Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
Reverend Ben Coopers podcast, offers an inviting space for listeners to explore Christianity and spiritual growth with wisdom, humor, and a deep commitment to biblical truth. Through Rev. Ben's engaging conversations with guests, the podcast not only explores the timeless wisdom of the Bible but also tackles the pressing issues of life, faith, and hope in a way that is accessible, thought-provoking, and enriching. Whether you’re seeking spiritual nourishment, answers to life’s big questions, or simply a place to reflect on your faith, the Rev Ben podcast is a valuable resource on your journey.
In each episode, Rev. Ben guides listeners through profound theological reflections, personal stories, and practical insights drawn from the Bible and the broader Christian tradition.
Reverend Ben Cooper's Podcast
The Fire Bin Moment: When Faith Meets Fear - (#1049 - CST)
Title: No More Excuses – Standing for Christ in a Culture of Compromise
What keeps us from boldly standing for Jesus? In this urgent and timely episode, we explore how fear, comfort, and the desire for control often become subtle—but powerful—excuses that lead us to compromise or deny our faith. From Peter's denial at the fire bin to modern believers navigating hostile cultural environments, the struggle remains the same.
We revisit Peter’s moment of weakness—choosing self-preservation when confronted by a servant girl—and draw direct parallels to how many Christians today remain silent about their beliefs in workplaces, classrooms, and even in churches that have strayed from biblical truth. The stakes are real: social ridicule, job risk, and accusations of intolerance. Yet Jesus' warning rings clear: “If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them...” (Luke 9:26).
This episode doesn’t sugarcoat the cultural battlelines, especially in educational institutions, where biblical values are increasingly replaced by ideologies that distort truth—particularly around gender, sexuality, and identity. Families, students, and educators face a critical question: Will we remain grounded in the truth of Christ, or drift with the currents of cultural approval?
As one host soberly notes, “When we took God out of schools, we replaced it with guns.” It’s a stark reminder that when we remove God’s truth, something else always fills the void—and it’s rarely life-giving.
But the answer today is the same as it was in Peter’s story: genuine transformation through the Holy Spirit. After Pentecost, Peter no longer crumbled under pressure—he stood boldly, proclaiming the Gospel with courage that came from beyond himself. That same Spirit-filled boldness is still available to those willing to surrender fear, resist compromise, and walk in obedience.
This episode calls believers to reject spiritual excuses and rise into faithful, fearless discipleship. Start by immersing yourself in the Word. Surround yourself with uncompromising believers. Choose the narrow road—because while it may be unpopular, it leads to life.
The time is now. The world doesn’t need more quiet Christians. It needs Spirit-empowered believers who know whom they serve and are unafraid to say so.
Peter’s denial devotional, Christian podcast about cultural compromise, Holy Spirit empowerment today, standing for Christ in public schools, Luke 9:26 explained, rejecting fear in faith, boldness through Pentecost, Christians in hostile environments, faith over fear podcast, Spirit-filled discipleship, biblical response to cultural pressure, how to stand firm in Christ
https://www.pastorbencooper.co.uk/
https://www.rbchristianradio.net/
Thank you. Good morning everybody. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. Hashtag Christian Straight Talk. We are streaming across Elim this morning and on our very own Twitter feed Hashtag Christian Straight Talk. Good morning to everybody that's jumping online. I can see where you are. God bless you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, and we welcome you. It is Thursday, the 2nd of March, and it is 22.11. And whatever your life looks like this morning, we just pray that you will just find the living word of God and just continue to follow Jesus. Simon, good morning, we're in and we are ready, ready to rumble ready to rumble.
Speaker 2:Let's get ready to rumble good morning everyone across the world and, uh, it's you know. We just thank you again for joining us and uh, yeah, hallelujah and Ben this week. What dropped? What dropped through the post from Amazon is our second book Ben Second book is out on Amazon.
Speaker 1:This is unbelievable, isn't?
Speaker 2:it.
Speaker 1:It's amazing, isn't it? The second book is out, and we thank God for it.
Speaker 2:When things happen that you just you know it's the Lord, don't you? The Lord is moving. So this is our second book. Hashtag Christian Straight, Straight Talk, and it's all about fear fear talk and some great titles in here. Fear is not an option. Stand still. Giants will fall, different spirits. Fear is a liar. The fear of God. Keep your eyes on Jesus keep your eyes on Jesus it's on Amazon, it's there.
Speaker 2:It's there. You know we'd invite you to to get hold of a copy. It'll bless you. Know we'd invite you to to get get a hold of a copy. It'll bless you. I'm just I'm just reading it through again. This stuff is like dynamite yeah it's like on a cross mate to the enemy it's all about Jesus it doesn't it doesn't talk about us as Ben and Simon.
Speaker 1:It talks about Christ, about following Jesus. It's got nothing about us in there. It's got nothing about us in there.
Speaker 1:It's all about following Christ, walking with Christ, believing and how we deal with fear and how we deal with fear which is out there at the moment and it's just the fear. So, when you look at the titles on there, that the chapters that are out there, but it's all about Jesus, because Jesus is the one. So it's fear is not an option, as Simon said, and the other chapters, but it's Jesus all the way through.
Speaker 2:All the way through.
Speaker 1:Yes, all the way through how to deal with fear. So if you've got issues with fear and worry and all that sort of stuff, it's worth just grabbing yourself a copy, and we thank God for all those followers as well. We've got many, many thousands of followers on Spotify and Amazon Music, and we've got some other news coming up in the next few weeks another platform that we will be using but once that's in place, we will let you know. So there's amazing things happening in the world of podcasting. So God is blessing us and God is blessing you, and we just pray that, wherever you are today, that you will never give up.
