God is at work – do not give up. I once was invited to a Saturday night gathering of a number of churches. I hadn’t heard the telephone call correctly. Listening is so over-rated… On arrival, I went into the back room of the church for a cup of coffee and to say hello to the other leaders.… Read More »
What a captive servant girl can teach you about Matthew 10:8 When Matthew 10:8 pops up on your Bible app, “heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons”, it’s easy to think, me? I’m not equipped for that, I could never be the one who does something like that. Leave it to someone else, that… Read More »
I’m preaching on Matthew 10:8 in a few weeks, and part of my prep has been to think over the story and muse over how they must have felt. The chapter 9 day earlier had been ordinary. Ordinary for Jesus, anyway. Crowds. Sick people finding their way to the front. Someone who couldn’t see, seeing. Someone who couldn’t… Read More »
On keeping the gospel for yourself too There is a particular kind of exhaustion that comes from handing out something you’ve stopped receiving yourself. You know the symptoms. You’re talking about grace constantly. Explaining it. Defending it. Preaching it. And somewhere in the middle of all that explaining, imploring and encouragement, quietly, without anyone noticing, you stopped standing… Read More »
Why God is waiting for you to show up Three episodes into any decent BBC drama and you can feel it. Something is coming… The writers have been laying groundwork and the tension is building whether you noticed or not. The music is always a giveaway. First Samuel chapter 1 has that same drama. You’re not just reading… Read More »
Paul meant what he said in 1 Corinthians 14 Paul doesn’t whisper it, he doesn’t suggest it as something worth considering when the mood strikes. He says pursue love, and, (don’t stop there – there’s more!) earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. Earnestly. Especially. Those are strong words from a pedantic apostle who chose… Read More »