Pastor of Alverstoke Evangelical Church, Gosport, Hampshire, UK
The Navigators’ 5x5x5 reading plan starts with Mark’s gospel. If you’re following this plan, it may be helpful to know a little bit about Mark’s gospel. I don’t claim any credit for what follows; it comes from the ESV Bible introduction to Mark. The Gospel of Mark emphasizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son … More Mark’s gospel
Tomorrow our church begins the Navigators’ 5x5x5 reading plan, which takes us through the New Testament in a year, with readings for 5 days each week. I plan to post some short reflections on the readings from time to time, but before we start, here are some thoughts on how to approach reading God’s word. … More How to approach reading God’s word
Having neglected this blog for a while, here is a quick update on my situation… In April, I received a call to serve God in a new church in Gosport, Hampshire, called Alverstoke Evangelical Church. After 25 years serving full time at Lansdowne Evangelical Free Church, in south London, this was a huge step to … More New things
For the last few weeks, I have been resting from full time service at Lansdowne, because I have been recovering from a hernia operation. Once the initial few days of pain were over, I was able to start reading again. It is good as a Christian minister to read books about the ministry. I recently … More The Pastor : His Call, Character and Work
Hebrews 4:15. “We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses.” The Christmas story reveals that God the Son, while remaining fully God, took to Himself a true human nature. That human nature was real and He experienced all the weaknesses and frailty of human nature: tiredness, hunger, thirst, … More Christmas meditation 2023
This will be the final devotional until 4 January, although I hope to post some of my Christmas sermon recordings over the next couple of weeks. Thank you for reading these devotionals. May you know the Lord’s blessing this Christmas. John 1:29 Over the last two days, we have looked at how we can truly … More Christmas devotional – John 1v29 – The Lamb of God
John 1:18 part 2 Jesus reveals God to us. Through Him we know God. We don’t just know about Him, but we know Him – personally. Jesus reveals God fully to us because He is God. This is what the rest of verse 18 (that we started looking at yesterday) shows us. Jesus is the “One … More Advent Devotional for 24 December 2020 – John 1v18 part 2 – He has made God known
John 1:18 “No-one has ever seen God…” Wait a minute, John, what about Moses or Isaiah? Scripture doesn’t lie, so what John is saying is that no-one has ever seen God in the fullest sense. Moses and Isaiah had glimpses of His glory but didn’t see the full manifestation of God’s person and glory. What Moses … More Advent devotional for 23 December 2020 – John 1:18 – no-one has ever seen God
John 1:17 part 2 “Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” We saw yesterday that God is a God of grace. Verses 16-17 are showing that God has always been a God of grace; the “grace and truth” through Jesus Christ is a continuation (and fulfilment) of the grace that God showed His people when … More Advent devotional for 22 December 2020 – John 1v17 part 2 – grace and truth
John 1:17 God’s grace is amazing. On Saturday, in verses 16, we saw: “from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace.” Today’s verse explains this abundant grace more. God has always been gracious. It is not like He suddenly became gracious when Jesus was born. He is a God of grace, but that grace was … More Advent devotional for 21 December 2020 – John 1v17 – more grace
The best is yet to come 