Christianity

By Alan Shinkfield

The author has always before the END there would be a massive Christian Revival. God wants it, mankind needs it, and the peparring of the Bride for the Groom must Eventuate before the Second coming of Christ can BLESS this world. Paul tried to impress upon all followers of Christ that The Church has

• Language: English
• Publisher: Global Summit House
• Release date: Oct 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781636492544

Alan Shinkfield

The author has for sixty-eight years been associated with the Christian Church and has held eldership and executive positions in different denominations. He has also worked as a volunteer in various faith organisations. God has led him along various pathways and has granted him the great gift of life experiences. It is his firm belief that the Christian people of the world unit, accepting God as the Creator, Jesus Christ our Saviour, and the Holy Spirit as our promised earthly leader and strength.

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Christianity

The Simple Made Impossible

Alan Shinkfield

Copyright © Alan Shinkfield.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by reviewers, who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN: 978-1-63649-258-2 (Paperback Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-63649-259-9 (Hardcover Edition)

ISBN: 978-1-63649-254-4 (E-book Edition)

Book Ordering Information

Phone Number: 315 288-7939 ext. 1000 or 347-901-4920

Email: [e-mail]

Global Summit House

www.globalsummithouse.com

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: The Author

Chapter 2: The Book of Understanding

Chapter 3: The Simplicity of Jesus Christ

Chapter 4: The Complexity of Man’s Envolvement

Chapter 5: God’s Law

Chapter 6: The Gift of Wisdom

Chapter 7: The meat of Spiritual Food

Chapter 8: Life or Death

Chapter 9: The Holy Trinity

Chapter 10: The Power of Faith and How to Use it

Chapter 11: Demons, False Prophets and Antichrists

Chapter 12: The Mistakes of Church Management

Chapter 13: The Mistakes of Church Membership

Chapter 14: Riches and Power Versus Contentment

Chapter 15: The Real Meaning of Repentance

Chapter 16: How to Fight for Moral Issues in an Immoral World

Chapter 17: The Y Chapter

Chapter 18: When Stewardship Turns to Ownership

Chapter 19: The Last Chapter

Chapter 20: Revival at Last

Acknowledgements

To God the Father who gave me the wisdom to write this book through the Holy Spirit.

To the Son who gave me the perfect example of how life on earth could be when we acknowledge the truth.

To my dear wife Lisa whose patience was greater than mine and who suffered every time pages were condemned to the bin.

To my Christian Friends, Helen Brown, Lindsay and Joanne Enderby, Brian and Beverly Brown, and all those other who have led and guided me through our Christian walk.

To my readers :- stand fast for the truth, and may God give the victory to the faithful.

THE REASON FOR THIS BOOK!

Coming to Queensland Lisa and I were blessed with twins and addition to our Victorian born family. Tanya was an extravert and Michelle an intravert, Tanya was a little on the wild side with flexible boundries she found and attended a church and was baptised. She formed a partnership and moved to Tully Heads and gave birth to a girl first then a boy. Within a year or so Tanya developed a serious melanoma on her back which needed urgent attention. She was operated on in Cairns successfully, but some eighteen years developed a fast groing melanoma in Rockhampton. Although having operations the speed of the growth could not be curtailed. Seeking many different treatments she finally went to her eldest sister on the Gold Coast, and suffered many trips in and out of hospitals.

On the 13th March 2020 after a premeture birthday party for her son, she rested in her hospital bed and slipped away gently, for which we praist our almighty God.

BEFORE THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST I BELIEVE THERE MUST BE A GREAT REVIVAL TO THE CHRISTIAN FAITH.

‘TO GOD BE ALL THE GLORY.’ AMEN.

Introduction

Second Corinthians 4:1-4

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting out the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. And even if our Gospel is veiled to those who are perishing. The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Paul realised that the early church must have been built on truth, it must be understood by all of us as the holy work of a God who loved and cared for humanity He designed and built like an inventor. Just like an inventor who knows all the advantages, the short comings, the limitations and the failures of his project, God also knows all the limitations, failings and shortcomings of the human race. It was essential that the Bible be based on truth, it was also essential that every man read it, nay, perused it, so as not to err or follow another’s mistakes. We of the Christian faith recognise the work of John Wycliffe in translating the New Testament as a work of God, which enabled all, no matter what their persuasion, no matter what their station in life, to read and decipher the very meaning to their understanding.

Someone once wrote, We have no more right to complicate the Gospel than we have to water it down. Feelings are good and proper but Satan can use them not only to give false assurance of salvation but also make sinners feel too bad to obey the Gospel and come to Christ. I would perhaps include the whole Bible, not just the Gospels.

