There was a man in Jerusalem who wanted to go further and he is called Nicodemus. He wanted what Jesus could give. He had a thirst for that which was spiritually real. He had seen the miracles, and now he was hungry for the Word of God. He was ready for something more – for something deeper. Over these past forty years I have seen some people go further with God than others and there is a very simple reason and explanation.

As you read these studies are you ready to deeper with God? To a very real degree, we can choose how close we are to God and how intimate our fellowship becomes with Jesus. This has very little to do with emotion. It is a decision we make.

Nicodemus was a man in a prominent position. He was a religious teacher. He was trained to answer theological questions. He would know all the orthodox doctrines. He would have had everything all neatly worked out – then Jesus Christ came along.

He had no experience of the Holy Spirit and Jesus came along and shook and disturbed his cosy little intellectual academic world.

He was among the top theologians in Israel, and was supposed to have answers for everyone. He still had a lot to learn and he humbly recognises that.

One night he came to see Jesus. At least he had the courage to go and have a talk with Jesus, and they spent some time together. He made the effort.

His religion had been the religion of good deeds, and what Jesus Christ says to Nicodemus is so relevant to our present day, when it is said – “try your best – try hard to be good – try hard to be kind – never hurt anyone”. These things are still said to me.

This never satisfies anyone and it did not satisfy Nicodemus. “How do I get into what you are doing?”

Nicodemus was about to learn some of the most important truths in the world.

Nicodemus – your world needs such a radical change, that you need to be born again.

Nicodemus – what you need is like being born all over again.

Nicodemus – unless you are born again, you are not even able to see the Kingdom of God. At the moment, you are a blind man. You cannot even see. He was a blind leader of the blind.

Nicodemus – you certainly cannot enter the Kingdom of God unless you are born again.

Nicodemus – at the moment you are on the outside and you know that I know that you are on the outside. Have you ever felt like that?

Do you ever feel like that or do you know people who feel like that? They know and realise that they are on the outside, and all this is foreign to them. It appears to sound like something from a different world! It is. That is why we must seek to love such people with the love of God.

Nicodemus – you must be born again. Then, you will be on the inside and then you will be able to see.

Notice how Jesus skips all the palavers, and Jesus gets right to the point. Study this passage carefully because there are essential lessons and truth to be gleaned from this conversation. This is by no means a superficial encounter.

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In John Chapter 1 and at verse 35, we read of two men searching for Jesus Christ and they find Him. They go looking for Jesus Christ. Had they heard the Pharisees ‘praying’ and debating and they knew that that was not real. They wanted reality! Want what is real and if you are a preacher or Bible Class leader or Sunday School teacher give your people what is real.

One of these two men is Andrew, having found the Christ, he immediately goes to find for Christ.

He goes to his brother Simon Peter. “We have found the Messiah, the Christ.”

How long does it take you to become a missionary? Just an hour or two! And, you don’t need to know all the answers. If you are asked a hard question just say, “I’ll go and find out”.

Andrew brought Simon Peter to Jesus. The greatest service one man can render another is to bring that person to Jesus Christ and introduce him to Jesus Christ. This can last for ever. No other service you render another will last for ever.

Jesus looked Peter over. Oh, be prepared to have Jesus look you over, remembering that He always wants to improve the material that is presented to Him.

You are Simon – which means a reed – unreliable – easily blown around – full problems – limited in so many ways – tempestuous and temperamental. You shall be called Cephas – a stone or a rock. Jesus Christ is going to transform a reed of a man into a rock. This man, Simon Peter, once he is converted and born again – once he is baptised in the Holy Spirit – once he has served his three year apprenticeship following Jesus Christ – once he has fragile unreliable temperament dealt with by Jesus – he becomes the dynamic leader of that early church. He becomes a preacher and teacher, and very much a pastor as he goes around ministering to all the wounded ones who had to flee from Jerusalem. What a transformation, once he has Jesus deal with him in all kinds of ways.

The scene now shifts from the Jordan to Galilee, where there, Jesus calls Philip. “Follow me”. And Philip, having just begun to follow Jesus goes looking for someone else. He finds Nathanael and says, “We have found him of whom Moses wrote – of whom the prophets spoke – Jesus of Nazareth.”

