Sermons, Articles, and Other Things

​ In this chapter, Matthew describes the initial preaching tour that the apostles of Jesus engaged in. Much of the details were limited to that tour, such as the clothes they could take with them , and the places to where they could go within the land of Israel . It was obviously a stage in the process of eleven of them becoming leading persons in the church of Christ.   Surprises in the list of names   How would you describe the disciples? Peter was impulsive, Andrew was quiet, James was fiery (a son of thunder) as was John; Philip was slow to understand (as John 14:9 suggests); Bartholomew was contemplative (sitting under a fig tree in John 1); Thomas was sceptical; Matthew was diligent in keeping records; Simon the Zealot was nationalistic; Judas was deceitful. Nothing is said about the other James or Thaddeus. Yet they were the ones that Jesus chose as apostles.    The obvious surprise in the list of names is that Jesus chose any of them to serv...

Psalm 46 is frequently called Martin Luther’s psalm. During the initial years of the Reformation when there was much hostility to him and his colleagues, he would often suggest to his friend Melanchthon that they should sing Psalm 46 because it assured them of divine help. Luther’s hymn, based on this psalm is translated into English under the title, ‘A Mighty Fortress is our God.’  This psalm is about the presence of God. We can see that is the case from the refrain in verses 7 and 11. His presence is described in two ways. In verses 1-7, it is his presence among his people (note the pronouns) and in verses 8-11 it is his presence everywhere else. Of course, many things can be said about the divine presence and it would not be possible to say everything in one short psalm. In order to show the wonder of God’s presence, the psalmist considers what would happen in the worst possible scenario. So he mentions an earthquake in verses 2 and 3. We have all seen on the television ...

The meaning of the thousand years is very much discussed today. Probably, the most popular idea about it is that it refers to a thousand-year reign of Jesus on earth. This period is regarded as commencing after Jesus returns and then reigns in Jerusalem for a millennium. Many devout believers have held and do hold to this idea. Indeed, most of the ones I have known, and I was converted in a Brethren assembly, were convinced that such an interpretation of Revelation 20 is obvious. In addition to that premillennial interpretation, there are two other views. The post-millennial view, as the name implies, is advocated by those who believe Christ will come after the millennium. In their case, the millennium is a long period of gospel prosperity that will be followed by a brief period of worldwide departure from the gospel. This idea puts the second coming of Jesus far into the future. Many people in the past held this view, but it is not so common today. The third view is the amillen...

Verse s 35 -38 contain one of the best-known statements of Jesus concerning prayer for the growth of his kingdom. It reveals the place of prayer in the fulfilling of the divine purpose. Here is a reminder that everything we do should be preceded by prayer.   The ministry of Jesus   Obviously, Jesus was engaged in a busy preaching ministry. We are told where he preached, how he preached, and why he preached. The locations where he preached are said to be the synagogues. One reason for this would be the fact that people gathered there and he had access to speak in them because he was recognised as a rabbi. We should observe that he did not only go to prominent places, but went to the next one that came his way, whether it was in a large town or small village.   Regarding how he preached, we are told that his sermons included two features – he taught and he proclaimed. Obviously, the teaching describes the content of his sermons – he provided information....