Teaching

ZEPHANIAH— THE PROPHET WHO DECLARED GOD’S JUDGMENT AND RESTORATION(Part 2)

(July 11, 2025) Dr Jim McClure concludes his insights of the book of Zephaniah…

In Part 1 posted a few days ago, at the end of 1. Complaint (1:2-13)—  which covered God’s laments with four classes of people— I stated that because of the foregoing moral and spiritual aberrance, the prophetic message continued with a conclusion.

Here’s what happened—

2. Consequences  (1:14-3:1-7)     
(i) Declaration
 In Zephaniah 1:14 the warning was given, ‘The great day of the Lord is near – near and coming quickly. Listen!  The cry on the day of the Lord will be bitter, the shouting of the warrior there.’ 

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ZEPHANIAH— THE PROPHET WHO DECLARED GOD’S JUDGMENT AND RESTORATION(Part 1)

(July 09, 2025) Dr Jim McClure shares deep insights regarding the book of Zephaniah…

Have you ever wondered what God is like?

In his book The Knowledge of the Holy the theologian  A.W. Tozer wrote, ‘What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.’ 

That statement is very challenging to us because our perception of God and His values by which we live will have a significant influence on our character and behaviour and consequently on our relationships with others. Clearly, therefore, what we think of God is of great significance.

Another viewpoint was given by C. S. Lewis in his book The Weight of Glory in which he expressed this opinion, ‘How God thinks of us is not only more important, but infinitely more important. Indeed, how we think of Him is of no importance except in so far as it is related to how He thinks of us.’

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A PERCEPTION OF NAHUM

(June 27, 2025) Brian Bell shares some encouraging points…

In this short meditation we will consider some thoughts from Nahum 1:7NLT— ‘The Lord is good, He is a strong refuge when trouble comes. And He knows everyone who trusts in Him.’ 

  • The meaning of the name Nahum has the sense of ‘consolation’ or ‘consoler’… and surely in our present day as much as when Nahum spoke these words, we are still in need of a word of consolation from someone the Lord uses to bring His word as a consoler.
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LIVING FAITH AND LIBERATING PEACE

(June 25, 2025) John W. Ritenbaugh shares on Hebrews 11:6 and Isaiah 40:28-31—

(i) Hebrews 11:6 says:
‘And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him earnestly.’

Because faith is indispensable to a good relationship with God, its importance cannot be overemphasised.

Condition
But notice the condition in this verse. It does not say that God is the rewarder of everyone but ‘of those who diligently seek Him.’

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HOLY SPIRIT EMPOWERMENT

(June 16, 2025) Dr Richard Winter reminds us of a special day…

June 8 saw many churches celebrating Pentecost— rejoicing about that first outpouring of the powerful Holy Spirit 50 days after Easter as recorded by Dr Luke in Acts 2.

Pentecost
Now Pentecost was originally a Jewish celebration observed 50 days after the first day of Passover. This harvest festival celebration was also called the Feast of Weeks and Shavuot.

For Christians that Acts 2 Pentecost is significant because it marked the beginning of the Christian church and our Holy Spirit empowerment to spread the message of Jesus… and to move in spiritual power (1Corinthian 12:8-11).

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MALACHI— Prophet who revealed God’s answers to people’s questions (Part 3)

(June 11, 2025) Dr Jim McClure concludes his Malachi series, one that is so relevant today…

In Parts 1 and 2 we explored the ‘Prevailing Background,’ the ‘People’s Rebuke’ and the ‘Pertinent Questions’ in the book of Malachi. In this final part we shall explore the ‘Prophetic Proclamations’ and ‘Promises concerning the future.’

4. Prophetic Proclamations (Chapter 3:1-6 and 4)
While the first three chapters of Malachi largely addressed the corruption and spiritual emptiness of the Jews in his day and their aggressive unwillingness to acknowledge their failures, a few verses in chapter 3 and the fourth chapter give further insight into God’s redemptive work for humankind.  

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MARKS OF MATURITY (Part 3— JAMES AND THE TONGUE)

(June 06, 2025) Dr Richard Winter shares a vital challenge…

High School in my day was where they prepared you for your university experience. If you were to take a Bachelor Arts Degree you would need to have a language— our choice was Latin or French. Latin? Aww… that’s a dead language and no one spoke that! But French? Now that sounded good; had me dreaming that perhaps one day I would go to Paris. Off we went learning our French vocabulary.

And as inquisitive teenagers we soon learned some French phrases that were not complimentary— like Ferme la bouche— shut your mouth! I tried it on my sisters at home but my mother worked out that what I was saying was not a compliment.… and I got into trouble!

Have you ever said something that you later regretted saying? On the other hand, have you ever wished you had said something that you later regretted not saying?

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MALACHI— The prophet who revealed God’s answers to people’s questions (Part 2)

(May 31, 2025) Dr Jim McClure continues this very relevant series…

As mentioned in Part 1 22 questions are to be found in Malachi (My Messenger) who wrote about Israel’s false accusations against God.

Here I share on seven of those questions— false accusations made that God did not love them and His response.

(1) Doubting God’s Love
Malachi came along at a time when the people were struggling to believe that God loved them (Malachi 1:2).

The first question was addressed to God by a cynical people, ‘How have you loved us?’ (v2). Over many centuries and in so many ways God had demonstrated His love for His people— despite their repeated ingratitude and disregard of Him and their failure to recognise the evidence of His loving provision and protection!

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MALACHI— Prophet who revealed God’s answers to people’s questions (Part 1)

(May 30, 2025) Dr Jim McClure begins a series that is so relevant today!

The final book in the Old Testament was written by the prophet Malachi likely around 445 – 425 BC, about 100 years after the Jews had returned to Jerusalem from exile. He was likely a contemporary of Nehemiah, who as governor, oversaw the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem.

The prophet identified himself as Malachi which in Hebrew means ‘My Messenger.’ We know absolutely nothing about him as he is not mentioned anywhere else in the Old Testament. Some suggest that ‘Malachi’ was not the prophet’s name but a title given to him.  In fact, the only place in the Bible in which the name occurs is in the first verse in this prophecy.

However, the same Hebrew word is repeated in Malachi 3:1 in which God promised, ‘See, I will send my messenger who will prepare the way before me.’  Jesus quoted this verse in reference to John the Baptist, ‘This is the one about whom it is written: “I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you”’ (Matthew 11:10). 

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HIDING FROM GOD? HAVEN’T YOU GOT IT YET?

(May 08, 2025) Dr Richard Winter shares a vital challenge…

I’m sure that most know the story of Anne Frank… the young Jewish girl who hid in a secret hiding place in a Dutch house in 1942 hiding from the Nazis during the occupation of the Holland. Two years later Anne was discovered and tragically died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1945.

And there’s the fabulous true story told in the book titled The Hiding Place about another Dutch girl, Corrie ten Boom. It tells how Corrie and her family’s courageous act of hiding Jews during the Nazi occupation of Holland in World War II.

Their life was disrupted when the Nazis begin persecuting Jews in Holland, leading Corrie and her family to become part of the Dutch Underground, hiding those in danger. They are eventually captured and sent to concentration camps, where their faith helped them endure the horrific conditions.

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