There was a major public disagreement in the church in Antioch in Galatians 2. Peter, who had previously eaten meals with the Christian Gentiles in the church, withdrew because of the opinions of a part of the Jewish church community. Paul confronted him publicly about this because it was splitting the church and not showing …
Paul often refers to the Old Testament in his letters, and he uses a key verse from Genesis at key points in his argument in both Romans and Galatians. It is Genesis 15:6. Let’s have a look at this verse in its original context: After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram …
If you asked someone who was not a Christian to describe what Christians are like to you, you would get a range of answers. On the negative side, some might say that we are hypocrites or bigots or judgemental. On the more positive side, others might say that Christians tend to nice or friendly or …
All Christians and churches are keen to see people become Christians. We plan and pray for evangelism. We get trained in basic gospel outlines to help people understand who Jesus is and why they should care. And we celebrate when someone professes faith or is baptised. That’s all great! Yet let’s think about the next …
The instruction in Colossians 3:5 is a quite unusual one to our ears. We are to put what is earthly to death. When those words turn up in other places in the Bible, they usually mean what they literally say, to kill something or someone. But here the idea is not literal but is just …
Christians meet together in all kinds of ways. The large worship service is like the flagship of most churches; it has the great advantage of many people hearing and learning the same things at the same time. Many churches also have small groups of some form, which help a great deal in terms of personal …
For many people in the 1950s, smoking and drinking a lot of alcohol was just normal. It was what everyone did. All the celebrities smoked; all social events centred on alcohol. No-one yet knew of the risks of these behaviours and the damage they were causing to their bodies. If you were to ask someone …
It is common for people around us to say that all gods are the same. Or to broaden it beyond actual gods, whatever you choose to live for is fine. You do you. Yet even a cursory glance at this idea will reveal that not all gods are the same at all. As one psalmist …
When we are trying to communicate the Bible to people, we need to consider both sides of the bridge. Firstly, and most importantly, we need to understand the word of God well, spending time and effort in understanding what God is saying in this particular passage. And secondly, we need to understand the people being …
Preachers need to think about a lot of different things. It is hard work to interpret and explain God’s Word faithfully and well. A great deal of theological training goes into teaching the original languages, theology, Bible interpretation, and church history. All of this is critical. Yet preachers also need to consider how to connect …