Idle Talk
Paul, the greatest apostle the world has ever known, was a man of action. As a result, he simply could not stomach people who were full of bluster. His letter to his spiritual son, Timothy, exhorted him to ‘Have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths’ (1 Timothy 4:7). Peter, too, warned us to stand clear of people who bragged about themselves with empty foolish boasting, describing them as dried-up springs, mists blown away in the wind, incapable of […]
It’s As Simple As Starting With “Hi!”
As believers, God commissions us to evangelise (Matthew 28:18-20). What comes to your mind and how do you feel when you think of evangelism? An event or a programme? A Christian obligation? Bringing people to church? Or this may sound familiar – “I can’t do this! I’m too shy, it’s too awkward.”; “I’m not a good communicator.”; “I’m too busy, too tired, wait till I have more time and energy.”; “I’m feeling discouraged and spiritually dry to reach out to […]
What A Year 2022 Has Been!
I’ve been in full-time ministry for 33 years and, in all those years, three clearly stood out as being earth-shaking. The first was 2001. What happened? 9/11. When those planes struck the World Trade Center in New York City, the world we knew changed forever. And I remember the exact moment I heard the news. Time stopped for me as I watched the horror of those twin towers collapsing. Life was never going to be the same again. A war followed […]
Mary’s Christmas
In the lead up to perhaps one of the most celebrated festivities of the year, let’s take a relook at Christmas. Granted that Jesus is the reason for this season, we now turn the spotlight on the one through whom it happened – Mary. Can you imagine if Mary had refused to cooperate with angel Gabriel’s heavenly directive? Think about it. Here’s this carefree teenager excitedly planning and awaiting her marriage to the brawny, bearded carpenter she’s been betrothed to, […]
The Measure of Significance
We live in a society that promotes self-grandeur and instant gratification through social media, TV ads, and billboards in almost every space possible. Have you ever looked at an advert so many times that you start thinking, “I really need that product, and I need to get it now before it’s gone.” But, after buying it, you realise you didn’t really need it. What happened is you’ve fallen into the trap of confused or impulse spending. Or perhaps you entertain […]
Jesus and Social Justice
The subject of social justice is prevalent. We hear it spoken by politicians, preachers, celebrities, authors, and media influencers. Fallen humanity has produced countless injustices. In the family, it’s in the form of domestic violence, adultery, and child abuse. In the political realm, unjust wars, discriminatory laws, and corruption abound. Human trafficking, child labour, genocides, and abortions go unnoticed around the world. When we see fellow humans treating others unjustly, we’re appalled. “How can husbands abuse their wives?”, “How can an adult […]
A Vision For The Family
My youngest daughter and I had a wonderful time bonding on a recent road trip to the US. A memorable moment was when she told me many of her secondary school classmates had little interest in getting married or having children – they prefer raising dogs. While I was struck by the pessimism, I told my daughter, “God’s going to give you a message of hope for them. Tell them it’s a joy to be a part of a big, happy […]
After Darkness, Light
Jesus exhorted us to watch and pray over events in our times. The polarising dynamics of the great outpouring of the Spirit and increased darkness over nations are happening right now and will continue until His return. As intense darkness accelerates, so will the light of God’s glory. Isaiah 60:2 tells us, ‘For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you.’ […]
Unlearning and Re-learning
We all love receiving a prophetic promise from God but not the process attached to it. We envision the promised future and wish it’ll come without a journey of transformation. However, all prophecy initiates process – a journey that will take us from where we are now to where we’re supposed to be. The question to ask is – what kind of person do we need to become to inherit the promise? Many are touched and inspired by a prophetic word […]
Question and Answer
It’s funny how, after 2,000 years, there are things that happened in the days of Jesus that continue today. Of course, the form in which these things happened may have changed somewhat but the essence remains the same. Take Matthew 22:15-48 for example – in today’s vernacular, this would be a ‘Q&A’ session. I’m quite certain that Jesus would’ve been confronted by many questions during His ministry. I assume the bulk of these would actually be requests – “Do this for […]
