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
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…
