Turn around and walk the other way (Ephesians 4:17–19)July 17, 2019
Darkness, futility, and desire: this is the way the world walks. Paul doesn’t write these things so that we can gloat or judge. He writes so we can repent, and live.
Playing your part (Ephesians 4:16)July 10, 2019
Paul’s vision for Christ’s body is unity in diversity. It’s not just flat uniformity, nor is it just diversity for the sake of diversity. It’s diversity for a common purpose.
The truth in love: A key principle for church growth (Ephesians 4:14–15)July 3, 2019
Paul’s principle for the growth of Christ’s body isn’t about presentation or organisation. It’s more fundamental: “speaking the truth in love”.
Christ’s body: A brief history (Ephesians 4:11–13)June 26, 2019
Paul didn’t write Ephesians 4:11–13 to give us a detailed blueprint for how to organise our ministries. He wrote these verses to point us to God’s grace in Christ.
Christ: Up there and down here (Ephesians 4:8–10)June 19, 2019
In these verses, Paul makes a big deal of Christ going up (to heaven) and down (to be with us by his Spirit). Why? to encourage believers as we face all the ups and downs of living for Christ.
Male and female: Equality and order in Genesis 1:27June 17, 2019
Genesis 1:27 is important in debates between egalitarians and complementarians. It clearly implies equality, yet also seems to suggest a certain order.
Gifted beyond measure (Ephesians 4:7)June 12, 2019
How should Christians think about our own individual ‘giftedness’? We need to see our own gifts in the light of God’s wonderful, superabundant grace.
The one and only God (Ephesians 4:4–6)June 5, 2019
In this part of Ephesians, the apostle Paul makes an unavoidably scandalous claim: The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is the one and only God.
Finding praise in the right place (Romans 2:28–29)June 3, 2019
There is a very strong temptation to measure your ministry by looking at how much people are praising you. This passage teaches us where to look for praise.
This unity (Ephesians 4:2–3)May 29, 2019
In the classic film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, the King of Swamp Castle issues an appeal for unity: “This is supposed to be a happy occasion. Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who!” It’s become a classic line used to poke fun at people who are trying to bring peace and unity without showing any understanding of the reality of the situation or the depth of hurt that’s been caused. While we might never end up being quite as absurd as Monty Python, Christians can sometimes talk about unity a little like this. That is, we can treat unity as some ideal state where everybody just gets on, no matter how deep our differences are and no matter what hurt has been caused. And yet—unity really matters. Christians are called to unity. Christian unity is anchored in the truth of the gospel.
Books I have reviewed: