Christian Watch committee member, Pastor Peter Simpson, was involved in preaching the gospel at the Manchester Pride parade in the centre of the city on August 24th. He was alongside Pastors John Sherwood (Finchley, N. London), Pastor David Carson (Chester) and Mr Christopher Wild (also from Chester). They were helped by a small and valiant number of others in support. Various relevant portions of Scripture were on display, which the many thousands of people attending the parade could not help but reading.
The Manchester parade is big, taking some 3 hours to pass through the streets. The band of those witnessing was located on a major thoroughfare of the city on the parade route. What was especially distressing was seeing parents bringing their young children to watch the proceedings, and their encouraging them to wave LGBT flags in an act of celebration. Children were even on some of the floats in the parade. What appalling harm is being done to impressionable young minds by the public display of drag queens and others who were cross-dressing. This event was nothing less than a public trashing of God’s commandments. It was a specifically anti-Christian event in that it involved the public rejection and mockery of the Bible, which is the very word of God.
Parade supporters frequently tried to drown out the preachers by blowing trumpets, and cover up God’s word by waving rainbow flags in front of those witnessing. Drivers of parade-float lorries made a point of incessantly blowing their horns when in the front of the preachers, making it much more difficult for the amplified preaching to be heard. We are reminded of Zechariah 7:10 : “They refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear”.
Many of those walking by the witnessing Christians uncannily adopted the same practice of shaking their heads and laughing, as if to say, How can anyone in this day and age hold such primitive and unenlightened opinions? However, one wonders if the laughter was in fact no more than a feeble device to try and shake off being suddenly confronted with the harsh reality and fearful consequences of ignoring Almighty God’s holy commandments.
At one point a large number of opponents stood in front of the preachers and their helpers repeatedly chanting : ‘God loves gays’. By this of course they meant that God finds their lifestyle acceptable, and condones their sin, not that He reaches out to
sinners in mercy, if only they will repent. This chant was actually bordering on the blasphemous, implying that the holy God happily embraces flagrant moral wickedness. This action was in effect no different to chanting, say, ‘God loves adultery’, which is listed alongside homosexuality in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 as keeping men outside of the kingdom of God.
The fashion-following parade supporters, hopelessly captive to the spirit of the age, were obviously oblivious of Bible texts such as Luke 13:3, where the Lord Jesus declares, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish”. To publicly lie and deceive many others about God’s righteous laws, and about His anger at the sins of men, is no minor aberration, but an arrogant shaking of the fist at Almighty God in an act of foolish and reckless rebellion. Furthermore, what a terrible guilt lies upon the false, Bible-denying churches which promote such lies and deception.
Out of love for their unbelieving neighbours the preachers did not shrink from speaking of the reality of the wrath of God and of the place of eternal condemnation for all the unrepentant, namely hell. At one point Pastor Simpson told the parade participants and supporters that they were merely conformists, the establishment, the mainstream, those who were meekly following the crowd. It really is about time that the homosexual activists ceased claiming that they are an oppressed minority. They have the complete upper hand, having won over the education system, big business and our major national institutions. This is demonstrated by the following list of some of the bodies involved in the parade :
The National Trust, Aldi, the Civil Service, the NHS, Cadent Gas, the Quakers, Cheshire Fire Service, Greater Manchester Fire Service, Tesco’s, Sainsbury’s, AstraZeneca, The Science and Industry Museum, Wickes, Argos, the National Education Union, United Utilities (water company) and even the Royal British Legion.
One Roman Catholic young woman tried to justify her support of all that was taking place by saying that she went to church every Sunday. It was pointed out to her that church-going never saved a single soul, and the witnessing brother questioned what her church must be teaching her. Attending a place of worship is very important, but the message of the Christian gospel is all about inward transformation by means of repentance and faith. It focuses on the reality that “Ye must be born again” (John 3:7). All need a complete radical inward change, because “the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked” (Jeremiah 17:9).
A parade supporter asked one of those witnessing, “Why do you care so much about what we are doing?” She was told that it is because all have immortal spirits, and as
Christians we care for our neighbours, and do not want to see them end up in hell. We want them to experience true “joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13), not the shallow and fleeting exuberance of fleshly indulgence, worked up as it is by music with a heavy beat and by the euphoria of belonging to a crowd.
Towards the end of the parade there were some meaningful conversations with some pro-LGBT young people, and at least two of them seemed to be genuinely moved by the Biblical arguments put forward to them, and were beginning to rethink their attitude. May the Lord work powerfully on their hearts and lead them into all truth, as indeed is now being prayed for the thousands who heard and saw the word of God being set forth in the midst of all the gross spiritual darkness which characterised this day.
