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Former lawyer, now a London church leader, Nicky Gumbel has said on The One Show and in the Independentrecently, it was by reading the accounts of Jesus' life that he surprisingly became a Christian at University in the 1970s.

Thousands more tell a similar story - they didn't see why Christianity would have anything to say to them... then they opened the pages of the biographies of Jesus and he walked off the page into their lives.

For the past six months the University Christian Unions (with whom I work) have had access to 100,000 copies of Luke's gospel to read with friends, using a study guide by Becky Pippert (Out of the Saltshaker).

We've been thrilled with the impact this has had for students and it's great that they're now more widely available. The launch party was at the New Word Alive conference. At £2.99 each (when you a buy a box)  they're not cheap but they're not meant for mass distribution - but are a high quality investment to so friend…

Acts 18:25, of Apollos says:
And being fervent in [the] Spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus,  Fervency in the Spirit linked to being able to speak accurately about Jesus. At this point Apollos has a serious gap in his understanding, but God gives Teachers to the church and Priscilla and Aquila complete what faithful Apollos is lacking. He didn't know a lot, but he did know enough and with enough life. The Spirit was at work in him. He had ferve! Subsequently:
...he greatly helped those who through grace had believed,for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus. The work of gospel ministry is teaching that the Christ is Jesus from the Scriptures. That takes some ability, but before that it takes faith in Jesus. The Pharisees Jesus spoke with knew the texts of the Scriptures but couldn't see that Jesus is the Christ. They lacked the illuminating animating filling of the Holy Spirit.

I've wonder…

Last month I had the honour of serving my friend Howard Kellett by preaching at the church he leads, Godfirst Cheltenham.  Here's the mp3 of my sermon: How to look good naked from Genesis 3.

The Da Vinci Code (2003) is relatively harmless nonsense that I stayed up late into the night reading several years ago. The film is oddly less fun.
Dan Brown explicitly writes fiction but he builds his plot on re-writing actual history and that leads to some confusion (and opportunity for fresh clarity).
He has Leigh Teabing say:
“The fundamental irony of Christianity! The Bible, as we know it today, was collated by the pagan Roman emperor Constantine the Great.” The caper rests upon casting Christianity as Gnosticism. Gnostics, broadly, hated women and hated physicality... Great Christian leader Augustine was a Gnostic for a while until he found their worldview offered no answers or comfort for suffering - one of the vital questions for any worldview to answer.
By contrast to the Gnostics, the persecuted Christians honoured women and loved the beauty and physicality of this world. Followers of The Resurrected Man are hardly going to be against bodies or to think history doesn't…

Paul Miller, author of A Praying Life:
Even telling God “I’m not sure you can fix this” is a form of faith because you are going to God—you aren’t stewing in your frustration.
— Paul E Miller (@_PaulEMiller) March 31, 2013What a help to me in my weakness and tiredness.
What a help when I can't see light for the darkness.
When I feel like I'm on the floor and can barely put a few words together.

I can come.

Jesus said "Come, all who are weary..." not "Come, when you're up to it."

Naomi returned from Moab empty and bitter.
The LORD has ruined me, she said.
In his hearing.
In his land.
With his people.

Where they long for the king to come.
Jesus on the tip of their tongue.
Come visit us.

"Jesus, I've got nothing" is faith.

Ole Hallesby: My best prayer is my helplessness.

For me, and for rest of God's people. My people who are with me even when geography divides us.

And empty is when I know this is happening.
Likewise the Spirit helps us …

On Saturday I was part of Justin Brierley's Unbelievable show on Premier radio.  Listen here the discussion of What Happened on the Cross?

Essentially Steve Jeffery argued for a multifaceted view of the cross including Penal Substitution while Alan Molineaux wanted to omit Penal Substitution and keep Christus Victor at the centre. Greg Boyd and I offered pre-recorded additional perspectives.

I found Steve helpful and while I disagree with Alan I appreciated and learned from his wresting with the issues. We're unfinished people and I have plenty of questions that I wrestle with too.

Controversy can open up divisions and I'm nervous of that. Controversy is also a great opportunity to gain clarity. At risk of being a Church Gossip Column, observing spurious trends I think it's fair to say that penal substitution has been a matter of some controversy in the last decade for some in the UK church. What isn't! For me, further reflection is an opportunity to hear God and t…