What a mess! The news has been full of it - the scandal over MPs' excessive and inappropriate expenses claims. It has plunged Parliament into disrepute. But we're not surprised. Our nation has lost its way morally. Basically, it has turned its back on Christianity. The Bible no longer has a place in public life.…
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A life of worship We debate over forms of public worship but nothing can bring our services to life unless we ourselves worship in Spirit and in truth. And that requires not just attendance at public worship but lives of worship. Abraham (or Abram) can help us here. The chief symbol of Old Testament worship was…
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Through the looking glass Jesus Christ's invitation in Matthew 11:28-30 is rightly regarded as one of the great evangelistic texts: 'Come to me all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest'. But do we realise how much this Scripture has to say, not just to the evangelised but to…
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Give him no rest Wanted: watchmen; day and night shifts available. Also, support staff. Good communicators preferred, commitment essential. Our God has promised that he will not rest until every chosen, ransomed sinner has been saved by grace and brought into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. If the King will not rest, neither should his…
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Evangelical atheists Recently, a group of what we can only call 'evangelical atheists' raised over £135,000 to launch an 'Atheist Bus Campaign'. They are putting adverts on the sides of eight hundred buses in towns and cities as far apart as Aberdeen and Exeter. The adverts inform us: 'There's probably no God. Now stop worrying and…
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Which way the Free Church of Scotland? In a recent candid statement the Free Church of Scotland (FC) promoted the commemoration of St Andrew's day in Scotland - a commemoration held along with 'leaders and representatives of Scotland's churches'. The stated purpose was to 'encourage our church communities and all people in Scotland to celebrate…
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The challenge from within This month's comment is adapted from an article by Singapore missionary Mok Chee Cheong, who has been pastoring a Reformed church in London and has recently returned to missionary work in Kenya. The history of the Christian church in nineteenth-century Britain, with its unflagging missionary endeavour, was a glorious one. But…
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Love, the reality check John's first epistle seeks, among other things, to delineate the marks of a true Christian. And no characteristic features more strongly than love for our fellow believers. John's teaching on this matter is well summarised in 1 John 3:10-19. The apostle recognised that the churches to which he wrote contained both…
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The fruit of faithfulness Faithfulness is unfashionable. It is not highly esteemed in our day, whether, generally, in marriage and everyday life, or in Christian commitment and obedience to God's word. The account in 2 Kings 4:42-44, where Elisha fed 100 people from a backpack, may therefore be instructive. The man who was faithful We read, 'There…
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Waking up to God Jehoshaphat, the godly king of Judah, was suffering thirst - along with the kings of Israel and Edom. Their armies, bent on punishing Moab for rebelling against Israel, had marched for seven days through the wilderness of Edom without finding water to sustain them (2 Kings 3:1-9). But this was Israel's quarrel,…
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The ever-present God 'Am I a God who is only close at hand?' says the Lord. 'No, I am far away at the same time. Can anyone hide from me in a secret place? Am I not everywhere in all the heavens and earth?' says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:23-24). The God we worship is the…
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Only oil The prophet's widow was experiencing hard times. Not only had she lost her husband and fallen into debt, but her creditor was threatening to take her two sons into slavery as repayment. She cried to Elisha for help in her distress and poverty (2 Kings 4:1-7). Perhaps we have here a portrait of…
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