Dr Paul Allen

As he approached the final days of his ministry, the Apostle Paul set his thoughts on the future well-being of Timothy, his "beloved child" in the faith (2 Tim. 1:2). He wrote to him about the things that matter most for life and ministry. Not only did Paul commend to his young protégé the glorious gospel of God (vv. 8–10) and the divinely inspired Scriptures ( 3:16 –17), but he also instructed Timothy regarding the importance of sound doctrine: "Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus .  By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you" ( 1:13 –14). According to Paul, doctrine is among the things that matter most for the well-being of the Christian and the church. Sound, or "healthy," doctrine provides a pattern that, when followed, promotes healthy faith and love. Sound doctrine is a valuable heritage that is to be treasured in this gene...

No Trespassing (Photo credit: K2D2vaca ) 2 Thessalonians 3:6,11-13 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ , we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. We hear that some among you are idle and disruptive. They are not busy; they are busybodies. Such people we command and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to settle down and earn the food they eat. And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good. Trespassing on other people’s property carries consequences. “No Trespassing” signs usually carry a threat of prosecution if someone steps over the boundaries. This analogy can be applied to our relational and spiritual boundaries as well. The Bible repeatedly affirms this principle, saying that there are consequences to “trespassing.” It tells us that “if we walk one way, this will happen, and if we walk another way, something else will happen.” Just...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church  “And the peace of God , which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus .” ( Philippians 4:7 ) Most of the world’s people have longed for peace, but the world continues to be at war. Evolutionists attribute this to ages of violent evolutionary struggle; the Bible attributes it to sin! But it is wonderfully possible to have real personal peace even in a world at war. This is what the Bible calls “the peace of God,” and it surpasses all human understanding because it is provided by the God of peace, for the writer continues, “The God of peace shall be with you” (v. 9). The God of peace! There are some wonderful promises associated with this beautiful name of our Lord. For example: “The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” ( Romans 16:20 ). Also: “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly” ( 1 Thessalonians 5:23 ). The provision of God’s perfect peace ( Isaiah 2...

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 ) "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie." ( 2 Thessalonians  2:11 )   This is a startling declaration! Why would God want to deceive people and cause them to believe a lie? The "cause" which would activate such an extreme decision on God's part must be very serious. The preceding verse states it plainly. It is "because they received not the love of the truth , that they might be saved" ( 2 Thessalonians  2:10 ). Because they "resist the truth" ( 2 Timothy 3:8 ), they will "believe the lie"!   The specific context refers to those who elect to follow the coming " man of sin ," but the principle is timeless. It tells us that God's attitude toward men is determined by their lov...

Stained glass at St John the Baptist's Anglican Church http://www.stjohnsashfield.org.au, Ashfield, New South Wales. Illustrates Jesus' description of himself "I am the Good Shepherd" (from the Gospel of John, chapter 10, verse 11). This version of the image shows the detail of his face. The memorial window is also captioned: "To the Glory of God and in Loving Memory of William Wright. Died 6th November, 1932. Aged 70 Yrs." (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden." ( Genesis 3:8 ) The presence of the Lord can be either a cause of fear or a source of blessing. Adam and Eve were greatly afraid of His presence because of their sin , and their son Cain "went out from the presence of the LORD" ( Genesis 4:16 ) because of his sin. Yet it will also be to many a ti...

English: Jesus Christ saving the souls of the damned. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) The Bible warns us that those who do not accept the gospel of Jesus Christ “will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction,  away from the presence of the Lord  and from the glory of his might” ( 2 Thessalonians  1:8-9). Away from the Presence of the Lord If the most essential thing we can say about  heaven  is that it is where God is, the most essential thing we can say about hell is that it is where God is  not . If the presence of God in heaven is the assurance of abundant and eternal joy, the God-lessness of hell necessarily removes all hope of joy or blessing. But hell is far worse than merely the absence of God’s blessing. As Paul stated in the verse above, hell is also “the punishment  of  eternal destruction .” Punishment Punishment  implies that those who are in hell have not simply been abandoned by God. Rather, they ha...

Jesus  (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds." ( Hebrews 12:3 ) The Christian life and ministry can grow wearisome and hard at times, but with Christ Himself as our example, the Lord admonishes us not to faint, but always to press on. If our prayers seem to go unanswered, He reminds us that "men ought always to pray, and not to faint" ( Luke 18:1 ). When we grow tired and are tempted to quit, the Scriptures assure us that "in due season we shall reap, if we faint not" ( Galatians 6:9 ). When God has entrusted us with a certain ministry, we need to learn to say, as with Paul, "Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not" ( 2 Corinthians 4:1 ). As we see God's mercy-drops of blessing begin to fall, we then can say, as he did, "For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man pe...

English: Peresopnytsia Gospels. 1556-1561. Miniature of Saint Matthew. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) It’s wise to periodically pause and refresh ourselves on why we do what we do. For those of us taking a break from our labors on this Labor Day (ironic, as it may be), here’s a triad of encouragements from the apostle Paul to remind Christians why we labor. 1) We labor not to be a burden to others. ( 2 Thessalonians 3:8) If you don’t do your part to feed your own mouth, and you plan to keep feeding it, then you’re banking on someone else to provide food for you. Same with clothes and shelter and Internet . One of the Christian motivations for laboring at our jobs is being able to provide for ourselves (and our families, 1 Timothy 5:8), and not be a burden to others. Paul recounts that while among the Thessalonians, he and his team did not “eat anyone’s bread without paying for it, but with toil and labor we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of yo...

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." ( Hebrews 10:25 ) This verse is often cited as an incentive to regular church attendance , but it can also relate just as well to any gathering of two or more believers in Christ ’s name. The Lord Jesus said: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" ( Matthew 18:20 ). It is fascinating to note that the Greek word translated "assembling together" in this verse is used only one other time in the New Testament , and there it is translated "gathering together." "Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ , and by our gathering together unto him" ( 2 Thessalonians 2:1 ). In this ...

Česky: Kříže - symbol utrpení Ježíše Krista a jeho ukřižování (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil." ( 2 Thessalonians 3:3 ) The Lord Jesus Christ has many wonderful attributes, not the least of which is His faithfulness. That is, He is believable and trustworthy, sure to do all He promises. He will keep us from the evil one and from being overcome by evil in our lives, as promised in our text. Also, " God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted that is, 'tested' above that ye are able" ( 1 Corinthians 10:13 ). Why does He care for us so? In the first place, He is our Creator , and has a distinct purpose and will for our lives. Therefore all who are His can safely "commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" ( 1 Peter 4:19 ). He will keep us to the end; Paul said, "I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserv...

An image of Psalm 23 (King James' Version), frontispiece to the 1880 omnibus printing of The Sunday at Home. Scanned at 800 dpi. Français : Illustration du Psaume 23 (version autorisée par le roi Jacques), en frontispice de l'édition omnibus du Sunday at home. Version numérisée à 800 dpi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) "Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labour until the evening." ( Psalm 104:23 ) The 104th Psalm is a beautiful psalm of creation and the Flood, supplemented by God 's providential care of His creatures in the post-Flood world. Our text makes man's activity seem almost incidental in the grand scope of God's activities on behalf of His whole creation. Nevertheless, it reminds us of God's first great commission to mankind concerning that creation. "Have dominion . . . over all the earth . . . to dress it and to keep it" ( Genesis 1:26 ; 2:15 ). This primeval mandate, though still in effect as man's stewardship responsibili...