Speaker 1:But we've got a title for today's podcast and for everyone that is live streaming with us this morning good morning, I can see you jumping online there. Thank you, and good morning to you, too, and for everybody that is in the world of podcasting that will capture this a week down the line. We just want to say thank you to you as well, very much for the full downloads 10,000 downloads of uh, just pure podcasting that we've done.
Speaker 2:So god bless you across the world, and the power of technology is just mind-blowing it's mind-blowing, ben, and we'd invite you to to add comments, um, but as you appreciate, you know, with us talking at the same time, it's a a bit difficult to reply, but we will get there. We will get there. Yeah, so we're invited to, you know, make comics and be encouraged, and today, yeah it's.
Speaker 1:Where are we today? What are we doing? Who are we talking about?
Speaker 2:Well, funny enough, Ben, we're back talking about Jesus.
Speaker 1:We love talking about Jesus.
Speaker 2:And these excuses for rejecting Jesus. And do you know what, ben? There's a lot of excuses that people make when challenged really to tell us about Jesus. Why doesn't Jesus not fit into your life? What do you think? And the devil has done an amazing job, hasn't he?
Speaker 1:He has yeah.
Speaker 2:But Jesus said himself. And if we kick off this podcast with a scripture which is in Luke 14, jesus said himself that many will be invited but few will respond. And Luke 14, right at the beginning, he says now it happened as he went into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees. Now, this was one of the rulers of the Pharisees, so this was a big, big cheese. This was a big daddy in the world of the Pharisees.
Speaker 2:He was one of the top men and he'd have been all there in his robes, no doubt.
Speaker 1:Oh, definitely yeah.
Speaker 2:And there'd be other people around him and Jesus went in and he well to say, he gave it to him is… In true Jesus style. In true Jesus style. Yeah, he didn't hold back.
Speaker 1:He didn't hold back. He didn't hold back. What's interesting with Simon is reading out from verse 1 of the Gospel of John, chapter 14. No, we're not in John, are we? We're in Luke? Sorry, Luke 14. The Gospel of John has been banging around my head and heart for so long We'll get into that.
Speaker 1:We'll be on John in a minute, don't we? The Gospel of Luke? Gospel of luke, I stand corrected. Uh, luke, chapter 14, and uh, verse 1, and it says on on the sabbath, or one sabbath, depending what translation is. When jesus went into that house of a prominent pharisee, he was being carefully watched. Isn't that true, now that if you are a believer, you are being carefully watched by the outside, by religion? So christ was in in the Pharisees. A man of stature. He was probably well known to Nicodemus as well. Interesting this, that he doesn't actually mention his name, does it?
Speaker 2:No, he doesn't say his name.
Speaker 1:So he's of the same drumbeat, so he's a Pharisee. He's high up, he's exalted, he's lifted up in society. He's well-oiled, he's wellalted, he's lifted up in society. He's well-oiled, he's well-educated, he will know Nicodemus. Very interesting it doesn't mention the name of this person, but it says that he was being carefully watched, being watched and we are being watched.
Speaker 2:We are, yeah, all the time we're being carefully watched, but didn't stop Jesus from absolutely being radical, straight talking with them like Swap.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:We try and do, we try and be the straight talkers. And so Jesus was straight talking and he hit them hard right from the get-go, didn't he?
Speaker 1:Straight in, no messing about.
Speaker 2:And he talked in parables, which is stories. But they knew what he was saying, they understood he was talking about them. And so if you go to 14.7, he says, when you're invited to a wedding, don't sit at the top of the table in case someone gives you a little tap on the shoulder and says I'm sorry, you've got to be sitting down. Sit right at the bottom. Sit at the bottom and then, if you're invited to come up, Then come forward, yeah then come forward.
Speaker 1:Interesting that what Jesus says about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, because you go in any church and see who's sitting at the front.
Speaker 1:On there, yeah, yeah, yeah, oh, dear who's?
Speaker 2:sitting at the front of the church. See who's sitting at the front.
Speaker 1:And certain cultures. They like to make sure the pastor has got a gold throne, a red carpet, Certain areas of church like to. You know I find that brilliant.
Speaker 2:He had an entourage.
Speaker 1:He was in a white Rolls Royce he had police escorts on horses on the side red carpet, and then he had a commentator when he was getting out of the car. Here comes the pastor and you're thinking, here comes the man of God. You're thinking, what have we actually come to? And then they go and sit on these big, humongous gold thrones. We see it within the UK and certain movements within the UK, and we're servants. All of us are servants.
Speaker 2:This is completely contrary to this teaching Of what Jesus Christ is saying.
Speaker 1:And even they're arguing about the healing that he's doing. And it says there in front of him was a man that was suffering with an abnormal swelling of his body. Jesus asked the Pharisee, the experts in the law. Look what he says. Christ is saying that these men, these Pharisees, are experts in the law. Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath or not? But they remained silent. See, when you bring the word to the law, when you bring the word and you speak truth into a very hostile environment, the truth will always outstrengthen and completely deal and take down the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the lawgivers. Cut straight through. Cut straight through. It says doesn't it that the word of God is sharper than a double-edged sword? So speaking the truth through the living word of God will destroy all this religious stiffness, all this sort of stuff. So if you speak, jesus, you're speaking powerful.
Speaker 2:So I was just thinking. So, jesus, listen, he's God incarnate. He's always been, he always will be, he always was. He's the most powerful, most amazing man that ever walked the earth. And yet, when he rode, he went on a donkey, didn't he? He didn't go in a.
Speaker 1:Mercedes. He didn't go in a Mercedes and it says. They said Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna, waving the palm leaves, and he came in on a knackered old donkey. Oh, he's.
Speaker 2:Jesus on his private jet just going in. Yeah, he wasn't doing the Kenneth Copeland, he wasn't landing with his four jets, the Lord has called me, isn't it interesting, though I mean I'm nowhere near aggressive from the title, but I bet your bottom dollar that the devil incarnate, which will be the Antichrist, he won't hold back on private jets.