They have been waiting for a thousand years for this day.

Nathanael was a thinker. He thought about God. He meditated upon God’s Word.

To begin with all he could say was, “Can anything good come from there? Can anything good come out of Nazareth?

Philip said, “Come and see for yourself. Come with us.” It is good to encourage people to come and see Jesus and meet Jesus for themselves. It is as if Philip has one hand with Jesus and one hand bringing someone else along. Nathanael went with Philip and Jesus saw Nathanael coming, and Jesus not only saw Nathanael but saw right into him and into his heart, and said, “You area true Israelite – a true Jew – a man of integrity – a man with an open honest heart.”

That is the picture of a true Jew. We have been given such a twisted distorted picture of Jews – like Shakespeare’s Shylock in the Merchant of Venice, and, most people believe that twisted interpretation rather the truth of Jesus Christ.

In Nathanael there were no deceit – no guile – no cunning. He came from Cana and his name means, ‘gift from God’.

Nathanael accepted the compliment. What you say is true, but how did you know all about me? I was watching you under the fig tree. I have been keeping my eye on you even before Philip called you to come.

Teacher, You are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel.

Come and you will see even greater things that those of which you been meditating. His favourite Old Testament passage was going to come true in Jesus. You will see heaven open and you will see angels ascending and descending, and I am the ladder.

Yes, there are many ways to Jesus, but only way to God the Father, and that is through Jesus.

Come and follow and find – come and see and believe – is the theme of these verses.

He sees you. He sees what you are thinking. He knows what is in your heart and mind. He is aware of your need, and He is sensitive to those issues that concern you or bother you or trouble you.

The Door to Heaven is open, and the ladder is Jesus Christ.

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This had never happened before and that usually causes trouble. When God begins to move in a new way and do something different and something real – that can be upsetting.

It must have been powerful preaching. Can you imagine some of the reports that must have got back to Jerusalem? In Jerusalem, there was quite a commotion, and the religious leaders sent a delegation to investigate John’s ministry and to examine him.

Here we see a direct confrontation between the dry formal religion of men, and fresh move of the Spirit of the Living God. There is conflict.

Who are you? Who do you think you are? And, his answers become briefer. “I am not.” Later Jesus was to say “I am”.

John humbles himself and exalts Jesus Christ. (John 3:30.)

I am only a voice crying in the wilderness, but coming soon is the Lord.

There were more questions. Why do you baptise? If you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor a prophet, and if you are not a proper religious minister, why are you baptising? Why are you doing what you are doing?

Those whom you would think would see spiritual things clearly are often most blind.

One of the most humiliating tasks a slave had to do was to unloose the shoes of his master. John is saying, that the One who is coming after me is so mighty that I am not worthy of taking off his shoes. John is saying to everyone – to crowds of needy sinners – to religious leaders, who were also very needy sinners – “Don’t speak about me. I want to point you to Jesus.” Don’t get too centred on me. There is another one coming.

Do not be too concerned about the comments of the preacher, but do be concerned about what is in the Book and what is on the table, and by that I mean bread and wine.

The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him. After the confrontation and after the conflict, which he handled so ably, Jesus comes to him.

“Behold! Look! Pause! Pay attention! That’s Him! Stop! Gaze upon this unique sight! He is the One I have been speaking about. He will take away the sin of the world.”

This Lamb or this ‘ram’ of God, like any other sacrificial animal, would die. Already John is pointing to the death of Jesus Christ, and its significance. Do remember that the sacrificial lamb was a one year old lamb. We have portrayed the sacrificial lamb as a little ‘cuddly’ newly born animal. No. It was a one year old ram.

Jesus Christ was no soft ‘cuddly’ Saviour and if we portray and preach that type of Jesus no wonder men turn away. Jesus was very much a man’s man and it is the task and duty and responsibility of the Church to portray Him accurately. Peter and John and Paul, and the others, certainly did that at the beginning and this is our calling in these critical times.

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John is around 30 years of age and he is a strange looking man wearing strange clothing – but he walks onto the world’s scene with a straight from the shoulder word, which came straight from the heart of God.

