Tag Archives: Jesus
Criminal Minds
What does the heart of a career criminal, converted to Christ, sound like? This friend of mine has been part of the Ipswich Mall ministry from the beginning. He knew nothing about music but was called by God to discover, learn, and create Gospel Rap music. It’s lonely In this song you will hear selected […]
Big Fella is “Moved by tha Spirit”
How’s your faith? This friend of mine has been part of the Ipswich Mall ministry from the beginning. He knew nothing about music but was called by God to discover, learn, and create Gospel Rap music. “My eyes have seen your salvation” Be encouraged. This is a genuine testimony. It’s happening in Ipswich, QLD. The […]
A Five-Year-Old Junkie and the Hungry Bandit
People are Awesome How do you describe a day in which you meet not one, but two very special human beings? Last Tuesday, as is my custom, I spent time in Ipswich Mall. As the day unfolded I met a young man who was clearly very much drug-affected, and a young woman who seemed to […]
Heaven: “a banquet of aged wine — the best of meats and the finest of wines”
Heaven as “a banquet” There are numerous Biblical texts which liken heaven, in various ways, to a great banquet. But how is this properly used in general conversation, in apologetics, in evangelism, or in pastoral care?
We are his “hands and feet” because we are the “body of Christ”? Oops, mixed metaphors!
As a member in the “Body of Christ”, am I His “hands and feet”? I was interested to hear someone recently suggest that we Christians are the “eyes”, “hands”, “mouth”, etc. of Christ. It’s a neat metaphor which indicates our responsibility to act, perceive and speak on God’s behalf, and to that extent I have […]
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What is the “Authority” of the Bible?
The Nature of the Bible’s authority So if the Bible comes from the “people of God”, rather than falling out of the sky directly from God, how can it be said to be authoritative? The Process As we have seen, the Bible came together as a process over countless generations, and human beings were most […]
Where did the Bible come from?
So where did the Bible come from? Rather than describing the process theologically, that is, in terms of how God spoke or what the role of humans was in the process, we can talk in terms familiar to the non-believer: Sociology. What is the sociological process involved in the formation of the Bible?
Read MoreIs the Bible actually “the word of God”?
In what sense is the Bible, “the word of God”? This sounds like a simple question to answer, but it is actually a long-running and very heated debate amongst Christians. Many claim that the Bible is “the word of God”, but they often mean different things by that statement.
The Holy Bible: Offering An Explanation for the Atheist
What can an Atheist be offered about why the Bible is important to Christians? Shouldn’t we (Christians) be able to describe the Bible in terms that an Atheist can understand and appreciate, even if they don’t share our view of it’s spiritual authority? The pithy, “the Bible is the word of God” really won’t do […]
The Ministry: “I assign to you, as my Father assigned to me, a kingdom…”
What possible value can come from simply “being there”? I’ve begun a habit of sitting in the Ipswich Mall every Tuesday. Several people join me regularly, a wide array of people I know come past during the day, and sometimes I also make new friends. I believe this is what God has for me at […]
Tithing: Unbiblical. Shouldn’t we prevent believers from doing it, then?
Is it Permissible to Tithe? Tithing is not a New Testament principle, and despite endless attempts to make it sound like Christians are obliged to tithe, the Good Book simply doesn’t say so. But does this mean that we must stop people from tithing? Is it spiritually dangerous? Is it like circumcision, about which Paul […]
Jesus and the Wineskins: What does it mean?
Nobody seems to understand what the wineskins are about! A friend asked me what Jesus was talking about when he mentioned sewing patches onto garments, and putting wine into wineskins. I didn’t know the answer, and a quick overview of the commentaries revealed that nobody else does either. Most theories produce problematic answers Whereas there […]
Church Leadership: Could Jesus be right?
What is leadership in the kingdom of God? The question of leadership in church life is a hot one. The Roman Catholic view, which consists of a single hierarchy of authority governing all aspects of church life, culminating in a single figure in the Pope, is profoundly different from the cell-church/home-church model consisting of as […]
Titles: “Who do the crowds say I am?”, “Who do you say I am?”, “I do not accept human testimony”.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet! How important are titles? I am given various titles by various people, but I never ask for them, nor insist on them. I am frequently called, and introduced as, “Pastor Kev”, and I have been referred to […]
Evangelism: What is it? Do you have to do it?
What is Evangelism? Do you have to do it? Read on… perhaps you already do! Summary: Jesus’ “Great Commission” of Matthew 28:18-20 is, without doubt, the assignment of a primary role to the church: “to evangelise the world”. The degree to which this is “the” primary role, however, is not universally agreed. There may be […]
Read MoreEcumenism in Roman Catholic theology: Lumen Gentium analysed for Ecumenism.
Summary – Lumen Gentium as an Ecumenical document Lumen Gentium, (“Light of Nations”, Vatican II, 1964) changed nothing in the ecclesiology of the Roman Catholic Church, and it was designed that way. But the whole process of Vatican II, including this document, did prove to be a catalyst for ecumenical dialogue in many ways. Again, this […]
Smacking: Can we “spare the rod”?
Is smacking children the “Christian” thing to do? All around the world, governments are defining child abuse in ways that include various physical discipline methods: in some jurisdictions it relates to leaving bruises, in others it relates to the use of implements other than the open hand, and so forth. In many, there is a total […]
Read MoreMarketplace Christianity – In a Marketplace!
What is Marketplace Christianity really? Generally, the term “Marketplace Christianity” is used to describe the way in which a believer can represent their faith in their normal life – in most cases, at work. I do think its helpful for us to ponder how to live out our life in such settings, but is the […]
Recent Posts
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- … 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
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Homosexuality: The Stumbling Stone of Modern Christianity?
Christian, why is it so hard to love homosexual people? Christian churches have developed a series of dogmatic teachings that culminate in Christians wearing T-Shirts bearing the theologically inaccurate statement, “God Hates Fags”. No wonder many Christians find it hard to reconcile this with their spiritual discernment, which prompts them simply to love and accept […]
- September 9, 2012
- / Category Commentary, Homosexual, The Human Connection
- / Posted By Kevin Bennett
- / 21 Comments.
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