Monthly Archives: March 2011

Matthew 23:1-4, the gospel in three sentences

Posted on March 29, 2011 by

How would you explain the gospel to a friend?  How many sentences, explanations, pictures or concepts would it take?  Jesus explains the gospel in three sentences, in Matthew 23, using two truths, the law and the gospel. Matthew 23:1-4 Then … Continue reading →

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Why I won’t use the Church of England lectionary

Posted on March 28, 2011 by

We take our second reading for Sunday morning services from the Church of England Common Worship lectionary, the main reading comes from our own sermon series. Yesterday we read Matthew 23v1 to 24v2 and the lectionary reading was Psalm 103.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Expository Preaching | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments

Types of Christians who work against Christ #2

Posted on March 23, 2011 by

I’ve found it a useful exercise this Lent to look at the characters and groups who resisted Jesus and eventually killed him.  It is easy to become like a member of one of those groups, as there is nothing new … Continue reading →

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Types of Christians who work against Christ #1

Posted on March 22, 2011 by

After Jesus entered Jerusalem he encountered several groups of people who were working against him as he made his way to the cross. He was about to die for his people and in turn they would go into a hostile … Continue reading →

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Five impediments to the marriage of Christ and his bride

Posted on March 21, 2011 by

Here’s some classic (abridged) Ebenezer Erskine on the eternal will of God to marry his Son to the elect and the five ways the Son removes the impediments out of deep love for his bride to be.  This is truly … Continue reading →

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Why the Swedish Bible Study Method is right for our time

Posted on March 17, 2011 by

We’re launching a network of small groups with bible study at the heart.  We’ve chosen the Swedish Bible Study Method (more details can be found in this article in The Briefing) as the most suitable for our time and place.  … Continue reading →

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Libya: Why democracy alone can’t work

Posted on March 16, 2011 by

The modern belief that democracy alone will solve the problems of undemocratic nations is naïve and overly simplistic. We need to understand western history to discover what made democracy work the way it does in the USA and Europe. The … Continue reading →

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How to pray and give thanks to God for earthquakes and war

Posted on March 15, 2011 by

In light of current global events, where humans are suffering and dying in various cataclysmic events, the Apostle Paul would tell us to do three things: to be joyful, to pray and to give thanks, just as he told the … Continue reading →

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Book review: Peter Dickson – RICH

Posted on March 14, 2011 by

When aiming to make great spiritual truths plain, Jesus taught in parables to make his point. Peter Dickson has done much the same thing in a contemporary fashion in his book “Rich”. Using the language and setting of the credit … Continue reading →

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2nd anniversary of being a vicar

Posted on March 10, 2011 by

At a funeral yesterday I was asked how long I’d being doing what I do.  “Two years tomorrow” I replied.  That always raises eyebrows in surprise, but not as much as saying I left Singapore and a career in structural … Continue reading →

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