Church Blog (Page 3)
Jesus Christ – Unique and All Sufficient
Jesus Christ – Unique and All Sufficient In his address to the first Parliament of World’s Religions which met in Chicago in 1893, Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda recited a hymn which met with the approval of most who were in attendance. In part, the hymn says: “As the different streams having their sources in different places all mingle their water in the sea, so, O Lord, the different paths which men take through different tendencies, various though they appear,…
Defeating Satan
Defeating Satan Throughout the book of Revelation we read of overcoming, and in 12:11 we learn three things about those whom Satan simply could not defeat: First of all, these overcomers dealt to Satan “because of the blood of the Lamb.” Here is our greatest need, forgiveness. When the paralytic was brought to Jesus the Lord’s first words were: “My son your sins are forgiven” (Mk 2:9). Yes, of course the paralytic wanted to walk again and of course the…
How Do You Hear?
How Do You Hear? She said, “I need custard for the trifle.” Hubby said, “yes dear,” and brought home a tin of mustard. Not quite what she had in mind for the trifle, but “yes dears” mean very little when hubby has his head buried in a book or his eyes glued to a computer screen. Such domestic confusion provides the stand-up comic with good material, but in some cases, the failure to listen carefully can truly blight our lives. That’s…
Jesus Marveled
Jesus Marveled The Gospel writers record two occasions during the public ministry of Jesus on which the Lord “marveled” or “wondered” at a particular event, and significantly both involved the matter of faith. We recall the words of a Roman soldier: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but just say the word and my servant will be healed” (Matt 8:8). Jesus “marveled” and rejoiced at this expression of “great faith” from a Gentile, a faith…
Land of Confusion
Land of Confusion Throughout the Genesis account of creation, the language is calm, measured and majestic. In sharp contrast with the gods of Egypt and Mesopotamia who emerged from some kind of primaeval slime, the God of Moses is eternal, non-contingent and all-powerful. Unlike the imaginary gods, He has no rivals, no consorts and no human-like frailties. With a series of commands, He calls into existence an orderly universe, perfectly suited to His plan. Among other things, order involves recognising…