You Can’t Be Serious !!!

“You can’t be serious!” You may be too young to remember these petulant words of John McInroe but they have become a stock reply of many to perceived injustices or impossible demands. Alas, they are hurled in the face of Paul, the apostle, when he...

Wrestling with the Word

I remember the old rules of wrestling when 2 falls or a SUBMISSION was a victory, Now, turning to Romans 12-13 we find submission to God comes before submission to the State. Notice that all instruction is addressed to all believers – “you” is plural. We...

The Key Question

Could the little phrase in Rom. 12:11 “serving the Lord” be the key to Paul’s ethics in these chapters 12 – 15:6 ? Humility and submission are the hallmarks of servanthood and service. When we see ourselves as servants/serving the Lord, or...

Tribute to Norman Plowman

The best gifts come in small packages. Norman was small in stature but strong in spirit, serving his Lord. We loved his voice, both what he said and how he said it. Perhaps his most memorable words were the oft-quoted; “Unity in things essential, liberty in things...

The ABC of Christian Living

Paul has written 3/4 of the letter to the Romans telling us what God has done for us. What is that, which comes before the “therefore” of 12:1? Could you summarise it? John 3:16 might serve. Paul might quote Rom. 5:8 “God showed His great love for us by...