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In his parable of the pearl, Jesus wants us to think very deeply about what is precious to us.
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it. - Matthew 13 v 45-46
Imagine a merchant. His business is perhaps the sale of fine jewels and luxury goods. And he’s in search of fine pearls. Why? Because he is a merchant. He’s a businessman, looking to make a profit.
And make no mistake, pearls were the most precious jewel of the ancient world. The historian Suetonius, wrote that the Roman general Vitellius, emperor for eight months in 69 AD, financed an entire military campaign by selling just one of his mother’s pearl earrings.... continue reading
As Christians, we need to take the truth of what Christ has done for us and apply it to our own experience, so that we believe it in our minds and feel it to be true in our hearts. Sometimes we know in our heads—Christ has paid for all our sins and I’ve been forgiven—but we don’t feel it. Having faith means believing this is true and enjoying the grace in which we stand. And we need to be specific in applying it to ourselves.
If you feel guilty, ask God by his Spirit to put his finger on the particular sin. Confess that sin to God and turn from it. Acknowledge that Christ has died for that sin and thank God for that. Take a Bible verse about what Christ has done and take God at his word. Ask God to help you feel that truth applied to this particular sin.... continue reading
If you did a street survey asking people what the cross means to them, unless they’ve just stepped off a passing spaceship, most would still get the link with Christianity. But beyond that it’s anybody’s guess. For some, the cross is just the Christian equivalent of the Golden Arches on a McDonald’s restaurant—an easily recognisable logo stuck on buildings to tell you where to find a church, if you’re that way inclined.
For others, it’s a cool design to have tattooed somewhere on your body, alongside a yin-yang or your star sign. Or a lucky charm to hang round your neck, bringing good fortune and warding off any vampires who happen to be in the neighbourhood.... continue reading
Questions we have to focus on as Christians can come and go. When a major disaster happens somewhere in the world, we find ourselves talking about God and suffering. When a question about a moral issue comes up, we find ourselves needing to articulate and defend the Bible's teaching on it to a sceptical and hostile society.
But some questions never go away for believers, because they come from the heart of our faith in Christ. That's why I'm delighted to have been part of pulling together the two latest books in the Questions Christians Ask series - because they aim to bring clarity and understanding to two subjects at the epicentre of the Gospel: the cross and forgiveness.
And having clarity on these areas of understanding is not simply an exercise in orthodoxy. Both authors introduce their books by showing that understanding properly what God has done in Christ on the cross; and what God's grace in Christ really is, have a huge impact on every area of our lives. Here are some thoughts that resonate many believers:
The great news is that all the answers to these common experiences can be found when we focus on properly understanding the cross of Christ and God's offer of grace to us in the gospel.
For the rest of the week we'll be running extracts on the blog from both books. We hope these tasters lead you to bury yourself in these subjects, and grow in your confidence and assurance as a follower of Jesus.
When we think of the Romans, we usually think of sandals and togas, straight roads, and Russell Crowe in Gladiator.
But when Jesus’ countrymen, the Jews, thought of Romans, they thought of oppression, unfair taxes, and random killing. That’s because, throughout Jesus’ life, their land was occupied by a brutal Roman army.
So for the Jews, freedom meant being free of Rome. They dreamed of a freedom fighter who would do the apparently impossible, and release them from the Romans, so that they could live in their land, ruling themselves, in peace.
In our day, many dream of that kind of freedom, too. Millions are being abused by someone else’s government, or their own government.... continue reading
We have a problem with Jesus. Particularly when it comes to evangelism.
The problem isn't with who Jesus is. Though it's a cliche, Jesus is the answer to all our questions and longings. He is the compassionate one the broken want; the forgiving one the flawed need; the strong one the weak can cling to; the challenging one the complacent require. In evangelism, as in all ministry, if we're not talking about Jesus, we're missing the point and we're missing the power.
So what's the problem? It's with the simple word "Jesus". As soon as you read that word in the first sentence of this post, you had a mental sketch of this man in your head. It may have been a picture; may have been some words; may have been a vague idea. It's the same for everyone. Even in our post-Christian culture, Jesus is still so famous that everyone has an idea about him. He may be lots of things, but he’s not a nobody.... continue reading
This week we are launching the latest title in our "How to ... " series: Eternity Changes Everything. Here's a sneak peak extract to whet your appetite ...
In early 2004, I met a young lady named Emma Hutchinson and promptly fell in love with her. I knew within a couple weeks that this was the girl I wanted to marry and grow old with.
There was just one problem: she was nowhere near so sure! Thankfully, my dogged persistence paid off, and we eventually started dating. As time went on, I became more and more sure that Emma would be an amazing wife—but not nearly so sure that she would actually ever be my wife. So, when, 18 months after we met, I got down on two knees to propose to Emma (yes, I know it’s supposed to be one knee, but I was really nervous) and she said yes, my world changed. We weren’t married yet, but now—at last!—I knew that we would be.... continue reading
I think about the future a lot. Just not the right bit of it.
I look forward to the weekend; to a drink with a friend; to a summer holiday involving a lie-in and a beach.
And, because I look forward to those things, they affect how I feel and act in the present. Think back to the week before you last went on a great holiday. I’ll bet work problems seemed smaller, irritating people seemed less irritating, tiredness seemed easier to cope with. You had a little skip in your heart, despite the usual issues of day-to-day life. Why? Because soon, you’d be on holiday. You weren’t there yet, but knowing it lay in your future changed your present.
Weekends, seeing friends, holidays… we think about those things a lot.
How much do you think about eternity? How much does your future in 200 years affect your day right now?... continue reading
Young Isaac enjoys getting some ministry perspective early on... You can too - whatever your age and stage.
Serving without sinking available HERE.
Sam Allberry is associate pastor of St Mary’s Maidenhead, in Berkshire, UK. Early last year, he went public with the fact that he experiences same-sex attraction. And then last June, he published Is God Anti-Gay?, which has had huge sales in both the UK and the US. I caught up with him to see how things are going in his life and ministry.
Sam, I wonder whether it’s easier or harder to fight this particular temptation personally, now that you’ve brought it into the public sphere?
In one sense, bringing it into the public sphere hasn’t changed the way in which I’ve been experiencing it. If anything it’s slightly helped, because I’ve had more opportunities to speak on the issue, and when I’m doing that I’m preaching to myself, reminding myself both what God’s word is on this issue, but also the goodness of that word. So it does me good to be thinking and teaching on it.
But actually the most thing has helped isn’t necessarily being public about it, but being open with friends about it. That’s the thing that has made the single biggest difference.... continue reading
