Everybody likes getting a bit of recognition and applause.
The other day I was dissecting a human heart (as part of my medical school anatomy learning, not just for the banter!). I was the only guy in the group, and as it was somewhat messy and the girls didn’t want to get too hands on, I was left doing it all myself, holding this heart in my hand, cutting open the… Continue reading
Doctrine isn’t a something that I’ve written about explicitly before on All4God. There will have been elements of Christian doctrine that have seeped through in some of the articles, but in general I’ve kept the focus on life application and living out your faith rather than getting bogged down in deep theological discussions over issues like predestination or free will.
But a while back a friend asked me some deep questions… Continue reading
This is the first post from new All4God writer Josh Duddy. Before the main devotional, here’s a quick bit of info as to who he is: “Hey, my names Josh Duddy. I’m a first year physics student and loving every second of it. I could do with a few less assignments though, but 2 hour work days suit me well! I love sport and
Ok, let’s mix things up. This post is a little different to normal, as this time it’s you that has to do the work for it. Below you’ll see some questions, some Bible passages to look at, some stuff to think over – all related to grace and mercy. (I’ve even thrown in a couple of pointers towards answers to help you out!) So if you are up for a… Continue reading
“Since a dull axe requires great strength, sharpen the blade. That’s the value of wisdom; it helps you succeed.” Ecclesiastes 10:10
We need to be constantly sharpening our wisdom by spending time in God’s Word, listening to people explaining it and meditating on it so that when the time comes to need to apply it we will find that the blade is sharp. That way we will
If you live in or have ever been to America, you’ll probably have heard of (and may well have tried) a soft drink called Mountain Dew. It isn’t available in the UK, so it has achieved a certain cult following among people over here that have been to the USA and tried it. Compared to other soft drinks it has a very… Continue reading
This weekend is summer madness weekend, and I’m away at the King’s Hall with thousands of other Christians at Northern Ireland’s biggest Christian youth festival. Here’s a devotion I wrote at it last year, and hopefully over the next few weeks I’ll be able to share some stuff I’ve written at this year’s Summer madness
Ephesians 1:23 “And the church is his body
1 Peter 2v2-3: “Like newborn babies, you must crave pure spiritual milk so that you will grow into a full experience of salvation. Cry out for this nourishment, now that you have had a taste of the Lord’s kindness.”
In the Casting crowns song ‘Somewhere in the middle’ they have a line “Deep water faith in the shallow end”. I believe that phrase sums up where many of us are… Continue reading
There are parts of the Bible that it can be a real struggle to read through and get anything out of. Leviticus is a great example. Over the past couple of weeks I have been reading it as my daily Bible reading plan has instructed me to. And for much of it, I’m not going to lie, it was a real drag.
But 2nd Timothy says “all scripture is by… Continue reading
In 2 Corinthians 5:20 Paul calls us to be Ambassadors of Christ. But what does that actually mean?
An ambassador for a country lives in a foreign country, showing everyone who lives there how amazing his home country is.
“So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us.” 2 Corinthians 5:20
We are who people look to to see what Christianity is like. Our eternal home is in heaven… Continue reading
“The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on… Continue reading
Unity is defined as “a state of being one”. As Christians we are called to be one body in Christ, so unity is central to our understanding of fellowship, as fellowship is how we become the body of Christ.
Rick Warren, who wrote The Purpose Driven Life went as far as to say “unity is the soul of fellowship.” The New Testament talks more about the need for unity than… Continue reading
In this study we are going to be looking at all of 1st Corinthians Chapter 2, so unless you are a bit of a Bible machine and know it off by heart you might find it helpful to have a quick read over it first so you are familiar with what it is about.
Reading through chapter 2 it can’t fail to leap out at you that in Paul’s opinion… Continue reading
[We have a bit of a thing for new writers at the moment here at All4God. ANd here's another one for you - David Gilkinson, a Christian guy from Lisburn, who as well as being passionate about serving God is on a gap year working at Exodus Lisburn (a Christian nightclub, drop in centre and discipleship organisation), and isn't bad on the rugby field either]
Happiness is an emotion… Continue reading
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.” Ephesians 6v18
How often do you pray? And for how long? If you’re being honest it probably doesn’t come anywhere near the ‘all times and on every
In this article I hope to finish up my thoughts on unity in the Church as the final article in the series.
In the first I mentioned how I personally feel just one small issue can cause a big divide in the Church. Not only does this seem to contravene the teachings of the Bible, but it damages our faith individually, as one small part can consume our passion for our… Continue reading
West Ham football club fans have a song they often sing at matches in which they sing about blowing bubbles. I feel that as a church this is something we have been guilty of for far too long, and it is time to get out some pins and get bursting bubbles.
In John 17 Jesus prays for the church and in that pray he makes
1st Peter 2“The Living Stone and a Chosen People
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like
Please picture the scene. A man and some friends are going on a trip for a weekend, and they all decide to spend a couple of nights camping in the mountains nearby. As they begin to near the summit, they come across a valley with a beautiful view. They look across and see rolling hills and misty lakes. As his friends stand and
Casting Crowns wrote a song ‘Stained Glass Masquerade’ about how, in general, Christians are very good at disguising how they are. We don’t like to admit our weakness, out of fear that others will look down on us. We live thinking we are the only one going through whatever we are going through, that no-one else could be struggling with the same things we
So many Christians nowadays lose sight of who God really is, how big and how powerful He really is. What we need to understand is that God is infinitely powerful, unlimited, a being we can never fully understand.
God is not restricted by human limitations.
How many times have you doubted in your ability to spread the Word of God? Most of us would have
“Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
“Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armour of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the
You may have heard the KJ-52 song ‘Are you real’. If you haven’t, you can listen to it here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RkGU4BmfWUo
I’m not just pointing you to this song because it’s a good tune, but because I want to focus on the challenge laid down in it, particularly the last section of the song:
See there’s a war that’s going on outside
And you can try to ignore and just run and… Continue reading
[This is the first article contributed by a member of our forum, Starsky. It was inspired by the pastor Daniel from Arise Church]
A guy was walking down the street. He was on the phone and in the middle of a very important conversation. Then unexpectedly his phone cut out for no reason and all that was left was an annoying beeping sound
“The Lord took hold of me, and I was carried away by the Spirit of the Lord to a valley filled with bones….So I spoke the message as he commanded me, and breath came into their bodies. They all came to life and stood up on their feet—a great army.” (Ezekiel 37 v1, 10)
There’s a bit
Imagine you are an ant, moving across a lawn, when suddenly you come across a rock. To the ant that rock is a pretty big obstacle that will block its movement and prevent it from going forward without changing direction. Now imagine you are a bird flying over the same lawn, looking down at the rock from a great height – it will appear to be very
A theme that comes across a few times in the New Testament in the letters of Paul is that, as Christians, we are one body, the body of Christ. For example, it comes up in Colossians 3v15, Romans 12, 1st Corinthians 10v17 and Ephesians 4v4-6.
You will probably be familiar with this passage from 1st Corinthians 12 (emphasis added) :
The human body
“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there.” Galatians 5v24
At Good Friday we traditionally reflect on the cross and the suffering Jesus underwent on it for us. On the cross he was “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53v5 TNIV) He has paid the penalty for us. And now we
“The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he
You may be familiar with the idea that if you are a Christian you have been called by God, but what does that actually mean for us? What have we been called to, and how can we respond to that call? Continue reading
