Category: Church life

The cost

Jesus famously said that those considering following him should first count the cost. His point was that they were going to face persecution and have to be willing to give up their life. They would lose friends and influence for the sake of the Gospel but the Gospel is worth it. Jesus’ words were not… Continue reading The cost

What is a church? Sacraments and the marks revisited.

The other day, I responded to an article giving three reasons for why a small; group is not a church. One of the reasons I identified as a red herring was to do with whether or not a small group has the sacraments.  Some people seem to have struggled a little with this argument and… Continue reading What is a church? Sacraments and the marks revisited.

Why your small group is probably not a church: Three red herrings and the real reason

This article has been circulating around conservative-evangelical circles in the last couple of weeks.  I’m not sure whether or not there is a serious issue anywhere with anyone really thinking that their home group/life group is a church. So first of all, I would be intrigued as to what prompted the article.  It looks like… Continue reading Why your small group is probably not a church: Three red herrings and the real reason

The Church United

If Ephesians is about God’s purpose for his people, then this means that a central focus is on the church. In fact one of the ways that we might express Paul’s overall theme is that God’s people should be united together in love to Christ first and then to one another as his beautiful body.… Continue reading The Church United

On the frequency of dreams and visions in the early church

I wanted to pick up on something I saw in a recent article looking at the question of dreams and visions.  I’m not going to unpack the whole question of dreams and visions here except to say that I believe that these are available for Christians today.  As I’ve mentioned previously, we talk about God… Continue reading On the frequency of dreams and visions in the early church

Theology of risk

One of the questions to arise out of the COVID inquiry is about what our attitude as Christians is to risk and what it should be.  For some, churches were seen to be far too risk averse and this was associated with a perceived over passive compliance with Government regulation and guidance.  For others, the… Continue reading Theology of risk

A receiving church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Having discerned that it is God’s Holy Spirit at work and not an evil Spirit, we can move to see what the Spirit is doing and saying.  One of the key things that the Holy Spirit does is to give gifts to the Church. Prioritise the giver (v4-6) We can become focused on the gifts… Continue reading A receiving church (1 Corinthians 12:4-11)

Learning from the Brethren

I read this article with interest and some sadness the other day.  I’ve a personal connection to the Brethren Assemblies as, whilst I was at University, I started attending a fairly traditional Gospel Hall when back home in Bradford. It was there that I really began to cut my teeth, preaching and teaching.   Later, when… Continue reading Learning from the Brethren

Why I believe in believers’ baptism

I wrote recently about a specific problem with infant or paedobaptism. I thought it might be helpful to say a little more about baptism and why I believe that believers’ baptism matters.  It’s worth saying at the start that we are talking about believers’ baptism, not “adult baptism” as is sometimes is assumed. To all… Continue reading Why I believe in believers’ baptism