Church Blog (Page 35)
Strong and Courageous #4. “Beyond human ability.”
All of us can recount times when we have been backward in coming forward with our faith. We may never have outright denied Jesus, but we may have remained silent when we should have spoken. The apostle Peter knew what it was like to lose courage. Even though Jesus had warned him that Satan was going to test his faith as if “sifting wheat” (Luke 22:31-33), he infamously denied him three times. All strength would have drained from his system…
Strong and Courageous #3. “The intelligent Christian.”
In Jesus’ Parable of The Shrewd Manager, he presents a dishonest manager who through deft and cunning sought to secure a financial future for himself beyond his pending dismissal (Luke 16). Not being the kind of man who ‘lets life happen to him,’ he quickly assesses his options: “What shall I do, since my master is taking the management away from me? I am not strong enough to dig; I am ashamed to beg” (Luke 16:3). It is, of course,…
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Strong and Courageous #2. “We must obey God rather than men.”
The mere mention of a preacher having run afoul of the law is enough to turn some people off. They automatically add them to the list of high-profile Televangelists who indulged their lusts with other people’s money, booze, and women. There is no doubt that this goes on, but to suggest that every evangelist who has ever been arrested is of that ilk, is to degrade those brave souls. Many good people have been arrested and killed for their faith…
Strong and Courageous #1. “To fulfil His purposes.”
If there was a man in Biblical history who did not need to be told to be Strong and Courageous it was Joshua son of Nun. He and Caleb famously rejected the faithlessness of the other 10 spies and stood up against the rebellion of the people. They told Israel, “ “If the Lord is pleased with us, then He will bring us into this land and give it to us…do not rebel against the Lord…do not fear the people…
Name above all names #12. “Jesus, name above all names!”
A new brother in the Lord returned home to his parents to let them know that he had been baptised into Christ. The reaction of his father showed that the news had somehow preceded him. Before he could say a word, his father said, “I have my own faith and I don’t want you to try to make me believe yours.” When repeating the story to me he said, “If my father ever had a faith in Jesus, that was…
Series: Name above all names #11. “Place of worship for God’s name.”
If you entered the Rochester Cathedral in 2019 you would have been greeted by a nine-hole mini-golf course. Of course, the use of the 1000-year-old English church building as a play area was not without controversy—some called it sacrilege. A similar sentiment was expressed recently over the commercialisation of the Sumela Monastery in Turkey. This impressive stone structure was carved out of a rockface by monks in 386AD. Though disestablished in 1923, and now in ruins, it is being restored…
Name above all names #10. “If another comes in his own name.”
The Lord’s church must actively work to rid itself of the traditions of men. Many a preacher has reminded us that the Pharisees took Laws and “built hedges around them.” These “hedges” came in the form of supplementary laws designed to prevent a person from getting too close to breaking a Law of God. Instead of letting the citizens take God’s word that the Sabbath was a mandatory day off work for the sake of all, they decided that everyone…
Name above all names #9. “Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.”
Human beings have always sought entertainment beyond themselves. You need not wonder at the billions of hours spent online, and the billions of dollars spent on physical, emotional, and mental stimulants; everyone loves a distraction. Whether all these distractions are causing harm or humour, we may never know, but what we do know is that God calls the Christian to do everything in His name in a spirit of gratitude. Paul says: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed,…
Name above all names #8. “Unite in praise of the Father’s name.”
In answering his own question, as to who members of his family were, Jesus said, “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:35). Later, the writer of the Book of Hebrews, says of Jesus, the one who transformed sinners into saints, that “he is not ashamed to call them [us] brethren” (Hebrews 2:11). This family, in which we celebrate our faith in Christ, began with another father; a man like us.…