This is our final post on 2 Corinthians. And here, perhaps, comes the heart, the ultimate gift to each of…
This page is a selection of what you’ll find on this site (see menu)…..
Latest: 2 Corinthians(11): Sixfold Transformation!(2) (chs7-9)
So now vision is turning into passion, into action! In these chapters we watch Paul embodying the transformation he’s been…
Latest: 2 Corinthians(10): Sixfold Transformation!(1) (5:16-7:1)
`If anyone is in Christ`, says Paul (and indeed, God), `they are a new creation’ (2 Cor 5:17)! And as…
2 Corinthians(9): Turning Vision Into Lifestyle! (5:9-21)
As usual with Paul, mysticism, vision, turns into action, as 2 Corinthians continues. Or, we might equally say, faith comes…
2 Corinthians(8): Now Let’s Learn About The Glory! (4:12-5:8)
Here’s a lifegiving idea: in the new testament, suffering and glory seem to go together like the two sides of…
2 Corinthians(7): Broken Pot Spirituality (4:7-11)
I’m glad some of us are finding this magnificent, profound epistle as lifegiving as I do. As we’ve seen, Paul…
2 Corinthians(6): Our Indispensable Weapons (4:1-6)
Summary so far: among all his problems, Paul doesn’t lose heart; and this is because he knows the Word he…
2 Corinthians(5): You Want Transformation? This Is How It Happens… Channelling Glory! (3:12 (again!)-4:1)
Amid all the pressures we encounter, Paul’s been saying, we’ll be seriously strengthened if we grasp the incredible privilege of…
2 Corinthians(4): We Point The Wonderful Way Right To The Heart Of God! (3:7-18)
Is there a fourth `anchor’ here that helps Paul survive the stresses, and means WE too surely won’t `lose heart`…
2 Corinthians(3): Do We Know We Each `Minister The Spirit`?! (3:1-6)
Now in ch3 we find the third anchor that gives Paul, and us, real `confidence’ (3:4) amid the stresses that…
2 Corinthians(2): How Paul Copes With Stress – Beyond The Measurable Goals (Ch2)
We’re feeding on 2 Corinthians, where Paul is having a very difficult time and writes on the very edge of…
2 Corinthians(1): Stress And What We Can Get Out Of It (Ch1)
I’ve enjoyed journeying here through the `vision of God’s ultimate` in Ephesians! But sometimes we feel a million miles from…
Outreach Using Surveys & Questionnaires
In outreach we want to find ways to get into good conversations about Jesus! – and one way is through…
Fostering Warmer Fellowship In Our Homegroup
This is something we can helpfully reflect on in our own group, starting with two questions: What characterises our time…
Ephesians(8): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – God’s Temple, God’s Household (2:19-22)
I’ve been much blessed these last weeks absorbing God’s revelation in Ephesians of what `Church` means: She is Christ’s Bride…
Ephesians(5): `Church`, She’s Not Quite What We Think – The Bride (5:25-32)
We’ll relate better to Church if we grasp who She is! If we speed-read on through Ephesians, we’ll see how…
Ephesians (2): I Realise I Don’t Pray About The Things Paul Prays About… (1:15-23)
Now comes a chance for us to foster a habit that’s important to Bible feeding – to begin noticing times…
Ephesians: The Vision Of The Ultimate! (1:1-14)
Ephesians has been called the summit of the new testament. `It must be manifest to the most casual reader that…
Foundations 2-12: The Essential Art of Follow-Up – Doing Things That Will Really Last
Jesus did not call His followers just to win converts, but to make disciples! In physical birth, we don’t leave…
Foundations 2-11: When The Dream Comes True…
So the time comes when you’ve shared the gospel with your friend. And now you sense this may be the…
Foundations 2-10: Answering Commonly-Voiced Questions (The Contradictory Bible?, Why Trust the Gospels…)
This is the last of four posts on answering the questions friends pose to our faith. Actually, this is something…
Foundations 2-9: Answering Commonly-Voiced Questions (The Evil Church, Climate Change, Homosexuality, Slavery…)
Here’s our third post on how we can respond to common objections raised to our faith. Actually, many questions we…
Foundations 2-8: Answering Commonly-Voiced Questions (Only One Way? The Unevangelized… etc)s
Here’s the second of four posts to help us respond to objections friends raise to our faith. Today, `How can…
Foundations 2-7: Answering Commonly-Voiced Questions (Science & Faith, Suffering…)
Something that can weaken our confidence in sharing Jesus, is if we’re afraid of being asked questions we can’t answer.…
Foundations 2-6: Reasons For Faith 3 – Was Jesus Mad? Bad? Or God?
