Category: Preaching and Teaching

Coronavirus and the battle of three fridges

Here is the latest Government ad campaign in the battle of Coronavirus. You get the message don’t you. We are meant to keep our distance when out and about. We should be around about two metres apart from each other, that’s obviously not meant to be a precise measurement. It’s a rough distance.  There are… Continue reading Coronavirus and the battle of three fridges

Preaching shorter sermons (Do we need to in lockdown online?)

One question that keeps coming up during lockdown is whether we can preach the same length of sermons during lockdown or whether we need to shorten them. At a recent FIEC webinar, research by  educationalists was referenced suggesting that our attention span when viewing online content is about half that of when listening to or… Continue reading Preaching shorter sermons (Do we need to in lockdown online?)

Preaching longer passages

A recent FIEC webinar on church life during lockdown discussed preaching and one of the questions was around whether or not you can preach on longer passages online given the shorter attention span that online engagement causes. I am going to engage with the question of online preaching in my next article but in face… Continue reading Preaching longer passages

Trusting God for the long-haul (2 Peter 3:1-7)

Have you noticed the consistent theme that has come through the recent government briefings. Within that umbrella word “government” I am including the road map document, civil servants, science officers and the devolved governments in Scotland. I know there were some controversial issues, some confusing messages and some disagreement. However, everyone was agreed that we… Continue reading Trusting God for the long-haul (2 Peter 3:1-7)

The difference between an exposition and a meander

I believe in the importance of systematic expository preaching which means that we work through a book of a Bible passage by passage each Sunday. I believe this is the best way to feed a congregation on God’s word. It enables the church to hear and engage with the whole of Scripture. It ensures that… Continue reading The difference between an exposition and a meander

Rival Kings (Matthew 2:1-12)

Herod saw Jesus as a rival to his power. However, Jesus was the rightful king and Herod was no match for him. We can allow idols to become rivals for our affection for Jesus. These can be things we enjoy like food, relationships, sport etc, good things like going to church, serving, charity or things… Continue reading Rival Kings (Matthew 2:1-12)

What does the Bible say about giving?

The Prosperity Gospel deal is that if you give the right amount of money to the right pastor and he gives it the right blessing then you will be blessed in your personal finances.  In other words you should tithe. I think that well-meaning Evangelicals come unstuck on the question of tithing. Or to go… Continue reading What does the Bible say about giving?

Do we have grace?

I first heard of Vernon Higham when Wesley Aiken, pastor at Rochester Baptist Church came back from a holiday. Higham had been the visiting speaker at the church where Wesley’s family went on their holidays. Wesley described this frail elderly man taking to the pulpit and preaching a gospel sermon about the grace of God… Continue reading Do we have grace?

Does the Bible talk about money more than it talks about love, heaven and hell?

The short answer is “No.”  If it did, then you would notice it as a recurring theme when you are part of a church where expository preaching is practiced.  You would either notice that the preacher kept, accurately and transparently showing how the text applied to your wallet, or you would wonder why the preacher… Continue reading Does the Bible talk about money more than it talks about love, heaven and hell?