There is no change of purpose with the divine “potter”, but there is a change of mind and disposition towards the “clay lumps”, individual and national, according as they change their mind and disposition towards the “potter”. This is the apostolic argument in the epistle to the Romans (chapter 9), and satisfactorily explains the existence… Read More Today’s Thought (August 01): The divine potter
Exposition / Politics and Skepticism Conspiracy Thinking and Radical Skepticism There is a strong mistrust in society today, a spirit of suspicion and skepticism that is almost pathological. The COVID-19 experience has bred a lot of it, with debates about vaccination, wearing masks, etc. Conspiracy thinking is very much on the rise. Subject matter experts are… Read More Conspiracy Thinking and Radical Scepticism
Today’s thought “The deceitfulness of sin” (November 30) The word ‘sin’ is an obsolete word today, do we ever hear it used in personal conversations? It would only be in a Bible talk and occasionally in discussions between brethren and sisters. What challenges we face in our godless world – but I doubt we ever… Read More Today’s thought “The deceitfulness of sin” (November 30)
It is only too true, and we sadly need one of the old prophets to break in upon the Household to cry aloud and spare not — to warn one and all of our failings, and to point out, as one of the prophets did to Israel of old, that in the day of their… Read More A Growing Evil
Today’s thought “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (February 2) Romans 12 is one of the most significant in God’s word. How significant for us is the advice given in verse 12. “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” The world around us offers nothing in which we can genuinely rejoice.… Read More Today’s thought “Vengeance is mine, I will repay” (February 2)
Today we listen to a prayer and a passionate song of David with Psalm 6 & 7. Facing several problems David took refuge and asked God to save him from each of his persecutors (Psalm 7:1-2) David asks the Adonai, Who commanded judgment and vindication, to arise in His anger against the fury or rage… Read More Today’s thought “Asking God to arise against the enemies” (January 03)
The Eternal One Devar Hashem Jehovah brought a message for the whole world. Jehovah God gave it to a man named Zephaniah when Josiah (Amon’s son) was the king of Judah. Zephaniah’s father was Cushi, the son of Gedaliah (Amariah’s son and a descendant of a commoner named Hezekiah). (Zephaniah 1:1) Eternal One said He… Read More Today’s thought “The Eternal One going to wipe the face of the earth clean” (December 15)
Unceasing evil The above two words are the last words in the short prophecy of Nahum we read this morning. His three chapters are “an oracle concerning Nineveh” (1:1). You will remember that Jonah reluctantly went there, but they responded to his preaching of warning that in “forty days” they would be destroyed because of… Read More Today’s thought “Unceasing evil” (December 11)
Today’s thought “Stormy winds fulfilling his word” (February 2) Evil threatens to overcome the world. Evil has always been present, sometimes violently so such as in the days of my youth when Adolf Hitler was in power. Massive force was used to overcome the evil he created. But Paul wrote, “Do not be overcome with… Read More Today’s thought “Stormy winds fulfilling his word” (February 2)
The consistent Biblical view is that this world is ruled by human desires gone wrong.… Read More What Causes Sin?
In the last article in the series “Key to the Bible” we present again some thought which can surprise several Christians. Like you could see from previous articles and Bible texts you might have seen how many Church doctrines are not in accord with Bible doctrines. Jesus taught that all evil comes from within, out… Read More Has the devil got you?
Today’s thought “According to the integrity that is in me” (January 3) What a challenging selection of chapters we have today! Our heading is taken from David’s Psalm 7: it is largely a prayer; can it be our prayer too? “Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is… Read More Today’s thought “According to the integrity that is in me” (January 3)
Excerpt from The Guiding Light by Islip Collyer “In this world of our mortal experiences there is a strange mixture of good and evil. In many ways it seems a blighted and faulty world; yet as we increase our experience and knowledge, we become conscious of a wonderful, growing persuasion that in one respect the… Read More The Guiding Light
Today’s thought “God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark” (January 04) Yesterday we came to read the history of Noah where the Divine Creator gave the people a period of 120 years, in which they could repent of their sinful ways. There we got… Read More Today’s thought “God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark” (January 04)
Today’s thought “A Perfect World” (January 02) On January the 1st we had an eye on Genesis 1.2. Today we look at Genesis 3-4. The Genesis record is so simple in the way it lays out the days of creation. A Divine Being not limited or restricted by time. It was there when there… Read More Today’s thought “A Perfect World” (January 02)
Questioning why to be baptised When people come to question their faith and do find an other group may have something more to offer them or has the truth and can bring them closer to God, they often wonder why such church or group demands that they become baptised. Roman Catholics and many others who… Read More Salvation, Baptism and Re-baptism
The 1st Adam was the beginning of man, the “head”, the first-made. Out of the seed of Adam and Eve all men and women came. “Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, humankind is sinful” is not exactly totally right. Man still has his own free will and has still the same opportunity as Adam and… Read More The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #8 Looking for the 2nd Adam
After the choice Adam and Eve made to go against the Will of God, eating of the fruit of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, God came to deal with three parties in the fall of mankind: Adam, Eve and the serpent. An alleged fourth – the devil – is not mentioned in… Read More The 1st Adam in the Hebrew Scriptures #5 Temptation, assault and curse
Philippians 4:1-9 The Scriptures 1998+ (1) So then, my brothers, beloved and longed-for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Master, beloved. (2) I appeal to Euodia and I appeal to Suntuche to be of the same mind in the Master. (3) And I also ask you, true companion, help these women who laboured… Read More Thought for September 8 Weak but standing strong in the ground swell
After or in-between our series on finding a church, we would like to share an exhortation given a few weeks back by brother Simon Peel at the Newbury ecclesia which we could follow thanks to the Google Hangouts. It referred back to the second part of the two Books of Chronicles (or the Diḇrê… Read More Queen of Sheba visits Solomon
Belgian Ecclesia Brussel - Leuven 