Topic Archives: Christian Living

When Paul was in prison in Rome, he presumably had many needs. The Church in Philippi, now an organised body with ‘bishops and deacons’, took a special interest in him and sent to him ‘once and again’ what they felt would be useful. In his present circumstances, Paul was not able to repay them; he […]

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not […]

One of the fullest and most beautiful accounts of the resurrection appearances of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be found in the story of the walk to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35). Mark refers to the story in one verse, but Luke had other sources of information not available to others. The story is an incontrovertible […]

Many years ago I was taking a class with Dr. R.C. Sproul. He said that most people find their identity either in ‘being’ or ‘doing.’ He pointed to his wife Vesta, who was sitting in the class, and said, ‘If you ask her what she does, she’ll answer, “I don’t do anything, I be.”‘ My […]

When the Lord Jesus was in this world, he went about doing good. In particular, he healed large numbers of people who were suffering from every kind of illness and disability. Even when ‘great multitudes followed him’, ‘he healed them all‘ (Matt. 12:15). Reports of these miracles spread everywhere and, as Jairus watched his 12-year-old […]

Too much has been made of the fact that Jesus is never said to have smiled or laughed. That fact has been linked to his description as ‘a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.’ The picture is developed making Jesus’ life joyless and stressful. That is a gross over-simplification. For one thing, a joyless […]

Then Noah built an altar to the Lord (Genesis 8:20). The year 1995 was a difficult one for me. I was working far too many hours and the idolatry of my work and my children’s activities had caused me to drift in my devotion to my wife. We were not in danger of divorce (we […]

So Paul told the Corinthians (1 Cor. 7:29). And that brief statement had huge implications for the way that believers in Corinth were to live. It would seem that much of the advice the Apostle gave them in this chapter – for instance, not to marry – was relevant to what he calls ‘the present […]

On my bed night after night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him but did not find him. (Song of Solomon 3:1) David Brainerd was born in Haddam, Connecticut in April, 1718 and attended church regularly in the local Congregational Church, as almost everyone did in eighteenth century New England. However when […]

THE RIPPLE EFFECT OF THE WORD I’ve been thinking again about the importance of reading and writing. There are several reasons I write. One of the most personally compelling is that I read. I mean, my main spiritual sustenance comes by the Holy Spirit from reading. Therefore reading is more important to me than eating. […]

An excellent wife, who can find? For her worth is far above jewels. (Proverbs 31:10) Richard Baxter, the tireless, heavenly minded Puritan minister of the seventeenth century, was a confirmed bachelor,1 devoting himself completely to the ministry of the gospel in Kidderminster, England. When going there in 1641 the parish was notorious for godlessness and […]

Back in 2009, Pastor Reggie Weems from Johnson City, Tennessee challenged the men of his congregation at Heritage Baptist Church to buy the entire 14-volume set of Martyn Lloyd-Jones on Romans and commit to reading it, following a reading schedule that he had developed, that would take them through the next 18 months. Now, in […]

Just as the world finished marking the 5th anniversary of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, another natural disaster of epic dimensions shattered the snow-laden news broadcasts within the United Kingdom. A 7.0 earthquake struck just 13kms below the surface of the earth close to the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on 13th January, bringing down over […]

I begin with two texts from the Old Testament which we can see are very similar. Psalm 124:1 ‘If it had not been the LORD who was on our side’. Isaiah 1:9 ‘If the LORD of hosts had not left us a few survivors’. What if the Lord were not on our side? Have you […]

It1 was customary among evangelical Christians at this date [the 1920s] to encourage the practice of giving ‘testimonies’ as a form of evangelistic witness, and equally common for ministers to include personal references of various kinds in their sermons. Given Dr Lloyd-Jones’ unusual career and its interest for the general public; given also, the spiritual […]