Tag: Biblical Studies

Breaking up the hard ground (more reflections on Mark 4:1-20)

At Bearwood Chapel, we had a partnership with OM and over several years hosted a number of teams.  As part of that partnership I was involved in training OMers in aspects of mission.  One of the things I would sometimes do is take the team members into our car park.  I would say to them:… Continue reading Breaking up the hard ground (more reflections on Mark 4:1-20)

The cost of living crisis and the New Testament Church

As I’m writing this article, it’s just been announced that inflation in Britain has hit 9%, the highest it has been in many years.  Meanwhile there are dire warnings that inflation could soon be accompanied by recession which will lead to high unemployment and with it house repossessions. Over the past few months, I’ve been… Continue reading The cost of living crisis and the New Testament Church

Have I committed the unforgivable sin? (Mark 3:20-30)

It’s a question that someone may well have asked you at some point.  Perhaps you’ve even asked it yourself. The possibility that I could commit a sin which puts me permanently and irreparably beyond God’s love and forgiveness is terrifying. To understand what Jesus means when he describes a sin which is unforgivable, we need… Continue reading Have I committed the unforgivable sin? (Mark 3:20-30)

How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

It is possible to work through the Gospel in one of a few ways. This might include  Picking up a number of themes and tracing them through the Gospel as a series of sermons on The Kingdom of God, The Son of Man, Suffering and the Cross etc. A longer and detailed series might have… Continue reading How do we approach studying Mark’s Gospel?

Some big themes in Mark’s Gospel

Kingdom The theme of God’s kingdom is significant to all of the Gospels but particularly stands out in Matthew and Mark. Matthew refers to it as The Kingdom of Heaven, this links to a Jewus reluctance to even speak out God’s name so that other words are used in place of “God” or “YHWH.” Heaven… Continue reading Some big themes in Mark’s Gospel

The nature and purpose of Mark’s Gospel

It is worth thinking a little bit more about the nature and purpose of the book by considering its style and structure as well as comparing it to other examples of literature both ancient and moder. This will help us consider how we should approach it in terms of preaching and teaching. One recent obsession… Continue reading The nature and purpose of Mark’s Gospel

Mark’s Gospel – a bit of background

Over the next couple of months I’m going to be working through Mark’s Gospel here. This coincides with a teaching series that our church are doing on the book but I also hope that the resources will be helpful to others seeking to read or teach through the book. Often it is impossible to cover… Continue reading Mark’s Gospel – a bit of background

Contextual visions and dreams

If you’ve not had chance to yet, do have a listen to last week’s Faithroots Podcast where I was talking to Jonny Mellor of Church Central and Sputnik. Jonny helpfully gets us thinking about the way that Christians should engage with the arts and culture generally. In the conversation we talk about Daniel as a… Continue reading Contextual visions and dreams

Return of the King -download

I love the book of Revelation. The imagery in the book is vivid, the plotline exciting and this book keeps pointing to our certain hope in Christ and the wonders of future new creation. However, it’s an often misunderstood and misused book. Revelation has become the scene of many unseemly scraps between Christians becoming dogmatic… Continue reading Return of the King -download