THE London Pride parade held last Saturday in the centre of the capital is as good a barometer as any for illustrating the spiritual and moral condition of contemporary Britain. I and a small group of preachers and other Christians in support from all around the UK endeavoured to make a stand for Biblical truth and preach the gospel, as the centre of our capital was given over to a celebration of the trashing of God’s eternal moral law. The 32,000 people in the parade, and the many more thousands of members of the public cheering it on, were in reality engaged in a blatant anti-Christian and anti-God demonstration.
One would have thought that by now, having achieved all their objectives, the LGBT activists would be content with their victories of having won over society to their cause and of having redefined marriage in British law. Nevertheless, they still seem to have to take on the role of victim and campaigners against alleged inequality, despite having the fulsome praise of the establishment heaped upon them.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, led the parade. He stated: ‘This incredible event is a shining light for LGBTQI+ rights and shows why our city is a beacon for openness and inclusion – a place where you are embraced and celebrated for who you are.’ One wonders then if Bible-believing Christians who consider homosexuality to be sinful are also embraced and celebrated for who they are. From the behaviour towards them at the parade one could only conclude, Most definitely not!
Illustrating just how mainstream and establishment this event is, a random list of some of the parade participants: Hewlett Packard, Heathrow Express, the London Fire Brigade, Siemens, Tesco, the Institute of Biomedical Science, Cambridge University, London University, Coca-Cola, Transport for London, Historic Royal Palaces, the Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force, the Scouts, the National Grid, the Bank of England, the Financial Ombudsman Service and M&S.
As the witnessing Christians held up relevant Bible verses, so many younger people walked by contemptuously laughing, leading me each time to ask them, ‘Why are you laughing at the Bible?; why are you mocking the word of God?; are you wiser than the God who gives you your daily breath?’ One wonders if they would be willing publicly to mock the Qur’an?
If there was one particular phenomenon which this event demonstrated, it was the complete failure of the mainstream churches in the last 50 or 60 years to proclaim what the Bible actually teaches. It exposes the churches’ utter unwillingness to confront head-on the fashionable trends in society for fear of not being seen to move with the times. It is as if the Biblical injunction, ’Be not conformed to this world’ (Romans 12:2) had never been written.
Repeatedly the witnessing Christians were told, ‘Jesus never judges anyone’. Vast numbers of young people evidently believe that the Christian faith is nothing more than a replication of 1960s hippie culture and of the Beatles’ creed of ‘all you need is love’. Have they never read, for example, the Lord’s words in Luke 13:3, ’Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish’?
Many parade supporters also shouted out, ‘Jesus loves everyone’, and so they were asked in response, Does that mean that everyone without exception ends up in heaven, no matter what they have done in their lives? Are you really arguing that the Son of God, to whom the Father has assigned the role of Judge (John 5:22), never actually will judge, and will always overlook and condone all sin? Must we now abandon the Apostles’ Creed which says of the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘He is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He will come to judge the living and the dead’.
As the day progressed, it became increasingly apparent how the word ‘love’ is one of the most abused words in the English language. The mantra of ‘love is love’ was frequently chanted, but what does this expression actually mean? Does it mean that all types of love must be valid, such as, for example, adulterous love or fornication outside of marriage? What this parade made blindingly obvious was the complete absence of love, indeed the outright hostility and contempt, within the LGBT movement towards those who dare to challenge on Biblical grounds their worldview.
For those who would argue that the presence at the parade of Christians preaching about repentance also demonstrated an absence of love towards homosexual and trans people, our response is this: it is an aspect of profound love to one’s neighbour, if one sees him in danger, to warn him and to show him the means of escaping the danger, and to point him also to the means of receiving abundant blessing.
This parade was such a depressing snapshot of a collapsing civilisation. Sexual acts between men were simulated in front of the Christians as a means of expressing contempt for their presence. Young children were amongst the crowds watching this enormous event as men in scanty underwear, dressed in skirts, or in leather and as dogs, paraded through the streets. How tragic it was to see so many young people seemingly incapable of any valid response to a declaration of Biblical morality other than to make vulgar hand gestures, swear at and insult those whom they disagreed. Every time that they did this, this writer told them that he had just won the argument, because of the ad hominem nature of their response, devoid of actual substance.
The preachers endeavoured to explain to the many thousands of parade supporters that their conduct was exposing an utter susceptibility to the dictates of majority thinking. They were revealing their captivity to the spirit of the age. They are the conformists, the establishment, the mainstream, whereas to follow the Lord Jesus Christ is to come apart and be separate from the ways of this world. May the God of grace and mercy, who is also a terrifying Judge if there is no repentance, speak powerfully to their hearts.
