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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Doing good 2 years, 11 months ago · View
I was just catching up today on Friday’s reading. Its a great passage, showing God’s power and the wonderful gift of the Spirit coming on all who believed the message about Jesus and the forgiveness of sins, even to the gentiles. But following on from my message last night at the meeting there were a [...]
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johncatmur commented on the blog post Sword Drill 2 years, 11 months ago · View
Hi both, I reckon its unlikely that the sword reference was either ‘the bible’ (an anachronism) or the Spirit. Here’s why: The discussion is over being prepared as travellers to spread the gospel. It was common for travellers in the Roman world to carry swords for defence (note, not attack). So it fits culturally, even [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: comforting 2 years, 11 months ago · View
I found hope in the fact that Jesus really suffered under the emotional pressure of everything that was going on around him. And that an angel came and ministered to him…was great. I was feeling pretty down yesterday and to think that God cares for me in the midst of that and provides the same [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: genealogies – yawn! 3 years ago · View
…but before I talk about that…ever wondered why John the baptist is suspected as being the Messiah? Maybe we all know but I sense its not often thought about. One of the roles of Messiah was to restore righteousness to Israel, to purify the nation (i.e. not just to deliver them from enemies as is [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: The name of Jesus Christ 3 years ago · View
I just love the way John doesn’t mention the name of the Word until right near the end of the passage. Its very dramatic when he finally speaks the name ‘Jesus Christ’ – like a film trailer when all the action is building up and then the hero is finally revealed explicitly. Lovin it.
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Genocide in the OT 3 years, 2 months ago · View
This is a tough question we have to face. There are no easy answers. In today’s reading the Israelites killed not just combatants but also civilians and animals – women, children, young, old, cattles, sheep, donkeys. On the other hand, not only Rahab was saved but also her family; the innocent was saved but also some ‘guilty’ [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Now it all comes out 3 years, 3 months ago · View
This whole narrative is one of my favourite stories in the Bible but today it really was more than just a cracking read. Verse 7 stuck out to me as the whole point the author wrote this story down – it shows how this adventure was the means of God building Israel. Joseph is where [...]
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johncatmur commented on the blog post I never liked Esau anyway 3 years, 3 months ago · View
Hmmm, I suppose I’m not willing to give such a clear cut answer as that Alan. I think we come out at the same place at the end but what you’re saying just doesn’t stack up philosophically. So my dogmatism agrees with you but my logic can’t. That’s why I would rather leave it at [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: I never liked Esau anyway 3 years, 3 months ago · View
I suppose I’ve got a instinct for supporting the underdog, and Jacob was certainly the weaker of the two brothers. But the title of my post doesn’t just reflect my own thoughts – in the NT we Paul using Malachi 1:3 to suggest that God’s hand was at work in this whole sorry tale: ‘Jacob [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: the most important thing? 3 years, 3 months ago · View
In recent years I’ve been learning the importance of faith as one of the biggest keys to spiritual life. Today’s passage spoke to me pretty powerfully about a situation I’m facing, and God spoke to me even more powerfully through the Reflection in E100. I think he gave some really good advice about looking back [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Lies, doubt and power 3 years, 3 months ago · View
This passage is intriguing to me. We traditionally hold up Abraham as ‘the man of faith’ – and he was. But the man of faith got to that place only after a long journey of growth. Here are the beginning of his story we see a weaker Abram who bails out of the land when [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Last of the Primevals! 3 years, 3 months ago · View
This passage marks the end of the so-called Primeval Narratives in Genesis; very early stories of the human race in general. Next comes the ‘table of nations’ and then we embark on the story of Abraham – the beginning of the story of the people of Israel. The literary structure of the Babel narrative points [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Faith 3 years, 3 months ago · View
Reading the E100 devotion that goes with these two chapters encouraged me to refresh my faith in the Bible as God’s word. We may have many questions in this area, and there are many reasonable answers. But in the end we are asked to exercise faith. My experience is that it is a faith which [...]
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johncatmur wrote a new blog post: Samuel is great! 3 years, 3 months ago · View
Samuel is a great hero of mine. He’s not flashy, he’s not a warrior and he’s not in any big institutional seat. Yet he wields authority and commands respect through his wisdom, prophetic gravitas and spiritual power. He the guy people really turn to when they’re in trouble. What lessons can we learn from Samuel? [...]
