Communion : On being outsiders

Communion : On being outsiders

“Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders.” Ephesians 2:11 Ruth was an outsider because she was born a Moabite. The Moabites hadn’t helped the Israelites during their years wandering in the desert (Deuteronomy 23:3-6) so God told the Israelites to have...
Communion : The just requirements of the law

Communion : The just requirements of the law

I was confronted by a lady who asked if I believed the story of Noah’s ark really happened. When I said, “Yes,” she was greatly dismayed, especially about the elephants who died as a result of the flood. I’m not sure why the elephants bothered her so much. Surely, the...
Communion : Of first importance

Communion : Of first importance

Christians sometimes say they would like to be a New Testament church but I suspect they have a romanticized idea of what the early church was really like. Let’s consider these verses which reveal some of the conflicts in the early church: Acts 6:1 – Widows were being...
Communion : Until he comes

Communion : Until he comes

For I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of...
Communion : A gift of rest

Communion : A gift of rest

One day the elders of Israel came to see Ezekiel to inquire of the Lord. Amongst other things, the Lord gave this message to his people. “I gave them my Sabbaths as a sign between us, so they would know that I the Lord, made them holy” (Ezekiel 20:12). In the Old...