asadmin Who’s the smartest person you know? I suspect there’d be a range of answers to that question – you might have a particularly brainy friend or family member. Some of you will naturally think of famous big brains, like Albert Einstein or Alan Turing. I bet not many of us said ‘Jesus’. It’s funny isn’t … Read more
Today I want to introduce you to a word that is not very well-known, but is one of the most important words in the bible, and that is the little Greek word teleios. Now teleios is quite a hard word to define, but it’s the word used here in verse 28 which is translated in … Read more
If you were asked to summarise the purpose of life in a few words, what would you say? What’s the point of it all? What represents the ‘grand plan’? It’s a tough question, but in these stunning verses we get close to an answer. God’s ultimate purpose for all people is this: ‘Christ in you, … Read more
Who’d be a leader? As General Hopper declares in the great animated film ‘Ants’: ‘The first rule of leadership is – it’s always your fault.’ And we are all too painfully aware of the damage that can be done by leaders who are corrupted by power. Which is why the Christian perspective on leadership is … Read more
When I was training in my previous role in the commercial world, an old colleague once said to me: ‘If ever you feel intimidated in a meeting, just imagine them all sitting in their underpants.’ It’s a fairly comical strategy, but many will testify that it works! This idea of finding ourselves in the presence … Read more
In the last 12 months we’ve witnessed the accession and then the coronation of our new king, Charles III. The pageantry and drama of the ancient ceremonies has captivated many of us, not least because the long reign of his mother meant that much of the country has never witnessed this in their lifetime. One … Read more
‘Wisdom is proved right by all her children.’ These words of Jesus are beautifully turned into prayer by St Paul in verses 10-12 of this marvellous passage, which we return to today. Yesterday we looked at how Paul encouraged us to pray for spiritual wisdom and understanding as the first priority of his prayers for … Read more
I wonder what you like to pray for? If any of us took a good look at the content of our prayers, we would likely find that most of us – me included – focus a lot on practical requests. And that’s fine: Jesus encourages us to ask God for what we need today (our … Read more
The Church is a very big thing. Very big. It’s hard for us to get a true handle on just how many people claim to follow Jesus. Think of a big crowd that you’ve been part of. One of the biggest for me was the crowd of 80,000 in the Olympic Stadium in London in … Read more
Yesterday we looked at the foundations of our good news: the two pillars, if you will, of grace and peace. God’s gift of undeserved mercy, which in turn brings shalom to our relationships in every dimension. God’s grace, our peace. These are the twin foundations on which our walk with Jesus rests – and as … Read more