Church News (Page 77)

By Not Known The Christian Scriptures are central to our gathered worship, to all Christian ministries and to our private piety. Why put such an emphasis on this diverse collection of ancient writings? They are often difficult to understand and are far removed from our digital world in which we are post-everything but unsure what we stand for. Why privilege the Scriptures…

By Not Known Help to the needy often begins with those closest to us. And so we read: Whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5: 8). Following this we may often start our help-giving with our family, our friends, our fellow-believers, those of our cultural group and only then to…

By Not Known In some places ‘holiness’ has a bad name. It is associated with prudishness, sanctimoniousness, censoriousness and self-righteousness. Is this what God means when he calls us to: be holy because I am holy (Lev 11:44; 1Pet 1:15)? A basic idea in holiness is that we are to be different. We are to be separated from God-denying ways of living in order…

By Not Known Some years ago I worked for a company that sold bulk industrial chemicals. I soon learnt the basic sales strategy of demonstrating a need (or creating one!) and then showing how my firm could meet it better than any competitors. We need to see our need of Jesus before we believe in him. Many will say ‘I’m not that bad, I can manage my own…

By Not Known The word ‘worship’ can be used in several important ways. First up, there is our life-worship, in which all of all we are at all times is lived in thankful service to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2). Without this, no other worship makes sense. Secondly, there is the gathered worship as represented by our Sunday services (eg Acts 2:42-46; 1 Cor 14:26; Heb…

By Not Known Many of our prayers ask God for blessings. And at this time of the year many are earnest to ask the Lord for protection. What do we mean by blessing and protection? Are they the heart of our human needs? By ‘blessings’ we usually mean things like health, wealth and other daily needs. A prayer for protection typically means we ask God to protect us…

By Not Known I am the person who cares for your kids but can’t swim in your pool Who rides in the back of a truck to make your garden pretty Who sleeps in a dormitory while I build your home Who clears the table when you just walk off Who keeps your place safe, night and day Who sells you a ticket that I cannot afford Who drives the taxi to take you to a party Who…

By Not Known Jesus told the first church leaders to make disciples from all peoples (Mat 28:19). We read that heaven’s church has members from all corners of humanity (Rev 7:9). Likewise Paul writes of his obligation to preach the gospel to all kinds of people and thus his desire to visit Rome so that he could also evangelise there (Rom 1:14). Paul also tells us why…

By Not Known The Roman Empire was the monolith of New Testament times. All roads led to Rome, all power belonged to Rome and all revenue flowed to Rome. Other powers quaked and fell before her and Roman hegemony threatened to crush all before it. Many European countries have archaeological digs and museum projects to study and preserve the artefacts of the Roman Empire.…

By Not Known The Christian faith has many puzzles that seem to raise ‘either / or’ questions. Is God three or one? Was Jesus divine or human? Is the Bible divine or human? Does God rule everything or are we responsible? Do we need faith or works? Many of these puzzles have ‘both / and’ answers. However, we need great care in the order and the…