September – October 2020
We often associate the epistle to the Philippians with the theme of joy and rejoicing, and rightly so. But there is another topic that weaves its way through Paul’s letter – and that is predominance of the gospel and the ecclesia’s partnership in preaching and defending it.
Hence in Philippians 1…
Fellowship in the Gospel Read More »
There was something else which happened at Gilgal, which would have fortified Ehud for the task ahead. Gilgal was the site at which the nation was circumcised. “Make thee sharp knives,” Joshua was told, “and circumcise again the children of Israel the second time.”
The men of war who came out of …
Ehud – The Power of God’s Right Hand (2) Read More »
Daniel the elder statesman
Years later in Nebuchadnezzar’s reign, the king, at the zenith of his power, had another disturbing dream. After summoning the other wise men of the empire, the king finally sent for Daniel and requested his interpretation. The implications of the dream we…
Babylonian Captivity – The Ecclesia in Exile (7) Read More »
Of all the great men who depicted the sufferings of Christ, Zechariah the prophet is not normally a name that comes to the top of the list. The spectacular visions of the prophecy have been a source of comfort and edification for saints down through the ages but tucked away in the eleventh c…
Lastly he sent unto them his own Son Read More »
Background
Many of us would have pictured Jonah as a somewhat sulky individual known for hating gentiles and famous for trying to run away from God and being swallowed by a whale. We aim to show this is an entirely incorrect view of both the man and his character – of those four att…
Jonah – The Enigmatic Prophet (1) Read More »
If you keep waiting for just the right time, you may never begin. Begin now. Do what you can with what you have, right where you are, and do it now.
Many people have failed because they were always waiting for what they thought would be the miracle time to begin.
Solomon tells us, “He th…
Brother Thomas writes in Elpis Israel that in returning to the Land, the Jews “will emigrate thither as agriculturists and traders”.1 When Jews began to settle in Palestine in the late nineteenth century, they created agricultural settlements which were later to lay the f…
Agricultural Innovation in Israel Read More »
Examples of Paul’s use of military metaphors in the epistle:
“The praetorian guard” (1:13 AV “palace”) and Caesar’s household (4:22) are mentioned only in Philippians.
“Furtherance of the gospel” (1:12,25). Greek word is prokope and is used of pioneers cutting a way a…
1) How can we truely define who is in fellowship with God?
The apostle John outlined the basis of fellowship with God in these words:
1 John 1:3 – “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Fath…
Open Fellowship – Questions and Answers Read More »
O ye of little faith
The problem that we face today is the same problem Israel faced in the wilderness: a lack of faith. We can have faith on an intellectual and academic level—but it is the practical level where faith is demonstrated: in actions, “For as the body without the spirit is d…