He is preaching. “You are all dirty – repent – turn from your sins – come into the river and be washed as a sign that you need a moral and spiritual bath.”

He was a man with a message and the message was simple and clear and direct.

Crowds of people flocked down to the River Jordan to hear this man, and as they heard the man, they realised they were listening to a man of God, and hearing a word that never been sounded for some 400 years – not in this manner.

People soon saw how dirty they were and how their hearts needed washing.

John was preaching the word which God gave him. “Get ready. The King is coming.”

Crowds travelled to hear this simple message. Even tax collectors went. Soldiers dared to go to the riverside to hear this preacher, and John had something to say to everyone who came. God always has.

“Repent. Get washed. Clean up your life. Share what you have. Don’t line your pockets. Do not be violent. Do not bully. Be satisfied with your wages.”

No wonder people thought this might be the Christ – the Anointed One. They had never heard such preaching. Jesus Christ, the Saviour, the Lord, the Messiah, the Anointed One Who would save people from their sins would appear very soon.

God was saying to the people through John, “Get ready for the coming of Jesus.”

For 400 years God had been silent. People had never heard such prophecy.

The nation had never witnessed such prophetic preaching since the days of Malachi, and so some were wondering. Could this be Elijah? Could this be Moses? Is this the Christ?

All this is happening down at the Jordan River, but the Temple is some 60 miles away in Jerusalem, where it was all so formal and dry and dead.

Here is God moving outside and outwith the limiting and restricting walls of the church of the day – outwith formal religion. This can still be a shock to many religious systems today!

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John 1 verse 1. John wants us to believe and to believe correctly, and to believe what is right, and to believe what is worth believing. We cannot afford to base our life’s work on something that is untrue, or on a myth, or a legend, or rumour or hoax, and having been a disciple of Jesus Christ, and a preacher and teacher for some 60 years, John saw some funny teachings creeping into the Church of Jesus Christ.

This is a book which is highly relevant when peculiar teachings are even finding their way into the Church of Jesus Christ. Do note that I am not speaking about denominations here, but the Church of Jesus Christ. There is a difference!

John writes His Gospel so that we might believe and have life, and so that we can be drawn closer to Jesus down through the ages, and so that we may know without any doubt Who Jesus Christ was and Who Jesus Christ is. He is the Son of God, God the Son, the Saviour, the Lord, the King of Kings – God and Man.

What we believe influences how we behave. Our creed affects our conduct. Our faith determines how we live and what we say and how we act and react. Our doctrine determines our deeds.

If the belief, if the faith, if our creed is suspect, then everything else is open to question too. Hence, the sad mess the Church of Jesus Christ is in today in so many places. It is because we have permitted doubt to take over. We have allowed doubt to creep in – doubt about God’s word and its authenticity and authority, and this has opened a door and permitted a moral mess to develop.

A flabby faith results in a flabby church, until for many people church becomes something they are connected with, but they are not sure why, and they go only if there is nothing better, or nothing else to do, and nowhere else to go.

The tragic truth is, that is NOT the church of Jesus Christ, and this type of thinking will do no-one any good once this life is over.

What we believe and why we believe it is vital. John realised that, and so he writes, and this is one reason why we have turned to the Gospel of John.

Jesus Christ was God, and Jesus Christ was Man. Jesus Christ was Divine and Human. It is Charles Wesley who expresses all this so wonderfully well and with accuracy.

The angels are worshipping the new born King, who is the Son of God.

He Who is born of a Virgin is Christ the everlasting Lord. God is clothed in flesh. This is God, and He is pleased to come among us as a Man.

If only those who sing that only around December time of year could see and experience its light and truth, and its reality and power.

He is the Prince of Peace who comes with Light and Life and Healing, and He comes to save and He comes in Love that we might be born again.

Read the first Chapter of John again, and read slowly and prayerfully these great words of Charles Wesley, “Hark, the herald angels sing”.

We are just beginning to lay a foundation for what this mature man is about to write to rescue the Church from confusion and deception and compromise.

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Two disciples of Jesus are walking the seven miles or from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

They appear to have so much to say to each other. They have been in Jerusalem and they had seen Jesus Christ crucified, and now they think it is all over. Do you ever think that?

