One Anothering

“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you”

I’d like to consider what it means to accept each other.

What does accepting one another look like?

It’s no good just saying that we accept each other – it has to be worked out in our lives together with other Christians – in our common unity.

Accept one another

There’s a little section in Paul’s letter to the Galatians Chapter 2 where he tells us about the time when Peter came to visit him at Antioch.

¹¹But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. ¹²For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. ¹³And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. ¹⁴But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”

Jesus calms the storm

Matthew 8:23-27

Then he got into the boat and his disciples followed him. Suddenly a furious storm came up on the lake, so that the waves swept over the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him, saying, ‘Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!’
He replied, ‘You of little faith, why are you so afraid?’ Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves, and it was completely calm.
The men were amazed and asked, ‘What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!’

Some years ago my wife and I went on holiday to France with two of our children. We went camping in Brittany and travelled there by ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff – a six hour sailing across the western end of the English Channel.

The Bible - Part 1

There are a number of reasons why have have chosen to write about the Bible.

1. I've been thinking about writing about the Bible for some time. 

2. I was once at a meeting in a retreat house with a bunch of Christians and we were all asked to bring something important to us and share it with the group. Understandably there was a varied collection of stuff and some amazing stories.

A childhood teddy bear, a treasured family photo, a painting.

I took my Bible. Apparently most of my friends had guessed that that is what I would take.

Christmas Chilli

What do you have to eat on Christmas Day?

Perhaps turkey, or duck or goose, or maybe something less expensive. I wonder if it should be a bowl of Chilli Con Carne!

The madness of St Paul and the uniqueness of Jesus

When St Paul was on trial before King Agrippa and Governor Festus in Caesarea the King said to Paul that he could speak for himself. 

The Bible says that Paul motioned with his hand and began his defence and he began to explain the gospel, how he had experienced the risen Lord Jesus on the road to Damascus and what he had been doing as a result of the encounter.

The power of the Spirit

Luke 24:45-49

⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

The Good News of repentance and forgiveness will be preached to all nations.

Preached - told - proclaimed – in whose name – in the name of Jesus.

You see this is the Good News that Jesus died and rose again.

And that when we repent of our sins we can have forgiveness because of what Jesus has done.