Very often, I am asked what my ‘position’ is on social justice and/or mercy ministry and the gospel. Usually, I will feign a quizzical look before asking said person, ‘what do you mean by that?’ Generally, what they mean to ask is how I balance ‘loving people and providing for their needs over and against […]
When was the last time you met a person who took a decision in their life based on how it would affect their Christian community? As a pastor, I am often informed about decisions to move house, job, etc. and my immediate response is always twofold: What is the motivation behind your decision? Where will […]
Is the idea of treating addiction as a disease preventing addicts from overcoming their problems? Daily Telegraph writer and recovering alcoholic Damian Thompson, who has written a new book on the subject, explains that what worries him is the way addicted behaviour is “spreading around society”. “There is an acceleration of addictiveness”, he told the […]
I live in a scheme which is blighted by drugs. Children as young as seven and eight years old are smoking Cannabis regularly (I smoked my first joint at 12). Heroin is as easy to get as a pint of milk from the local store. Crack, Coke, E’s, LSD, you name it and it can […]
We have our annual church weekend away coming up this weekend at Niddrie Community Church. Last year we had an amazing time, when at least half a dozen people made commitments to Christ. Of those, five of them are still going on a year later. That in itself is remarkable given the high fallout rate […]
I often get asked how and why we have so many contacts and have so many unchurched people attending our services throughout the week. The answer is quite simple: 1. We pray for people. Are you really praying for people in your area, consistently, specifically, and intelligently? When I first came to Niddrie, I started […]
Ministry that does not have disciple making as the goal is anything but merciful. There is much good work done in the name of mercy by churches and Christians that might very well be good, helpful, and generous but, when considered in the light of God's mercy, they come up short. Mercy is the act of […]
As I think about my friendship with Mez McConnell and the developing partnership between our two churches that has led to the launch of 20schemes, I am reminded that gospel partnerships are God-honoring unions that bear much good fruit! Mez and I come from two diametrically opposed backgrounds. Apart from geography and grace, there is […]
We have seen a sad development in modern evangelicalism. Churches believe that they exist to make disciples of their own local community. Churches send money to a missionary society in order for that society to make disciples of other nations. We have cut off the local church from its commission to make disciples of all nations. It […]
There are plenty examples of friendship in the Bible. We have the example of David & Jonathan in 1 Samuel 18:1–3: “As soon as he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day […]