Listen to Paul speaking to a church dividing on ethnic and social lines in Ephesians 2:14–17: “For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was […]

Poverty can be a tricky thing to get your mind around. Our church’s ministry brings me (Mike) into contact with different kinds of people in need. In one suburb nearby, we distribute food to Latin American immigrants who may not have the legal standing to pursue government assistance. In another suburb, we work with people […]

50 years ago, in Scottish schemes, gospel halls were thriving as City Missions opened outreach posts on housing schemes. Many never quite made it to local church status as they were run more by committees than by elders. City centre churches saw them as nothing more than outreach centres they could send interested members to […]

Please, as you read this, radically think about what you are giving your money to. I believe many Christians are missing the opportunity of investing for eternity, saving the fatherless and the poor. I believe many Christians are being ripped off and the numbers add up to tens of millions. Paul was collecting for the […]

Anyone who reads Acts and the letters can’t but be intimidated—how hard it is to help those in need. We can see this whether we’re looking at Acts 2, Acts 7, or 1 Timothy—and there are always critics (Acts 7) and awkward cases. These are matters of huge importance, and they are complex. There are […]

“You thought you’d like to save the world so you decided to stage a jumble sale for the poor, for the poor.” So the song says. What the Lord Sees and Does When He Sees the Poor When the Lord saw their poverty and suffering he was moved. The angel of the Lord came, the […]

What enters our minds (as local church leaders and/or gospel workers) when we think of inner-city housing schemes, council estates, and/or projects (or other socially deprived areas we know of)? What do you think that the residents need in order to alleviate the problems they face? It is easy to try to appease a guilty […]

Those of you who know me personally or have followed this blog for any length of time will know that I read a lot of books. A while back, I read a book entitled, ‘Toxic Charity: How the Church Hurts Those They Help (and How to Reverse It)’. I will enclose a short review here, […]

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 […]