Read Reflect The Book of Proverbs is normally attributed to King Solomon (probably with some bits added from elsewhere) who was a divinely appointed, absolute monarch. The point of v14 is that there is a permanent ethical responsibility for the king to treat people generally, and the poor in particular, justly. Through the timeline of […]

Read Reflect It’s somewhere around 49-51 AD. Paul is on his second missionary journey and during his 18 months in Corinth he’s writing this letter. What’s on his mind?  Certainty—the truth that Jesus is going to return. What’s on his readers’ mind? Doubt. Are we going to be OK or not? What’s going to happen […]

Read Reflect Here is Paul’s personal c.v. and the justification of his ministry. Here is his rationale and defence of his work. What guarantees the authenticity of Paul, the man and what he teaches? The fact that he’s been on the front lines, where he’s been shamefully treated, yet continues to boldly declare the gospel […]

Read Reflect Paul could have used a smartphone in his time, or a wi-fi tablet because he was one relational kind of guy. An electronic Facebook is great – but better is the Heartbook and the “great desire to see you face to face” (v 17). There’s an incredible sense of friendship, collegiality, even intimacy […]

Read Reflect So here’s the climax of all this interpersonal Heartbook stuff: they are as keen to see Paul as he is to see them. Why not? He has brought them life in Christ. No wonder they love him to bits and want to see him again. “We live if you are standing fast in […]

Read Reflect Uh uh. We tend to draw back when people start to tell us what to do, especially in the realms of inter-personal conduct and sexual behaviour. It’s all very well to believe in Jesus and love God, to go to church and say the occasional prayer, but…there’s more? We have to do something […]

Read Reflect In the Hebrew Psalms 120-134 are called songs of “Ascents,” a phrase which scholars think marks them out as songs to be sung as Jewish pilgrims travelled uphill to Jerusalem. Since they went to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate festivals, one can imagine them singing these songs along the way. As […]