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My instinct is to think that in order to serve God and his people well, I need to bring something to the table. The world will tell us that what we need to do is just to realise how brilliant we really are (or maybe you’re already there—you do think you bring a lot to God’s table). But the Bible says that the answer to feeling too weak or unable to serve is not to try to feel strong...... continue reading
During an unusually tense time in our church, a small group of progressively-minded people began critiquing my sermons. I received passive-aggressive texts, lengthy, impassioned emails, and often heard “what so and so thought” about last Sunday’s message. Gossip is, perhaps, the most hurtful. It’s painful and awkward to know a person disapproves of you enough to talk about you to others, but is unwilling to talk with you in person to move towards resolution in Christ.... continue reading
If you look at a short bio on the back of one of C.S. Lewis’s books, you’ll see that he taught at both Oxford and Cambridge. He spent much more time at Oxford (29 years) and moved to Cambridge only for the last seven years of his career. You may wonder why he made the switch. If you read a fuller biography, you learn that it involved a fair amount of personal pain and no small amount of persecution for his faith.... continue reading
Prejudice and discrimination are ongoing human problems and talking about them (especially with regard to the church) often makes us very uncomfortable. But God’s word addresses this issue in many ways and in many places, so God’s people need to think about it.... continue reading
Why is belonging to a church such a challenge? As Christians, we need to overcome at least four obstacles to live out the biblical vision of a gospel-centered, Spirit-filled community in the church... continue reading
I have the privilege of talking with pastors from around the world on a weekly basis. Every context is dealing with Covid differently, but very many pastors have described to me the need to “re-launch” or “re-boot” their churches. After so many months of restrictions on church gatherings, they want to call people to re-engage. In my own context, too, we’re preparing to do a sermon series on the local church which will explore what the church really is—and emphasize its glory.... continue reading
Many of us have been blessed by books, podcasts, livestreams and youtube videos over the past year, not to mention virtual meetings and catch ups via video conferencing platforms and encouragements on social media. But the Bible is clear that being a committed member of a local church is the best way to be encouraged and challenged, as well as to serve others and be a witness to friends and neighbours in our community.... continue reading
For many of us, the world has shrunk over the past year. Rather than going out to work, we’ve stayed home – rather than taking our children to school, there have been months of sitting next to them in front of screens. Church has been online. Social events have been reduced to the occasional walk with a solitary friend. Homes that were once a hub of hospitality have been eerily quiet.... continue reading
What is John Stott’s legacy in this, the hundredth year since he was born? We could think of his preaching, his writing, his evangelism or his impact on student ministry. But more than any of those, I think his greatest legacy may be his personal godliness.... continue reading
I’m very intentional first thing in the morning about getting my thinking in place. I read my Bible before I look at my technology. In my quiet time, I work through my own mini-catechism.... continue reading
