Most Christians are busy serving in their own local patch: their local church or maybe a parachurch organisation or mission field. We pour our hearts and souls into it, working to build others up, striving to see God honoured through the ministry we are part of. And that is a great thing! It is undoubtedly …
I have the privilege of serving in a church that is always talking about the gospel. You will hear Jesus talked about in every sermon. In all our Bible studies, our English class devotions, and in our sacraments, we love to talk about Jesus. For some people, that seems kind of odd. After all, the …
If you ever see a painting or sculpture of a Pope, past or present, you will notice something that is always there somewhere. They are always holding a set of keys. These represent the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Roman Catholic theology states that the Pope, as the descendant of Peter the apostle, holds …
I am an introvert. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like people; I love people, and love talking to people. It does mean that I get drained by too much time with people and I much prefer quiet and calm environments to loud, noisy places. If you’re an introvert, the morning tea time at church …
It is Easter week. Churches all around the world will be gathering to worship, probably on Good Friday and Easter Sunday. This catches the attention of the media in many places who ask local church leaders what they will be preaching about at Easter time. Unfortunately, many of the church leaders in my city give …
At the end of Matthew 15, we come across a few short verses that summarise Jesus’ ministry in a mainly non-Jewish area of northern Israel. We read this: 29 Jesus went on from there and walked beside the Sea of Galilee. And he went up on the mountain and sat down there. 30 And great …
Many of us are capable people, used to being able to sort out most of our own problems. In the developed world, most are educated, employment is generally high, and there is great pride in being self-sufficient. When problems come up, we can usually solve them or at least manage them. Of course, there is …
Good Bible teaching has to be clear and easy to understand. That’s always true, whoever the teaching is for. You need to be clear when explaining something to small children, and you need to be clear when teaching theological students. Yet, too often, I come across Bible teaching that is unnecessarily complicated! A little thought …
There are lots of different translations of the Bible. It’s the same book, but the translations read quite differently at times. On top of this, some Christians think their translation is the only one you should read. This can get very confusing! Let me try to cut through the technical arguments and simply explain what …
In Matthew 14, Jesus did some incredible things. He fed over 5000 people with a small amount of food. He walked on water. He calmed a storm. He healed all who came to him. The disciples worshipped him, and the people of Gennesaret flocked to him. And then the Pharisees, the religious leaders of the …