Teaching

GOTCHA!

(July 28, 2023) Richard Winter challenges attitudes…

What do a lawyer and two women and their kitchen have to do with we Christians?

Most of us would probably say, ‘Not much – I don’t really know such folk.’ Well, let me teach some principles about these three…

Let’s take the lawyer first
Ever had a dialogue with a lawyer? The ones I had left me a little intimidated as the impression was I didn’t know much about the law!

Jesus was once questioned by a lawyer, not like a modern-day lawyer but an expert in the laws of Moses.

And the question he asked Jesus was a gotcha one, like many lawyers do, perhaps the Perry Mason type suddenly asking a gotcha such as… ‘And by the way, where were you on the night of the 14th at 11.00pm?’

Luke 10:25 records the incident with Jesus this way… ‘A certain lawyer stood up, testing Jesus, saying, “Teacher,  what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”’

Now that’s a good question… but the wrong motivation by this guy! He didn’t ask it because he really wanted to know, he said it because he wanted to test Jesus. Eg… ‘I’m going to tempt him. I want to see if he can come up with an answer to this.’

Gotcha question
So… good question, bad motivation. A gotcha question. Did he really mean what do ‘I, myself’ need to do to inherit eternal life? No! The CJB version reads that he ‘… stood up to try and trap him…’

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AMOS THE LORD’S MESSENGER (Part 2)

(June 29, 2023) Brian Bell continues sharing his mediation in Amos… 

What lessons we can learn from the prophet Amos!

In this article I turn our attention to Amos 7:10-17. As I read these verses I see three ‘lessons’ from which we may profit.

1) The challenge Amos faced
In verse 10 we find the challenge to Amos comes from Amaziah who is identified as the priest of Bethel. At this time in Israel’s divided history Bethel in the northern kingdom was a ‘false’ centre of worship, as distinct from Jerusalem which was situated in the southern kingdom of Judah.

 Amaziah brought false accusations against Amos, including –

  • Plotting against king Jeroboam, then ruler of the northern kingdom
  • Inciting rebellion
  • Speaking for personal or financial gain

It is never easy to face accusations or allegations against us and it can be particularly difficult when they come from people who like Amaziah claim to have a ‘spiritual standing.’

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HOW ARE YOU?

(May 22, 2023) Richard Winter enquires…

If asked the above genuine question, how would you answer?

Some of us might say: ‘Not too bad’ – with a fragment of truth in our answer. But the asker’s quick rejoinder probably might be ‘So you’re not too good, eh?’

And if they were to hear ‘I’m great, everything’s fantastic!’ they might doubt the veracity of that response.

An apt answer
In reality most of us are learning life lessons, so a more apt answer to the question ‘How are you?’ most probably would be: ‘I’m learning and growing.’

Now there’s nothing to be ashamed of about growing and learning – we all process life at different speeds, and with some different responses. Sometimes we learn quickly, at other times it is slow and possibly downright painful. It could look like three steps forwards and two steps back.

Being a Christian is not like going to a spiritual Disneyland –

  • You don’t get every prayer answered your way.
  • You don’t always get a miracle when you ask for it.
  • But you do get to pray for God’s will to be done!

Spiritual flaws
Life is not always easy and you can wonder does anyone else ever have it like me?

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PAUL’S SOUND ADVICE

(May 15, 2023) Dr Jim McClure shares on 1 Timothy 6… 

One of our favourite shows TV shows is the old British comedy series, As Time Goes By (1992 – 2005). In various ways it demonstrates how different life was then compared to today.

But can you imagine what life would have been like 2000 years ago – no cars, trains, planes, TVs, mobile phones, computers or credit cards! Basic comforts would have been minimal, food scarce and dining with friends at a local café or restaurant not even a consideration. There were no government welfare schemes, health benefits, or public schools.

In Jesus’ day, houses were generally very small, very basic with dirt floors, and extended families often lived under the same roof. At night oil lamps provided the lighting. Life was very difficult and often very brutal. The poor were frequently exploited and intimidated.

And this was the world into which the early church was born. The first Christians were confronted with the enormous challenge of impacting that world for God.  That was what Jesus was saying when He preached, ‘You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden’ (Matthew 5:14).  If we are followers of Jesus Christ, truly Christians, there must be some visible evidence in the way we live and in the values we hold.  The challenge Jesus gave 2000 years ago continues – to us today in 2023.

Personality challenge!
Of course, meeting that challenge becomes very personal! It requires us individually to address our own characters and to ask ourselves, ‘What do I need to change in my attitudes and behaviour?’ When we become Christians, we are forgiven but we are not made perfect human beings! In His relationships with others Jesus gave us an example to follow.  Sometimes we forget that! Jesus’ ministry and mission was not just about securing for us personal salvation. It was also particularly about changing the world for good and for God. Who we are and the way we live has a significant role to play in that challenge.

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‘EERING PETER’ – FIGURE OF HOPE

(April 18, 2023) Brian Bell challenges us to search our hearts deeply… 

In the 19th century hymn usually known as Yesterday, Today, Forever the writer A.B. Simpson introduces the third verse with the words ‘He who pardoned eering Peter never need you fear.’

Whenever we think about Peter, that rather impulsive figure who was numbered among the twelve chosen by Jesus to be His first close followers, we are often drawn to his ‘eerings’… those times when he is considered to have erred in his words or actions.

It is Peter’s ‘eerings’ which make him a figure of hope for all of us who, like Peter, sometimes stumble over our words or actions as we seek to follow the Lord.

Let’s look at some of Peter’s eerings together… and as we (I include myself!) do so, allow the Holy Spirit to challenge us deeply if we too need hope.

