In this series of bulletin articles, we’ve been examining the Westminster Larger Catechism, published in the 17th Century. Lately we’ve been looking at the first commandment of the ten commandments: ‘You shall have no other gods before me’ (Exodus 20:3). We saw the duties of the first commandment and then began to reflect on the […]
For the first part of 2018, in these bulletin articles we have been looking at the subject of suffering. But today we return to our long-term series on the Westminster Larger Catechism, published in the 17th Century. We had started examining the first commandment of the ten commandments: ‘You shall have no other gods before […]
Serving the Lord can be hard work. And that hard work can come with much pain and suffering. So how do we get through the pain and keep on serving the Lord? One way is by remembering that it is our duty and privilege to serve the Lord in whatever sphere he places […]
When we suffer, it is helpful to keep the pain in perspective. If we know something bad will be quick, then we put up with it much more easily. We assure the child who has to have an immunisation that the needle will be in and out in a moment. The prisoner counts down […]
Sometimes God encourages us to consider suffering as a privilege. In Acts, we read that the Jewish priests arrested the apostles. Luke records the end of the matter with these words: ‘They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let […]
One of the great changes in our society is the change in attitude to the doctrine of hell and Satan. Many don’t believe that there is such a place as hell or Satan. This is reflected in an interview by New York Magazine with the Roman Catholic Antonin Scalia, who was a Justice of […]
Sinful humans are not a very prayerful bunch. Even the most godly of Christians would admit that they don’t pray as much or as well as they should. Previously in this series of articles on the benefits of suffering, I’ve mentioned that our pain drives us to pray personally. But it is important […]
One of the reasons Christians suffer is to show whether their faith is genuine. Many people claim to be Christian. But not everyone who professes faith in Christ is saved. Jesus gives a stern warning: ‘Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does […]
One of the reasons we suffer is so that we may grow as Christians. The apostle Paul says: ‘Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we […]
One of the benefits of suffering is that it drives us to rely on God more. Humans generally love to be independent. From a young age, children like to do things for themselves. When a mother tries to help a child with his homework, he’ll say ‘I know, I know, I know’, when he […]