The Gospel
Celebrating the Good News of the Gospel
Do you want to hear the bad news or the good news? It is important that we hear both and until you are recused from the bad news you cannot celebrate the good news.
Hanukah and Christmas
Hanukah occurs in December (Dec 20 this year). I think that Hanukah has become a modern Jewish substitute for Christmas (presents are given). Originally this festival celebrates the Maccabees’ defeat of the Greeks in 165 BC. The Greeks had stopped the sacrifices at the Temple. They were oppressing God’s people and trying to bring an end to God’s one true religion. But…
The Components of Genuine Repentance
The title of this post implies that there is a kind of repentance that is not genuine. Sadly, this counterfeit repentance is rampant in many gospel presentations and in the belief of many today. This is devastating because counterfeit repentance is of no value.
Gratitude for the Gospel (1 Timothy 1:12-17)
READ 12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.…
Worldly Vision
UPDATE: Just two days after the announcement, World Vision (US) have reversed their decision to hire same-sex couples. Praise be to our Lord. Important lessons can be learnt from this and the importance of maintaining strong Biblical convictions so that we are not moved by our culture. Earlier this week, World Vision had announced that its American branch will allow…
Religion does not Save
Man-made religion is powerless to save sinners. It cannot provide forgiveness of sin, peace with God and eternal life. Yet so many people are enslaved to external religion. This is very sad! External religion strives to achieve spirituality by means of human effort. Whether it is church attendance, good works, spiritual disciplines – these are all works performed by…
A Portrait of the Christian Life
What does a Christian look like? When the gospel has taken effect in a person’s life, their life has been transformed. The old has become new (2 Cor. 5:17) and the dead is now living (Eph. 2:5; Col. 3:13). For this reason there are clear and obvious changes in the life of believer. In this post I would like to refer to them as a portrait of the Christian Life. In…
Getting the Gospel Right
Getting the gospel right is critical. The word “gospel” comes from the Greek word euangelion, which literally means “good news”. It is good news because it contains the message of God’s salvation to sinful man. It contains the declaration of deliverance from sin. If we are going to get the gospel right, it is essential that we understand the…
Christ our Advocate
The people of God have much to rejoice over. The more one reads the Scriptures and studies the doctrine of salvation, they are reminded how much the Lord has done and how grateful we ought to be. One of the blessings of the gospel is that Christ is our Advocate.
Four Lessons from 1st Timothy
Written by Pastor Andrew Courtis A few weeks ago it was my privilege to finish a verse-by-verse exposition of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. I would like to share some key points and lessons I have learnt from this great letter. But first,a brief introduction. The first letter of Paul to Timothy provides us a clear understanding of a church’s confession and…