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Mark The People's Commentary - The Dynamics of Growth
Mark The People's Commentary - The Dynamics of Growth
by BRF - Dick France
The Dynamics of Growth This time we are offered no explanation, beyond the opening phrase, ‘The kingdom of God is as if…’ Or, to paraphrase it, ‘This is how God works out his purpose in the world’. For ‘the kingdom of God’, remember, means God being king, God in his sovereign pow…
Mark The People's Commentary - From the Least to the Greatest
Mark The People's Commentary - From the Least to the Greatest
by BRF - Dick France
From the Least to the Greatest Mustard Seed Mustard seed is proverbially tiny (see Matthew 17:20), and yet it produces ‘the greatest of all shrubs’. This is not, of course, the puny ‘mustard-and-cress’ that we grow in little plastic boxes, but a garden herb which in Palestine com…
Mark The People's Commentary - Disreputable company
Mark The People's Commentary - Disreputable company
by BRF - Dick France
A DEMONSTRATION in the TEMPLE Mark has carefully interwoven two themes here, as the scene shifts repeatedly between the temple and a fig tree on the Bethany road, thus: Verse 11, temple; verses 12–14, fig tree; verses 15–19, temple; verses 20–25, fig tree; verse 27, temple (which…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NICODEMUS by NIGHT
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - NICODEMUS by NIGHT
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
NICODEMUS by NIGHT In the last chapter, Jesus did not ‘trust’ himself to people who ‘trusted’ in him because of his signs (2:23–24). Over the coming chapters, many people come to Jesus because of his signs—the Samaritan woman (4:29), the official whose son is healed (4:47), the p…
Online Mission and Ministry - Online discipleship and spirituality
Online Mission and Ministry - Online discipleship and spirituality
by SPCK - Pam Smith
Online discipleship and spirituality Jesus said that where two or three are gathered in his name, he will be present. Many of us have found that this promise holds good online. Perhaps the very lack of physical presence, and the time it takes to respond to each other in writing, …
Online Mission and Ministry - Theological understandings
Online Mission and Ministry - Theological understandings
by SPCK - Pam Smith
Theological understandings Christians who become actively involved in online ministry can usually articulate a clear sense of being called by God to mission in the context of digital space. Of course, the personal conviction of being called to a particular role does not, in itsel…
Online Mission and Ministry - Where do I start?
Online Mission and Ministry - Where do I start?
by SPCK - Pam Smith
Where do I start? The old saying that it takes years to become an overnight success applies just as much to developing an online presence as to any other activity. There is no single, sure-fire way to develop an online presence – our methodology will vary according to our own per…
Online Mission and Ministry - Pastoral care and relationships
Online Mission and Ministry - Pastoral care and relationships
by SPCK - Pam Smith
Pastoral care and relationships ‘Pastoral care’ in a Christian context means supporting and caring for people who are undergoing problems and crises such as illness, unemployment, loneliness or bereavement through practical help, listening and friendship. The word ‘pastoral’ rela…
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Water - from sea to sip
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Water - from sea to sip
by BRF - Rona Orme
Amazingly, 70 per cent of the earth's surface is covered by water and around 60 per cent of the human body consists of water. God has provided plenty of water but many of us use far more than our share. Washing machines use much water in action, but also require a lot of water fo…
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Nature provides
50 Praise, Pray and Play Sessions - Nature provides
by BRF - Rona Orme
God provides food for all the plants and animals in the world - and enough food for humans, if people remember to share the resources of the earth. By pointing out how things work in nature, Jesus taught that it is important to trust God to provide what is required for each day. …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is BURIED
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The KING is BURIED
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The KING IS BURIED After describing Jesus’ three last sayings and the flow of blood and water from his side, suddenly John inserts a narrative comment with two of his key words both used twice, ‘witness’ and ‘truth’ (19:35). John the Baptist was a ‘witness’ to Jesus at the very s…
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The DEATH of the KING
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - The DEATH of the KING
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
The DEATH of the KING The Romans would usually leave a crucified body hanging on the cross to be picked clean by animals and birds, as a warning to others, like the old gibbets for hanged highwaymen at cross-roads. According to John, it is the Day of Preparation for the Passover,…
Mark The People's bible commentary - Golgotha
Mark The People's bible commentary - Golgotha
by BRF - Dick France
GOLGOTHA Crucifixion was a particularly cruel form of execution reserved normally for slaves and for political insurgents. The Roman writer Cicero called it ‘the most cruel and revolting punishment’ and the Jew Josephus called it ‘the most pitiable of deaths’. A crucified person …
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - GOD SO LOVED the WORLD
JOHN: The people's bible commentary - GOD SO LOVED the WORLD
by BRF - Richard A. Burridge
GOD SO LOVED the WORLD THINGS As we saw before, this passage can be read either as the end of Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, or as a separate comment by the evangelist. Who says it, is less important than what it says, for it is one of this gospel’s supreme passages, full of…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Passion of Jesus
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Passion of Jesus
by SPCK - Newsom, Ringe and Lapsley
The Passion of Jesus Jesus’ conflict with the Jerusalem authorities escalates. Our labels for these authorities are problematic at best: “Jewish” is anachronistic; “religious” as opposed to “political” is modern and Western. In first-century Jerusalem, the temple authorities, who…
THE WOMEN'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - The Prelude to the Passion of Jesus