Do you remember the film, “Braveheart”? There’s a scene in the film where the Scottish army are frightened by the English and suspicious of their own generals. They are about to desert. William Wallace rallies them with a stirring speech. He finishes with those now famous lines “They may take way our lives but they… Continue reading Free (Simeon’s Song – Luke 2:29-31)
Category: Bible Study
Is fear a sin?
Sometimes we say that we should only fear God and that we shouldn’t fear other people. I have often talked about how the things we fear are the things that become our idols. Jesus tells us: “do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy… Continue reading Is fear a sin?
How can we help people to let Christ’s word dwell in them richly?
My friend Steve Kneale has frequently pointed out that we are not commanded to “read the Bible every day.” That’s a shock for a lot of us evangelicals because we grew up believing that was the command. That’s not to say that reading the Bible isn’t a good, helpful and enjoyable thing for many. Nor… Continue reading How can we help people to let Christ’s word dwell in them richly?
Right with God (Romans 9 v 30- 10:21)
I want to specifically talk to those of you who have been following along as we’ve looked at Romans. You’ve been drawn to this message about good news, peace, joy, hope, getting right with God and your response has been “I need in on that.” Something in the message of this book has reached into… Continue reading Right with God (Romans 9 v 30- 10:21)
Heart Cry (Romans 9:1-29)
I wonder what kinds of things keep you awake at night. That’s one area where there’s no shortage now. Uncertain times caused by COVID an energy crisis and fuel and food shortages are enough to cause plenty of anxiety. But I suspect there are even bigger and deeper things that trouble us, wake us up… Continue reading Heart Cry (Romans 9:1-29)
Who condemns?
Yesterday in his guest article, Ash Cunningham wrote: This week Karen Ingala Smith published research detailing the ‘Femicide’ statistics in the UK, including the 81 women killed by men since the brutal murder of Sarah Everard. As Ingala Smith herself points out, neither the police nor the government have analysed the data, it has taken,… Continue reading Who condemns?
Can I trust the Bible?
We’ve been working through John’s Gospel in #TheDailyDose. Today we arrived at John 7:53-8:11. Most Bible versions include a statement saying that the earliest manuscripts don’t include this section. So what should we do with John 8? Should we still read it, study it, preach on it? And how does this affect our confidence in… Continue reading Can I trust the Bible?
Which five Bible books have drawn you closer to Christ and encouraged you on in faith the most?
Ray Ortlund asked this question on Twitter the other day. We of course know that All Scripture is God breathed but I agree with Ray that in our experience most of us will find that there are specific books of the Bible that have particularly stood out for us and ones which we find ourselves… Continue reading Which five Bible books have drawn you closer to Christ and encouraged you on in faith the most?
Sheep and Goats: Are Paul and Jesus in conflict -a worked example
I got involved in a conversation the other day about what it means to say that Scripture, the whole of it is God’s Word. It arose because some people were going back over that old question “are we as evangelicals guilty of Bible-olatry?” In other words do we end up worshipping our Bibles more than… Continue reading Sheep and Goats: Are Paul and Jesus in conflict -a worked example
Generous Righteousness: The one who lavishes grace on us
The story of Ruth is also of course the story of Boaz and what an incredible story it is. Boaz is the land owner who sees a foreign widow gleaning in his field and when he finds out who she is insists that she is protected and well treated. Of course, Boaz at one level… Continue reading Generous Righteousness: The one who lavishes grace on us
