Christians are Bible people.
It's a book we listen to. It's a book we love. It's where we find out about Jesus and the good news of his saving work. It's where we discover the history of the world, and our place in it.
But that doesn't stop us having questions about it. Just how does it work that a book written by scores of people over a thousand year span can claim to be literally the very words of God?
And at a time when the central ideas of Scripture are more and more out of step with the spirit of the age, we are tempted to doubt the Bible as reliable and trustworthy.
That's why I'm delighted that Barry Cooper has written Can I really trust the Bible? - the latest in our Questions Christians Ask series. Barry uses a simple example to ask some key questions about the Bible. If you see what looks to be a jar of honey on a shelf - how do you know that it is genuinely honey inside? Three simple steps:... continue reading
The wayward prodigal son, the weak character of Gideon - not likely role-models at first glance! But they were people who came to realise the most important fact any human can ever grasp: they realised they needed God.
Aimed at teens, but accessible to all, these two books offer easy-to-read glimpses into these fallible characters and help us unpack the ways in which their stories can inspire us in the 21st century.
Get the ebooks today at the great price of just £1 each (that's over 65% off!). Simply use code lh0614 at the checkout.
For 24 years Romania was under the Ceausescu regime, with a strong communist influence the government made efforts to undermine religious teaching and faith. As a result, there is a huge lack of biblical knowledge as well as people being suspicious of the motives of evangelical churches because of the spiritual vacuum created by the Communist regime. However the people in Romania are in a continuous search of spiritual fulfilment today and the hunger for the Word of God continues, but the means to guide people towards a sound theological understanding are very poor." So reflects Dinu Moga, General Director of Faclia House Publishing - a company whose work is focused on equipping Romanian church workers to do ministry biblically and faithfully.
The situation in Romania is challenging but also full of opportunity which is why we are delighted that Faclia House have partnered with Christianity Explored and The Good Book Company in the production of Explorari in Crestinism (that's Christianity Explored in Romanian to you and me).
So far, both the Christianity Explored course handbook and leader's guide, and the book, "One life, What's it all about?" have been translated. Work on Discipleship Explored is well under way ...and Soul (the Christianity Explored course for young people) is next in line.
Please do pray with us that the launch of this new translation will bear much fruit in the Kingdom and that God's people in that land will be built up as they focus afresh on the wonderful truths set out in the Gospel of Mark.
And if you happen to have contacts in Romania, do please forward on this link, so those on the ground can browse these new and exciting products for themselves ...
What are we to do with the gospel? In Titus 3:8 Paul says: “Stress these things”. We are to stress the gospel that he’s just outlined. We can never talk about the gospel too much. We need never move on from it or move away from it. Stressing these gospel things to our own hearts and to our church family is what we and they most need.
On the other hand, we’re to avoid what is unprofitable and useless: “Foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law” (v 9). Stress and avoid—these are the two guidelines of verses 8-9. Stress the gospel and avoid controversies. We stress the gospel because it is excellent and profitable, and we avoid controversies because they are unprofitable and useless.
You would not think that was a difficult or contentious thing to say. But the reality is that all too often in church life, we stress controversy and avoid talking about the gospel. It may be true that our preaching stresses the gospel. But our conversations so often stress controversy. The letters and emails that people write stress controversy. The points that people raise stress controversy. We agree on the kindness of the Father, the renewal of the Spirit, the grace of the Son and the hope of eternal life. And these things are excellent and profitable. But we put our energy into controversies, arguments and quarrels. We do this even though Paul says such things are unprofitable and useless. In other words, they are a waste of time and energy.... continue reading
I was at a confirmation service for my eldest son on Sunday night. A poignant moment in any parent's life. It's great to see your child committing themselves to the Lord in such a public way.
As all the candidates renewed their baptismal vows and confirmed what they believe in, it struck me that we all need to revisit those beliefs from time to time and just ground ourselves in the gospel truths we live by.
Rock Solid, is a book that helps us do just that. It explains and clarifies these important and powerful doctrines, or ‘themes’, of the Bible so that we might have the comfort and assurance that comes from them, and so that we can make our life decisions by them.
Read more HERE and get the ebook for just £2.49 using code rse0614 at the checkout.
Living the good life of the gospel is always a challenge when we live in a wider culture that defines the good life in other ways. It is particularly hard in a culture where newspapers cannot be trusted and politicians are corrupt; a harsh, selfish, racist culture in which there is a fear of crime; a culture where people are reluctant to do manual work, which is therefore left to migrant workers; a culture in which people routinely overeat.
And that was the culture of first-century Crete, where Titus led the church and to whom Paul wrote: “One of Crete’s own prophets has said it: ‘Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons,’” (Titus 1:12). The quote is from a Cretan philosopher, Epimenides. Epimenides was held in high honour by Cretans—so they could not readily ignore or deny his verdict. And yet, of course, this description of first-century Crete could just as easily be a description of twenty-first century western culture. How do we live as Christians in a dishonest, harsh, selfish culture? How can we survive without adopting those attitudes? How can we live the good life in this situation? These are the questions the letter of Titus addresses, and these are the questions we need help with each day as we seek to live a gospel-changed life in a society that seeks change and finds truth in many places, but so rarely in the gospel.... continue reading
With heads in the Gospel of Mark, hearts overflowing with passion to see more and more people come to Christ and hands clutching the Portuguese translation of Christianity Explored, these were some of the exciting scenes in Angola earlier this month as the first wave of young leaders were shown how to lead a Christianity Explored course.
A recent evangelistic mission in the south-western African nation resulted in 3,000 people expressing either a decision to follow Christ or a desire to find out more. Now the task of meeting up with these people is beginning and we're hugely excited that the Christianity Explored material is going to be part of the process of showing who Jesus really is and why he came to earth... A bookshop in Luanda (the capital of Angola) will soon be stocking the material, a group of Bible-centred guys are getting to grips with their newly acquired leaders' guides and course invitations are being sent out in readiness for the activity to come.
Please do pray for a nation where so many need to hear the gospel. Please do pray for leaders like Anselmo, Emanuel and Dines who will be starting Christianity Explored courses in the coming weeks (the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few - Matthew 9:38). And please do pray for increasing fruit from the Portuguese translation - that those who use the material will see Jesus in the pages of Scripture and join with the centurion in saying "Surely this man was the Son of God" (Mark 15:39).
We've been getting terrific responses to our new outreach resource Discovering Jesus through Asian eyes. To support its practical use in churches, we're pleased to announce the first of a series of training events run by our partners at the South Asia Forum of the Evangelical Alliance.
The course takes place at the Evangelical Alliance in London on Thursday 12 June 9:30am-1pm, lunch is included and the cost is £10. For further information and to book click here.
And take a look at the resources themselves on our website here.
Suncream? Check. Swimwear? Check. Sturdy trainers for those early morning walks? Check. Phone charger to enable a constant flow of photos to Instagram? Check ...
Many of us will be packing in the coming weeks. And, if you're anything like me, there may be a list lurking somewhere in your home to help ensure nothing gets forgotten. If you've got yours to hand, it might be worth a glance, because I have a question to pose to us all: Amid the currency and the clothes, what are we each packing to help us keep Jesus at the centre of our rest and refreshment?... continue reading
