Church Blog (Page 60)

The church at Rome was promised a visit by the apostle Paul and he was going to honour his word. He had written to them and told them to expect him on a planned missionary trip to Spain. He had even asked them to prepare to assist him with expenses; something that would not happen. On Paul’s return to Jerusalem after his third missionary journey, he and Luke visited the home of the evangelist Philip. While there a prophet named…

God reigns sovereign! For millennia Super-Powers have risen to glory, but given time, decadence, and a fiercer foe, have sunk back into obscurity. Ask your friends if they have ever heard of Cyrus the Great or Charlemagne. If they haven’t, don’t be too hard on them, for even Elizabeth I is slipping from memory. National security is no small matter. For citizens to feel safe to go about their business, their enemies must understand the consequences of crossing their borders.…

Paul was disinterested in tabulating a personal baptism count. “I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius” (1Cor.1:14), he told the Corinthian church. Then he remembered, “Now I did baptize also the household of Stephanas” (1Cor.1:16). It is strange how the best of the brethren can be so easily forgotten amongst the noise of the church troublemakers. However, Paul pushes Stephanas and his household back to the front of the minds of the Corinthian church…

Two thousand years ago, the Romans ruled in every place. However, they did allow local puppet kings some local autonomy. Jesus was born into Israel, the jurisdiction of Herod the Great. Herod had no redeeming qualities. His “Massacre of the Innocents” (Mt.2:16–18) in Bethlehem, says everything about his character. As each day dawned, Jerusalem’s Temple Courts filled with priests, religious zealots, merchants and pilgrims. While the visitors marvelled at the architecture, and the bored locals shared the latest Royal gossip,…

Simeon was an old man carrying a promise in his heart. God had vowed that he would not see death until he saw the Lord’s Christ. How many days he woke wondering, “Is this the day?” we don’t know. He was one of the last recorded Old Testament prophets. Here in Luke 2:25-35 Simeon meets his heart’s desire. Taking the 8-day-old Jesus in his arms he proclaimed to all who could hear that this baby was “a light for revelation…

Quiz Question: “What were the first words in scripture spoken by Jesus?” If you answered, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Mt.4:17), you are in good company. But, sorry, even good company are not always correct. Luke 2:42-51 records Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem with his parents at age twelve. On the return trip, he was assumed to have been among the other travellers, but was nowhere to be found. When Mary and Joseph returned to Jerusalem, they…

I went to visit the dental clinic when I was 10-years-old. It was not the ‘murder-house’ found at the typical primary school, but instead, a large room with multiple chairs, multiple children, and multiple dental students. The experience was overwhelming. When I climbed up in the chair, I was greeted by a young lady who had obviously had her fill of unhappy cavity laden children. As she drilled down hard on my nerves and added to my growing collection of…

Lizzie Borden and the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, are infamous for murdering their parents. All appearances are that the Borden and Menendez parents did their children no harm. This causes us to wonder why these children would even contemplate such acts of violence. Christina Crawford, adopted daughter of actress, Joan Crawford, hated her abusive mother enough to write a book about her, but at least she didn’t end her life—though she may have given it thought. In Mark 7…

“If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content” (1Tim.6:8). TikTok needs no introduction. Recently, an American newspaper set up several TikTok accounts posing as 13-year-olds. They were horrified to find that the video-sharing site channelled the users towards content offering drugs and sex. Ironically, while the Chinese-owned TikTok is corrupting the minds of its foreign users, back home the Chinese government is restricting children’s computer use to an hour a day on weekends. We have always…

“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” (Col.4:2). On my journey to the cross I met others who were on the same road. Who made it, and who didn’t, I cannot tell, all I knew was that I was lost and seeking God’s direction. I had read enough of my Bible to know that God offered a blessed life, so I wasn’t about to ‘join anything’ that added misery to my life. This was…