What is Matthew 9 all about? There’s a lot going on in the chapter. We have a number of healings including: a paralysed man, a daughter raised from the dead, a woman with an issue of blood, two blind men and a demon possessed man who is unable to speak. Is the passage primarily about… Continue reading Why does Jesus heal, forgive and call? (What’s the common theme in Matthew 9)
Tag: faith
Demons
Last Sunday, I preached on Jesus casting out demons. I highlighted three points in reference to this. Demon possession is possible today though I suspect rarer than in Jesus’ day Christians cannot be demon possessed because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit The demon exorcisms in the Gospel help us to understand the wider… Continue reading Demons
Facing your fears
In Sunday’s sermon I said that having peace with God means that we can face our fears. In this article, I want to talk through the practicalities of doing that. The first step of course is to recognise exactly what it is that we are afraid of. This also helps us to properly assess the… Continue reading Facing your fears
Peace (Matthew 8:23-33)
“I just wish things could get back to normal.” Have you heard other people saying that? Have you found yourself saying it too? If I were to take you back to February and March, how did you feel then? Perhaps you were anxious but there was also the adrenalin of being in this together too… Continue reading Peace (Matthew 8:23-33)
Fear and Faith in Matthew 8
The big theme in Matthew 8 is “Faith”. There is a leper who comes to Jesus pleading to be clean and to be healed. A centurion comes and begs for his servant, many come to Jesus looking for healing. Finally, two demon possessed men are set free. However, in and among these stories of faith… Continue reading Fear and Faith in Matthew 8
Fear, Faith and Coronavirus
As we continue to move out of lockdown, it is important that we have an honest conversation about fear and faith as we move into this next phase of the global pandemic. COVID-19 is likely to be with us for some time to come. We need to be ready for the long game and as… Continue reading Fear, Faith and Coronavirus
What kind of gift?
When we were younger, my sister wanted a Wendy house for her birthday. My dad kept insisting that she was getting a tin of baked beans, much to her annoyance and his amusement. Well, the day of her birthday came and she went downstairs. To her joy, there was the Wendy House ready assembled …… Continue reading What kind of gift?
Stones and Serpents
I don’t want to make too big a deal out of this but I was fascinated when looking at Jesus teaching on prayer to spot one of those little but intriguing connections. In Matthew 4, Jesus goes into the Wilderness where he fasts for 40 days and nights and experiences testing from Satan. Satan basically… Continue reading Stones and Serpents
Inputs and outcomes – on the slavery of pastoral performance
There are three challenges that church workers often have to face when trying to work out how they are doing and whether or not they are being fruitful in their jobs.[1] You tend to be responsible for managing your own time, so how do you know whether or not you are spending it in a… Continue reading Inputs and outcomes – on the slavery of pastoral performance
What if the vaccine never comes?
There have been encouraging signs over the past few weeks. We are hearing reports that trials with vaccines are having some successes. Meanwhile, we appear to be over the peak here in the UK and cases of COVID-19 have continued to decline even as society has started to open up again. However we continue to… Continue reading What if the vaccine never comes?
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