground. You praying women should put God in remembrance of his covenant, humble yourselves and repent, confess the sins of the nation, then he will come ... Amen Prayer Further reading on the Lewis Revival: The Lewis Awakening: The Nature of a God Sent Revival eBook : Campbell, Duncan, Publications, CrossReach: Amazon.co.uk: Kindle Store

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 In Part 1 we saw that the praying men and women in the Hebrides were given a revelation by the Holy Spirit that God was a covenant keeping God who responded to the intercession of his covenant people. Here is what happened next; At 3am God swept into the cottage The first night of the meetings in the church at Barvas, nothing much happened, but one of the praying deacons said to Duncan Campbell, "Don't be discouraged, it is coming. I already can hear heaven's chariot wheels. We will have another night of prayer and then we will see what God is going to do." About thirty went to a nearby cottage and continued to pray into the night. At about 3am God swept into the cottage and about a dozen were laid prostrate on the floor, unable to move. Something had happened! Revival had come! As they left the cottage, they found the lights burning in every house as men and women were seeking God. They found three men laying by the roadside under conviction of sin, crying out for God to have mercy on them. Converted before arriving at church The events of the second night will never be forgotten by those who were there! Buses came from the four corners of the island. Seven men were being driven to the meeting in a butcher’s truck, when suddenly the Spirit fell on them in great conviction - they were all converted before they reached the church. As the preacher preached tremendous conviction swept down upon the people and tears fell down the faces of those present. So deep was the distress of some that their voices could be heard outside. Under the burden of Intercession The meeting finally ended, and people began to move outside. A young man began to pray under a tremendous burden of intercession, He prayed for three quarters of an hour and as he prayed people gathered outside the church until there were twice as many outside as there had been inside. When he stopped praying, an elder gave out Psalm 132 and as the great congregation began to sing, the people streamed back into the church again and the meeting continued until 4am. The moment people took their seats the Spirit of God in great conviction began to sweep through the church and hardened sinners wept and confessed their sins. At the police station As the meeting was finally closing, a messenger hurried to the preacher, "Come with me! There is a crowd of people outside the police station; they are weeping and in awful distress. We do not know what is wrong with them, but they are calling for someone to come and pray with them." Describing the scene outside the police station the minister later declared, "Oh I saw a sight I never thought possible. Something I shall never forget. Under a starlit sky, men, and women were kneeling everywhere, by the roadside, outside the cottages, even behind the peat stacks,crying for God to have mercy on them!" Six hundred people had been making their way to the church, when suddenly the spirit of God had fallen upon them in great conviction, causing them to fall to their knees in repentance. Crying out against dead religion and standing on the promises of God. Amen Revival Prayer In Part 3 we find out what else happened when revival came to the Hebrides and the implications for the church in Ireland and elsewhere.

