When a new year dawns we may resolve to change our lives. Some of those resolutions may work out well; others not so well. But we should also look for the missing resolutions. The changes that we ought to make
Final justice
God is triune, three who are one: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Hence, when God made man in his image, he made us not simply as solo creatures but for community. This means that others affect our behaviour. In our
Tertullus
Caesarea was a lavishly built port which King Herod developed on Judea’s coast. A very Gentile city, it was the main residence of the Roman governor of the land. At the time of Paul’s arrest this is Marcus Antonius Felix
Belt up!
Church leaders should be open to Christians raising concerns with them. Paul has shown himself to be like that on the way to Jerusalem (Ac 21:4). But if the leaders feel they must continue with a path despite advice, then
All for nothing?
‘I did all that for nothing?’ Do you ever find yourself asking that? Some 1st century Jews felt that Paul led them to do so. They heard that he now taught Jewish culture was dead and Israel’s past was worthless
Ancient rules
James, the brother of Jesus and a pastor of the Jerusalem church, lays out in Ac 15:13-19 why it is acceptable for Jewish and non-Jewish Christians to worship together, without the latter converting to Judaism. However, one problem remains if
David’s big tent
Some disputes look insoluble to us: the two sides just can’t agree! But then, suddenly, a solution appears and it’s such a relief! In our verses, James, a pastor in the Jerusalem church, comes up with a great answer to
Grace abounding
Christians have received grace from God. This means we have been given a gift by God which is the very opposite of what we deserve. We deserve death; He has given us life. And this gift is hugely expensive: His
A difficult meeting
All of us are affected by what’s around us. Ideas, beliefs, people, environment – all these, and other things besides, can shape our behaviour. But if we ask what leads to all the wrong we do, then the core of
Clean in Christ
Peter, in Acts 10, learns an important lesson as Jesus prepares him to meet with a Gentile. But what does the apostle mean when he says he no longer regards anyone as ‘unclean’ (v28)? To start to get into his