In a desire to increase congregations, we have changed and altered the meanings so plainly set down in the Holy Book. Exodus 20:4-5 read, You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. Could anything be more explicit or taken out of context? Yet, I enter church buildings with the statues and paintings and when I ask the questions Why? I receive the same answer, But we do not worship them. But candles are lit and people do bow before them, so just who, as Paul states, Uses deception and does distort the word of God.

Again, reading from John’s Gospel 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The question, How can Mary be the mother of God? must be answered in all honest. I am not challenging for one moment what you personally believe. But I would add caution and suggest that unless you read and fully digest the world of God, you can make no excuses for errors in your convictions or worship. If from your earliest days you were told white was black, unless you set out to disprove this, you will continue to teach your children the same and they their children. But the blame does not lie only with those who pass on misinformation; it is you is at fault for you did not challenge the teaching by your own personal study.

Procrastination is a terrible thorn in the side of Christianity, we know, through our Bible readings that Solomon asked for and received the gift of wisdom from God, and Ecclesiastes 1:12 says, I, the teacher, was king over Jerusalem. Because this book contains so much wisdom that applied not only to those times but also applies to today’s lifestyle and because Solomon was king and the time frame fits within Solomon’s period, I accept without looking for negative ways to disprove that what I believe—that Solomon did write the book of Ecclesiastes. However, my Bible lists the author as doubtful, possibly Solomon. This seems to prove without contradiction that our educated leaders are denying the one thing that God demands—absolute faith in His written word. If we question these points, how we then expect new comers to the Faith to accept God’s law without questioning?

Ecclesiastes, this significant book of wisdom and acceptance, teaches us about the amount of time and effort we waste trying to establish a legacy to pass on to our descendants. As we can see in Ecclesiastes 2:18-20, I hated All things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless. So my heart began to despair over my toilsome labour under the sun. Why should we use all our time in building up earthly treasures, when by fire, flood or other acts of nature, we can lose them in a short period of time?

Surely it is far better to store up heavenly riches that will not only allow us a blessed eternity, but will also give us the joy of knowing that we walk each day with the Holy Spirit of the Christ living within us. The lessons of Ecclesiastes, coupled with a wide range of personal experiences in my lifetime, have drawn me to write this book. These encounters have brought me to an acceptance of life, its trials of joys and to that place in my Christian life when I can honestly say, I do not want or need anything more than I have now.

This introduction has been included to give you an outline of what you may expect to read as you delve deeper, seeking to gain a complete and honest understanding of just what being a Christian involves. It has not been written to offend, rather as a warning to all who carry an inflexible perception of the true Christian faith. As you read, occasionally stop and pray deeply, then think spiritually and discuss rationally, both within and without the perimeter of your Christian family, any points of view that may exceed the limits of their doctrine. These point should promote deep, thought provoking, spiritually based but open dialogue between all members of the group. Such discussions must not be constrained by the members’ own biases or convictions.

This book will embark upon many subjects and opinions hitherto considered taboo by many in the Christian church, political parties and business communities. It will set out the way the Christian voice must be heard throughout the world. Faith, unity of church, lack of genuine leadership, man’s law in God’s church, stewardship, the error or placing square pegs in round holes and gambling—all have a place in the Bible is profound, there are no grey areas, there is black and there is white, good and evil, you may follow God or you may follow Satan but you cannot in any way serve the two masters, especially when their doctrines are so antithetic.

God is the creator, Satan the destroyer. We must learn to determine all things by this principle. Weigh every decision carefully, search to see if it is constructive or destructive but remember that Satan will use all of his guile and cunning to lull us into believing that what we are attempting is of mutual benefit, when it may, in actual fact, be the most destructive ploy. In writing a book about Christianity, I look only to please God, who has answered my prayers for wisdom and opened my eyes to a learning process spanning some sixty years of walking in His light. God will control the sales of this book, just as He will lead and guide those who read it and as he has and will continue to provide the author with all his needs.

As you read this book, I ask that you do so with prayer, also that you will use the utmost of your self-control and not let it upset you in any way. I must truly ask you that if you are offended by real and honest opinions, you put the book back down and return to the fiction section of the library or bookshop and continue to live in that fantasyland where Satan lures and persuades Christians into that very dangerous existence of self-contented complacency. If you do take this book and read it, then do it with an open mind, praying to discover what God has in His plan for you, The way He wants you to believe and how to pass on those persuasions to people He is calling into His service. My prayer for you is, That you receive wisdom and that you will fully accept where and how God is leading you.

