By Not Known 2,000 years of Christian history have produced many heroic figures whose examples of dedication to Christ inspire and teach us. One such is Polycarp of Smyrna (Izmir in modern west Turkey). It seems he was born about AD69 and was a leading Bishop of the church in Roman Asia. In AD155 he…

By Not Known Today is Reformation Sunday. We remember the gracious act of God to reform his church through people such as Martin Luther, John Calvin and John Knox. One feature of the Reformation was insistence on the rule of Scriptures. The church and its members were not to be swayed by tradition, pragmatism or…

By Not Known We all know that a closed Bible is a useless thing. In the language of an old Anglican prayer, we should have our Bible open to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest its contents. It’s one thing to have the Bible open and be active learners, but what are the uses of…

By Not Known Some people have a life-long and deep-seated fascination for the Bible. Whether as amateur sleuths or professional scholars, they love to spend time digging deeper and deeper into the background, language and meaning of the Bible. This is good, and we can all benefit when they share the fruits of their fascination.…

By Not Known The Christian Scriptures are central to our gathered worship, to all Christian ministries and to our private piety. Why put such an emphasis on this diverse collection of ancient writings? They are often difficult to understand and are far removed from our digital world in which we are post-everything but unsure what…

By Not Known Help to the needy often begins with those closest to us. And so we read: Whoever does not provide for relatives, and especially for family members has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever (1 Tim 5: 8). Following this we may often start our help-giving with our family, our…

By Not Known In some places ‘holiness’ has a bad name. It is associated with prudishness, sanctimoniousness, censoriousness and self-righteousness. Is this what God means when he calls us to: be holy because I am holy (Lev 11:44; 1Pet 1:15)? A basic idea in holiness is that we are to be different. We are to…

By Not Known Some years ago I worked for a company that sold bulk industrial chemicals. I soon learnt the basic sales strategy of demonstrating a need (or creating one!) and then showing how my firm could meet it better than any competitors. We need to see our need of Jesus before we believe in…

By Not Known The word ‘worship’ can be used in several important ways. First up, there is our life-worship, in which all of all we are at all times is lived in thankful service to the Lord (Rom 12:1-2). Without this, no other worship makes sense. Secondly, there is the gathered worship as represented by…

By Not Known Many of our prayers ask God for blessings. And at this time of the year many are earnest to ask the Lord for protection. What do we mean by blessing and protection? Are they the heart of our human needs? By ‘blessings’ we usually mean things like health, wealth and other daily…