This is maybe the most central reason for faith. But it’s far more: this is the vital challenge at the heart of…
Foundations 2-5: Reasons For Faith 2 – The Resurrection: These Are The Facts
Here’s a really core reason why we have such good cause to worship Jesus as God. This can be solid…
Foundations 2-4: `But Have You Really Got Any Reasons For Your Faith?`
STARTER: Something that can destroy our confidence is if we feel we don’t know the reasons for our faith. And…
Foundations 2-3: Reading Jesus’ Biography With Friends Who Aren’t Yet Christians
Starter: God reveals himself most clearly in Jesus (Heb 1: 1-3). In what ways might friends you know really encounter…
Foundations 2-2: How We Prepare To Be Fruitful
STARTER: How do you think we can prepare ourselves for God to use us? What kind of – normal –…
Foundations 2-1: Sharing Jesus, & Why It Will Be Fruitful
At the end of Matthew Jesus gives us a command He desires should shape our lives as His followers: `Go…
Thinking Point – Why The English Novel Ignores God
The history of English literature is a curious thing. And one especially odd thing about it is it contains so…
A Fresh Way To Explore the Bible, As A Group! (Bob Grahmann Guest Blog)
Many small groups could discover vast new vistas of the Bible if they discovered Manuscript Bible Study! It’s astonishing how…
Rev 21&22: How God Closes Out The Bible
Grasp these final chapters of God’s Word, and we’ll catch the vision of something vital: we’ll grasp what the word…
Rev 19&20: The Three Ways The World Ends
There will be a real, conclusive End to history as we know it. (We need to grasp that!) Here we…
Rev 17&18 – How An Economic System Can Become Demonic, And What That Means For Us
Revelation 17 and 18 are absolutely fascinating, culturally and politically! They show how part of Satan’s final push will be…
Rev 14>16: Lots To Think About Here
What will we gain from feeding on these chapters? A lot! First, we’ll be reminded imaginatively, at the start of…
Britain Could Well Be Actively Persecuting Bible Christians in 2>3 Years Time…
We’re pausing our Revelation series for a week, because it’s vital to flag up that Britain could be actively persecuting…
Rev 13: We Need To Take This Very Seriously – We Just Might Live Through It…
The close of history: God shows us in Revelation that, before Christ finally intervenes as King, there will be a…
Vital Christian Lifestyle – Live More Simply So That Others May Simply Live! (Chua Wee Hian Guest Blog)
`Ten thousand died today because of inadequate food. 1 billion people are mentally retarded or physically deformed because of poor…
Romans (#9): `Fixed In The Certainty Of Love Unchanging!’ (8:30-39)
Romans’ central chapters have shown us one wonderful thing after another. `So what shall we say to these things?’ Surely,…
Romans (#8): Visions of Horror And Glory (8:22-30)
Romans’ central section has a whole series of glorious, inspirational revelations, that can lead our grasp of our faith to…
Facing Conflict And Tough Conversations?
We’re pausing Romans for one week for a guest blog written awhile ago on something practical and really important, by…
Romans (#7): `More Than We Can Ask Or Imagine!` (ch8:14-23)
`Sin shall not be your master’, we’ve seen! Thankyou, Father! But God has far more for us in Romans! Holiness…
Romans 6>8 (#3): Something Dramatic Happened When You Were Born Again…!
