The Eternal Trio: Faith, Hope and Love
It’s an incredibly bold claim that Paul makes at the end of what is one of the most beautiful passages of Scripture. In it Paul confidently asserts: “These three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love” (1 Cor 13:13). In many ways it’s a surprising statement, especially given the wider context of his first letter to the Corinthians. Prior to the stunning hymn about love found in chapter 13, Paul has been dealing with far less lofty matters – some were downright sordid. Let’s face it, in many ways 1 Corinthians is heavy going,...
Read MoreConsumers or Christians…
It has become common to talk about consumer Christianity. You see it everywhere. The new family at the church makes it clear that they want to test things out first – after all it may or may not be a good fit for the family, and there are lots of needs to take into account. Is the youth group friendly enough, the children’s ministry sufficiently accomodating, the preaching inspiring enough, and the music to everyone’s taste? If each box gets a bold tick, they might attend… well, attend on those weekends they are not away at their holiday cottage. New churches trying to decide if...
Read MoreWhy do we preach? And should we…
My home church is Carey Baptist in Perth, and at present our night time service is asking some questions about basic church practices – like why we preach, take communion, worship, and others. I got to kick the series off by trying to answer the question, “why do we preach?” and it did feel a little strange to give a sermon about giving sermons. But overall it was a good experience and even seemed to mean something to some, so here the notes are. Hope it answers some of your questions, and if not, do post them… It is alleged (probably incorrectly) that St Francis of...
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