The big issue which triggers the note we know as Philemon is slavery: Paul is sending a slave back to his master. So what do we need to know about slavery which helps us to understand Paul’s approach? This sermon
Confidence in the Lord
In today’s first “Sermon from Home” we return to Acts 27 and Paul’s voyage across the Mediterranean sea. In particular, we look at v21-26, to see Paul’s confidence in the Lord in the midst of a terrifying and deadly storm.
Non-conformity
There’s a human trait which leads us to conform to what others expect of us. This social pressure can affect us individually and it can also affect whole groups: a herd-mentality can be created in a mob. A whole society,
Nobility
Rest is a lovely gift from God and, at times, a very necessary one for our well-being. The city of Berea (modern Veria) becomes a place where Paul, though still working as a travelling missionary, briefly has a more restful
The sound of silence
Keeping silent can, at times, be more powerful than speaking. Jesus took that approach with King Herod (Lk 23:8,9) and other authorities (Mk 15:3-5). In the proud Roman colony of Philippi, Paul adopts the same technique with its leaders when
Nine step strategy
Philippi was a Roman colony which gave, in Paul’s time, much adoration to the deceased Caesar Augustus. It was also a Macedonian city linked to the earlier emperors of Greece: Philip II and Alexander. So saying ‘Jesus is Lord and
Invasion
Landing on a heavily defended beach is the stuff of nightmares, as soldiers wonder if they’ll ever get off the sand alive. In a similar way, Paul & his team must have wondered how far they’d get when the Lord
Demolition gang
How do you look at history? Through dates? Politics? People? Social change? Local events? World events? We have multiple ways to picture history. For the first Christians, their focus was upon Israel – the nation whom God had chosen (De
Culture clash
In the early centuries after his resurrection, Jesus’ kingdom grew remarkably. The writer of Acts – Luke – shows us the foundation for that spectacular growth. Key to his tale is Paul, an apostle not from the original twelve (1Co
Hearing loss
The death of Herod Agrippa is the tragic tale of a king who will not listen. It takes place at a scary time in old Israel’s history, roughly 17 years after Jesus first appeared in public as the king whom