Speaker 1:No, the Antichrist will be the richest person on earth because he's coming to claim and to capture everything that we own. The governments are after what we have. You can see what we've got Tyranny in the UK through the government. Things are breaking out in religion. Now is a time if you are a believer and we are talking about being born again spirit-filled we've got to stand on the living word of God.
Speaker 1:But the excuses for rejecting Jesus, even now, across the religious table, there is so many excuses on the table for rejecting Christ. But Christ came in to that place on that donkey. That's really interesting. So he wasn't highly exalted, he didn't have an entourage, he didn't have anything around him, he didn't have a PA team, he didn't have a social network, he didn't have all the lights and the glitz and the glamour. But where was he going? He'd gone to the cross and you think the journey that he was on, he he came in on a donkey that was worn out, exhausted, you know, probably not treated very, very well. There was no lights, there was no glitz, and that's what it is when you're following jesus, when you really follow christ. There is no materialism to that to be exalted up?
Speaker 2:no, no, no, nothing like that. But so you're right, ben. It's time that we kept our head on a swivel yeah it's time to stand for something, yeah, otherwise we'll fall for everything, and we will fall for the antichrist if we're not standing for jesus. Um, and fall for the world really, because I'm looking at this and when I looked at this, ben, I thought we thought well, excuses for why people don't accept Jesus, but hold on a minute, it's also even if you are a believer.
Speaker 2:For not following Jesus, for not following him and not standing up for him. What does he say? If you're ashamed of me, I'll be ashamed of you.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't like reading that text. No, I don't like reading that. That text is just a very big text and now is a time. So when we're talking about excuses for, uh, rejecting or not following jesus, there's a classic, isn't there? There's that classic that great, that great disciple.
Speaker 1:When the rooster crows, you will peter, you will deny me lord, I'm gonna die for you, I'm gonna follow you, I will fight for you, I will do everything for you. But what's interesting is when the human skin, the human body, their back is against the wall and you're thinking how am I going to get out of this situation? He denied Christ, but he was called, he was a disciple, he was chosen. And Christ, in the beginning of them scriptures, said something really powerful and when you come back, and when you really powerful, and when you come back, and when you come back, and when you come back, feed my lambs or sheep, whatever one you're reading from. Feed them.
Speaker 1:What are you going to feed them? Are you going to feed them kebabs, burgers? What are you going to feed them? Steak? No, you're going to feed them the living word of God. Feed my children, feed the sheep. You know so. Peter had a calling, strong, powerful calling, but when he sat around a fire bin, when his life was in, when he was looking at his own mortality, so we can look at Peter, but we've got to look at ourselves, haven't we?
Speaker 2:Yeah, so when we're our backs are going, when we're standing near the fire bin of life, when our faith comes into question, or when we get an opportunity to maybe bring Jesus into a conversation or by our actions, are we going to step forward and go yes, jesus, you're front and centre or are we going to duck into the crowd?
Speaker 1:your front and center or we're going to duck into the crowd. So if you take education at this moment, families, whoever we are, I've got children in the educational department. The educational department in a massive area area is trying to take our children away from the teachings of jesus christ, and even the church is trying to do that, from this gender issue and many other issues that they're coming against, the pronouns and the gender fluid God rubbish that they're talking about, even attacking the word. Our father, aren't they? So how do we deny Christ? Do we deny him through our speak or do we deny him through our actions and denying by our actions? We don't need to say anything. Just by going into the workplace, going into school, going into life and allowing that beast system control us, we are denying in a roundabout way that we belong to Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true.
Speaker 1:But we get caught in the snare of life. The enemy lays the snare. It's so easy to do. It's so easy to do. It's so easy, it's so easy to do.
Speaker 2:Look what happened to Peter. The same is happening to believers every single day of the week.
Speaker 2:And that's interesting, you mention that the educational system, because it's not just in the UK, it's across the Western world and especially none more so than the United States. And I read this morning a quote by the mayor of New York, who you know New York is a democratic place, but he said when we took our God out of schools, we replaced it with guns. Wow, and he was adamant in saying that. And so when you take God out of anything, you've got to replace it with something.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the devil steps in.
Speaker 2:The humanistic approach that's come in, I'm afraid, just lays bare or gives opportunity for people to move away from God and an excuse to do whatever they want.
Speaker 1:I would say the biggest challenge where we're seeing brothers and sisters, believers and whatever label we put on this, where do we deny Jesus is in the teaching of the gender issue. If someone cornered any one of us in a corner and says do you believe in all this stuff that's coming out or do you believe in Jesus Christ? If you stand up and you say I believe in Jesus Christ, you will have bullets fired at you. You will be put in the arena and almost made an example too. But there is a classic example where the church, the churchy world and the government and education is saying to our children you can be whoever you want to be, live however you want to live. Whatever you, you want to flow from one to the other. That's up to you. We'll support you in all of that.
Speaker 1:But then, as a believer, if you stood up in the classroom wow, if you stood up in the playground and you stood up in the headmaster's, headmistress's offices, whatever it may be, and say I don't accept this because I am a christian, I believe families through education, even in church, even there are a lot of denominations that are accepting this, that this is the teachings of Jesus Christ, and the scripture is clear. This is one big area that is coming to the door of the church. And it's not coming to the door, it's in the church. It's in the church and this is an area Are we going to stand up for what we believe, that God created the heavens and the earth and God created man and woman? The biggest challenge, I believe men's ministries are going to face men's ministries. We're seeing it in men's prisons. We're seeing it in women's prisons. We're seeing all this stuff that's going on.
Speaker 1:Will you stand up. So John 13, 38, simon says this Jesus answered will you lay down your life for me? Truly, truly, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times. The church is denying Jesus through the wrong teachings, totally.
