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“That’s just your interpretation!”

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Many people try to close down any discussion about the meaning of a Bible passage by saying, “Well, that’s just your interpretation.”  It’s as if ‘interpretation’ of the text is entirely personal and subjective.  You have your interpretation, and I have mine.  End of.

But, often, the meaning (interpretation) of a fact is just as important as the fact itself.

Consider the ‘fact’ of a driver flashing his headlights.  What does that mean?  Well, in the UK it usually means, “You go first”  (and yes, I know that the Highway Code says something different).  …

The purpose of Jesus’ miracles

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Mitch Chase outlines three purposes of the miracles of Christ:

‘First, miracles provoke identity questions about Jesus. In Mark 4:35–41, where Jesus calmed the tumultuous waves and wind, the disciples said, “Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?” (4:41).

Second, miracles bear witness to the origin and truthfulness of Jesus’s ministry. They are works that “bear witness about me that the Father has sent me” (John 5:36).

Third, miracles foreshadow the far-future age of worldwide shalom.…

John Stott’s dream

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On 24th November, 1974, John Stott preached at All Souls Church, London on the 150th anniversary of the dedication of the church.

He concluded his sermon with a ‘dream’ (with apologies to Martin Luther King and his famous’ “I have a dream” message delivered a few years earlier).

I have a dream of a church which is a biblical church—

  • which is loyal in every particular to the revelation of God in Scripture,
  • whose pastors expound Scripture with integrity and relevance, and so seek to present every member mature in Christ,
  • whose people love the word of God, and adorn it with an obedient and Christ-like life,
  • which is preserved from all unbiblical emphases, whose whole life manifests the health and beauty of biblical balance.
…

‘The five marks of mission’

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The five marks of mission have been developed by the Anglican Consultative Council, and were adopted by the General Synod of the Church of England in 1996.  Some additional wording was added to the 4th item in 2012.

  1. To proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom (TELL)
  2. To teach, baptise and nurture new believers (TEACH)
  3. To respond to human need by loving service (TEND)
  4. To seek to transform unjust structures of society, to challenge violence of every kind and to pursue peace and reconciliation (TRANSFORM)
  5. To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth (TREASURE)

Each of these finds ample support in Scripture. …

Rev 15-16 – ‘The judgment of Jesus’ – sermon notes

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Video and notes of a sermon preached on the morning of Sunday, 9th June, 2024 at Holy Trinity, Norwich.

On Palm Sunday, 2017, bombers destroyed two historic Coptic churches in Egypt.  Nearly 50 parishioners were killed and 100 others were injured.  Just hours after the blast, Father George stood before his packed congregation and delivered ‘A message to those who kill us’:

‘Thankyou,’ he said.  Thankyou, because you have given the dead the honour of dying as Christ died; because the victims are now with Christ, which is better by far; because your actions have made people mindful of their eternal destinies.  …

1 Sam 15:10-31 ‘To obey is better than sacrifice’ – sermon notes

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Video and notes of a sermon preached at St Andrew’s Eaton (Norwich) on Sunday 2nd June 2024.

‘Spiritual failure is more often a slow leak than a burst tyre.’

So it was with King Saul.  He looked every inch a king.  But deep character flaws led to rash decisions and foolish choices.

To mention just one: Saul made his troops swear, on pain of death, that they would not eat any food until they had won a certain battle. …

Trends in the persecution of Christians

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Ronald Boyd-MacMillan, of Global Christian Relief, has outlined some of the trends (as of 2024) in the persecution of Christians:

1. Suppression via Technology

In China, the government has succeeded in reducing the attractiveness of Christianity by treating it as a security threat:

‘Bible apps and thousands of Christian websites have been blocked; one cannot even access a single hymn on the internet in China. With sophisticated surveillance, including the use of artificial intelligence and facial recognition technology, China’s 135 million Christians face a level of control not seen before.’

…

Persecution – three phases

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With special reference to Burma, but equally applicable to many other contexts, Johann Candelin, Goodwill Ambassador of the World Evangelical Fellowship, writes:

‘Persecution seems to pass through three phrases. The first is disinformation. Disinformation begins more often than not in the media. Through printed articles, radio, television, and other means, Christians are robbed of their good reputation and their right to answer accusations made against them. Without trial, they are found guilty of all kinds of misdemeanours.…

The three worlds of Evangelicalism

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This is based on this article by Mike Judge, which is itself based on an article by Aaron M. Renn.

The original article assumes an American context, so not all of the ideas fit neatly into the situation here in the UK.

Over the past half-century or so, the culture has passed through three phases with regard to how it views evangelical Christianity.

Phase 1 was largely positive.  The church, its ministers and its members were regarded with respect. …