Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from July, 2018

GOD IS OUR SALVATION: Why Study the Book of Isaiah?

Introduction of Isaiah It has been called the ‘Mount Everest’ of the Bible: a sweeping, grand prophecy that tells us so much indispensable revelation of the people of God and of the Messiah to the nations, Jesus of Nazareth. Not only is it deep in its information, it is also highly poetic, like Shakespeare is to English, Isaiah is in Hebrew (the King James Version also highlights the poetic side of Isaiah). Starting with the call of the prophet, to Judah and Jerusalem, Isaiah speaks about an amazing vision of God on His throne in heaven. There the Lord gives the call ‘ Whom shall I send, and who will go for us ’ (6:8). Isaiah quickly volunteers and thus begins a great adventure for him and the world. Sixty-six chapters long, just as the Bible has 66 books, and neatly divided in 39 chapter and 27 chapters, just as the Bible has 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New. One of the great stories is the unsuccessful Assyrian siege of Jerusalem, which is

Culture War Vocabulary Part 02

The culture war continues to rage. It is the cultural battle between the left-leaning progressives and traditional values conservatives. Abortion, same-sex marriage, global warming, identity politics, the environment, and much more form the landscape of the battle ground. What is at stake is nothing less than the survival of western civilisation as we know it. This war is fought more by words than by weapons. Progressives have been very adept at using words to advance their cause. A good example of this was employing the term ‘marriage equality’ to promote the cause of same-sex marriage in the west. What catch phrase did the traditional marriage people have? Semantics is about the ‘meaning of words’ and we need to use it properly in order to be understood. Sometimes, however, it can be used to mislead, or even to deceive. Here are some interesting use of words: • ‘Undocumented workers’ is a progressive term, which can also mean ‘illegal alien’ to the conservative

Christianity and the Birth of the West Part II

European Chronicles Series For the last half millennium, Europe has been the leading continent, colonial power, and trend-setter. From a non-Christian point of view, Europe is considered a ‘Christian continent.’ From a conservative, evangelical Christian view, Europe comes across as ‘post-Christian.’ Yet what do the Europeans think of themselves? According to the respected Pew Research Centre, they project that in the years to come Europe will have fewer Christians and more Muslims and minorities. Yet, by 2050 it is estimated that 65% of Europeans will continue to identify themselves as ‘Christian,’ down from 75% of Europeans who call themselves ‘Christian’ in 2010. Sporting the label ‘Christian,’ however, does not necessarily mean they will be regular church attendees or devout in their faith. While the Middle East, North Africa, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and parts of SE Asia came under Islam, Europe and the western world it colonised identified as ‘Christian.’ The

HOW TO FULFIL THE MISSION OF THE CHURCH PART 5

In our last article, we learned about the mission of the church. It included the following points: 1.       Glory to God; 2.       Edification; 3.       Holiness; 4.       Evangelism; 5.       Discipleship; 6.       Mission. At this point How do we fulfil Six - Mission? God’s mission is the church’s mission; they are one and the same. God-pleasers will make the mission their highest priority. That leads us to the needful question: How do we fulfil the mission of the church? How do we begin to raise up disciples? §   1. Evangelism (Mark 16:15); §   2. Prayer (Matthew 9:38); §   3. Sending missionaries (Acts 13:1-3; 14:26; Romans 10:15); §   4. Going to the nations (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8; Romans. 1:13-15; 15:20); §   5. Be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18; Acts 1:8). Pentecost gives power for mission. §     §   6. Giving (Philippians 4:15-18); The Lord’s Church is experiencing an unprecedented amount of growth, espe