Do you ever go through a period or a season when you just think that all you have worked for and all your various spiritual experiences are just all over and everything is in the past? Have we not all been there at some time or another?

We all need this relevant living Word. Jesus is risen from the dead, and their hearts are exceedingly sad. They are so disappointed. Up until now the disciples have called it all nonsense! They accused the women who had been to the tomb as being delirious or fevered. They have had too much sun, or the emotion has got to these women!

Not very far along the road and third Man joins them and it is Jesus, but they have no idea Who it is.

It is possible to have Jesus this close and this near, and not know it.

They did not expect to meet Jesus. They knew Jesus was dead, and they assumed He would remain dead. Dead men don’t rise. They are still blind. They cannot see who has come alongside them, and Jesus is so close and so near. Does this not happen frequently today? Jesus approaches and many miss Him for various reasons.

They are so sad. They had lost Jesus. It is always sad when you lose someone you really love. Jesus was only in His early 30′s. Perhaps they thought Jesus was going to be around for a long time. They got it so wrong. They are so burdened, and it shows. Faces reveal a lot.

Jesus asks then a question. “What are you discussing as you walk along the road together?”

Cleopas asks, “Are you the only one in Jerusalem who does not know what has been going on?”

“What things?”

“Concerning Jesus of Nazareth. He was a prophet powerful in word and deed. Our leaders handed Him over to be killed. They did it. They crucified Him. We thought He was the One Who was going to redeem Israel. This all happened three days ago.”

Read the conversation. Share it with your people in detail. Feed them with these spiritual truths.

Their precious Jesus was gone. Their buoyant hopes had been dashed.

“O, He said something about being killed at the hands of sinful men, and the elders of the people.

Yes, He said something along these lines, and even mentioned something about rising three days later, but His time is up. It is now the third day. We have seen no sign of Him. But – but – do you know this? Some women amazed us this morning. Some whom we know went to the tomb where they laid Him, and they came and told us that they had seen angels, and the angels said that Jesus was risen and alive. Some others went. They too saw the tomb empty, BUT HIM THEY DID NOT SEE!

They are so disappointed, upset, perhaps even angry? That comes over from the words used in the conversation. Do you ever become upset, or disappointed, or even angry when things go spiritually wrong? It is quite understandable.

They have left all to follow Jesus Christ. They had believed that Jesus was the ONE Who would rescue them and save them.

They believed that Jesus had the answer to all of men’s problems and needs and sicknesses and pains and sins.

They had looked to Jesus and they felt let down. This is an honest and realistic book.

These are two broken dejected men, and the Bible does not try to hide this. Jesus interjects and takes over the conversation and resolves these various issues in a most wonderful way. He still does. Know that, and let your people know that.

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No other faith in the whole world has a Leader Who is Alive. Are the others not simply philosophies where one tries one best but that can never be good enough?

In Luke Chapter 24 we read of some women making their way through the streets of Jerusalem. It is around half-past five in the morning. It must have been a long wait, since the body of Jesus Christ was taken off the Cross, dead, and laid in that tomb.

Jesus has been absent from them for three days and three nights. Two Sabbaths have passed. Jesus was not crucified on a Friday. Work it all out in accordance with what the Scripture says and teaches.

They go prepared to anoint the dead remains of the Jesus they had loved. The voice of God had been silent over these long days. It was the custom to anoint the remains, and they were dutifully going to minister to the dead Body of Jesus Christ.

Those who had wanted Jesus Christ out of the way, and silenced once and for all, would be thinking they had succeeded. They must have thought they had won.

“It involved a bit of wheeling and dealing, but we did it. We have got rid of that troublemaker and disturber of our ways at last. Dead men don’t rise.” Not so!

These religious leaders had little knowledge of the power of God. They were unaware of what the Holy Spirit could do, and most of those who plotted and planned to have Jesus crucified knew very little about the ministry of angels. And they had not a clue as to the will of the Father!

When the women arrived at the tomb, they found two things they were not prepared for – the stone rolled away – and no dead Jesus inside! How would you have reacted?

