Mark Barnes's Blog, page 4
December 31, 2014
Do you love Jesus?
The following is an modernised, editedextract from Spurgeon’s Love to Jesus the Great Testand Love’s Complaining.
It is possible to lack some aspects of Christian character and still be a Christian. But you cannot lack devotion to Jesus. Love for Jesus is so essential that lacking it is fatal. If you are alive to God you must love Jesus Christ.
Not loving Christ means losing one of the greatest of spiritual pleasures. What a joy to love him who is “altogether lovely” and admire the “Chief among...
October 31, 2014
The Unforgiveable Sin
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. The unforgiveable sin. Those concepts strike terror into the hearts of some, and confusion into the minds of others. But Jesus didn’t want anyone to be confused, and he didn’t want to terrify those who fear him. So let’s look at what Jesus said, to find out what he means.
False Accusations
We find the account in Mark 3:22-30, Matthew 12:22-37 and Luke 11:17-26, 12:8-10. The different writers give us different details, and by looking at all three accounts, we’r...
July 1, 2014
When is war right?
As I write this article, the 70th anniversary of D-Day has just been remembered. Reflecting on that ‘longest day’ reminded me of two things I’m thankful to God for. First I’m thankful for all who were willing to fight and face death for their people and for the sake of justice and liberty. And second, I’m thankful that I never lived in those dark days when Nazism needed to be confronted and defeated.
But even those of us who have never gone to war cannot afford to ignore the question of ‘when...
May 1, 2014
The two beasts of Revelation 13
Revelation 13 is one of the most debated chapters in the Bible. It tells of two beasts, one that comes from the sea, another which comes up from the earth. So what do these beasts represent?
Some Christians suggest they represent two great powers at the end of time. Maybe so. But the book of Revelation wasn’t written just for the generation that lives immediately before the end of the world. It was written for all believers throughout human history. As John often points out “you have heard tha...
March 1, 2014
Aging in a changing world
Age is a funny thing. When I was a child, nothing on earth could tempt me to eat broccoli. But now, it’s one of my favourite vegetables. As a teenager, any spare moment was invariably filled with a game of football with the lads from school – no matter what the weather! But now, curling up in front of the fire with a good book is much more appealing.
Our responsibilities change as we get older, too. We first learn to be responsible for ourselves, then often for a spouse, then children, and the...
July 1, 2013
The best apps for reading and studying the Bible
There are dozens of apps for smartphone or tablet users that will help you in your reading and understanding of the Bible. Here, we review some of the best. (Unless noted otherwise, all these apps are available for both iOS and Android devices.)
Best Free App for Reading the Bible
The best free Bible reading app is called simply Bible (published by LifeChurch.TV), but it’s often referred to as YouVersion. It gives you access to all the Bible translations you could want, and you can even listen...
January 12, 2013
Understanding our local culture
All of our churches, for better or for worse, are influenced by our culture. Yet when I read my Bible I find that the biggest cultural pull on the church is the local influence. Corinth was famously multicultural and permissive of sexual sin, both of which became problems for the church that Paul addresses in 1 Corinthians. Philippi was a Roman colony whose residents wanted to be good Roman citizens – a recurring theme in Paul’s letter to them (1:13, 3:20, 4:22). One of the seven churches in...
March 12, 2012
The new NIV
It seems that barely a year goes by without a new translation of the Bible. A glance at my bookshelf reveals that I own no less than thirty-one different English translations, though I use only three regularly. But last year I added a new Bible to that shelf, the 2011 edition of the NIV.
This new arrival is important, because the US publishers have explained that it is intended to replace the ‘old’ 1984 NIV with which many of us are so familiar. Already the publishers forced some electronic re...
January 12, 2012
The best preaching on earth
Over the last few weeks I’ve listened to some great sermons: Alistair Begg on finding Christ in the book of Ruth, Tim Keller on the crossing of the Red Sea, James MacDonald on learning from and leaning on Christ, Conrad Mbewe on the coming Christ, Matt Chandler on remembering our Creator. With such an array of internationally-known preachers, you may wonder where I’ve been. I’ll tell you — in a little room in my house in Clydach! The power of the internet meant that whilst I couldn’t travel t...
September 12, 2011
A disunited church
The Bible has a lot to say about unity amongst God’s people. We can read stories of united churches (Acts 2 and 6), hear Jesus pray for unity amongst believers (John 17), and see ultimate unity as all believers join in worship (Revelation). But the Bible doesn’t just show us what unity looks like; in 1 Corinthians it also shows us what church conflict looks like – and how it can be put right. Whether your church is united or disunited, that’s a valua...