Speaker 2:We've always said it on this platform that you can't be the world to win the world no, you can't and I believe that people out there don't want the church to be the world they want the church to to give them Jesus and the teachings of Jesus and to be different. That's right.
Speaker 2:I said the other day I was talking in a church and I said if I had a pound for every gender, I said how many pounds would I have? And one bloke said you'd have two. I said that's correct. I said I'd have two pounds. I said I have a few counterfeit coins, but I'd have two. I said that's correct. I said I'd have two pounds. I said I'd have a few can of Bitcoins, but I'd have two pounds. And do you know what, benny? You know across the world and I don't want to digress too much, but across the world it's gone so far that certain governors in the United States are just turning it around. Yeah, so you've got Ron DeSantis in Florida. Bless him. He's coming against order wokery in education. He's even standing up against Disney.
Speaker 2:You know, he's really, and if you listen to that man speak, he's so articulate and he said I saw it coming up through the educational system. I saw how the left were trying to indoctrinate people and it's not going to happen in my state. He came in with a majority in 2018 of 32,000. His latest majority last year was 1.5 million. So people are believing and people are leaving other states to go and live in Florida. It's like now.
Speaker 1:So he's standing up.
Speaker 2:He's standing up against all of that stuff.
Speaker 1:All of the gender issue, all the gender, all the wokery, all of that stuff.
Speaker 2:He's standing up and people are going. I want to be free.
Speaker 1:I want to be free.
Speaker 2:I want to be free.
Speaker 1:This is really important, isn't it for us when we live? We are living in a time of the beast system, we are living at the end times. Now is the time to stand up for Jesus Christ and wherever you are across the world at this moment in time, and however you're listening to what we're discussing this morning, it is so critical. It is so critical that we follow jesus christ. But peter was called, peter was chosen peter what, what a character. But when he was challenged by the servant girl and and the system of life, he rejected christ, really, really clearly. And Jesus says to him in John 13, 38,. Jesus answered Will you lay down your life for me, truly, truly, he says Peter, I say to you, the rooster will not crow until you have denied me three times.
Speaker 1:There comes a time in people's lives, our lives, your lives, whoever you are, times. There comes a time in people's lives, our lives, your lives, whoever you are, when, without realizing the involvement that we are involved in in the workplace issues within education, at the moment, education is a very dangerous place to be if you are a young christian, because it is driving everything that the world has to offer and more, to your door, and if you are a young person in christ and you're at university, you've got to be very careful that you don't get steamrolled by the majority that is driving all the gender, all the wokeness, all the the, all this freedom. Go and live the dream, when actually jesus says I am the way, the truth and the life. No one can come to the father except through me. So he's the truth. I honestly believe over the next two years, 18 months, we will see a mass percentage of believers really standing up for Jesus.
Speaker 2:Well, there'll be a remnant There'll be that remnant. I don't know whether it'll be a mass percentage, ben, but there will be a remnant. And what you're saying about young people in church that's what has concerned me for a little while is that and we've said it on this platform, ben that you get a young person coming out of college or whatever straight out of Moses' basket straight into a position of authority over our youth and young children, without having any worldly experience or knowledge and very easy to go off down certain avenues and routes.
Speaker 2:And that's why I love it when a youth leader is I don't know, 40s or 50s, who's seen a bit of life, who knows he's grounded.
Speaker 1:And that is scripture. God uses life experiences. God takes us. You look at Saul, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul had to go and to deal and to do everything that he did before. We would call that a moment on that road, and life skills and life's issues and life's pressures, they make us and they enable us to lean more into Jesus. So there is a reason for the season and scripturally that is what we call endurance. Life is about enduring.
Speaker 1:You know that great writer, Paul, that great writer, reached that point in his life when he clearly said something so powerful. He said we even hate and despise life itself. We're exhausted, we're tired, we're weary. We've got to the point where we are absolutely all burnt out, all lost and said and done, but we are holding on to the faith. And in Mark, chapter 14, 29, it says Peter said to him even though they all fall away, I will not.
Speaker 1:What a classic line is that for someone to say Lord, everyone else will drop away from you, Everybody else. Father, when it comes to the last hour, I will stand for you. This is that man that denied him three times. So what are the excuses for rejecting and not following jesus? There are so many around our lives, there are so many in in culture, there are so many, and we get so caught in the rhythm of that life before we we know it, without actually speaking it. Our actions of following the system of the world is literally denying Christ by what we and how we live our lives according to the system of the world.
Speaker 2:Well, Ben when we're talking about believers rejecting Christ. It's a tough one. It's a hard one because people don't they cast themselves as a believer. They may think that by going to church every Sunday they're a Christian.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You know, but I was listening to our good mate Billy Graham the other day and he said I don't know whether it's true or not he said he heard a story where a dog, every Sunday morning, would leave its house and go to a local church. He said, and as the vicar was or the pastor was shaking hands, he'd put his paw out and he'd shake his paw. He said he'd leave the service and come back. And it happened every Sunday. But that don't make the dog a Christian. Don't make the dog. The point he was making was just because you go to church, it don't make you a Christian. So to be a true follower of Jesus Christ, the only way we can stand out for Jesus if we're a follower if we say we're a follower, the only way is through the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2:We can't do it in the flesh, no other way. So we see Peter here, who's a classic example, didn't have the Holy Spirit at the time ran at the first sign of trouble he was on his bike.
Speaker 1:That's what the rest of them he said the rest of them, they're scattered, they're gone.
Speaker 2:They're gone. They're gone. When the Holy Spirit came on Pentecost, different character, altogether strong in his faith, didn't care who he was telling about. Jesus stood up for his faith. So I honestly think that we can't do this without we can't do any of this.
