READ “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. (Acts 20:7-8) THINK ‘Church is the people and not the meeting’, so the old adage goes. I guess this … Continue reading ACTS 20: DO WE REALLY NEED TO GATHER AGAIN AS A CHURCH?
Two really thought provoking quotes about the relationship between family and church life. These are taken from the excellent book You are What you Love by James K.A. Smith. “Our baptismal promises attest to the fact that “the church is our first family.” And “if the church is our first family, then our second homes should be defined by it, and our doors ought to … Continue reading Family Discipleship
A couple of days ago I started reading Jonathan Leeman’s book One Assembly. It is a really well written book and is deeply thought provoking! Here is is summary quote at the end of a long chapter on ‘what is the church?’: “What is a church? It’s an embassy of Christ’s kingdom. It’s a group of Christians who together identify themselves and each other as … Continue reading What is a church?
READ Acts 13:1: “Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.” (NKJV) THINK John Stott helpfully reveals that the list of prophets and teachers described in Acts 13:1 “symbolized the ethnic and cultural diversity of Antioch”. Barnabas was a … Continue reading Acts 13: A Multicultural Church
“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.” – Acts 11:19-20 THINK Up until this point, … Continue reading ACTS 11: THE UNKNOWN MISSIONARIES
READ So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith. Acts 6:7 THINK This is quite a remarkable verse! In the book of Acts, where advance and growth ooze out of most chapters, we’re told here that when the church in Jerusalem fixed an organisational challenge, they saw the rapid spread of … Continue reading GETTING THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACE DOING THE RIGHT THING
READ “Day after day, in the temple courts and from house to house, they never stopped teaching and proclaiming the good news that Jesus is the Messiah.” (Acts 5:42) THINK I love rugby league, which in my humble opinion is the only real type of rugby there is. However, in both rugby league and rugby union, you will often hear a commentator talking about how a team … Continue reading A Relentless Forward Movement
This article was first published on our church website Read “… and they continued steadfastly (devoted themselves) …” (NKJV) Think If you were to evaluate my taste in films (something that my friends have done with much amusement!), you would find a strong emphasis on the underdog overcoming all the odds. Despite it’s goriness, I love the film Braveheart. There is something quite compelling about … Continue reading Acts 2: A people of Devotion
When was the last time you read First John? One of the remarkable things about this short letter is the relational potency to John’s writing. He uses phrases such as: Dear friends Dear children Fathers Young men This letter drips with family culture. The question that must be asked, when we see this relational topography to this letter is, does my life, ministry and church … Continue reading “Dear Friends”
The following was first published on our church website. READ “The seventh lot came out for the tribe of Dan according to its clans…” (v4) 27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. (1 Cor 12:27) THINK Unless you’re Dan, I think it would be easy to skip over this chapter, because most of what … Continue reading Joshua 19: Dan and his gang
