Reading with M’Cheyne

When I was working on my first post-graduate theological degree, we were given the assignment of studying the sermons in Acts and discovering the core of the apostolic Gospel. One of the longer sermons in the book of Acts is here in this chapter; in it, we find many of the keynotes of this Gospel...

"The Lord is with you, O mighty man of valor"- Judges 6:12 Gideon is one of the heroes of faith mentioned in Hebrews 11 (verse 32), but he looks like anything but that in this chapter. Met by the angel of the LORD while beating out wheat in a winepress (even us moderns sense something cowardly...

"Arise, and go to the potter's house, and there I will let you hear my words"- Jeremiah 18:2 This is one of the most vivid object lessons in the Bible. It comes from a part of everyday life in ancient times, that of a potter and his clay. Then, the making of pots was a necessity - a clay pot was...

"And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."- Acts 8:1 What a disaster! One of the boldest of witnesses for Christ was brutally...

"And the high priest said, 'Are these things so?'"- Acts 7:1 In this chapter, Stephen, the first "martyr" (the Greek word for "witness"), bears witness to Jesus first with his words, then with his blood. In so doing he follows his master, even praying for his enemies as Jesus did (verse 60, compare...

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God"- Mark 1:1 Lots of people go to amusement parks at this time of year and enjoy the thrill of roller coasters and other rides. Reading the gospel of Mark is an exciting adventure too. You are in for a thrilling ride! This action packed...

Matthew 26 is a chapter full of drama. It contains the dark betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot, the insidious evil plotting of the chief priests and elders, and the agonising act of denial committed by the loyalty swearing Peter. These dramatic moments are far from haphazard intrusions that...

If you have ever watched the auditions stage of American Idol you will have noticed that people without any recognizable vocal talents can become quite agitated with the panel of judges, and especially with Simon Cowell. Even though they are there to be assessed on the quality of their performance...

The words of Jesus in Matthew 24:36, we may safely say, have perplexed Bible readers for two millennia. In teaching the disciples about his second coming Jesus said "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." We wonder, how could...

Are you really surprised that outwardly religious people can use their religion as a cover for gross evil? The media still finds the sins of the religious to be sensational, but, perhaps we would be better prepared to account for this reality if we listened to the damning words of Jesus in Matthew...