Speaker 1:You can't do it in the flesh, in the flesh. You can't do it in your own strength. You can't do it in your own strength, even though that we're born again spirit-filled. When you look at this scripture about Peter he was called, he was chosen and Christ gave him that and he said when you come back to me, peter, feed. And he said you're the rock, and on this rock I will build my church. So Christ knew that he would deny him the fire being. Christ knew that the rooster is going to crow three times. Christ knew, but Christ did not reject him. He didn't reject him, he loved that man's character.
Speaker 2:He loved him. He loved his character, he loved his passion for. Jesus, but he was only human at that time. He was only human and he got the Spirit. He wasn't strong enough to stand up and say, yeah, I'm a follower.
Speaker 1:I'm a follower and I believe as believers in this nation, in England, there's come in a time and probably it's already been at the door for a long time that we are going to need to stand up for our faith and as simon has said in, the scripture says, we can only do that with the power of the holy spirit. In the book of acts, chapter 2, it says and when they was all together, the day of pentecost came. They was together in one place. There was no denomination, there wasn't 26,000 denominations that we got. There wasn't any pastors leading services. They were still and waiting and the Holy Spirit came and rested on each of them. But what's lovely about that text is just in the fabric of that. It says the Holy Spirit enabled them. See, now we're at a time that the Holy spirit will enable us.
Speaker 2:The book of joel, the book of acts in the last days, god says I will pour out my spirit I will pour, yes, on all flesh, pour out my spirit and all flesh so that when you've got peter giving a talk and people listen to him and he said, even the elders, the, the Pharisees, whoever he was talking to, recognised these were uneducated men, but they knew.
Speaker 1:Yeah, there was something.
Speaker 2:That they'd been with Jesus.
Speaker 1:They knew.
Speaker 2:They'd been with Jesus. So here's the deal we have to show people Jesus. We have to be different to the world. We have to let the light shine out of us. So that's dealing with really people that believe. They are believers, and I, honestly, the more I go around and the more I talk to people, the more I speak to people in church.
Speaker 2:It's been as you do, and I know because we've discussed it. The more I believe that church needs evangelising, the more I believe this. I put out a scripture yesterday on Facebook about the narrow path and the broad path.
Speaker 1:What a word that is.
Speaker 2:The example was a path going one way with loads of people and the path going the other way with one person on it.
Speaker 1:One person.
Speaker 2:And so I honestly believe that there's a narrow path and to know what it means to be born again you know we've gone through this with the Nicodemus thing, with John 3.3. Yeah, to know that you're born, to be truly born again. I think we need to be asking this sort of constantly Am I born again? Asking that question Born again?
Speaker 1:Born again. Am I born again? Asking that question? Born again, born again. A critical point that the church is at within the UK at this moment and the title of this conversation, the excuses for rejecting Jesus. And we can see where church and religion is rejecting Christ. And we must remember the scripture says all have sinned and fallen short of thy glory and the power of repentance and coming back to Jesus. But just living in the UK, living within England, it is like an endurance race to follow Jesus because the beast system, the government, the certain areas of life, education, is not for Jesus.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm telling you this, ben the certain areas of life, education, is not for Jesus. Well, I'm telling you this, ben, and I've seen this in many places that I've spoken and many places I'm associated with, and I honestly believe that the church in general is biblically illiterate, and that's a broad statement.
Speaker 2:But I believe that's the truth because you know I've been in many places. Lovely, you know, don't get me wrong All the buildings, the bells and the whistles, lovely community places, lovely places for people to come together. They create a warm space, they've got all of that going on. But sitting in church, very few sitting with a Bible, ben, very few, very few sitting with a Bible. And I said to a good mate of mine, you know, I said I said you take your Bible to church. He said oh no, I don't. He said but what good idea. I think I'd better start doing it.
Speaker 1:I've been at church all these times.
Speaker 2:And I'm not talking about on your phone, because if you go on your phone you get distracted yeah, I think bible, I think that's, I think that's um get into the word of god and and what you're saying ben, is that that we would? If the church is rejecting jesus, then it can't know jesus, can it? Because so I mean, we mate, we just read this stuff week in, week out and it explodes in revelation to you, doesn't?
Speaker 1:it, it does, yeah, it just explodes.
Speaker 2:See, look, so we've been talking about people in church rejecting Jesus. Maybe people who believe they're believers rejecting Jesus, but people who are in the world, why do they reject Jesus? Well, jesus said and he's talking to these Pharisees he's given it to them, he just doesn't hold back. Do you know? He probably didn't even have time to eat his meal. He's just hammering them all the time. He said. Now, when one of those who sat at a table with him heard these things, he said to him blessed is he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. And so Jesus said to him. A certain man gave a great supper and invited many and sent his servant at supper time to say those who are invited, come, for all things are now ready. But they all, with one accord, began to make excuses. The first said to him I brought a priest to the ground and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.
Speaker 1:Well, this guy could have looked at that ground. I'll follow Jesus tomorrow. I'm chasing the ivory tower.
Speaker 2:I bought that house over there. He could have gone and seen it any time. Yeah, he didn't. And another said I bought a five oak yoke and oxen and I'm going to test them. I asked you for me to be excused. Well, you know he could have done that any time, couldn't he? So what is that excuse? It's a lame excuse. You know what, simon?
Speaker 1:these, these, these scenarios, these, these picture forms that we are reading and how christ presents this. You know, at the moment we can get to church, but there's coming a time when, when the door of opportunity will close, the door will close. There'll be many that are in the field, want want to be taken. Christ is coming back and the opportunity to follow Jesus will just go. It will literally be finished. It will be like Noah closing the door of the ark. It will just close and imagine being on the outside of the ark.
Speaker 1:I'm going to cut my grass. I'll go to church next week. I'll think about Jesus. No, I'm all right, I'm comfortable. I don't need Jesus.