Peter’s Determination
I see this reflected in Peter’s well-intentioned words to Jesus: ‘Even if everyone else deserts you I never will’ (Luke 24:12NLT). When Jesus told Peter he would deny him that very night, Peter tried to strengthen his determination by saying, ‘No – even if I have to die with you I will never deny you’ (v35).

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THE CROSS: CENTREPIECE OF THE GOSPEL OF CHRIST

(April 03, 2023) Richard Winter highlights the deeper meaning of Calvary’s cross…

Anyone who has ever attended a wedding should be familiar with centrepieces. They tend to be the focus or centre of attention… it is the central or most important feature. The centrepiece of the wedding is the bride; the centrepiece of the reception is the couple.

In other arenas of life we can see that the centrepiece of –

  • Philosophy is the love of wisdom.
  • Science is knowledge
  • History is facts.
  • Most religions is works.

God’s centrepiece
The most important centrepiece of all time is the centrepiece between the Old and New Testaments – the cross of Calvary where our Saviour Jesus hung between two thieves.

That cross is the centrepiece of the gospel. And why? It focuses our attention, especially on Good Friday, on Jesus who alone is our salvation!

In Jesus’ day crosses were seen as death and defeat. But Jesus wasn’t defeated! The blood that spilled from His wounded side –

  • Drowned death,
  • Extinguished the flames of hell, and
  • Completely covered the accusations of our enemy the devil!
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IN THE GARDEN

(April 02, 2023) Richard Winter reflects…

It’s often said that in the olden days things were different. Some will remember in those olden days that we had a garden at the back of our home… we grew most of our vegetables, some flowers and some fruit trees.

Everybody loves a garden. Whether you like to work in a garden, whether you plant it, or just like walking through one that somebody else has done all the work in, there is beauty in a garden.

The Holy Bible has a lot to say about either gardening or planting, or sowing and harvesting. Gardens feature in scripture from the beginning of Genesis to the last chapter of Revelation. All of them are important to God’s plan… three on this earth, one not.

The three earthly ones were places of sadness, although the third became a place to rejoice over! And the fourth? Well let’s look at these four pivotal biblical places that have changed the way God’s people live… and can live.

The first garden was creation…

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GLORY!

(March 20, 2023) Dr Jim McClure explains about God’s glory… 

Christians often use the word ‘glory’ but usually do not have much idea of what it means! The Hebrew word for glory, kabod, is found 200 times in the Old Testament and its development is interesting.

Development
The root of kabod actually means ‘heavy’ and is associated with the liver (Exodus 29:13) which is the heaviest of the internal organs. The use of the word as ‘heavy’ is seen in a number of Old Testament passages such as Psalm 38:4, ‘For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me’(KJV).

Glory developed into the concept of splendour.It referred to material wealth, that is, being ‘heavy with riches.’  Note Isaiah 10:3, ‘To whom will you flee for help, and where will you leave your wealth?’  Here ‘wealth’ is ‘kabod.’ 

The word continued to develop to mean honour. In Malachi 1:6 God asks, ‘A son honours (kabod) his father, and a servant his master. If I am a father, where is the honour (kabod) due to me?’ 

Glory also came to be recognised as a characteristic of God’s splendour — ‘The heavens declare the glory of God’ (Psalm 19:1).

Regarding the word ‘Shekinah’, although some people use this when referring to God’s glory, it does not refer to a special dimension of divine glory.  In fact this Hebrew word is not found in the Bible. It literally means ‘presence’ but doesn’t add anything to the concept that God’s glory reveals His presence.

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THE BARNABAS EFFECT

(March 13, 2023) Richard Winter shares on something badly needed in church circles today…

I love stories so let me begin by telling you one that I heard many, many years ago and has stayed ever fresh in my mind.

Once upon a time… (original story opening, eh)… it was announced that the devil was going out of business and would sell all his evil equipment to those who were willing to pay the price.

On the big day of the sale, all his tools were attractively displayed… Envy, Jealousy, Hatred, Malice, Deceit, Sensuality, Pride, Idolatry and other implements of destruction, each price tagged marked.

Over in the corner by itself was a harmless-looking, wedge-shaped tool very much worn down, but with a higher price than any of the others. Someone asked Satan what it was, and he answered, ‘Discouragement.’ 

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LEANING INTO LENT

(March 09, 2023) Dr Jim McClure shares… 

We are very familiar with the festivals of Christmas, Good Friday and Easter that are commemorated each year.  In fact they are so popular that the secular and commercial world has largely taken over Christmas and Easter as holidays rather than ‘holy days.’

Even so, as Christians, we do try to focus on the profound spiritual significance and meaning of those events. 

Lent
We are in the midst of festival of ‘Lent’ that is celebrated each year by millions of Christians throughout the world. It is a 6-week event that began this year on Wednesday, February 22, and will end on Saturday April 8, 2023 – the day before Easter Day. While many churches worldwide observe Lent, some denominations – and Christians – pay little attention to it.

What is Lent and why did it become part of Christian practice?  Almost 1900 years ago one of the leaders of the church, Irenaeus, mentioned a time of prayer and fasting for 40 days before Easter.    A couple of hundred years later it was generally practised by Christians worldwide. Its purpose was focusing on God, developing a closer relationship with Him and reflecting on the wonderful fact that Jesus Christ rose triumphantly from the tomb.

I am not suggesting that Lent should become part of the  calendar of every church and every Christian.  I wholly agree with the comment, ‘You could observe 1,000 Lents and it won’t ever accomplish in your life what the cross of Jesus has.’ That is absolutely true. 

Nevertheless, I believe that that our relationship with God can be greatly deepened and strengthened whenever we seriously set aside time in prayer and think deeply about what it truly means to be a Christian.

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