TEXT: ‘So they rose early in the morning and went out into the Wilderness of Tekoa; and as they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said, “Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper”’ (2 Chronicles 20:20). It’s a shame when Christians avoid reading the Old Testament, because with a little digging they would find nuggets of gold hidden in the pages of Israel’s history. God said, ‘I am the Lord, I do not change’ (Malachi 3:6). Therefore we can adopt God’s principles and believe God’s promises because they are as true today as they were thousands of years ago. The biblical account of King Jehoshaphat’s actions when he faced being overwhelmed by a superior army reveals seven principles that we can learn from. 1. Wrong Associations – ‘Jehoshaphat had riches and honour in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, “Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?” And he answered him, “I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war” (2 Chronicles 18:1,3). Jehoshaphat was persuaded by Ahab to support him in a war against Syria. Despite a warning by...
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TEXT: ‘Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid. Then He took the twelve aside again and began to tell them the things that would happen to Him’ (Mark 10:32). During the early hours of March 29th this year, the Holy Spirit showed me what I am sharing in this teaching. Some of it will be particularly relevant to what you are going through and I want to encourage you that God knew ahead of time what you are facing today. Our text is the start of Jesus’ final few days on earth before the cross and there are four key truths we can take from the text. 1. Ahead – ‘Jesus was going before them’ True leaders always lead and have others following them. Psalm 23:1-3 says, ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.’ To get horses moving, some drivers crack a whip. Others simply say, “Lead on” and the horses respond to the sound of their voice. Jesus said, ‘My...
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TEXT: ‘Not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching’ (Hebrews 10:25 AMP). Recently I helped a 93 year old lady up the steps out of a church and along the gravel path to the car. She needed to use a walker with wheels on it. The gravel made the journey even more arduous than the steps. I asked her why she still attended church as she surely had a good reason not to go. She replied, “Because the Bible commands us to go and not forsake meeting together with other Christians!” I was so pleased with her reply and determination to obey God. In Part 1, we studied three reasons for attending church regularly: a declaration of our faith; to be fed spiritually; and to fellowship with other believers. Today’s Teaching highlights three more reasons for going to church. 4. Function God never designed church to be a one-man band and the congregation as mere pew-fillers. The church is a body and individually we have different roles to function in. The Bible says, ‘When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach,...
Learn MoreTEXT: ‘Not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching’ (Hebrews 10:25 AMP). Attending church has always been a problem for some Christians, ever since the first church started on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. This is why scripture addresses it with our text. Jesus was faithful to attend the synagogue1, as were the early Christians meeting together for the apostles’ doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer2. In many parts of the world church attendance is thriving but not in Western Europe and Britain, fuelled by affluence and a desire for anything but Jesus. It’s easy to find fault with your local church and use that as an excuse not to attend, but no church is perfect and if it were, once you started attending, that perfection would cease! Today’s Teaching focusses on some key reasons for regular and faithful church attendance. 1. Faith Attending is a declaration of faith. Before I became a Christian I usually frequented pubs and clubs on a Sunday. After receiving Christ as my personal Saviour, the desire to go to church grew. I couldn’t be in...
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TEXT: ‘I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears’ (Psalm 34:4). It’s wonderful when God speaks to us personally. Sometimes His voice comes unexpectedly when reading the Bible and a verse or passage speaks to us just as if God was there in person. When He does that it makes us feel really special. Other times we may be facing a crisis or need a specific answer. How thankful we are that God said, ‘Call to Me and I will answer you’ (Jeremiah 33:3). From Adam and down through the ages, God has always wanted to talk to us. One of the names of Jesus is, “The Word of God”. When we read what Jesus said and did, it’s little wonder we hear His voice. Sometimes as a comfort, other times as a challenge, correcting and directing our lives. Reading again about Elijah’s experience on Mount Horeb (See 1 Kings chapter 19), there are three points I want us to consider which will help when we are in need and want to hear God’s voice. 1. Desperation Elijah was on the run and needed answers. Why do our emotions fluctuate so wildly? A few days earlier Elijah had been fearless and full of...
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TEXT: ‘For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more’ (Jeremiah 31:34). Hallelujah! What a wonderful promise. It sounds too good to be true. So often people regard God as the one who, because of our past, brings down judgment but this scripture reveals God in a totally different light. There are three things I want us to consider: 1. The Problem We can remember what we have done – ‘I remember my faults’ (Genesis 41:9) King David wrote, ‘For I acknowledge my transgression, and my sin is always before me’ (Psalm 51:3). The conflict between Russia and Ukraine will trigger memories in those who have been involved in warfare in the past, particularly if they have killed someone. The guilt of such actions never easily goes away. In Exeter I visited a house and spoke to the wife. When asking about her husband, he shouted from the kitchen, “God can’t forgive me, I’ve killed someone”. He explained he was ex-military and knew the Bible said, ‘You shall not kill’.1 He was amazed when I corrected him by saying, “It says you shall not murder. You did not kill in a pre-meditated way but were only following orders”. A look of relief spread across...
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