We have to live in a world that cares little for Christian morals and principles, values and our own personal rights to live and follow God. But we cannot turn our backs on the greed and uncaring attitudes of those who seem to have the power to change our rights to suit them. This book looks at those in authority, who disguise the truth to give confidence to investments. The world financial market is changing but where will these changes led us? Where do these changes leave the followers of Christ? What will be the consequences of these changing markets? Like it or not, we are a part of this world and therefore should shoulder the responsibility of ensuring that Christian principles are not dismantled by ill-informed public servants under the disguise of offending other religions.

The Dean of a Bible College in New South Wales once told me, We have no intention of changing your convictions but hasten to assure you that when you have completed your studies you will truly know why you hold them. I neither expect nor want this book to change your understanding of God but sincerely pray that it will make you think and discuss rationally the enormous privilege that God has extended to you in calling you to be His servant, follower and friend.

I make no apologies that Satan, Antichrists and false prophets are featured in a chapter of their own, they are our enemies and we must learn to recognise who they are, their battle plans and their dire intentions. There must be no doubt in your mind that they are evil personified and live only for the complete destruction of God’s perfect will and His earthly kingdom. If we, as followers of Christ, knew as much about Satan and his disciples as they know about God’s ways, Jesus, the Bible and ourselves, we would be far better equipped to face the ongoing battle that rages about us.

God is real but so is Satan, the tempter; do not ever underestimate his cunningness and perseverance. His weapons appeal to us all, earthly riches, power, greed, selfishness, all of which are able to lead to the moral degradation and destruction of Christian lifestyles and the acceptance of all things we know are abhorrent to our Sovereign Lord. We may not be tempted by all of these but rest assured, Satan has one weapon in his armoury that will prove to be our downfall. Once found, Satan will camouflage it in so many ways that we stand in danger of it becoming a repetitive sin. If , as in business, I was taught that salesmanship is the art of overcoming an objection, then Satan is the greatest salesman of all times, for no matter how strong our resolve, his perseverance and persistence will wear away our resolve and fortitude and we fall a prey again to his cunning.

In these modern times, we are beset by many practices that erode common decency and the moral standards of the community as a whole. Many excuses are put forward as to the causes, alcohol, drugs, gambling and the lack of respect for others and their property. But these are the powerful weapons in Satan’s arsenal of destruction of humanity. I have listened to educated and learned people speak of legalising drugs and I wonder if they, just as I, have heard stories of a man with a $1,000-a-week spending habit and heard where the money comes from the supply the addiction. To hear how pretty theft grows in to armed hold-ups, illegal entries to robberies with violence and how an attitude is born and nurtures a cult that considers anyone with more money in their pockets, wallets or purses establishes them as fair game to help finance old habits.

I also pray that this book will challenge everyone to look to God to find answers to his or her daily problems, for unless we, as caring followers of Christ, take up God’s invitation to contest Satan’s domination and work under the guidance and the power of Holy Spirit, then we have yet to witness the depths of destruction, indignity and moral degration mankind will suffer as Satan lashes out with his hatred towards God through you and me. We Christians, like the Jews before us, have made and will continue to make mistakes. Just as they failed to recognise the promised Messiah, we fail to grasp that we are executors of God’s will and trustees of His kingdom on earth. Much is made of Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, as well it should, but we must accept the inconceivable sacrifice he made by coming to earth the first time. But remember, he shall return the next time only to meet his Bride, the earthly church.

Christ Jesus sat with God and was God, heaven was his kingdom, the twenty-four elders, the four living creatures and all the angles fell on their faces and worshipped saying, ’Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’ After this I looked and there before us was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the Throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice, ‘Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the Throne and the Lamb,’" Revelation 7:9-10. The earthly reception given to Jesus the Christ of God fell far short of that which he receives in heaven.

Jesus Christ left this paradise to fulfil that exalted plan: first of all reconciliation and when that failed, the salvation that God put in place for all those who have dwelled in the past, do now and will dwell on earth in the future and who wholeheartedly accept Jesus Christ as their own personal Saviour. These promises of God, made through the assurance from the Messiah, Jesus Christ, are there to be believed and accepted and it is not God’s will that we should turn away from these promises but rather it is the unwillingness of people to accept a plan so simple and yet so effective. To gain understanding, we must first realise a love so deep and pure that in today’s world it is becoming more incomprehensible by the hour. Take yourself back to the time when you held your own or a family member’s new born babe, the feeling of overwhelming love you felt is the same as the love that God has for all His children. God loves man but cannot tolerate sin; death is the prescribed penalty for sin and has been so since the original sin and covers all the past, present and future disobedience to God’s laws.

