Embrace Hope

One of the things psychologists tell us is that it’s not enough to give something up; we have to replace a bad habit with something positive. Jesus said a similar thing in more graphic terms: “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places...

Embrace Gentleness

One of the good things about Lent is the opportunity to pause a little and reflect more. We live in a world of hustle and bustle and hurry is something we all get used to. It can be good to take time to ponder anew all God can do and learn from the One who is gentle...

Responding To Need

The needs are enormous. Even the needs we support as a local church can seem overwhelming: talking Bibles in India; supporting Amshika, Innocent and Bedline in India, Uganda and Haiti; helping to buy sewing machines for the tailoring programme run by Reeba in India;...

A Good Man

In Acts 11:19-30, we see a little more of Barnabas’s character. Luke describes him as ‘a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith’ Acts 11:24), sent by the apostles in Jerusalem to check out what was happening in Antioch. (It’s interesting that first-hand reports...

A Flourishing Church

Luke gives us a picture of a flourishing church in Acts 11:19-30, showing us the church in Antioch. Antioch in Syria (not to be confused with Antioch in Pisidia) was a cosmopolitan city founded in 300 B.C. by Seleucus Nicator, one of Alexander the Great’s generals....