To paraphrase Charles Dickens, Luke 1 describes both the worst of times and the best of times. In a dark period of Jewish history, the light was preparing to shine. The famine was fading and the silence was about to be shattered. This is the story of...

Contemplating God’s gospel restores our hope. This is precisely the message of Amos 9:11–15. Christian, may your hope be restored today. If you are not a Christian, may you become one today and join with those who, by God’s grace, have had hope...

Like many throughout history, many in our day are guilty of self-righteous spiritual presumption. The idea that religious people would be under the wrath of God is ludicrous and highly offensive. Like water off a duck’s back, the self-righteous...

The covenantal unfaithfulness of Israel, the Northern Kingdom, has doomed them for God’s irrevocable judgement. They are hopeless for deliverance and this is sealed by God’s silence towards them. For this reason chapter 8 is one of the saddest...

Every Christian is blessed by God to be a member of a local church. And with this privilege comes the responsibility to be a responsible member of the church. Being entrusted with the keys of the Kingdom of God each member is to fulfil various...

The Bible teaches throughout that God’s unshakeable love is everlasting and extends to every tribe and tongue and nation. His love, displayed most clearly in the gospel, is the thing that should drive his people’s desire to praise him, as we see...

The call to be “not quarrelsome” is a call to reflect the peace of Christ in every sphere of life. True peace is not born of temperament but of transformation—a heart ruled by the Prince of Peace rather than by pride or passion. The Spirit of...

Christians often struggle to trust God when it comes to meeting daily needs. As we continue working through the character qualities of a maturing Christian, we come to the matter of not loving money—of learning the discipline of true contentment...

The crowds who followed Jesus were hungry, but they were seeking a handout that would only last a day. Jesus responded with perhaps his most challenging, shocking, and life-giving teaching: He is the Bread of Life. As we consider John 6:47–59, we...

Learning about a mature Christian’s character, and that of an elder, is being able to think God’s thoughts about God’s words. Once we understand what these words and characteristics mean to the Lord, then we are in a better place to live them...

Having faithfully proclaimed God’s revealed words (chapters 1–6) Amos now faithfully proclaims God’s revealed visions (chapters 7–9). God’s people are expected to take these seriously, for their lives, quite literally, depend on it. In this...

The danger of spiritual complacency presents a clear and present danger which Christians all too often do not see clearly as a danger! So it was with the people of God to whom Amos ministered. Amos addressed their woeful complacency in chapter 6 by...

When Scripture says that an elder must not be a drunkard, it speaks to more than avoiding drunkenness. It calls us to have a mature and godly relationship with the good gifts God gives. This qualification reminds us that spiritual maturity involves...

To be hospitable is to be a soul winner. It is to draw or welcome a stranger so that you can invite them into the household of God. This is required of elders and is to be aspired to by all believers. Christians should work to overcome their...

Matthew 5:43–48 record some of the most countercultural words in Scripture. Here, Jesus calls us to love like the Father—to love not only those easy to love, but to even love those we might otherwise consider enemies. The text contains three...

Colossians 3:1–4 addresses how Christians can experience genuine spiritual transformation and victory over sin. Paul contrasts the bondage of legalistic false religion—characterised by empty rules—with true Christian freedom found in seeking...

The third commandment warns, “You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain” (Exodus 20:7). This prohibition applies to everyone, but especially to God’s people. Though often “at worship,” Israel was nevertheless guilty of taking God’s...

God is the one who appoints the times and events that happen in our lives. He appoints both good and bad times, so that we will come to know and fear him as Lord. We consider two broad truths from these verses: 1. Life is Bittersweet (vv. 1–8) ...

What will move a church to guard its unity and to walk worthy of its calling? What will keep a Christian believing in Jesus in the face of distraction or suffering? What will cause us to worship with joy and thanksgiving? Only what Paul prays for...

What comes to mind when you think of a respectable person? Perhaps someone who is put together, successful, healthy and influential. Even the world has all sorts of standards of respectability, but they sometimes differ from the biblical image....