Extracts from a sermon preached by John Newton in 1787
The usual judgment of mankind on almost every important point is so very different from the decision of Scripture that both cannot possibly be true. National prosperity is more commonly estimated by the extent of dominion, by the success of arms in war and the increase of riches and commerce in peace; whether righteousness flourisheth or not is seldom taken into account. And the prevalence of sin, of infidelity, dissipation and profligacy is deemed a small reproach compared with a diminution of power and wealth. When our fleets and armies triumphed over all resistance and spread terror and desolation to the remotest parts of the globe and the treasures of the East began to pour in upon us with an almost boundless profusion, this nation was supposed to be highly exalted. But nothing less than the progress of righteousness and the suppression of sin can render us truly honourable or take away our reproach if the Word of God, the great Governor of the earth, be truth. And this happy change would do it, though we should lose one province and one empire after another and we should be deprived of our boasted consequence among the nations of the earth.
The sentences in the Book of Proverbs are for the most part contrasted and we may therefore fix the sense of righteousness in this passage by considering it as the opposite to sin. Sin, which is the reproach of our nature, of every person, family, village, city and kingdom in which it is found, is that inward principle of the heart and that outward course of conduct which is contrary to our relation to God as His creatures and to the tenor of His revealed will. A right disposition of heart towards God and a conduct in all points regulated by the authority and rule of His Holy Word is this righteousness which exalteth a nation, and so far as this is wanting, the most powerful, opulent, civilized and enlightened empire, with all its supposed attainments, advantages and distinctions, is clearly the subject of reproach and contempt.
Consider how a nation (which is composed of a multitude of individuals) would be exalted if the character of the text was universally or even generally prevalent. Whatever be the situation of the righteous man, he is an ornament and a blessing to the community. If he be in authority, he ruleth over men in the fear of God. Whether seated upon a throne, or in a subordinate station in public life, his power, influence and example, so far as they extend, are employed in promoting the public good to encourage the love of righteousness in others, to vindicate the oppressed, maintain order and suppress wickedness. The God whom he serves teaches him for his station and supports him. His principles render him superior to the selfish craft which often passes for wisdom in the world and the fear of God secures him from that fear of man which bringeth a snare.
The righteous man is the true patriot, who wrestles for his country by prayer in secret and devotes his talents to promote the good of all around him. The righteous man in private life is a good citizen. He respects and obeys the Government and laws under which he lives. He is willingly subject to lawful authority (and obeys), not from constraint, or for the sake of filthy lucre, but for conscience’ sake. If he be rich, the grace of God teaches him to be humble, moderate and benevolent. If he be poor, it teaches him patience and contentment, to be quiet in the land, diligent in his calling. As a relative, the righteous man is a kind and compassionate master, a good husband, a punctual trader, a faithful, upright servant, in every relation endeavouring to approve himself to God and to do unto others as he would wish others in a like situation should do unto him. He is sober and temperate in all things, gentle, forbearing and forgiving, because in every situation he endeavours to adorn the doctrine of God his Saviour in all things, and is no farther directly concerned in the affairs of this life than to let his light so shine in his allotted department that others may glorify God on his behalf.
I think it undeniable that if this righteousness were diffused among all ranks and orders of men, there would be reason to say, Happy are the people that are in such a state. Discord, envy, hatred, prodigality, covetousness, sensuality and a long train of evils which fill the world with woe, would be banished from among them. Each one in his sphere would contribute to the good of the whole and God thus served and thus honoured, would be their bulwark and shield, a wall of fire round about them and a glory in the midst of them. But where sin, the neglect of God and of His laws, prevail – it is a present reproach – it will prove them a foolish and unwise, an ungrateful and base-spirited people. A want of public spirit in superiors, a readiness to sacrifice every valuable consideration to the selfish calls of ambition or interest – and, in the inferior [socially lower] classes, impatience of subordination, licentiousness under the pretence of liberty, the indulgence of hurtful passions – in general: dissensions, riots, weak counsels, rash enterprises, ruined fortunes and constitutions, distracted families, tyrannical masters, treacherous servants, bankruptcies, robberies, rapes and murders, crowded jails and places of worship almost empty would mark the character of the nation and of the times. And these things would in their own nature not only be a reproach, but tend to the ruin of the people.
