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Is fasting an expectation for Christians?

...ken away (death and ascension into heaven). The other time Jesus talks about fasting is a little earlier on in Matthew’s Gospel, in chapter six: Matthew 6:16–18 And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Here we can see that Jesus clearly speaks with the expectation that his followers will fast and even gives inst...

Is The Rapture Biblical?

...is about death and having hope through Jesus’ resurrection that they also will be resurrected when the time comes. Therefore, do not grieve the death of a loved one as we’ll see them again on that day. It’s a passage of comfort to the Thessalonica church, not one of escapism from “the great tribulation”. Secondly, then, Paul is speaking of this resurrection event and the hope we should all have in it, using language which not only parallels his other great passage on the resurrection in 1 Cor. 15 (being changed in a “twinkling of an eye”), but also using a contemporary allusion which his readers could relate to, which also hints back to John 14:1...

Melchizedek to Jesus: The Divine Thread of Bread and Wine

...the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is also something that was recognised by a number of Early Church Fathers in their commentary and interpretations of John 6. Credit: @DefenseofSanity The Eucharist Today The Eucharist (from the Greek meaning “thanksgiving”), also known as Holy Communion or the Lord’s Supper, is central to Christian worship, or at least, it should be. In partaking of the bread and wine, Christians around the world and throughout history join in a spiritual mystery. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 10:16–17, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a sharing in the blood of Christ? The bread that we brea...

Is Halloween a Pagan Holiday?

...lebrating death over life, then you are partaking in something contrary to Christ and wholly secular, with possible pagan undertones. If we are to have anything to do with the modern/secular version of Hallowe’en, then it should be as an opportunity to share the Gospel and be a light on a night of darkness, giving out the Good News rather than trying to scare people, sowing seeds of Truth rather than tooth decay. As an alternative, October 31st is also Reformation Day, as it marks the day in which Martin Luther nailed his 95 Theses to the Wittenberg Castle church doors in 1517, and this year (2017) marks the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation. So if you’...

Before The Pumpkins: Reclaiming All Hallows’ Eve

...tory over death by attaining the reward of eternal life. Over time, as persecutions multiplied, there were simply too many to commemorate individually. So the Church dedicated a universal feast: first in May, then later moved to November 1st — All Saints’ Day — to honour every witness who had finished the race and kept the faith. That’s the true origin of Halloween’s eve: not a night of fear, but a vigil of remembrance. And so, as the world lights candles inside pumpkins, we light ours in memory of those who shone brightest in the darkness. Saints and martyrs remind us that the Christian story is one of life conquering death — of love r...

Will UK Councils Criminalise Christianity? The Alarming Precedent Set by a Labour Council

...) or face death (prison/fines etc). History Teaches Us Something the Councils Have Forgotten Whenever authorities have attempted to stifle Christianity, something remarkable has happened: the Church has not faded away, but grown. Opposition has never extinguished faith; instead, it has refined it, purified it, strengthened it. Tertullian famously wrote, “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” And while no one in Britain today is being asked to spill blood for Christ, the principle still holds. Pressure produces depth. Threats produce courage. Restrictions produce creativity. This is where real faith takes hold and grows! When believers are...