God is full of surprises. We never know what He is going to do next. We never know what he is going to say next. Sometimes He really surprises us.

Their plans are shaken. They are perplexed and puzzled. They don’t know what to make of it all. They are not sure if they can handle what confronts them. Angels appear and they bow in fear.

The angels ask – ‘Why are you looking for the living among the dead?’ ‘This is the cemetery. This is the graveyard. He is not here. HE IS RISEN. Do you not remember that He told you all this when he was with you?’

Problems and fears arise when we forget the Word of the Lord. They were hearing what common sense was saying, and they had forgotten what Jesus had said.

There are many, even within the visible physical church, who have a real problem believing that Jesus Christ is risen and alive. When you have met the risen living Jesus Christ and when you are born again that ought never again to be a problem. There will be other problems that one should certainly not bother you.

Never forget what Jesus Christ has said and taught. If we do, fear and doubt and confusion and worse can wriggle their way in.

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One friend, when he has gone on speaking engagements, has read these words and then has asked, “Now where does this sentence come from? Old Testament, New Testament, or William Shakespeare?” The majority have usually been wrong, and yet these words are spoken by Jesus as he approaches Calvary.

We are in Luke Chapter 23 and at verse 31. Is this the most unknown verse in the New Testament? These words are spoken just before Jesus Christ is crucified. What does He mean? When a green tree is wantonly destroyed, what on the day of judgement will be done with the dry sticks of the wicked?

If this is what they do when the wood is green and full of life, what will happen to dry lifeless wicked unrepentant men? These are the words of a carpenter. I am green, life producing, full of sap, full of the Holy Spirit. What do you think will happen when you are dry and ripe for judgement? Weep for yourselves. Are you ready to meet God? Or are you ripe for Judgement? Read the verse in the context in which the words were spoken.

Read verses 32,33 and 34. He was numbered with the transgressors. He was crucified. He forgave.

There are so few words. The Bible is very economical here. We are given the facts, which are not embellished with great detail.

A pastor was speaking with a woman who had left the church and would not return because someone had offended her. He went to see her, and a long list of faults and accusations poured out. He listened, and then asked, “Did they spit on you?” No. They spat on Jesus. “Did they ridicule and scourge and mock you?” No. They did all that to Jesus. “Did they tell lies about you and plan and plot and conspire to get you out of the Church? No. They did all that to Jesus and He forgave them.”

He went on to say to her, “There is not one single thing you have told me that is worth holding onto and remembering. There is not one single grudge or grievance that is worth harbouring in your heart.”

This is a word we need to hear repeatedly. “Forgive”. A lack of forgiveness binds us emotionally, mentally, spiritually, and may even cause us to become physically sick, but certainly robbing us of that poise and power and peace of which we see reflected here in the life of Jesus.

When we release a spirit of forgiveness, we can discover healing, wholeness, love, peace and contentment can flood our beings.

Jesus did not want to be limited or restricted in any way whatsoever, so he releases a liberating spirit of forgiveness.

Jesus is on the Cross, and still people are sneering and scoffing. “Let Him save himself.” He didn’t need to save Himself. He had never sinned, and if he had saved his own life, He could not have saved you and me.

Jesus Christ was not going to prove who He was their way. but God’s way.

The people in this passage are either deeply moved, or mocking, and it is not unusual today to find similar reactions to Jesus Christ and the Word of God. We need to keep remembering this.

To heal men’s sick bodies, a touch was all that was needed, but much much more required to save and rescue people from hell.

The marks of sin could be soothed and smoothed away by the Hands of Jesus, but to remove sin, required the blood of the Son of God. The blood of the lamb was going to be shed at this special Passover.

And on that cross, Jesus Christ takes on the principalities and powers of hell, defeats them, and conquers them, and He emerges victorious and triumphant three days later.

Pilate had an inscription pinned above Jesus and it read, “This is the King of the Jews.” It is true whether Pilate believed it or not. You can disagree with it if you want to, but it is still true. A man can disagree with anything he wants to in this book, but it is still true.

“This is the King of the Jews”. Everyone who looked at that sight on Golgotha, would be able to read it, because it was written in Greek and Latin and Hebrew.

