I saw a quote the other day “If you have a 4 minute sermon, speak for 4 minutes. Don’t waffle for 40 minutes.” There’s good advise there. One mistake we can make as preachers is to go on for too long. We can go on beyond the attention span of the congregation but we can… Continue reading Your sermon was too short
Posts
Now I am your child ….
One of the greatest risks to God’s people is amnesia, that we forget what God has achieved for us and who we now are. When we do this, then we are prone to the subtle and seductive charms of those who claim to be offering a better deal. A look at the text (Read Galatians… Continue reading Now I am your child ….
Preachers – don’t over apply
Preachers tend to fall for one of two dangers. Either we can focus so heavily on the exegesis and exposition of a Bible passage, we make very clear what it means but we forget the application. It’s all very interesting but it doesn’t really land in a way that is practical and relevant to the… Continue reading Preachers – don’t over apply
The Archbishop, The Prayer and The Father
Over the weekend, the papers reported that the Archbishop of York was questioning the words of the Lord’s Prayer as “problematic.” The Guardian wrote “The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be “problematic” because of their patriarchal association.”[1]… Continue reading The Archbishop, The Prayer and The Father
Women and men – are there responsibilities the other way?
Bear with me, I’m about to step into a potentially explosive minefield. If there’s anything that is likely to cause a lot of heat on social media it’s someone writing about how people dress and act. A little while back a pastor went on a bit of a rant about women wearing yoga pants (leggings… Continue reading Women and men – are there responsibilities the other way?
Build this house
This week’s #FaithrootsPodcast on 1 Chronicles 17. Arks, Temples, Priests and Kings in a post exile Judah Key dates 721BC fall of northern kingdom to Assyria 597BC exile to Babylon begins 587BC Jerusalem falls to Babylon/Nebuchadnezzar 538BC Cyrus proclamation and return from Exile begins David’s idea (v1-2) Concern for the ark of the covenant Nathan… Continue reading Build this house
Regression – Galatians 4 overview
Paul develops the theme of Law’s temporary responsibility by fleshing out the image of a guardian that looks after the young child. During childhood, it is impossible to tell the difference between children and slaves, both are restricted, both under compulsion, both unable to make decisions for themselves. In other words, prior to the coming… Continue reading Regression – Galatians 4 overview
The Truth about Cats and Dogs
This was the opening illustration and title of a series of talks I did for a church on the weekend away several years back. I asked the question “What is the difference between cats and dogs”. There are two answers. The first is : When you welcome a dog into your home, feed it, provide… Continue reading The Truth about Cats and Dogs
Brothers and sisters in Christ
I want to spend a bit of time here talking about how men and women should relate to one another in God’s family and I specifically want to put the focus on how men relate to women. Regular readers will know that I’m a complementarian. This means that I believe that men and women are… Continue reading Brothers and sisters in Christ
The Death of the local church?
John Benton writes: “The truth is that there is now a marketplace of churches. This marketplace stretches across denominations and church ‘brands’. People are quite willing to switch and travel long distances. Churches are in competition for members. “Market forces are in play and that being the case, sadly, it seems that a number of those… Continue reading The Death of the local church?