God has sometimes shown His displeasure against sin by public and severe judgments – thus He brought a flood upon the old world and destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with fire. But if He only leaves a people to themselves, their ruin will be equally certain and perhaps equally terrible. He inflicted no heavier punishment than this upon the Jews after they had filled up the measure of their iniquities by crucifying the Son of God. He did not visit them with earthquakes or hurricanes, but He gave them up to the way of their own hearts. Their ruin quickly follows; they brought it upon themselves, with such a complicated concurrence of calamities as were never suffered by any other people upon earth.
Whether we are a people exalted by the love and practice of righteousness, or whether sin, enormous sin, be our reproach and a just cause for fear lest it involve us in ruin, I leave to your observation and to your consciences. I hope there are amongst you many righteous persons, and many more who feel some concern for the wickedness and misery around you. May God enable you, according to your several opportunities, to contribute to our national honour and to the removal of our reproach by joining heartily in the cause of righteousness and by discountenancing sin.
This will lead you to countenance the preaching of the Gospel, which is the appointment and power of God to salvation through faith in His Name. The people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. The glorious Gospel of Christ is like the sun: when this light shines and is perceived, the darkness of iniquity and misery flee before it.
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 7
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
William Tyndale and the Preciousness of the Word of God
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 6
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
What The Ministry of John Wycliffe Teaches Us Today
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 5
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
Is Open Air Preaching Essential In 21st Century Britain?
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 4
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
Why noah’s ark is gospel truth
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 3
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
Climate Change: The Biblical Response
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 2
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
Did You Know that Gospel Preaching Saved Britain from a Potential Violent Revolution
in the 18th Century?
Today’s show will focus on this amazing time in Britain’s history that is rarely known.
Topics covered will be:
1) The state of the country in the early 18th century
2) Anointed, vigorous preaching
3) The social consequences of gospel preaching
“The 33:12 Report” Episode 1 (the title being based on Psalm 33:12)
Pastor Peter Simpson will be discussing:
1) Does God deal differently with different nations?
2) Does God respond to the prayers of specific nations?
3) How is prayer related to economics, agriculture and national stability?
Nationhood, Multiculturalism and Climate Change
Jeremiah 5:17-25
The conference sermon delivered at the 2019 Britain’s Only Hope – the Gospel Conference at Penn Free Methodist Church. Pastor Peter Simpson expounds Jeremiah 5:17-25 and deals with the current key issues – from a Biblical perspective – of nationhood, multiculturalism and climate change.
The address given by Pastor Peter Simpson
at the 2019 Christian Watch Annual meeting
held at the Strangers’ Rest Evangelical Church
in London’s East End.
“He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;
and being fully persuaded that, what he had promised,
he was able also to perform.”
Romans 4:20, 21
This, then, was Abraham’s faith. It was a firm credence in the promise of God made to him, and yet a faith that lived under opposition, hoping against hope, and being fully persuaded that what God had promised he would perform. Our faith, then, if it be genuine, must resemble that of Abraham. It must anchor in the truth of God as made life and spirit to our soul. It must meet with every opposition from without and within; from sin, Satan, and the world; from nature and flesh and reason all combined against it. But in spite of all, it must hope against hope, and be fully persuaded that what God has promised he is able to perform; and thus by perseverance and patient waiting obtain the victory.
Take another example, that of Moses: his faith was of this nature. “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season” (Heb. 11:24, 25). The peculiar character of the faith of Moses was this, that though he was highly exalted and might have enjoyed all the treasures and pleasures of Egypt, yet he deliberately preferred to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy all that wealth could offer or carnal pleasure present; “having respect to the recompence of the reward.”
“In the world ye shall have tribulation:
but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John 16:33
Has not our path been one of tribulation, more or less, since the Lord was first pleased to turn our feet into the narrow way? But have we found, do we ever find, peace in Jesus? Do we desire to find peace there? Do we look for peace, do we expect to enjoy peace, from any other quarter? Dare we think, for a single moment, of peace in self, peace in the world, or peace in sin? Is our heart so fixed upon Jesus, our eyes so up unto him, the desires of our soul so after the manifestations of his mercy and love, that we are sure there is no peace worth the name except what is found in him? Our seasons of peace may not have been long—they may have been transient, very transient; yet sweet while they lasted, and sufficient to shew what true peace is, sufficient to give us longings after a clearer manifestation of it, and make us desire a fuller enjoyment of it.
And yet the Lord winds it all up with the solemn and blessed declaration that though our appointed path is one of tribulation in the world, yet he has overcome it; sin shall not be our master, the world shall not be our conqueror, the things of time and sense shall not gain a victory over us. May He give us a sweet assurance that he will fight our battles, and bring us off more than conquerors.