Greek was the language of culture and learning, and the language of philosophy, art, literature, and of ethics and morals at that time.

Latin was the language of government and authority and power. Jesus is the King of kings – the king of nations.

People say that you can’t bring Jesus into politics, which really means, let’s not take Jesus too seriously, and certainly not that seriously. How Jesus is so needed in political debates and discussions in these present days.

Hebrew, or Aramaic, was the language of the religion of the Jews. Jesus is King. He is Lord, in every area of life. How Jesus is so needed in The Church and how we need to learn his ways, and love with his love and minister with his power.

That most unfamiliar sentence leads on into that which is so vitally essential.

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Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus, and this man received a mighty reward. It appears from Mark 15 and verse 21 that he and his wife and two sons became disciples of Jesus.

No man carries the cross of Jesus faithfully without receiving a work of God in his own life, and on occasions, through his life into the lives of his family.

Remember what your Cross is. You can lift it up or put it down. It is not sickness or anything of that nature.

Luke 23:27. The news had travelled fast of what was happening in Jerusalem and a sympathetic crowd had gathered, and they are not afraid to express their emotions.

They are not afraid to allow their deep feelings for Jesus to flow out towards Jesus. And yet, Jesus says, Do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but they did not know what was going to happen to them, just as many today have no idea what Jesus is doing, and what is about to happen to those who live as if there were no God.

Jesus, as he climbs Calvary, begins to refer to the coming day of judgement, because as the Judgement of God is revealed, unconverted unrepentant sinners will cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them.

These, understandably, are serious and solemn words. There are not many new songs and choruses based on these words from Jesus Christ! I wonder why?

It has been found that people believe what they sing and find it easier to believe what is sung rather than what is preached and taught.

We have to be very careful as to what words we give people to sing when they come together for praise and worship. Some of the songs today are no more than vain repetition. And, there is a difference between singing and praise and worship and we need to inform and teach our people that too. This is an area out with these current studies but it is a crucial matter which demands our serious consideration.

When I hear people say, “O, the worship was wonderful today”, I usually make the comment, “I wonder what God thought about it”. That is what counts. Not the feelings in the hearts of men, important though these are, but was the singing and praise pleasing to God the Father?

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Simon of Cyrene carries the cross of Jesus, and this man received a mighty reward. It appears from Mark 15 and verse 21 that he and his wife and two sons became disciples of Jesus.

No man carries the cross of Jesus faithfully without receiving a work of God in his own life, and on occasions, through his life into the lives of his family.

Remember what your Cross is. You can lift it up or put it down. It is not sickness or anything of that nature.

Luke 23:27. The news had travelled fast of what was happening in Jerusalem and a sympathetic crowd had gathered, and they are not afraid to express their emotions.

They are not afraid to allow their deep feelings for Jesus to flow out towards Jesus. And yet, Jesus says, Do not weep for me. Weep for yourselves and for your children.

Jesus knew what was going to happen to him, but they did not know what was going to happen to them, just as many today have no idea what Jesus is doing, and what is about to happen to those who live as if there were no God.

Jesus, as he climbs Calvary, begins to refer to the coming day of judgement, because as the Judgement of God is revealed, unconverted unrepentant sinners will cry out to the mountains and rocks to fall upon them.

These, understandably, are serious and solemn words. There are not many new songs and choruses based on these words from Jesus Christ! I wonder why?

It has been found that people believe what they sing and find it easier to believe what is sung rather than what is preached and taught.

We have to be very careful as to what words we give people to sing when they come together for praise and worship. Some of the songs today are no more than vain repetition. And, there is a difference between singing and praise and worship and we need to inform and teach our people that too. This is an area out with these current studies but it is a crucial matter which demands our serious consideration.

When I hear people say, “O, the worship was wonderful today”, I usually make the comment, “I wonder what God thought about it”. That is what counts. Not the feelings in the hearts of men, important though these are, but was the singing and praise pleasing to God the Father?

Author bio:
Alexander “Sandy” Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness – on the Moray Firth Coast – not far from the Loch Ness Monster! Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word. Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40 a.m., New Orleans time, at wsho.com.

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