The Earth revolves around the Son

In the early 1500's, Nicholas Copernicus, (basically a mega maths nerd) put forward a theory that said the Earth and all the planets in the Solar System revolve around the sun. without the sun the plantes would just float away.

What’s at the centre of your life? 

It could be money. Not so much for us as students who live off Pot Noodle, but for lots of people money can be a real problem to get. It’s not just a problem for those who don’t have money. People who have lots of money con get addicted to getting more and more and this results in loss of friends, family and ultimately God.

Family and friends can be at the centre of our lives. Sometimes we can’t help it, like when a family member or friend gets ill or is in need of help. Its other times when we’d rather spend time going out with our friends instead of going to church. (I suppose you could always take them to church...)

People often feel the way they look is the most important thing in their lives. Whether its hours in the gym, or hours in front of the mirror (and in some cases with Botox sessions) as a generation we are obsessed with how we look. (Worldwide we spend around £254 billion on beauty products alone!) But even in this consumer driven society we live in God doesn’t care how many times we’ve been to the gym, or how long we spent on our hair that morning.

Lastly, the things you own could be at the centre of your life. This could be anything material from your phone to your collection of Hunger Games books. It’s a bad place to be when you start thinking “I will get back into the whole ‘God’ thing, straight after I listen to this new CD I’ve wanted to listen to for ages and after I finish watching all the episodes of Sherlock back to back.

There’s a very well-known verse in the Bible, in John 3:16 that says;

For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son. So that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

I won’t go into much detail about this verse as it’s used so much but what I think is important for this message is that God sent his only Son, he should be the only Sun that is at the centre of all our lives, because without him we would just float away. Just like everything revolves around the sun, we should revolve around the Son – Jesus.

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What does a Christian look like?

Today in our Christian Union, I asked the kids to draw me a Christian. The responses we got were interesting to say the least… 

In the Bible, no one is excluded by Jesus. Jesus goes to see lepers (Matthew 8 and Luke 17:11) who were excluded by society. Jesus spoke to them and healed them because he didn’t care about disease or any social barrier. 

Throughout the bible, people who were used by God had several problems too! I mean

Noah was a drunk
Abraham was too old
Isaac was a daydreamer
Jacob was a liar
Leah was ugly
Joseph was abused
Moses has a stuttering problem
Samson has long hair and was a womanizer
Rahab was a prostitute
Jeremiah and Timothy were too young
David has an affair and was a murderer
Isaiah preached naked
Jonah ran from God
Peter denied Christ 
The Disciples fell asleep while praying
Zaccheus was too small
Paul was too religious
Lazarus was dead!

The most used verse from the Bible is John 3:16 

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life"

It’s important to remember that this verse says whoever, not only those with white or black skin, or only those of a certain sexual orientation. 

  In John 7:24 Jesus says “Stop judging by mere appearances, but instead judge correctly” 

As Christians, we should aim to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Following these teachings are a way to start.

If you have any questions feel free to message/ask us anything! Alternatively you can email us at: christianunion.blog@gmail.com

Man with a plan!

Let me tell you a story.

Imagine an 11 year old Hannah full of excitement and dreams of going to Swansea University. From the ages of about 10-17 I wanted to go to Swansea University. You can imagine how excited I was then when I got two offers to study English there, right?

Nope!

Since we'd started the UCAS process, I felt that I was missing something. Something that was important. Every decision I made, although the people around me told me that I was doing the right thing just felt wrong. The day I got my offers, I declined them, with only three minutes consideration.

This decision was not only the biggest choice of my life but the quickest decision of my life, and as someone who likes to take time to consider things, I should be freaking out. But I'm not, because I know that Jesus helped me make the right decision. The decision that was best for me.

There's a verse in the Bible from the book Jeremiah 29 and I think it's one people should always remember.

"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." (Jeremiah 29:11, NIV)

It's really important to remember that God has a plan for each and every one of us. A personalised down-to-the-last-detail plan. We may have plans and ambitions for our future, but if the Lord is telling us to go a different route, we should listen because it's for the best.

If you have any questions about this talk or any other issues please email us at christianunion.blog@gmail.com

Forgiveness

How many times have you been upset or angered by someone's actions?

A few weeks ago, my favourite TV show Sherlock was on the TV. It was the season finale but I had to watch it on IPlayer, meaning that I was watching an hour later than all of my friends who were watching the same show. I made sure to text all my friends with strict instructions NOT to text me. And, you guessed it, somebody did.

I was so angry. I spent 10 minutes storming around my bedroom muttering to myself about how my friends couldn't listen to me and how I would never ever forgive them for ruining the plot twist. However after a few minutes, I realised how much I'd overreacted. I mean, in the grand scale of things, a TV show spoiler isn't important.

But what if it was something important? What if someone had stolen from me or said something nasty behind my back?

Jesus was killed by humanity. As people, we killed Him because we were worried about material objects and temples collapsing.

Even as Jesus was nailed to the cross, He forgave us by saying "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34, NIV)

As Christians, we should live by Jesus' example and live by this parable;

^"44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, ⁴⁵ that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. ⁴⁶ If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? ⁴⁷ And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? ⁴⁸ Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Matthew 5:44, NIV)

If you've got any questions about this talk or anything else, feel free to email us at christianunion.blog@gmail.com