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The Pastoral Letters - Introduction
The Pastoral Letters - Introduction
by SPCK - N T Wright
INTRODUCTION On the very first occasion when someone stood up in public to tell people about Jesus, he made it very clear: this message is for everyone. It was a great day – sometimes called the birthday of the church. The great wind of God’s spirit had swept through Jesus’ follo…
The Pastoral Letters - Judgment is Coming- So Get On With Your WorK
The Pastoral Letters - Judgment is Coming- So Get On With Your WorK
by SPCK - N T Wright
Judgment Is Coming – So Get On with Your Work 2Timothy 4.1-5 I was invigilating an exam on a hot summer day. The undergraduates were tired; it was the fourth or fifth exam they had sat already that week, and there were more to come. The sun beat down outside where their friends w…
The Pastoral Letters - Opponents of the Truth
The Pastoral Letters - Opponents of the Truth
by SPCK - N T Wright
Opponents of the Truth 2Timothy 3.1-9 It was a scrappy end to the game, but perhaps it was inevitable. We were winning by what should have been a safe margin; and with a few minutes to go the opposition seemed to realize that their cause was hopeless. Perhaps for that reason, tho…
The Pastoral Letters - Paul as an Example of God's Saving Grace
The Pastoral Letters - Paul as an Example of God's Saving Grace
by SPCK - N T Wright
Paul as an Example of God’s Saving Grace 1Timothy 1.12-17 When I was a boy, television was in its infancy. There was only one channel, and there wasn’t very much to watch on it. But, when I graduated off the programmes for little children (Andy Pandy and Bill and Ben, the Flowerp…
The Pastoral Letters - Pay Attention to Yourself and Your Teaching
The Pastoral Letters - Pay Attention to Yourself and Your Teaching
by SPCK - N T Wright
Pay Attention to Yourself and Your Teaching 1Timothy 4.11-16 I listened as the great scientist brought his lecture to its climax. He had ranged across the universe, explored tiny life forms on the one hand and vast tracts of intergalactic space on the other. He had spoken of the …
The Pastoral Letters - Rekindle the Gift!
The Pastoral Letters - Rekindle the Gift!
by SPCK - David Adam
Rekindle the Gift! 2Timothy 1.1-7 There was snow outside, and the living room was cold when I came downstairs. I don’t know why I’d woken up early, but I now shivered as I huddled on the sofa and waited for one of my parents to follow me downstairs. (I can’t have been more than a…
The Pastoral Letters - Slaves, Masters and Sound Teaching
The Pastoral Letters - Slaves, Masters and Sound Teaching
by SPCK - N T Wright
Slaves, Masters and Sound Teaching 1Timothy 6.1-5 Supposing the world goes on for another thousand years, and the Christians alive at that time look back at our generation, what will shock them most? We could each, no doubt, draw up our list of (other people’s) failings and fault…
The Pastoral Letters - The Battle of Faith
The Pastoral Letters - The Battle of Faith
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Battle of Faith 1Timothy 1.18-20 In the days before ships could navigate by satellite, the compass was the most crucial item on board. Whether it was sunny or snowing, whether it was day or night, whether the ship was on course or off course, the compass was the vital sign th…
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of a Bishop
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Character of a Bishop 1Timothy 3.1-7 A friend gave me a lift in the car the other night. He’s a politician and has been a member of parliament for 25 years. But now he’s decided to run for a new kind of public office: he’s hoping to be a candidate to be Mayor of London. ‘Sudd…
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of Deacons
The Pastoral Letters - The Character of Deacons
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Character of Deacons 1Timothy 3.8-13 We had just begun to taxi out to the runway, and I was settling back in my seat and wondering what the airline might come up with for lunch. Suddenly the plane stopped. After a short pause, the captain came on the intercom. ‘Sorry, folks,’…
The Pastoral Letters - The First Rule: Prayer fo the World
The Pastoral Letters - The First Rule: Prayer fo the World
by SPCK - N T Wright
The First Rule: Prayer for the World 1Timothy 2.1-7 When did you last make a list of people you wanted to pray for? Whose were the first names you wrote down? Most of us would start with the people we know and love best: our spouse, our children, our parents; other close relative…
The Pastoral Letters - The King's Royal Appearing
The Pastoral Letters - The King's Royal Appearing
by SPCK - N T Wright
The King’s Royal Appearing 1Timothy 6.11-16 As I write this, London is getting ready for another major royal event. It is the fiftieth anniversary of the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II, and the crowds and the television cameras are taking up positions to celebrate the day with …
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
The Pastoral Letters - The Mystery of Godliness
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Mystery of Godliness 1Timothy 3.14-16 The senior officer investigating the case consulted his colleagues once more, and then went out to speak to the waiting press. ‘I’m sorry to say’, he said, ‘that the incident remains a complete mystery. There is no explanation for what ha…
The Pastoral Letters - The Problems in Crete
The Pastoral Letters - The Problems in Crete
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Problems in Crete Titus 1.10-16 There is a famous puzzle which young philosophers love. Imagine a postcard, blank on both sides except for a single sentence on each. You pick it up and read it. The side you’re looking at says, ‘The statement on the other side of this card is …
The Pastoral Letters - The Purpose of the Law
The Pastoral Letters - The Purpose of the Law
by SPCK - N T Wright
The Purpose of the Law 1Timothy 1.8-11 We stood by the stream, looking across to the other side of the valley. It was a perfect spring day: gentle breeze, high cloud, bright sunshine, the hills around us at their best. Somewhere in the distance we could hear a sheep calling to it…
The Pastoral Letters - The Teaching about the Truth
The Pastoral Letters - The Teaching about the Truth
by SPCK - N T Wright
True Teaching about the Truth 1Timothy 1.1-7 I remember with considerable embarrassment one of the very first sermons I ever preached. In my mind’s eye I could see it so well. I knew – or thought I knew – what I wanted to say. But when I sat down to put it together, to write it o…
The Pastoral Letters - Vessels for God's Use
The Pastoral Letters - Vessels for God's Use
by SPCK - N T Wright
Vessels for God’s Use 2Timothy 2.20-26 ‘My wife and I are about to move house again. We’ve done it quite often enough already, but I have a new job to go to, and there it is. And so, once more, we’ve had to think about all the things we own – the clutter of old china and furnitur…
The Pastoral Letters - Waiting For The Crown