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Christians and the Coronavirus (COVID-19)

We currently live in troubled times lately with a lot of uncertainty around us, both locally and globally. But even now as I write this and think on the topic of the virus, one verse in particular springs to mind: Psalm 23:4Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of deathI fear no evil;for you are with me;your rod and your staff — they comfort me. It does feel a little bit like we are all walking through “the valley of the shadow of death” at the moment! But as the Psalmist says, “I fear no evil” for God is with us and comforts us. That doesn’t necessarily mean we won’t get sick (or die), but that no matter what is happening aroun...

Great is the Mystery of Faith!

...lieve: 1 Timothy 3:16 (HCSB) And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great: [God] was manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.  If you’re familiar with the Anglican liturgy (and it may be the same in other liturgical churches, I’m not sure), we will often recite similar words speaking to the mystery: “Great is the mystery of faith: Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again!”. What we believe and live by in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus is a mystery! It is a strange and powerful thing that God did by sending...

Did Jesus lead the first youth group?

...regard: 1 Timothy 4:12“Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.” As we come to see the connections between Exodus 30:14 and Matthew 17:24–27, we gain a nuanced perspective on discipleship — one that appreciates the diverse ages and stages within the community following the footsteps of the Messiah.  I hope that this may encourage you in your faith if you are young still, or if you are a youth leader or pastor that you can hopefully see that even juvenile teenagers can still be entrusted with the faith and live it out seriously and in a committed way.  ...

Do Christians And Muslims Really Worship The Same God?

... — 1 Timothy 2:4 Allah: “I will surely fill Hell with jinn and men all together.” — Surah 32:13 Freely Forgiving YHWH: “He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love.” — Micah 7:18 Allah: Forgiveness is only extended to those who submit — Surah 47:35 Cannot Lie YHWH: “It is impossible for God to lie.” — Titus 1:2 Allah: “Allah is the best of deceivers.” — Surah 3:54 (Arabic: makr) Grace Apart from Works YHWH: “By grace you have been saved… not by works.” — Ephesians 2:8–9 Allah: “Those whose scales are heavy… will be successful.” — S...

An Examination of Conditional Immortality (Part One)

...e look at 1 Timothy 6:16 we can see that it is God alone who is immortal: It is he [God] alone who has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see; to him be honour and eternal dominion. Amen. Any other mention of immortality or eternal life is only ever spoken of as a gift given to us by Jesus, and is often contrasted with the alternative: death, perishing and/or destruction. Romans 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 2 Timothy 1:10…but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and...

Raised in the Heavenlies!

...Easter is upon us once again! Lent is over, Good Friday has passed and now the time for mourning and fasting is complete. It's a time to feast, a time to remember and celebrate the resurrection of Christ as we look forward to our own final resurrection!But what really is the resurrection? How will we be resurrected, and what does it mean for us that Jesus rose again? Let’s explore what this means for us as Christians, and see what the Scriptures say. The resurrection is spiritual! That heading may cause some reading this to question me, but do read on – this is actually what the New Testament teaches us (though not only this type of resurrection). Many ti...