Lessons from the Scottish Revival 1948-52 Message given at House of Prayer, Carlow, Ireland- (Prophetic Word)– 7th June 2000. He is ready to gather the emeralds for His crown. Understanding intercession and revival Two of the greatest revivals in the 20th century were the Welsh and the Lewis/Hebridean revivals, both involving Celtic peoples. Has God forgotten the Irish? God loves the Irish! Why has Satan laboured so hard to divide and destroy Ireland. The spirit of Herod is still at work, trying to destroy that which is newly born in the body of Christ. Will the coming Irish revival touch the whole earth? Malachi 3 16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name. 17 And they shall be mine, saith the LORD of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. 18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. v17 The Welsh were the rubies, the Scots the sapphires. God wants to gather his emeralds for his crown. We must pray that these precious lost jewels will be found. His jewel box is the Church of Jesus Christ. God is putting us in remembrance of something about his character tonight and wants us to remember the Lewis/Hebridean revival. Pastor Sean Mullarkey recently told me of a prophecy he had heard that the Irish would no longer dance with their hands at their sides but would dance like the Scots with their hands in the air. The Hebridean Revival 1948-52 The revival came back in those days on the Isle of Lewis - one of the islands of the Hebrides, just off the coast of Scotland. The church elders met in Stornoway to discuss the sad state of the church. Dead, dry and without much hope, some of the churches were about ready to close their doors. The young people were in the drinking places and the dance halls - they were not at all interested in spiritual things. Seven men begin to change their world through prayer As a result of the meeting, seven men and one of the elders decided to pray and seek God for the Hebrides Isles. They met in an old barn by the side of the road. Three times a week they met and prayed and sought the face of God. As they knelt in the straw of the old barn God reminded them of a verse of scripture in 2 Chronicles 7:14 "If my people who are called by My Name will humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and forgive their sin and heal their land." They began to pray according to this verse. God is the Covenant Keeper And then the Holy Spirit gave them a revelation - that He was a covenant-keeping God. They realised that if they kept their end of the covenant i.e. to humble themselves and pray and seek His face, and turn from their wicked ways" then God was bound by His own covenant to come and keep His end of the two-way promise - to "Hear from heaven and forgive their sins and HEAL THEIR LAND." They continued to pray day after day - keeping their faith strong and reminding God of His word. They obeyed God and cleansed their hearts - and sought His face - and held on to the covenant promise. They had no doubt that God would heal their land and visit the people of the Hebrides. Two elderly ladies change their world through prayer At the same time, two elderly ladies, sisters, one of 82 and the other of 84 years, were also praying continually in their cottage, for God to come in His power and visit their island. Simultaneous glory One night after five months, as the men were praying and travailing before God, suddenly the barn was filled with the glory of God. At the same time, the little cottage where the sisters were praying, was also filled with the glory of God - they knew that God had heard and that He was about to descend in power among them. God is coming in two weeks God instructed the sisters to write to Duncan Campbell, a well-known Keswick speaker- a godly man of prayer. God revealed to the sisters that he was the man the Lord was calling to preach during this visitation. Duncan Campbell received the letter but replied that his itinerary was full, and that they should continue to pray and that he would come the following year. When the sisters heard this, they said, "Well God is coming in two weeks!" They continued to pray, and Duncan Campbell s itinerary got cancelled - so he decided to go instead to the Hebrides and be available to preach. Amen Prayer for revival In Part 2 we find out what happened next when the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Hebrides.

Examining your own heart Hosea 12:10 Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Examine your heart... Examine your heart for unbelief. Examine your heart for prayerlessness. A sinning man stops praying, a praying man stops sinning [1]. Examine your heart for the lost. Examine the priorities of your heart. Is your first priority in the material world? Is your first priority in human relationships? Is your first real priority to get money, power, or possessions? Is your heart, seeking first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness knowing that all these things shall be added unto you? What are you living for? Who are you living for? Next, deal also with the questionable things in your life. It might not be outright sin, but does it glorify God? Examine your friendships and associations –do they please God? Develop convictions to protect yourself from falling into sin. Convictions help integrate our hearts (inward) with our actions (outward) Job made a covenant with his eyes [2]...... For it is time to seek the Lord; Seeking – the time to seek God is now –the time to seek his face is now- the time to seek his face in faith is now- believing he wants you to find him now. It is God’s will for you to find him- when you seek him with all your heart. Til he comes and rains righteousness on you, Persisting- how long O Lord? Persist until he comes – he will certainly come if we persist. If we focus on the persisting –He will focus on his coming- Yes, the very presence of the living God will come down on you- History testifies to this in the Lewis revival. Prepare ye the way of the Lord in your own heart- remove every obstacle – and bring the presence of the living God in a new way into your heart. God wants to do a new thing in your heart today. Raining-Until the Spirit is poured on us from on high [3] And the wilderness becomes a fruitful field. And the fruitful field is counted as a forest. God wants your heart to be an orchard. God promised to pour out his Spirit on the dry and thirsty ground[4] He promised that the crocus and the rose would bloom in the desert place. Imagine fragrant flowers and sweet fruit trees in planted in the soil of your heart. God desires to breathe in your fragrance. God desires to taste the sweet fruit of your character. Jeremiah says, ‘break up your fallow ground and do not sow amongst thorns.’ Conclusion The reason we do not have revival is that we are willing to live without it. [5] The alternative to revival is progressive decline into barrenness. Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground,  For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you. Let us bring the plough of God’s word into the fallow grounds of our hearts today asking God to empower the plough by his Holy Spirit and that he shows us exactly what needs to be removed. Are you willing to break the fallow ground in your heart? are you willing to be made willing? God is willing and God is able to help each one of us break up our own fallow ground. Amen Prayer [1] Leonard Ravenhill [2] Job 31 1 I have made a covenant with my eyes; Why then should I look upon a young woman. [3] Isaiah 32 15 [4] Isaiah 44 3-4 [5] Leonard Ravenhill

