Christmas O Little Town of Bethlehem December 17, 2021 Why was Jesus born in Bethlehem? One answer is because it was prophesied in Micah 5.2 and Scripture had to be fulfilled. This just puts the question one stage further back though. Why did God ordain that his Son would be born in Bethlehem?
The Life we Cannot Live November 19, 2021 ‘So thankful for the active obedience of Christ. No hope without it.’ J. Gresham Machen
revival The Week Coleraine Stood Still October 16, 2021 On Tuesday 7 June, 1859, the town of Coleraine was visited by a supernatural phenomenon. It didn’t involve UFOs or little green men or monsters from outer space. It was something far more amazing that affected many thousands of the people who lived in our town at that time.
Greek Why Kiss your Bride through a Veil? September 17, 2021 Why do we insist that those training to be ministers of the Word learn Greek and Hebrew? Is it just tradition? Or a sadistic desire to inflict the same pain that previous generations of ministers had to go through?
Providence Holding on to the 'Things Revealed' July 16, 2021 There are many things that God has revealed that are not secret, and we are meant to think about these things—to understand them, believe them and live by them as we cling to them daily.
A Desperately Sick Baby and the Secret Will of God May 21, 2021 Three years ago almost to the day, on 18 May 2018, I posted an article with the same title as this one about a baby in our congregation born very prematurely. His name
Isaiah 40:12-26 Our Cosmic Creator April 16, 2021 Last Lord's Day evening I was preaching on Isaiah 40.12-26. In the course of the sermon I was speaking about two verses that are parallel in the symmetry of the passage, verses
Temptation The Devil's Playbook March 19, 2021 Just imagine the Devil had a playbook – that he had written down all his tactics and strategies for tempting Christians. And imagine you had the chance to get hold of it. Wouldn’t that be very useful?
Church Discipleship Together February 19, 2021 Often it's not until something is taken away that we realise how significant it is. Hopefully we will all treasure much more the ability to interact freely and face to face with our brothers and sisters when that privilege is fully restored.
Providence God Means it for Good January 15, 2021 We may not always see God’s purpose as clearly as Joseph did, with or without hindsight, but his example helps us believe that whether we can see it or not, God is in control and is working out his perfect plan.
Mary's Visit to Elizabeth December 18, 2020 There are some parts of the Christmas story that easily get overlooked, aren’t there? And Mary’s visit to Elizabeth (Lk 1.39-45), sandwiched as it is between the annunciation to Mary
gospel The Gospel is for Christians Too! November 20, 2020 If your pastor announced that he was going to begin a ten-week series of sermons on the gospel, how would you react? Would you say to yourself, ‘Under no circumstances can I afford
church unity Don't Quarrel Over Opinions But Welcome One Another October 16, 2020 These are critical days for our churches. The Devil is always prowling around like a hungry lion looking for opportunities to sow division between the people of God. The covid pandemic has provided him with a perfect storm of circumstances that he is surely trying to exploit to his full advantage.
Portraits of Christ Portraits of Christ September 18, 2020 What photographs adorn your walls, shelves, tables and desk? Most of us surround ourselves with pictures of our loved ones that remind us of them and prompt memories of particular occasions that we
Public Worship How to Thrive as a Christian August 22, 2020 How can we most glorify God on the earth? What is the best antidote to backsliding and apostasy? What is the closest experience to heaven we can get in this world?
Psalms What Do Angry Christians Sing? June 19, 2020 Some years ago I read Carl Trueman’s helpful article entitled ‘What do miserable Christians sing?’ His argument was that we need the God-breathed language of lament in the psalms to enable us
COVID-19 I (probably) gave someone the virus. Now I feel guilty. May 15, 2020 Guilty feelings are not always the best way to measure guilt. Some people feel terribly guilty when they haven’t actually done anything wrong. Other people don’t feel guilty at all, even
COVID-19 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the Great' May 02, 2020 In no time at all, the world has changed. Plague has brought the global economy crashing down. Trade and industry has ground to a standstill, except for essentials. That ubiquitous first-world leisure activity
Coronavirus The Meaning of the Rainbow April 17, 2020 The symbol of rainbow is far more appropriate for these days than many people who have them in their windows may realise. Because the first person to use the rainbow as a symbol of hope was God himself!
Coronavirus 'Drive-in Church' – one solution to the problem of meeting together March 20, 2020 We need to assume the highest and best of motives in one another... We must assume that our brothers have thought and wrestled in prayer to solve the problem... and reluctantly come to the conclusion that this is the best, or the least bad, option available.
Coronavirus Christians and Coronavirus February 28, 2020 Self-isolation; pandemic; super spreader; coronavirus; covid-19. Just a few of the words and phrases that have become part of everyday conversation in the weeks since the first outbreak of a novel coronavirus was
Three Lessons from Simon the Magician January 17, 2020 Last Lord’s Day in our congregation we were confronted by the unsettling figure of Simon the Magician in our series in the book of Acts (8.9-24). Luke seems to include his
How to Grieve as a Christian December 20, 2019 Since my dad passed away at the end of October I’ve been learning a lot about grieving. In God’s kindness I haven’t had a close family bereavement like this until
Nothing is too hard for the Lord! November 15, 2019 If you’re a regular reader of Gentle Reformation, you may recall that a few months ago I posted an article entitled ‘Perfect Peace in the Face of a Loved One’s Cancer’
Pray for the Lord to visit us October 18, 2019 In three days’ time two pieces of abhorrent legislation will be imposed upon Northern Ireland by the UK government. In spite of the fact that no Northern Irish politicians voted for the laws,
