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Showing posts from November, 2019

Say ‘No’ to Idolatry: The Second Commandment Part 02

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And showing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments — Exodus 20:4-6 In Part 01 of the 2nd Commandment, we learned that idolatry is very wrong. First, because it uses human reason to describe God on their terms; Second, idolatry leads to the worship of creation, rather than the creator. Third, it is a deficient and substandard form of worship. We now continue to outline the case that idolatry is ‘dead wrong.’ Fourth, idolatry makes God jealous. The Hebrew word for jealous is ken-a. This term applies to God and God alone. It means that God ha

RECIPE: Vegetable Korma

This simple recipe helps you to get your 5 out 5 vegetable quota in a tasty dish. Servings: 2 Preparation: 10 minutes Cooking: 25 minutes Ingredients: 1 tablespoon coconut oil 1/4 cup korma paste 1 small thinly sliced brown onion 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 cup finely chopped coriander stems 1 red capsicum, cut into 2cm pieces 1 zucchini, cut into 2cm chunks 1 carrot, finely diced 1 cup cauliflower 1/2 cup (125ml) vegetable stock 1 cup ( 250 ml) coconut milk, plus extra to drizzle 1/2 cup frozen peas 2 kale leaves, stems removed & finely chopped. 1 cup coriander leaves, plus extra to serve 1 cup c ooked Quinoa, to serve Directions: 1. Heat coconut oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the korma paste for 1 minute. Add the onion, garlic, and coriander stems until translucent. To this add the red capsicum, zucchini, carrot, and cauliflower to the korma paste and cook for 3 minutes. 2. Add vegetable st

Mountain of Esau: Why Study the Book of Obadiah? Part 01

But upon mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of Jacob shall possess their possessions — Obadiah 1:17 Introduction It represents an famous and age-old rivalry between two brothers, Jacob and Esau. This conflict extends to the New Testament with Herod the Great’s attempt to destroy the young child Jesus. We are refer to the regions of Edom versus Judah and the Book of Obadiah, shortest of all the Old Testament prophetic books, is very clear who will win this struggle. Obadiah predicts the fall of the nation of Edom, neighbour to Judah, especially because they gloated at the suffering and conquest of this region and its capital Jerusalem. The great symbol of Edom is its majestic mountains that tower over 2,000 metres above sea level. Edom is the eastern neighbour to the Arabah, Valley of the Desert, which is a sub-region of the Great Rift Valley and shares a north-south border between Jordan and Israel. Edom comes from t

Issues the Demand the Church’s Response Part 01

Sunday is coming and it is time to prepare the sermon. What shall we preach? The short answer is: The Word of God (II Timothy 4:2?). Not just preach about the Word but from the Word. The ideal is that every sermon is Word-based, Spirit-anointed, Christ-centred, and God-honouring. And, it is important that the Word preached is the Word received by the preacher. Downloading prepared sermons from the internet is not fresh manna. Hungry Christians are complaining about what is preached. Here are some of the options: 1.        Motivational messages: These can encourage people in practical areas (how to be successful, raise good children, build self-esteem) but tend to ignore basic sound doctrine like repentance, faith, sin, the resurrection and last judgement. 2.        Politics: The pulpit is used to exhort people to back a political cause, often though not always from the left. Such sermons will often be politically correct. 3.        Mish-mash: These are po

CULTURE WAR SERIES PART 16: The Only Solution

In the history of peoples and nation-states, conflict comes in two forms: internal and external. Which do you think is more deadly? One prime example comes from church history. During the early years of the church, it was considered ‘counter-cultural’ and an enemy to the occupying Roman empire. Christianity was called a religio illicita, meaning ‘an illegal religion.’ There were periodic and savage outbreaks of deadly persecution. Yet, during heat of these dangerous days, the church did not diminish - it thrived. It is the proverbial principle of the diamond. As long as it is strong internally, it can withstand the mightiest of blows. Tertullian was quoted as saying ‘the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church.’ However, there was a mortal threat to the church: the enemy from within. The Bible rightly warns against ‘false brethren,’ ‘false christs,’ ‘false prophets’ and ‘false teachers.’ They are the proverbial ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing. With their false doctr

Britain’s Challenges Part 02

Nations, like individuals, face challenges in life. Yet, it is no exaggeration to say that the United Kingdom is facing its biggest crises since the end of the Second World War. Yes, more than 30 years of trouble in Northern Ireland, or the 1990s scandals that rocked the Royal Family and saw the divorce of Diana and Charles, who is the heir to the throne. As we learned in the last article, challenges include persistent calls for a ‘second referendum’ on Scottish independence. The shifting of the leftists and progressives from the Left to the ‘far Left,’ while some on the right are drifting leftward as well, embracing policies that would have been unthinkable a few years before. The UK election of 2019 offers a solid glimpse into the shifting political sands. Most importantly immediate issue is the Brexit deadlock. Three and a half years after a referendum confirmed that the majority of UK voters wanted to leave the European Union - a ‘divorce’ to a 46 year old union -