Do you remember where you were when the Berlin Wall came down or when those aircraft flew into the Twin Towers? Perhaps some readers will be a little too young to remember those events but all of us well remember the day when lockdown was announced in response to the global pandemic. In each of… Continue reading How do you respond when your world is ending?
Category: Bible Study
For him
Let’s return to that question of what happens when we see people fall either due to false teaching or to moral failure. I’m thinking specifically of religious leaders here. Some people have argued that because Romans 11:29 describes God’s gifts and calling as irrevocable that even when a leader falls, they can and should be… Continue reading For him
Where is your confidence?
Jesus and his disciples are in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival. At the heart of the festival was the Temple, an impressive building. Whilst the Jews on returning during Ezra and Nehemiah’s day had been disappointed by the 2nd Temple, a poor comparison to the one Solomon had built, Herod the Great had sent lavishly… Continue reading Where is your confidence?
Judgement is coming (Mark 13)
The Temple was one of the wonders of the ancient world. Initially a fairly simply design had replaced Solomon’s temple and Ezra records the disappointment of the people at this. However, by Jesus’ day, the second temple had been remodelled and extended greatly by Herod the Great who hoped to win favour with the Jews. … Continue reading Judgement is coming (Mark 13)
Who has more to give?
In the days following Jesus’ cleansing of the temple, the different religious and political groupings have attempted to take him on and bring him down. His actions in the temple courts amounted to a direct challenge of their authority and so, they attempted to undermine his. Jesus however has defeated all comers. He has demonstrated… Continue reading Who has more to give?
Why do some fall?
On too many occasions I’ve seen people we all thought to be committed to Christ fall into serious sin or begin to express disbelief in the truth of the Gospel. Eventually, they are no longer part of a church either because they’ve wandered away or because they have had to be put under church discipline. … Continue reading Why do some fall?
What do I owe Him?
Jesus is engaging all comers in debate, there have been Pharisees, Sadducees and Herodians. One lawyer has been hanging back, observing. Now, he steps in with his question. Mark leaves open the question about whether this is intended as another trap but observes that this man has been impressed by Jesus’ answers so maybe there… Continue reading What do I owe Him?
Whose is she?
Have you been following the articles on Mark 12? Are you starting to spot a theme yet? At the start of the chapter, we had the story of the tenants in the vineyard, they withheld the rent due to their landlord. We then saw a debate over whether or not Caesar was entitled to the… Continue reading Whose is she?
Whose is it?
We’re about to see a whole set of new currency produced including coins and banknotes. The death of Queen Elizabeth II means that new coins and stamps must carry the image of King Charles III. Read Mark 12:13-17 Jesus is approached by a group of people trying to catch him out. The group is an… Continue reading Whose is it?
Has God broken his promise?
Can we really rely on God to keep his word? We are told that his promises are “yes and amen” but that is sometimes hard to trust when we are going through tough times. The question of God’s faithfulness is central to Paul’s argument in Romans, especially when we get to chapters 9-11. The big… Continue reading Has God broken his promise?