It is interesting to see which of the blogs that I write receive most feedback. Sadly from my perspective the accounts of various historical figures seem to attract relatively little! However, my post from a few weeks back- “Busy and Lifeless” has resulted in various conversations. In it I noted that a significant number of […]
Those who have listened to enough of my sermons will know that Tim Chester is a modern author I tend to quote frequently. I’ve read many of his books and have always appreciated his engagement with Scripture and challenging application to the church today. Both of these qualities are evident in his book based on […]
John Newton, the converted slave trader and author of Amazing Grace,described it as the part of Jesus’ teaching that has been most neglected by his own people. The passage he had in mind was Luke 14:12-14: “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives or […]
So far we have considered that the great theme in Luke’s Gospel is that Jesus brings in a great reversal. We’ve seen the two main ways in which people end up on the wrong side of that reversal- through religious pride and an obsession with wealth. Incidentally it seems to me that both of these […]
In the Sermon on the Plain, Jesus says these words, “Blessed are you who are poor…Woe to you who are rich…” (Luke 6:20,24). Unlike the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, there is no reference to “in spirit.” So is Jesus proclaiming blessing or woe depending purely on our financial status? Or should we […]
In my last post I noted that the great distinctive of Luke’s Gospel is the theme of reversal- introduced by Jesus and completed when he returns. That means that there are dangers for us to avoid (lest we be brought down) and attitudes to cultivate (that we may be lifted up). The chief danger, of […]
We’ve recently completed a brief series in Luke’s Gospel. Whilst I enjoyed working on the individual passages, I felt that we struggled to pick up some of the major themes of the Gospel. Each of the four Gospels is distinct. At the end of his Gospel, John notes that he has had to be selective […]