On November 5th people up and down the country enjoy fireworks. On this date in 1605, Guy Fawkes (and others) tried to blow up parliament using gunpowder and explosives. He is often remembered by burning a mock ‘guy’ on a bonfire.

Burning a guy on a bonfire reminds us that sadly, there are many people through history who have been burned or killed for their beliefs. In 1431, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for her beliefs. In 1536, William Tyndale, who was key in translating the Bible into English, was executed and then burned at the stake for his beliefs. In 1555, Robert Ferrar was burned in the middle of Carmarthen for teaching what he believed.

We may not agree with everything these people said and did but they all had incredible faith, so much so that they died for what they believed in. In the UK we are not generally called on to die for our faith, but how much does our faith mean to us? How far would we be prepared to go for what we believe? Are we prepared to speak up when people laugh at the notion of believing in an invisible God or claim that Jesus never existed? When friends ask us to do something that is against our moral convictions do we feel able to say no?

Jesus paid the ultimate price and died on the cross for his faith and for us, so that we can live forever! The least we can do is speak up for him whenever we can.

We have produced a series of short videos, recorded by Gorseinon Christadelphians, covering questions asked in modern life and seeing if the Bible has a relevant answer thousands of years after it was completed.

Our first two videos have gone live!

Is there life after death?

Are you disillusioned with life?

Please subscribe to our YouTube channel (click on the word ‘subscribe’ below either video) to get notifications about future videos.

Does God exist? It’s a simple question with a simple answer, either yes or no. That doesn’t make it any easier to answer though – humankind has been arguing about this question for as long as can be remembered.

If God does exist – He says that it requires faith in order to believe it – it is recorded in His word, the Bible, in Hebrews 11v1, 6. Therefore it will never be possible to 100% prove the existence of God (because then it would require no faith). If we do believe in God, we should look to the Bible to hear what He has to say about anything. He created the world and it is reasonable to expect that it was for a purpose – the Bible should contain His reasons for doing what He has done – and it does.

Since the Bible is the only word that we have from God, we should also expect it to be relatable to all time, including this day and age. Whilst superficial things change over time, we are all made of the same stuff as people were in the times when the Bible was written.

Gorseinon Christadelphians are releasing short videos each week on YouTube between late August-October asking questions that can trouble us, and pointing to resources that give a Biblical perspective and answer.

We’ll be asking questions like ‘Why does God allow suffering’, ‘Are you disillusioned with life?’, ‘Is Jesus going to return?’, ‘Baptism’, and many other relevant questions. We encourage you to subscribe to our YouTube channel and you will be notified when they are released.

Subscribe to our YouTube channel: Gorseinon Christadelphians

How do we decide what is right and wrong?  Can we just do or say anything as long as we don’t hurt anyone?

In a 2019 UK survey¹, 69% of participants said that people should be free to live their lives as they want, as long as that doesn’t harm others.  32% believe that their right to express their views is more important than their impact on other people.

The Bible, on the other hand, provides us with a set of positive guidelines to live by.  For example, Jesus said:

“Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them” (Matthew 7v12)

God tells us not to steal or lie:

“You shall not steal, nor deal falsely, nor lie to one another” (Leviticus 19v11)

What we say and do can have a big impact on others.  If we are more considerate and thoughtful before we act or speak then we can prevent upset and arguments.  Following advice found in the Bible leads to healthy relationships with those around us.

The Bible is God’s message to us and contains wisdom on how we should live our lives.  Why not read God’s words in the Bible regularly and then try to put them into practice in your own life?   If you would like a Bible Reading Planner please contact us and we will send you one, or if you have any questions, ask us and we will try to answer.

_{1. https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/year-of-beliefs-morality-ethics-survey-2019}

The nation of Israel has just commemorated an miraculous event – on May 14th it was the 75th anniversary of the formal declaration of the State of Israel.

Every year, around this time, Israel makes an abrupt transition from sorrow to joy. First the country comes to a halt for Memorial Day. Families visit army cemeteries; television channels show the names of fallen soldiers. Then, as day turns to dusk, mourning turns to joy in celebration of Israel’s independence.

The Bible says that Israel are God’s chosen people (Deuteronomy 7v6) but that He would scatter them across the world because they repeatedly disobeyed Him (Leviticus 26v33). The Bible also tells us in Ezekiel 37v21-22 that God would regather them and give them their own land at a future time. These events regarding Israel were foretold long before they happened, but they did happen! It seemed extremely unlikely that Israel would be regathered and given their own land for nearly 2000 years. Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans in about AD70 – but in 1948 this is exactly what happened, by the Will of God.

If you read on in Ezekiel 37 you will notice that this does not fit with the current situation in Israel. Verse 24 talks about God’s servant David being king over Israel and verse 25 says he will be their prince forever. You may know that King David died many years ago (1Kings 2v10), however God has been faithful to keep His promise to regather His people to give them a land and we can be confident that He will keep the rest of His promises. He will send His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, back to the earth and there will be a resurrection (making alive those that have died) and ultimately a whole world ruled in peace for us to be a part of, if we choose to follow Him and accept His invitation to forever (Jeremiah 29v11).