Speaker 2:Still another man said I've married a wife and therefore I cannot come. Well, you know, maybe he's.
Speaker 1:You can see that. You can see that.
Speaker 2:So the servant came and reported these things to his master. Then the master of the house became angry and said to his servant go quickly into the streets and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor, the maimed and the lame and the blind. And the servant said, master, it is done as you commanded. Still there is room. And the master said to the servant go out into the highways and edges and compel them to come in that my house may be filled. For I say to you that none of these men who were invited shall taste my supper.
Speaker 1:Wow.
Speaker 2:So here it is. What is the supper? What is he inviting them to? Pretty much, he's inviting them to come to the cross.
Speaker 1:It's really interesting that verse 21,. It says the servant came back and reported this to his masters and it says he became angry and ordered the servants go quickly into the streets, the alleys and the towns and bring the poor, the crippled and the blind and the lame. That is what and who we will find at the cross. That is who we'll find at the cross. No Pharisees, no Sadducees. They were at the cross of Christ because that's what they wanted to see. Religion wanted to nail Christ. Religion thought that it had Christ Religion and it thinks that now.
Speaker 1:And religion is rejecting Christ. But when you go into the house of the Lord, where God is, you will find the lame, you will find the poor, you will find, as the scripture says, the blind, the lame, the crippled, those that are hungry. You will find those that are addicted and trying to get things right through Christ Jesus, because that is the true church of Jesus Christ. So it's not about the Pharisee and the Sadducee, it is not about that religious church. The church of Jesus Christ is built up of people that are hungry for Christ and Jesus just says come, come to me, all of you.
Speaker 2:You see, yeah, come to me, and his arms are open and he's there waiting for us. But you know, you've got people who go. Well, I'm a good person.
Speaker 1:I don't need to go to church. What do I need? What's the benefit of following Jesus? Do you know what?
Speaker 2:Ben, I mean we'll come on to that, but I think church has got its place to play in where people just don't want to go there you know because they think it's too judgmental.
Speaker 1:A place even.
Speaker 2:So people will go, go. Well, I'm a good person. You know surely I'm going to go to heaven, because that's the question you want to ask yourself. You're out there at the moment. The question is this you know, if I, if you died, and and where am I going? Where are you going if you died this very day? Where would you go?
Speaker 1:what's the next step? Are you sure? Are you sure you need to?
Speaker 2:sure, are you sure? You need to be sure.
Speaker 1:Nicodemus.
Speaker 1:You need to be sure. You must be born again. It's not about getting into the box of church. It's not about getting into that building. It's about following Jesus Christ. But if you are living in the UK and there are many governments around the world that are very extreme to those that believe in the eternal God, and we see that through the persecuted church in a lot of areas and a lot of nations, and you can see that the UK is leaning towards this now and there is going to be no excuse. You know, we've ducked and we've dived and we've gone along with the wind blowing backwards and forwards, you know, and all that sort of stuff. But there is a time now where there is no excuse to say I can't, I can't get the church I can't follow. Tomorrow, I'll start reading tomorrow, I'll. I'll start it all tomorrow.
Speaker 2:Now is the hour, because the hour is short and I believe that the biggest lie that's given to people that don't believe is that they say the biggest lie is oh, that God. Stuff might be true, but do you know what? It's not for me just yet?
Speaker 1:No, I'm all right. I'm okay, I'm all right.
Speaker 2:I'm a good person.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:But the problem is, the Bible clearly tells us it's not about you, it's not about works. It's not about works, it's not about what you can do, whether you're good or not. It's about.
Speaker 1:You must be born again.
Speaker 2:Born again. It's about Jesus and we can't work our way to heaven. And the most foolish man in the Bible was the guy that said oh look, I'm doing really well, I'm going to build a bigger barn. He said, yeah, but that night he says now jesus, don't use this word lightly, lightly but he called him a fool. Yeah, and and I would be very cautious about calling anybody a fool but this guy was a fool. And jesus said that you fall.
Speaker 1:Yeah, this very night, your life will be taken from you so business, culture, life, materialism is all trying to take us away from jesus and we all can fall into the the trap without realizing that we have been trapped and we have been caught in a snare where, even when you look at certain areas of work where you might work, where we might work, is that workplace for Jesus? But we allow the workplace to control us in our faith.
Speaker 2:Very interesting and we've got two separate lives.
Speaker 1:We've got two separate lives. So every one of us can fall into that area where Jesus says you're a fool. You've got to stand up, and I honestly believe now is a time, whether you're at work, whether you're at home, whoever you are, wherever you are, to follow Jesus Christ, to follow him and to keep in the living word of God, and there is no more excuses for rejecting Jesus. The Church of England is rejecting Christ like I've never seen it before. Through what means? Through not teaching the truths what did Jesus say Ben?
Speaker 2:he said I think it's in Matthew. He said somewhere. He said what will it profit a man if he gained the whole world but loses his soul?
Speaker 1:loses his soul.
Speaker 2:You can be the richest man in the world. You can be Jeff Bezos, you can be, I don't know, you can be any of these really wealthy fellas. But if you can't take it, the question comes down, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:Who are you following?
Speaker 2:Oh, I'm going to leave a legacy. Oh, my name's going to be on a building.
Speaker 1:But you're going to be in hell.
Speaker 2:You've got a choice to make heaven or hell. It's as clear as that.
Speaker 1:And when you look at Peter again, looking at Peter, poor old Peter, we're coming back to him, coming back to him. But he was called. He was called and he had a calling on his life. But there was a situation that arose and his flesh kicked in and the human Peter reacted to the environment around him. And that's what happens. We react, as human beings, to the environment that is around us, and so often it might be the reaction that we should have through faith. It might be a reaction through fear. So when fear is driving at you and when your life and situations are being pointed at you, peter just went. No, I don't know him. I don't know what you're talking about, but Jesus knew that he would deny him. Jesus knew, and Christ also knew, that he would come back. And when you come back, so there's a chance for religion, there's a chance for anyone.
