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…
By Not Known I am the person who cares for your kids but can’t swim in your pool Who rides in the back of a truck to make your garden pretty Who sleeps in a dormitory while I build your home Who clears the table when you just walk off Who keeps your place safe,…
By Not Known Jesus told the first church leaders to make disciples from all peoples (Mat 28:19). We read that heaven’s church has members from all corners of humanity (Rev 7:9). Likewise Paul writes of his obligation to preach the gospel to all kinds of people and thus his desire to visit Rome so that…
By Not Known The Roman Empire was the monolith of New Testament times. All roads led to Rome, all power belonged to Rome and all revenue flowed to Rome. Other powers quaked and fell before her and Roman hegemony threatened to crush all before it. Many European countries have archaeological digs and museum projects to…
By Not Known The Christian faith has many puzzles that seem to raise ‘either / or’ questions. Is God three or one? Was Jesus divine or human? Is the Bible divine or human? Does God rule everything or are we responsible? Do we need faith or works? Many of these puzzles have ‘both / and’…
By Not Known We want to be the best. That’s common for nations, organisations, individuals and even for churches. We boast of our triumphs and define the contest so narrowly that we can all be the best at something. Tiny triumphs indeed! Let’s face it, most of us are not the best at anything much.…
By Not Known Most of us love to have a lasting and sustained relationship with God through Jesus. For some, keeping spiritual disciplines such as prayer and Bible-reading is quite in line with their almost regimental outlook to life. For others, serving where the needs could often keep them busily in touch with the church.…
By Not Known Many would remember the rock opera by Tim Rice and Andrew Llyod Webber, Jesus Christ Superstar. It shook the Christian world with the song that implied Mary Magdalene was Jesus’ lover. Then when Da Vinci Code came out, it stirred up once again the controversy that Mary Magdalene was married to Jesus.…
By Not Known People have a way of forming a religion centred on an object, whether be it a supreme person, a deity-like animal, or an inanimate thing of mythical origin. The Bible warns against such worship of created beings rather than the Creator alone (Ex 20:3-4; Rom 1:25). Unfortunately, Christianity is also subjected to…
By Not Known The last rays of sunlight left the evening sky and the lights of the city begin to shine brightly against the dark sky. I did not turn on the light in my SGH room. These were precious moments for me after the last visitors were ushered out. I savoured every moment of…