In the 1990’s sitcom “Goodnight sweetheart”, Nicholas Lyndhurst stars as a Gary Sparrow who has found a time portal to the 1940s and ends up living a double life between his wife Yvonne in the late 20th century and Phoebe a barmaid in the blitz. We can so easily live compartmentalised lives separating out church,… Continue reading What Kind of Church? A Pure Church ( 1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
Author: faithrootsdw
What kind of church? A forgiven Church (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
Introduction – “See you in court” Imagine two Christians falling out maybe over something petty – and taking it to court. We would be shocked. That’s the sense of what is happening here (v 1). The sense is “How dare you?” The correct response is disgust, disgrace, shame. This is the second time that Paul… Continue reading What kind of church? A forgiven Church (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)
Learning lessons means knowing what the person you are learning from is seeking to achieve
The other day I wrote about Katherine Birbalsingh’s policy of bringing her SLT in for a 7am meeting every day. Katherine had argued that people should pay attention to this policy on the basis that if someone was successful, then we would do well to learn from them. I argued in response that just because… Continue reading Learning lessons means knowing what the person you are learning from is seeking to achieve
Why we are still meeting at the usual time this Sunday. -even with the small matter of a football game
The Lionesses go into battle at 11am, UK time this Sunday. This means the televised women’s World Cup final will clash with a lot of church services. Should we move or cancel our church gatherings so that people can watch the match? If we don’t does this reflect a problem with sexism? What would we… Continue reading Why we are still meeting at the usual time this Sunday. -even with the small matter of a football game
What kind of Church? A holy church (1 Corinthians 5)
The church is made up of imperfect people, simultaneously saints and sinners. We have a constant responsibility to challenge and encourage one another about sin. But what happens when things become more serious? Don’t get caught in the headlights (v1 -5) Have you heard the expression “a rabbit caught in the headlights?” It refers to… Continue reading What kind of Church? A holy church (1 Corinthians 5)
Is Jesus “the true and better Tim Keller”?
Sam Allbery spoke at Tim Keller’s memorial service and made this remark. “Jesus is the truer and better Tim Keller.” It’s one of those immediately quotable and therefore tweetable phrases and so of course people have been tweeting it and reacting to it. Now, there’s a risk of reacting to something out of context and… Continue reading Is Jesus “the true and better Tim Keller”?
Relax, there’ll be bad news in the headlines again tomorrow!
Perhaps football is coming home after all but it will be the lionesses not the lions who bring home a football World Cup. England’s defeat of Australia in the women’s world cup semi-final was immediately the top item on news bulletins. Not everyone was quite so overjoyed with football dominating the headlines. Some people have… Continue reading Relax, there’ll be bad news in the headlines again tomorrow!
A discerning Church ( 1 Corinthians 4 )
Discernment is about making judgements about people and plans. How we do it? Well, contemporary society tells us that “the consumer is king.” It’s for us as customers to decide what is best for us, what we are worth, whether that’s about objects (cars, houses, TVs. Tablets etc), relationships or entertainment. Saturday night TV invites… Continue reading A discerning Church ( 1 Corinthians 4 )
Resources for Bible study
The other day I wrote about how the main book you need to be reading if you want to be involved in urban ministry is the Bible. In fact this is true of all believers and anyone who wants to be involved in any form of Christian service. I’ve been gradually putting together some Bible… Continue reading Resources for Bible study
What Kind of Church? – A humble Church (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
Remember when those rich and powerful Premier League football teams were outmanoeuvred and outplayed. Who’d have thought that a team costing just £50 million – the sort of money the big boys pay for one player these days could win the title. That’s what Leicester City achieved only a few years ago. It’s almost as… Continue reading What Kind of Church? – A humble Church (1 Corinthians 1:18-31)
