Archives: john-chapman

“What do you say when…?” Bus stop graffiti

Everyday Ministry

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As promised in Paul Grimmond’s article ‘Where to from here?’ (also in issue #367), we’ve got one more new feature to unveil. As we’ve talked about speaking God’s life-changing word in any and every situation, we’ve realized that there are lots of opportunities to speak God’s truth in everyday conversation—like when your taxi driver complains about the mess the government is making in dealing with the financial crisis, or when your neighbour confides that his work is going pretty badly. But these opportunities are usually gone by the time you’ve thought of something worthwhile to say.

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Preaching Christ as Lord

Thought

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We do not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord. (2 Cor 4:5)

This is the way the Apostle Paul describes his preaching amongst the Corinthians. Earlier on in the chapter, he tell us that he has turned his back on any other preaching except the plain statement of the truth. He assumes that there is a truth to be told. It can be known and it can be verified.

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The Hard Ask: Disagreeing with your pastor

Life

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“When I have disagreements with my pastor, how can I deal with them in a godly way?”

This question is a subset of the question “What do I do when I disagree with any brother or sister in Christ”? Since the Bible is for realists and not romantics, it gives us guidelines for action. God knows that we are sinful people and he doesn’t pretend that such events won’t happen.

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Where have all the false teachers gone?

Life

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At the Last Supper, Jesus warns his disciples that there will be constant conflict between those who are his and those who are of “the world”. He reminds them through his prayer that “the world has hated them because they are not of the world any more than I am of the world” (John 17:15).

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