God promises us in Romans, unreservedly and remarkably, that `Sin shall not be your master!’ (6:14). Let’s absorb again just…
Using ChatGPT In Ministry
I’ve recently been on a quite staggering OM webinar on the potential uses of ChatGPT in ministry and mission, and…
Slavery And The Bible’s Attitude
I’m finding this a topic that often gets brought up dialoguing with atheists. Which feels a bit odd when you…
Revelation 12 – The Agelong Spiritual War!
We’re starting now on the last section of our Revelation series — with maybe the book’s obscurest chapter, ch12! But…
Rev 8 to 11: Understanding History’s Final Crisis
Does Revelation teach us the permanent principles hidden but active in every phase of history? Or does it show us…
Rev 7: Heaven’s Wonder From Another Angle!
Now Revelation 7. A slightly surprising chapter, but actually hugely uplifting – a key chapter, too, for catching Revelation’s flow,…
Growing In Pastoral Care In The Homegroup – And Elsewhere!
(The latest in our occasional series for homegroup leaders and homegroup leader training – for more see our Homegroup Leader…
Revelation 5 & 6 – The Unreadable Book of Human Suffering
In Revelation’s powerful chapters 5 and 6 we read of a sealed book no one can access. When it’s finally…
Old Testament Intro Course 6: The Prophets
Today we’re exploring the old testament’s great final section: the Prophets. And we’ll begin with the greatest of them all,…
Old Testament Intro Course 5: The `Writings` – Job to Song of Solomon
We come now to a wonderful but very different set of old testament books. Here’s a few introductory ideas that…
Marriage Crisis First Aid
Suddenly I hear there is a marriage in deep crisis among the people I’m caring for. It would be nice…
Genesis 1 part 1: What Is Our God Like?
Genesis opens the Bible with some of its most profound and enriching pages. It tackles some of the most fundamental…
Genesis 1 part 2: Why’s It So Great To Be Human?
Genesis: a fantastic book that answers so many of our most basic questions! In our last post we went right…
Revelation 1 & intro: This Book Is About Jesus’ Glory!
We’re starting a new series of posts on the first half of the book of Revelation. I’m really looking forward…
Genesis 2: And What Does It Mean To Be Human?
Genesis 2 moves on to present the arrival of humankind. And what it gives us is extremely important; it describes…
39 Ways `The God Delusion` Is A Sloppy Book
The God Delusion seems to have become an atheist holy book. Its writer, Richard Dawkins, has elsewhere proved himself an…
Vision Building In The Homegroup
The crucial starting-point for vision in our homegroup is our own vision for God and what he is doing in…
20 Things To Check In The Week Before You Preach
Pray for God’s presence, as you prepare, and on the day: `I will not go unless You go with me!`…
1-1: The Heart of Christian Faith: Christ Crucified
There’s nothing more important than really grasping the key themes of our faith. In these next posts we’ll be feeding…
Genesis 3: Why Is Our World Such A Mess?; And The 5 Crucial Temptations
Genesis 3 is an incredibly helpful chapter. It shows us the historical catastrophe that ruined our world; it records also…
Genesis 4: Why Is Our Culture In Such A Mess?
There’s a vast amount that’s enormously important in Genesis 3 and 4. People often express a sense that something is,…
Genesis – Answering The Standard Questions
Why are we feeding on Genesis? Why do we believe it? And how do we answer the questions that we’re…
Adam and Eve: When and Where?
In recent decades we’ve needed people who can work out how a high view of the Bible’s reliability coheres with contemporary cosmology…
Leadership Review Questions On Our Evangelism
How can we see a lot more people start following Jesus? Here are some questions that may perhaps be useful…
Western Literature And The Death of God
(This extended post is a broad, top-level survey, adapted from a lecture given at Moscow State Linguistic University. Other posts…
What Should We Make Sure We Teach?
What shall we teach in our church this year? And how can our church’s teaching programme be as fruitful as…