While I was on annual leave, my wife and I decided to visit a few different churches in a few different church traditions. Having been part of the Presbyterian tradition now for a long time, we thought it would be good to see a broader spectrum of the churches in Perth. We also thought it …
One of my main jobs is as a preacher. I have the privilege of explaining and applying God’s word to people most weeks of the year. As an organised person, I plan my preaching programme well in advance. I can tell you which sermon series I am preaching for every Sunday in 2021, and in …
There was a widow in a middle-Eastern country named Sidon around 2800 years ago. We don’t know her name, but her story remains with us in 1 Kings 17. There had been a drought for several years and everyone was finding it tough. Some more than others. This woman had reached the end of her …
I have had the privilege of leading a group of people from my church on a whirlwind tour of church history in recent weeks. There was something great about seeing so many great themes and issues that God’s people had faced throughout the centuries. One thing that struck me was the way that God used …
I have spent a lot of time with elders in the past week. My denomination holds a National Assembly every 18 months, which was planned to be held in Queensland before any of us knew what 2020 would hold. We were forced to have a two-day Zoom conference instead. While it would have been great …
If you ask any Christian what the order of priorities is in their life, they will probably reply that Jesus comes first. Then family, then work, then everything else. It sounds like the right answer. It is easy to say and perhaps we will sound kind of virtuous when we do say it. But is …
In Matthew 13, Jesus compares his followers to yeast (with ‘leaven’ simply being an older word for ‘yeast’): 33 He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.” (Matt. 13:33 ESV) As far as parables go, …
I had the privilege of being part of the camp for my church last weekend. As we do every year, the vast majority of the regulars at my church spent a weekend on the fringes of our city. There were three talks on Ephesians, some group discussions, quite a few meals, and a lot of …
For many Christians, regular attendance at church or Bible study is a somewhat scattered thing. There could be many reasons why this particular Sunday might not involve going to church, and being sick is only one of them. Maybe there is a special sporting event on. Maybe you have been invited to a birthday party. …
It is common for people to compare church to a family; after all, Jesus and the apostles use this word picture in their teaching. Jesus says that all who do the will of his Father are his mother and brothers and sisters (Matt 12:49-50). Paul routinely calls the readers of his letters “brothers and sisters …