What does it take to believe? 11 April
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
What does it take to believe?
Poor old Thomas has been maligned. He was not a doubter. His fellow disciples were doubters, but he wasn’t. He was a straightforward unbeliever. A natural man, a man of facts. Of observable data. No ghosts or apparitions or wishful thinking for him.
If he was going to believe that Jesus had come back from the dead, he wanted to press the flesh, to check the wounds, to examine the body. And rightly so. No use believing an event for which there was no evidence.
Coming back from the dead was a big claim – is a big claim. It had never happened before in this way in the whole history of the human race. History was against it. Philosophy and theology was against it. Maybe such a thing would happen at the end of the world, but not in ordinary times.
Seed in the cupboard or seed in the ground? 4 April
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Seed in the cupboard or seed in the ground?
Easter is the story of a man who talked about plants. If you want to grow flowers, or wheat or tomatoes, you have to plant a seed. And the seed has to die. If you keep the seed alive in a cupboard nothing grows. If the seed dies in the ground, you get lots of fruit.
Jesus said life is like that. At least his was.
He said some people want to keep their life safe in the cupboard. He talked about people who loved their life, protected and preserved it and made it safe and comfortable. That, he said, was the way to lose it.
Is this a strange idea? Or does it make sense?
Read more: Seed in the cupboard or seed in the ground? 4 April
Palatable doesn’t save 28 Mar 10
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Palatable doesn’t save
Some of us have spent the six weeks of Lent reading, pondering and talking about the death of Jesus Christ. We have looked at it from many angles, mostly just scratching the surface of this amazing event, sometimes digging deeper and understanding more than we did before.
It is like a diamond, turn it this way and that and you see more beauty and wonder. And yet, like a diamond, it is a simple thing. Christ died for us. Christ died for our sins. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement. This is how God loved us: he gave his one and only Son for us.
And yet it is not just an event in history, although it is at least that. It is a personal act between our Creator and us. It is part of a relationship God has established with us humans. It is an act that is meant to secure that relationship. It expresses the profound and gracious love God has for us.
Love in residence 21 March 10
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Love in residence
God started it off. He loved us first. While we were still ignoring him. He loved us while we turned our backs. And now he has taken up residence in us. Love in residence. We know this because he keeps on breaking out of us with love.
It is a bit difficult having a resident God in us. He keeps on disturbing our life by trying to keep on loving – not just us but people we know. And he doesn’t do this himself, on the quiet, while we are occupied doing other things. He does it any time – sometimes when we are occupied doing other things.
It’s the way he has always worked. Taken the initiative, decided himself who needs help, and sent the help. Originally it was his own Son. He sent him to rescue us by offering his life for us. Atoning for our sin by his death. And not content with removing our guilt, he adopted us into his family. Gave us the Spirit of his son. Made it possible for us to call him Father.
Peter: the same or different? 14 Mar 10
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
The same or different?
Did Peter really change? Was he any different after Pentecost? You can still see the same abruptness and determination in his encounters with others in the Acts of the Apostles. He tells the Sanhedrin (Acts 4) that they can say what they like, but he is going to do what God has called him to do.
If anything the change is more of the same. Peter becomes more like Peter. But something has changed. The energy and passion is more focused, and more willing perhaps. The vision of the unclean animals and the visit to the Gentile Cornelius (Acts 10-11) still shows the rough edges, but also shows a very clear alignment with what God says over against both his upbringing and the power group in the church in Jerusalem.
But something has changed in Peter.
Holy Sinners: The paradox of sanctification 7 Mar 10
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
Holy Sinners: The paradox of sanctification
God's destiny for us is to be conformed to the likeness of his Son (Rom 8.29). One aspect of that destiny is to be holy like Jesus
"For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight." Ephesians 1:4. (See also Lev 11.44; 1 Pet 1.15,16; 1 Thess 4.3,7).
When we come to talk about holiness or sanctification we are presented with what looks like a puzzle. Christians are spoken of as being saints (holy ones) but are also obviously still sinners, and are urged to be holy. In 1 Corinthians 6.11, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the change that happened to them.
"Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? … And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, NIV.
He implies that far from being wicked any longer, they have been sanctified and are now holy.
Read more: Holy Sinners: The paradox of sanctification 7 Mar 10
What is a Christian? 28 Feb 10
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- Last Updated: 20 March 2014
- Written by Dale Appleby
What is a Christian?
A week or so ago, the youth group did a simple quiz which some of the adults heard about and showed some interest in. So here it is. It is a true or false quiz. How many can you get right?
What do you think MAKES someone a Christian?
a. Being baptised in church T/F
b. Doing good things T/F
c. Trusting in Jesus T/F
d. Believing that God exists T/F
e. Helping others T/F
f. Going to church as much as possible T/F
g. Reading the Bible every day T/F
h. Eating healthy food T/F
