Category Archives: Ministry
If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you – Matt 12:28
Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven – Luke 10:20 I received a phone call from a friend of mine, asking for help. His friend was unable to go to his own home because it was haunted by a dark spiritual power. Both of them […]
Read MoreLife is Worth Living
It is Worth Saying that Life is Worth Living Crisis: In the last month, at least four people have committed suicide in the local Indigenous community. Conundrum: There is a deliberate policy of not publicising suicides, because it is well known that such news can trigger others to commit suicide. Effect: A whole community is left […]
Read MoreTo God, There are no Dead Men – Luke 20:38
The Words of Life I met a mentally unstable, completely homeless, suicidal man. He had planned to commit suicide by drug overdose in just a few days’ time, on his birthday. He insisted that he had no reason to go on living. Many would probably look at his situation and agree.
In The Mall… What’s it all about?
Introduction I was asked to compile a brief story about what I’ve been up to. Much of this story comes from other blog posts, but there’s also some unique content here. It’s a bit of a summary/roll-up.
Read MoreIf there’s any “Church life” in twenty years’ time… what will it look like?
The Church will not be the same in 2035. What will it be like? I have great confidence that the Church will be healthy and strong in 2035, because Jesus will still be Lord. I am under no illusion, however, that it will be the same as it is today. In fact, the way church life […]
Matthew 18:34-35 – Honour, Reconciliation, Forgiveness, and the People of God
Did Jesus just say, “… his lord handed him over to be tortured … likewise my heavenly father will do this to every one of you unless you forgive”? In Matthew 18:21-35, Jesus tells a story. The punch line sounds like he is saying that God is going to torture people who don’t forgive each […]
Read MoreIt Starts: The Kingdom of God is Germinating in Ipswich
October 2013: It Starts. I need to record some of the things that have been happening because God is making himself known in remarkable ways in Ipswich at the moment. I think I need to just blurt it all out without structure, because otherwise I will make a dozen or more separate blog posts!
When the Bible is preached, is God speaking?
What can we say about the “Preaching Moment”? Can we say that “When the Bible is preached, is it God who speaks?” Preaching is a theologically significant moment in the life of the church. It is a moment in which God’s revealed will is spoken out, and brought to bear on His people. It is […]
Read MoreJoin us in Street Ministry
You too, can Preach to the Street I have recently been producing and distributing little cards which contain a single Bible verse, and a very brief reflection on what that verse means for someone reading it. This has been wildly popular with my friends on the street. So far, two of the guys have asked […]
Read MoreWhat’s Your Story?
God’s Story, and your place in it. The Universe is a Story. It is the Story of God, His Creation, and His plans for that Creation. Those plans include two parts, although these are two sides of the one “coin”: the redemption of all that is of God, and the destruction of everything else. You […]
Read MoreSonny with a Chance
The Bible: A Book of Comfort My friend Sonny saw me in the Mall today and we had a bit of a chat. He said something very wise, which I pointed out was similar to something Jesus had said. At that point he produced a well worn, well loved Bible, and began reading it to me.
Read MoreEvangelism: A View from the Inside
A State of Being: Freedom I was reflecting, as I often do, on what the chances are that I will be able to impart my joy to others before I die. What a tragedy it would be if I, having received so indescribable a gift, should die without having shared it. May it not be so! […]
Street Theology: Justification by Faith
How Biblical Justification Looks “On the Street” Everybody loves being right. It’s even better when you are recognised as being right in front of other people. When those other people have scoffed and mocked you, the victory is all the sweeter. But the ultimate prize is when you are declared right, and your mockers declared wrong, and […]
The other side of the “No Smoking” sign: discrimination by Social Cleansing
Is this Social Cleansing? I’m a non-smoker. Indeed, I am even an ex-smoker, and I support the principle of removing cigarette smoke from the lives of those who don’t smoke. But the recent (1st Feb 2013) ban on smoking in some of the public spaces in Ipswich has made me uneasy from the start. Today […]
“Mission to the Marginalised”…?
How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a missionary? I was invited recently to talk under the heading “Mission to the Marginalised”. (I frequently wrestle with the appropriateness and definition of words like “mission” and “marginalised”, but at least the other two words in the heading were pretty straightforward) I […]
Christian Conversion: What’s it like?
Christian Conversion: A view from the inside I thought I’d just whack down some thoughts about my own conversion to faith. It’s not expert poetry, it’s constructed with the simplest of metres and most elementary rhyme, but it suffices to carry the message.
Read MoreWhy do innocent people suffer?
What would your response have been? I was aware that my friend had been grieving the death of her adult daughter, who had been murdered by White Supremacists. They left her hung by the neck, in a room covered in blood from obvious signs of struggle. The police declined to investigate, deeming it a suicide. […]
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. – Jn 16:12
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. – Jn 16:13 What is Truth? An exasperated Pilate poses the question, “What is truth?” (Jn 18:38). He did so because Jesus said, “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me” (Jn 18:37). So what is this “truth”? And why […]
Big Fella and the Promise
“This life is very real to me, God” How many of us can stand with Big Fella and testify: “The promise is calling out to me to be a witness”? That’s precisely what the promise does, if we are to understand it properly.
Recent Posts
- Addiction: How to Help
- … and this just in: News from the Streets of Ipswich. Issue 23
- What Happens When We Die, and Where are my Loved Ones?
- Seeking the Kingdom
- If it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon you – Matt 12:28
Tags
| S | M | T | W | T | F | S |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| « May | ||||||
| 1 | 2 | 3 | ||||
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
| 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | |
Addiction: How to Help
“The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” – Jeremiah 17:9 Human beings seem universally to be able to imagine the loftiest moral ideals, but just as universally seem incapable of actually living according to them. This conundrum lies deep at the heart of the human condition. Are we required to just “live […]
- May 22, 2016
- / Category Commentary, Conversion, Fall (of mankind), Flesh, Forgiveness, Freedom, Holiness, Jeremiah 17, John 1, Marketplace Evangelism, Ministry, Original Sin, Romans 8, Sin, Sinner, Spirit, Total Depravity
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / No Comments.
Read More