Speaker 2:And when you come back, ben, you know we believe that inside of everyone is this thing called a god-shaped hole yeah, yeah, that can only be filled by jesus christ. Right amen. And we're talking about the love of jesus, but obviously we're talking about not not the mushy type of love.
Speaker 2:We're talking about the proper love we're talking about the agape love, the love that is beyond so if you don't fill that with jesus, you're going to fill it with something, because it all needs something. You all need a purpose now. You might fill it with drugs, yeah. You might fill it with alcohol. You might fill it with sex, and that's okay for a season, but that's all another lie. That will just bind you up. That won't set you free. That will bind you up.
Speaker 1:People are looking for a purpose in life. People are looking for a reason to live. What is the purpose of this earth? What is the reason for living? Who am I? Where am I? What is going on in my life? I've lost all sense and I've lost the compass of my life. I'm almost trapped in work, trapped in life, trapped you know, commuting trapped, trapped, trapped, trapped in mortgages, trapped everywhere. And when you look at life now you've really got to look within yourself and say, father, I need you, I need to break the addictions, I need to break the normal tread of life, lord, because I've lost my joy.
Speaker 2:Ben, some of these most controlling countries in the world, which are, I would say, communist countries or dictatorships. What do you see when you're over there, Ben? All you see is massive pictures of the dictator, Of the dictator. Yeah, so in China, when Mao Zedong was there, all they had was massive pictures of Mao Zedong.
Speaker 1:Exactly so. He became…. He became God, their God, their God. He became….
Speaker 2:And in South American states and whatever African countries….
Speaker 1:All around the world.
Speaker 2:These people… when they're pushing God out of the way. They have to replace it with something Carnage. Yeah, they replace it, but we come back, Ben, don't we, to John 8.32, don't we? You should know the truth, and the truth will set you free. All this other stuff just binds you up in chains.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it holds you back and it's the snare. Watch out for the snare layer, watch out for the beast system, because the beast system wants to control, manipulate and shape. But there is no more excuse for rejecting or not following Christ or not answering the call that is on your life, god, god is moving in our lives and your lives. God is moving in the body of christ. God is even working within the church and within the uk. At this moment in time, it's really, really important that, as believers spirit filled, blood washed, sanctified that we stand on the rock. We stand on jesus, because it's it says in the New Testament. The streams are rising, the rain is falling, everything is breaking out around us.
Speaker 2:The thing has been, and there's that great scripture in Deuteronomy that says their rock is not our rock. Now, our rock is Jesus Christ. It's Jesus Christ. The rock of the world is all this other stuff, the materialism, which will never listen. I've been down that route. You can pour money as much as you like and material things in there, but be empty and it's okay for a little while, but then you always want something more to fill that. So you're always chasing something. You're always chasing something. You're always chasing something. And you might say out there, look, I don't understand all this Jesus stuff. Well, jesus never said understand it, he just said believe. Yeah, he said come and follow. What did he say? He said come as a little child.
Speaker 1:Come as a little child, come and follow me. And that's how he called Peter. Yeah, he just called him and he followed him, followed him and he walked with him. And he walked with him and he listened to the command, he listened to the call, he dropped everything he had and he followed christ. But it's interesting when fear comes in. It changes our vision, it changes our focus, it changes everything, it messes us around and and we don't think right, we act wrong and we live sometimes in more fear than we can live in faith. So it's really important just to follow Jesus Christ like never before.
Speaker 2:Do you think, Ben, that we am a certain aspects of the church? That's the truth, because it needs it. So do you think that the church has not been preaching the word of Jesus?
Speaker 1:For quite a few generations it's not been preaching the word.
Speaker 2:The amount of times I've gone into places been given the opportunity of Jesus, hasn't it? For quite a few generations it's not been preaching the word. The amount of times I've gone into places, been given the opportunity to speak. I put out a gospel challenge and people come up to me and go. We haven't done that in there for years. And it's not like you cannot. Everyone can understand John 3, 16. For God so loved the world. The greatest love story ever For God so loved the world, the greatest love story ever.
Speaker 1:For.
Speaker 2:God so loved the world that he gave his only son that anyone who believes in him shall not perish but, have eternal life. You can believe that that's understandable. You can understand that John 3.16, come as a little child.
Speaker 1:Come as a little child, come and follow Christ. You know we are living in really strong and really spiritual times at this moment, within the UK and across the world. We are hearing of wars, rumors of wars. We're seeing things breaking out, the lawlessness. You know the ten nations, you know the ten horns from the book of Daniel rising up. We see governments partnering together. We are living in a time when we need the living word of God and it's not anymore a place of saying, well, I'll read my Bible tomorrow. I've got to read my Bible now. I've got to get in the word now. I can't reject this, I can't push this off now I've got to be in the word. Yeah, I think.
Speaker 2:I've got to be in the word. This is not a time to put things to one side. I think it's Jesus yeah, anyone who's listening to this right now to A check that you're born again, but B if you're not, then really come to the cross. Don't let anything stand in your way. Don't let any excuse stand in your way. I've heard it said that you know I'm too sinful for God to accept me. Well, listen to this, paul. Paul, who was the chief, one of the chief writers of the New Testaments. What did he say, ben? He said? He said I'm the chief of sinners.
Speaker 1:Did he say that?
Speaker 2:He said I'm the top sinner.
