Our first love Who would have thought it a church razor-sharp in doctrine, with members labouring to the point of exhaustion, but on the brink of demise? So it was with the Ephesian church towards the end of the first century, according to Revelation 2:1-7. The church was outstanding in its stand for the…
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Swine flu Swine flu has rapidly spread around the world after emerging in Mexico last year. Experts anticipate that millions more will yet be infected, even though its first wave is now waning in certain countries. The flu is thought to have originated in pigs. It is a respiratory disease that jumps from person…
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A higher law The expenses scandal concerning UK MPs has even made it in the press here in Kenya. It's interesting to read of the widescale outrage reported on the UK's press web sites, and led by those same newspapers. Right across the spectrum, people of all shapes and stripes of ideological opinion are agreed…
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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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