Hosea 10:12 breaking up the fallow ground Here is God’s solution for a backslidden and lukewarm church. Sow for yourselves in righteousness –Sowing; –live right before God- Believe and practice God’s word- let it dwell in your heart richly- Ask the Holy Spirit to water the seed of the word-Pray fervently-share the gospel. Sow only good seeds Do only good deeds Reap in mercy; Reaping; when we sowed in righteousness, we reaped a harvest of the Lord’s loving-kindness (chesed) Our God is Chasidic-full of loving kindness. Our God multiplies the righteous seed we have sown way beyond the measure we sowed. Our first cycles of sowing and reaping produced a good harvest. But something crept up on us- the sin crouching at the door? Or the worries and cares of this life? The pursuit of wealth? And now whatever has happened, the soil of our hearts has become fallow ground. Examine your heart..........................take the Tozer [1] test. The fallow heart is smug and cannot be taught much. The fallow heart is self-contented. The fallow heart is protected from the shock of the plow. Some hearts have lain fallow year by year, safe and undisturbed. The fallow heart focuses on past fruit. The fallow heart has two signs on it; ‘Do not disturb’ and ‘Past-master.’ The fear of the plough means there can be no present fruit. The spirit of adventure is dead. The fallow heart is fenced in, and God is fenced out. The fallow heart smiles indulgently at fastings, revivals, self searching and the need to move on in God. The fallow soil has been hardened and can only support weeds, thorns, and thistles. The very seeds sown by the world, the flesh, and the devil. The soil of our hearts lies fallow to varying degrees-what state is your heart in tonight? Examine your own heart... and take the Plough [2] test. The ploughed heart practices confession and repentance We need to keep short accounts with God and each other. The ploughed heart has a sign ‘not safety first.’ The ploughed heart is discontent in God. The ploughed heart is yearning and full of godly sorrow. The ploughed heart is courageously obedient and ready to bear fruit. Break up the fallow ground; Breaking- humble yourself before the Lord. Confess that your heart has become hard, fallow, and shallow. Acknowledge it is your own responsibility to break up the fallow ground. Ask for his help and guidance in the breaking – the Holy Spirit will assist us. Confess all known sin-all the usual suspects- found in the Ten Commandments Include unforgiveness, bitterness, grudges, and resentment- then forsake them. Amen Prayer [1] A.W. Tozer [2] Michael Catt The power of surrender; breaking through to the ploughed life. In Part 4 we continue to examine our own hearts and deal with our lives.

Breaking up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 The life and times of the prophet Hosea The prophet Hosea is known as the first of the minor prophets. Minor in this context means that his prophetic book was comparitively small compared to major prophets such as Isaiah or Jeremiah. However Hosea and his fellow minor prophets brought major messages to God's covenant people. Hosea lived in the Northern Kingdom of Israel in the 8th century BC. Hosea means literally 'salvation'. The book of Hosea is found in the old testament between the books of Daniel and Joel. The book of Hosea chapters 1-3 tell Hosea’s harrowing personal story God told him to marry Gomer a promiscuous woman and raise children. Hosea had even to buy her back from her lover. Their third child a boy had a name something like ‘my daddy is not my daddy.’ Hosea keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking wife. God keenly felt the pain and rejection of loving an unfaithful covenant breaking people. Hosea identified with God’s breaking heart [1] over the sin of his people. Our sin breaks God’s heart. God’s tender love and mercy towards his people pours out of the book of Hosea. Hosea chapters 4-14 give the prophetic message of Hosea to Israel The land was filled with corruption amongst its rulers. Families were unstable and immorality was widely accepted. Society was divided and poverty was rife. Idolatry was on the rise and the religious leaders had no answers. Sound familiar? Could this be your country today? In Part 3 we will begin study the text of Hosea 10:12 to understand how to break up the fallow ground in our hearts. Footnotes [1] Clayton Dougan in the podcast The breaking heart of God, Sermon Index.com

