"The satanic element in human experience is not the instinctive animal instinct, greatly intensified, but it is evil with a numinous halo: not evil which repels, but evil which fascinates and allures by the magic of its attraction. We should therefore seek for traces of real devilry rather in the sphere of literature and art... Continue Reading →
3. The Old Gate
Nehemiah 3:6-12 The Old Gate can speak of spiritual realities in two distinctive directions: The Old Gate symbolises the old ways of the faith that God has already revealed. In order to be mastered by Christ, by repentant faith, we also learn the old faith from those who have been mastered by him. “Thus says... Continue Reading →
2. The Fish Gate
2. The Fish Gate (Nehemiah 3:3) This is the Gate that speaks about evangelism. Fish caught in the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee and any trade from the surrounding nations, notably Syria, were brought to Jerusalem for sale at the markets through this Gate. Therefore, after the Sheep Gate, we follow Jesus with a... Continue Reading →
Sufficiency of Scripture for Every Area of Life
" People sometimes say that Scripture is sufficient for theology, but not for other areas of life, like science, history, plumbing, politics, car repairs. But that idea misunderstands the sufficiency of Scripture. Remember always: Scripture is sufficient as the word of God. It gives us all the words of God we will ever need. So... Continue Reading →
One way the devil lies by omission
One of the besetting sins of contemporary evangelicals is that our intellectual and theological lives are cluttered. As Francis Schaeffer once summarized the problem, we tend to think in bits and pieces, and not in wholes. All the things of earth are there, right in front of us, but they are not sorted out. There... Continue Reading →
1. The Sheep Gate
The Sheep Gate This is the gate where the sacrificial animals would be brought into Jerusalem. Notice also that it was built specifically by the High Priest and his fellow priests, thus it is Jesus who is our High Priest, and He is building His Church. Additionally, it is the only Gate without bolts or... Continue Reading →
The Gates Tell the Story
In my preparations for preaching on Jesus' call to the fishermen to be his disciples, "Come, follow me..." (Mark 1:17), I discovered something really fascinating that gave me an idea. I won’t explicitly say what the discovery was at this point, suffice to say it took me to Nehemiah 3 and the construction of all... Continue Reading →
Athanasius and the Vitality of Theology
Some good will have been done if we can convery some of the essential vitality of theology through the [life and theology] of Athanasius (b. c. 297, Patriarch of Alexandria, d. 373). Too many well intentioned persons, not a few of them clergy and ministers, decry theology. 'Leave it to the learned fellows in the... Continue Reading →
Defend & Contend
‘Defend and Contend for the Faith’ Letter of Jude I was wondering if anyone here has heard of The Great Wall of China? Apparently it’s quite a big wall, and famous. Its origins go back to as early as the 7th century BC. The 7th century BC is the era of the Prophet Jeremiah. And... Continue Reading →
‘Hold Your Nerve’ – a new year’s day sermon
1st January 2023 (Mk 5:35-43) Today’s Scripture reading is quite deliberate on my part. I’d like us to think about it as the preface to our 2023 Key Verse (Mk. 1:17). Every human being is called by the living God to follow Jesus Christ. We’ll explore what that looks like throughout January. But for now... Continue Reading →
Gralefrit Theology 