Dr Paul Allen

Romans 14:13-14 – Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.  I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean. As we come to this passage in Romans, we realize that, when trying to be a Christian living in a godless culture, there are three ways we can approach things – receive, redeem, or reject. Let’s start with receiving. There are many parts of culture and our world that we just receive and are ok with. I’ll give you an example – air conditioning. I’ve read the whole Bible; I can’t find air conditioning and I don’t care. I’m still for it, and you should be too. Let me put it to you this way. Go outside, turn on your grill to full heat, and climb inside. That’s Australia in the summer. I call December the beast, the false prophet, and the Antichrist. You may do some historical work and figure out...

Regarding ministry longevity, we can look at the apostle Paul ’s life, where he gives nine characteristics of an enduring ministry. To endure in ministry, the New Covenant is embraced as superior. It’s fitting that this first point is deeply theological. How does it promote an enduring ministry? The Old Covenant was the Law, which exposed men to sin and condemnation and could not save. The New Covenant of the Person and work of Christ is different. It brings life, righteousness, and salvation. And, it is the everlasting covenant. Further, the New removes the veil of the Old. The New Covenant is also Christ centered. Thus, it centers on him who is the fullness of redemptive history. Finally, the New Covenant is empowered by the Holy Spirit . He is endowing God ’s work of the New Covenant in redemptive history at this time. When we embrace these things, we are rightly positioned for a ministry empowered by the true God, which is key to an enduring ministry. To endure in minis...

Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator), a 6th-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai. NB - slightly cut down - for full size see here (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Does God delight in you, and if he does, how would he show it? Maybe he would show his delight in us by giving us good gifts – health or marriage or children or a dream job or a perfect vacation. But then we all know Christians who have had some or all of those things taken away. Did they lose God’s favor and God’s delight? Maybe God shows his delight in us not by giving us gifts, but by making us fruitful. God delights in you so your children always obey, your care group always grows, your neighbors always accept your invitations to church, and the guy on the airplane seat next to you accepts Christ before the plane even reaches the runway.  But if fruitfulness is how you know God delights in you, what does that mean when all your fruit starts withering on the vine? Have you lost God’s f...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Sometimes we can turn church into a spectator sport . A consumer sport. A “how will this help me?” sport. A “who will reach out to me today?” sport. But church was never intended to be that way. Church is a full participation, full contact sport . God has given each one of us gifts of the Spirit . You have a manifestation of the Spirit that I do not have. I need the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given you, and you need the gifts given to me. We can’t be half-hearted when it comes to participating in the life of the church. You have a gift of encouragement – who will you minister to this Sunday? You have a gift a prophecy – who will you speak to this Sunday? You have a gift of generosity – who will you bless this Sunday? You have a gift of mercy – who will experience it this Sunday? Please, don’t deprive me of your gifts! Related articles The Apostles part - 2 (representers.wordpress.com) Tozer on Tragedy in the Church (timm...

Image by doug88888 via Flickr “All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on” (Luke 21:4). As Jesus was speaking about the oppression of widows by the teachers of the Law, He looked up at the great bronze “trumpets” in the temple courtyard, in which people put their gifts. The rich were putting in their gifts and Jesus saw a widow slipping two mites into one of these receptacles. A mite was a copper coin, the smallest coin in the Jewish currency. It was worth about one tenth of one cent. The amount of money she gave was minuscule. It is interesting that the rules of the rabbis forbade giving just one mite, because the expense of administering such a gift was more than the gift itself. Thus, the minimum acceptable offering was two mites, exactly what the widow gave. Jesus was moved. He said this widow had put in more than all the rich. Jesus did not mean this in a quantitative sense, but in a qualitative on...

Image via Wikipedia The motif of the gift of the elect to the Son is expressed by Jesus on various occasions, particularly in the Gospel of John : This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day. (6:39-40) In this passage Jesus makes it clear that He is concerned about every believer being raised up at the last day. This qualifies His statements about what the Father has given Him that would never be lost. It is believers who are given to Christ by the Father, and these believers will never be lost. This affirmation builds upon what Jesus declared only moments earlier: But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe. All that the Father gives Me will come to Me , and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out. For...