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
Following on from quote yesterday from Alec Motyer, here is another section which speaks (again) with such clarity into local church life: “the scattered churches were not isolated. Their great link with each other was the person of the aspotle; they also shared apostolic letters with each other; and in addition there is evidence in the New Testament of a variety of travelling ministers, dependent … Continue reading A family of churches
I’ve just started reading Alec Motyer‘s commentary on Philippians in my morning devotions. The following long-ish quotation is an amazingly clear picture that is painted of leadership in the local church. I would encourage you to read the whole quotation: The impression we receive in the New Testament is of local churches loosely federated under apostolic authority, with each church managing its own affairs under … Continue reading Leadership in the church
Psalm 30:4-5 “Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name. For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favour lasts a lifetime; weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” The people of God have always sung! We sing when our eyes are fixed, not on the near horizon of our current circumstances, … Continue reading We sing…
Here is a link to my latest blog post on the Kingsgate website: Orthopteraism: the grasshopper mentality Continue reading Orthopteraism: the grasshopper mentality
Tomorrow, at Kingsgate, we have our first membership Sunday. This is a very exciting morning as we look to weave our lives together with promises and purpose! Here is some information on what membership looks like at Kingsgate: Reflection on Membership (Booklet) Covenant Promise (Booklet) Covenant Promise (Audio) Continue reading Membership Sunday
On Sunday I spoke at Kingsgate on Eldership in the local church. “the New Testament offers more instruction regarding elders than on other important church subjects such as the Lord’s Supper, the Lord’s Day, baptism, or spiritual gifts. When you consider the New Testament’s characteristic avoidance of detailed regulation and church procedures (when compared to the Old Testament), the attention given to elders is amazing.” … Continue reading Eldership
“to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” Ephesians 3:21 (CBS) Continue reading To Him be Glory…
Eugene Peterson destroying the overly simplified definitions of love and leads us to an life of immersion in acts of love. Just brilliant! “Love is the most context-specific act in the entire spectrum of human behavior. There is no other single human act more dependent on and immersed in immediate context. A dictionary is worthless in understanding and practising love. Acts of love cannot be … Continue reading What is the most context-specific act in the entire spectrum of human behavior?