Break up the fallow ground Hosea 10:12 Revival is when eternity invades time [1] Revival is God’s radical treatment for a sick and lukewarm church. Revival starts with me. Revival starts with you. God is calling me into personal revival. God is calling me to break up the fallow ground in my heart. God is calling you into personal revival. God is calling you to break up the fallow ground in your heart. The fallow ground is the soil of your heart that used to produce fruit. The fallow ground in our hearts is overgrown with weeds, thistles, and thorns. God is calling us into revival through Hosea 10:12 Sow for yourselves in righteousness Reap in mercy. Break up the fallow ground. For it is time to seek the Lord Til he comes and rains righteousness on you. Amen In Part 2 we consider the life and times of the minor prophet Hosea [1] Unknown author quoted by Clayton Dougan

Christianity brings purpose and a sense of belonging to each person's life As part of my own personal testimony when I was converted to Christ, I quickly developed a new sense of purpose for my life. God has a plan for each life including you and me. Our lives are not accidental, but we can only begin to discover our life’s purpose once we become Christian believers. Christianity produces a sense of belonging. Large numbers of people today are lonely, with a Cigna study showing up to 61% of Americans to be lonely. [1] Our loneliness problems have been compounded by the rise of things such as the impersonal social media, the isolation from the pandemic, and lockdowns etc. There is something in human beings that causes us to want to belong with other humans, in groups, families and other relationships. The Christian ethos recognizes the human need for belonging as a space that can only be filled by a relationship with God, and this is only possible through belief in Jesus Christ’s death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead. Towards the end of his ministry, Jesus prayed, “I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them, and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.” (John 17:22-23) A Christian worldview is founded on the understanding that Jesus made a way for every believer to have a personal relationship with God and thereby to come into unity with other believers. This is the primary definition of purpose—to know God and to be known by God. There is a tremendous security in knowing an unconditional love that you do not have to earn. That is a primary difference between how a Christian worldview defines purpose and how a secular worldview defines purpose. In a secular worldview, you have to earn purpose. As a Christian, purpose is innate. Christianity reveals God’s plan for each life which brings security. How does the Christian worldview describe purpose in this sense? Well, it starts with the fact that God has a plan for your life. Psalm 16:5-6: “Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup. you make my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places. surely, I have a delightful inheritance.” Psalm 139:5: “You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” God’s overall purpose for humanity includes your life purpose. A Christian worldview also asserts that God weaves your purpose into His larger purpose for the world. On a grander scale, God’s purpose is to restore a world broken by sin. Jesus lived out this larger purpose as described in Luke 4:18-19, and you could say that this was Jesus’ manifesto or mission statement. New Testament scholar N.T. Wright describes this weaving of your purpose into his overall purpose this way: “What you do in the present—by painting, preaching, singing, sewing, praying, teaching, building hospitals, digging wells, campaigning for justice, writing poems, caring for the needy, loving your neighbour as yourself—will last into God’s future. These activities are not simply ways of making the present life a little less beastly, a little more bearable, until the day when we leave it behind altogether. They are part of what we may call building for God’s kingdom.” [2] In a Christian worldview, every believer actively participates in God’s universal plan. The result is a deep sense of purpose that nothing else can replace. Dear Reader, have you already found your sense of belonging and your life's purpose through Jesus Christ ? Footnotes [1] S. Demarinis https://www.cigna.com/about-us/newsroom/studies-and-reports/combatting-loneliness/ [2] N T Wright in Surprised by hope.