Speaker 1:Oh gosh, there's a character to follow. If you want to look and reflect and just look within, there's a character to follow there. Now is the time to come to the cross of Calvary and let's remind ourselves this morning as we bring this to a land. You know, we're born again. We are born again spirit-filled, blessed and highly favoured. God is with you, god is with us, and wherever you are this morning, never give up hope, because now is the time to stand up for Jesus. Maybe in the workplace, maybe in education, maybe in life, maybe in culture, we've ducked under the table of not standing up for Jesus, but now is the time because the hour is short and we've just got to stand for Jesus and we've got to stand on that rock of ages because he is your saviour, he is your God, he is your king, and this is the moment.
Speaker 2:And listen, you're not alone out there, because, first and foremost, jesus is with you. But besides that, you've got a family with us, ben, haven't you? Yeah? You've got a family with Christian Straight Talk. Amen, we'll stand with you, we'll be with you, we'll support you, whatever you're doing. So never, ever, think that you're alone. And we've got some exciting news coming up, where we're going to be with you even more so we know what you're going through, because we've been through all this ourselves.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we've walked through it, still walk through it. You know it can be a lonely path, it can be a place of isolation, but God is with us. God is with us.
Speaker 2:Listen, we don't want to go down this route, but just very quickly. We've both had real tough weeks.
Speaker 1:This week it's been a real heavy, stressful week.
Speaker 2:So to come to the table this morning and bring this message is a tough call, but we're here. We're pushing through. Yeah, amen, and never give up, and that's where we've got to be, and we're all in this together, amen. When we're in, this's where we've got to be, and we're all in this together Amen. When we're in this together, we can make a difference.
Speaker 1:We can. We can and we will with Christ Jesus, and if you're still with us this morning, we're just going to break bread together. At the end of this time of being together, talking and chewing over and listening and looking and just being completely open and honest, we're going to break the bread and as you join us at this moment in time, you know Jesus says do this as often as you come together in my name, and we're just going to take a moment for the last five minutes of this podcast, this live stream, wherever you're capturing this on different platforms. This morning, shall we bow down in prayer. Shall we just come to the cross of Calvary. Shall we just say, lord, I want to learn to surrender more to you.
Speaker 1:Lord, I don't want any excuse for rejecting you in my life. I don't want any excuses, lord, I don't want to make any more excuses. I want this to be a new hour, a new moment. I don't want the business, I don't want life. I don't want every area to accelerate and take over me and by that way, I reject you by not getting in the word of God. Lord, I want this to be a new beginning, so let's come to the table together.
Speaker 1:I'll pray for the bread and Simon's going to pray for the wine that represents the blood of Jesus, in just a couple of moments, as we just find a way just to say God bless you, and we disappear very soon. But never give up hope. Never give up hope. Father, we thank you for this bread that symbolizes the body of Christ In the simple way. As Jesus did this, we do this, the same Lord. So, father, we've broken the bread and as we take this bread now, we realize that this bread symbolizes the body of Christ. So, father, come, holy Spirit, be that counsellor, lord, be that one that will lead us, refresh us and restore us, but we recognise this bread symbolises the body of Christ. In Jesus name, amen.
Speaker 2:Father, in the same way we take this little grape juice that symbolises the blood of your son, jesus, and as we take it we pray that it washes us clean. Washes us clean for a new start, because we are a new creation, the old is gone and the new has come, and just let it edify and build up our faith, lord, as we go out into the world, and let us be energised to say I stand for Jesus, nothing else Amen, nothing else Amen.
Speaker 1:We're there. Oh, glory to God. Wherever you are this morning, join us on Buzzsprout and Spotify on this live stream broadcast. You know, just talking about Jesus is free and just talking about the Messiah is just a way, you know, to get complete freedom. And I just pray for every one of you, and me and Simon. We just pray for your lives at this moment in time. Whether you've got young children at school, whether you've got relationship issues, whether you've got trouble at work or at home in your life, god is with you. God is with you in every area of your life and I pray that you will find peace. You know we've a a real heavy week this week. Me and someone have been right through the run of the mill. You know we've been right under the table on certain things of life, been pushed down, knocked down, kicked about, but that that is just life itself. And as, as jesus said, something really clear. I think we need to make this really clear Just as they persecuted me, so will they persecute you.
Speaker 1:And that comes in many guises, doesn't it Ben? It comes in many disguises, Persecution comes in many suits and many dresses and many faces. It comes in many ways. So be strong in the living word of God. Simon, you got anything to finish just before we say so be strong in the living word of.
Speaker 2:God, simon, you got anything? To finish, just before we say I just want to say, ben, that you know there's so much in the word and I'd say I'd invite everyone to get back into the word of God, to get a living Bible. And here's the deal, you know, if you can't afford one or haven't got one, let us know and we'll get one out to you.
Speaker 1:Amen, we'll get you a Bible.
Speaker 2:We've got these little Gospels of John which we give away. We've given away over a thousand of these already.
Speaker 1:Yeah, amen, yeah. A thousand of them have gone out.
Speaker 2:But just reading the word of Jesus will build you up and give you strength. So I say, get into, get yourself a Bible, start a reading program and just get into the Gospels I say, and listen to what Jesus. Get into the red words get into the red words. Get into the red words we love you, we encourage you and we've got some exciting news coming up in the next couple of weeks, so stick with us and we're with you. Wherever you are, we're with you.
Speaker 1:Amen, it's that simple. We thank you for joining us this morning. Hashtag Christian Straight Talk, as we've streamed across the platforms of Elim and I see people are joining us from South Asia and other places in the world this morning. May God strengthen you in the mighty name of Jesus Christ. We thank you for everyone that listens, everyone that comments, everyone that is with us at this moment in time, wherever you are across the earth, local to where we are at this moment on the other side of the globe. May God strengthen you and bless you. You can find all these podcasts on Spotify, amazon Music and so many other platforms Just Google hashtag Christian Straight Talk. Have a great day, keep following Jesus in that wonderful name, amen, thank you.