All generations from Adam until the very end of time, as we know it, have been warned, All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We have all been convicted and must suffer the prescribed penalty—death. There is someone who was prepared to die in our place for our transgressions, and praise God, is Jesus Christ, who is the sacrificial Lamb without blemish, Son of God, Saviour of the world, was that one. How very simple! Why then is it so difficult for man to understand and accept? The political system worldwide has been corrupted as we discover the lust for power overtaking many politicians; laws are passed with little or no revision to discern their satisfactory operations. As we consider crimes against children, particularly in the domestic environment and many happening through people living in de facto relationships, these violations of accepted parental behaviour have certainly awakened a feeling of abomination within the hearts of decent folk of the community. There have been public demonstrations outside courthouses and lock ups, where alleged perpetrators are being held or are to appear. Unfortunately here has been little or no action from the church or parliaments.

We can be sure that God has commenced to cleanse. His earthly church, events that people in authority carefully concealed, not to protect the standing of the Christian church but justify a system that they either constructed or supported, they all now stand condemned. If Christianity cannot stand pure, clean and faultless, then it is not the Christianity from God. The earthly church is the Bride of Christ and must be immaculate for Christ’s second coming. The human race cannot absolve itself of the sins committed in the name of the Christian church anymore than we can purify the Bride, we can only confess to our God our sinful indulgence and seek His forgiveness and purification. We are finding that dark corners to do exist and these discoveries have and will be exposed for all to see; once done, we will again see a God untarnished by His so-called follower’s improprieties. From time to time, God will undertake an eradication programme that will prove His innocence and omnipotence and see the Bride of Christ ready for the Groom’s return.

I am not a doomsday preacher. It will come. But as Jesus told us, it is not for us to know when, only the Heavenly Father knows and if anyone propounds knowledge of the exact time, they are Antichrists and/or false prophets and place themselves above the station of Christ, for he admitted that this information had not even been revealed to him. In the story of the Tower of Babel, we are told that the God confused the language so that people spoke in different tongues and the building of the Tower was stopped and never completed. Today we find that one language is spoken as the first or second language in many countries throughout the world. This then is a sign, as is the introduction of the Internet and now we can see the Gospel of Christ reaching every country and nation in the world. Nature too has shown its power and man has not been able to answer its awesome challenge, there is a promise of a pandemic, which will sweep the world and take millions of lives. So do not delay, become a part of the great celebration of truth, love and the power of God.

To find a small nugget of gold, you may have to move tonnes of ore; likewise do not expect to find a worthwhile gemstone in the first shovelful you dig, and this is what makes gold and gems so valuable. Life is not so easy as a Christian, the life that Jesus set as an example, but the rewards are great, the greatest gems in the Bible are there for you to uncover. Do not rely on others to find God’s personal message and task for you. The rewards for living a life devoted to the teachings and example of Jesus, in the short period of our lives on earth, are unimaginable to us as we prepare to stand in the Presence. Accept what God grants you with thanks, be content with what is meat for you in the earthly realm, seek after wisdom, serve your God and your community, and give thanks at all times for all things and you will be blessed.

Consider the enormous damage and loss of life if by being misinformed, a signal man on the railways diverts one fully laden passenger express onto the track of another speeding in the opposite direction. Then consider the enormous loss of eternal life if in the past someone passed on misinformation about the true forgiveness and redemption needed to earn a place in the promised paradise. Now read on, do not deviate from the message that simply is, God is Love, Jesus Saves. And the whole truth of this world and the next is in the Bible for you to grasp and understand. And may God Truly Bless You, Amen.

CHAPTER 1

The Author

Revelation 21:1-4, Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will be with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ He who was seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’ Then he said, ‘Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.’

This reading is about the future and following the example of Jesus Christ, I look forward to that wonderful expectation as promised by God. The past is gone but the future is yet to be lived; place your hope in God and your future is assured.

Perhaps this chapter is a misnomer. Although earthy hands have written this chapter, the wisdom is God’s. I am not educated sufficiently and my knowledge comes from experience and the willingness to allow the Almighty God to place me where He wants me. The testimony herin sets out what God can do for and to you through the Holy Spirit. I have lost nothing but gained joy and peace knowing that I can with confidence sing, And I will see Him face to face. Perhaps I was chosen because I did not question the absolute authority of God’s Holy Words. Sometimes education can make us smarter than we really should be.

I love deeply the passage of scripture used to introduce this chapter, for it tells of a great new world, a world where we shall live with our beloved God. No more pain, no more reasons to shed tears, no more suffering, a world where the trials and sorrows of the past are justified by the glories of God’s promised heaven. This portion of Revelation to John is the future of all those who are properly dressed for that long awaited wedding celebration. As a former salesman, I am reminded of the two major forms of merchandise—the tangible, which can be seen and used and becomes an article of