9–15 June 2019. Proverbs 24 (click to read). Proverbs 24 opens with the simple words: “Don’t envy evil people.” This plea is then repeated again in verse 19: “don’t envy the wicked”. At first it sounds like strange advice. Why would we ever envy evil and wicked people? But sadly this temptation is very common, very […]
2–8 June 2019. Proverbs 16 (click to read). In the church we spend a lot of time talking about right behaviour. We all want people to do what is right, and to avoid doing wrong. In principle, that’s fine. It’s good that we have high expectations of ourselves and of others; it’s good that we want […]
26 May – 1 June 2019. Ephesians 1 (click to read). Taiwan is full of social clubs that bring people together based on a shared interest. There are clubs for people who like dancing, who like hiking or painting, there are sports clubs that support particular sports teams, and even cooking clubs. But the church is […]
19–25 May 2019. 2 Chronicles 27 (click to read). It’s hard to stress enough just how important good leaders are to the health of a country. Our political leaders set the direction for our country, they shape our laws and policies, they set the tone for our public discourse, and they lead by example. It […]
12–18 May 2019. 2 Chronicles 16 (click to read). When people think about God, too often they imagine him like some kind of almighty policeman up in the sky. They think that God – like the secret police – is always secretly watching what we do, listening to what we say, and even eavesdropping on the […]
5–11 May 2019. 2 Chronicles 5 (click to read) In 2 Chronicles 5 we see the Israelites in the middle of a grand celebration. Solomon had given the order that there should be a great procession bringing the ark of the covenant into the temple in Jerusalem, and this was a reason for great joy. […]
31 March – 6 April 2019. Numbers 35–36 (click to read). A few years ago a big business leader in Taipei angrily told me that churches should stay out of economic discussions and just focus on teaching people about life in heaven. We had been debating economic reforms, the need to care for the poor, […]
24–30 March 2019. Numbers 24–25 (click to read). In Numbers 24–25, the story of Balaam continues. Balak, the king of Moab is afraid of the Israelites and their military power, and so he hires Balaam (a non-Israelite diviner from Syria) to come over and curse the Israelites. In this way King Balak hopes that he […]
17–23 March 2019. Number 15 (click to read). No matter which country or culture we come from, sadly one thing all people are good at is making divisions. We divide up our societies in so many ways. We divide between men and women, young and old, rich and poor, city and country, educated and uneducated, […]
10–16 March 2019. Numbers 4 (click to read). The Bible tells us that in the years when the Israelites wandered through the wilderness, they carried a tabernacle with them. The tabernacle was the place where Israel’s priests and leaders could meet with God and serve him. Because the people were mobile, the tabernacle had to […]