Dr Paul Allen

Few things can cripple people like fear. Fear makes people shrink back from doing the things they know they ought to do. Fear can also make us do things we know we ought not to do. Fear is not simply self-protective or self-preserving; fearful concern for the well-being and protection of those whom we love can cause us to worry, to lie awake at night, and even to do things that could be perceived as either very brave or very foolish. So what overcomes fear? The Bible offers a clear and potent solution—faith in the promises of God. “By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of the king” (Heb. 11:27). This verse stands in the middle of Hebrews 11 and in the middle of the author’s commentary on the life of Moses. It briefly reflects on the faith of Moses in the face of a very real and present danger (humanly speaking)—the king of Egypt. Moses was a man just like any other man; blood flowed in his veins just as it does in yours and mine. He was truly human and thus capable of k...

  1. Psalm 46 1 God is our refuge and strength,       a very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way,       though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, 3 though its waters roar and foam,       though the mountains tremble at its swelling.      Selah 4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,       the holy habitation of the Most High. 5 God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved;       God will help her when morning dawns. 6 The nations rage, the kingdoms totter;       he utters his voice, the earth melts. 7 The LORD of hosts is with us;       the God of Jacob is our fortress.      Selah 8 Come, behold the works of the LORD,       how he has brought desolations on the earth. 9 He makes wars cease to the end of the earth;       he breaks the b...

We live in a world of pain, anguish, and torment, even though we only get glimpses of it—unless perhaps we work as a counselor or in emergency services. All around us are people in silent pain because of something in their nagging past, their anguishing present, or their dreaded future. Depression is no respecter of persons . Even one’s philosophical or religious views don’t seem to offer either immunity or susceptibility. Neither can depression be blamed on the modern technological age. Novelist William Stryon (1925–2006) called depression “a dreadful and raging disease” and likened it to “a veritable howling tempest in the brain.” He gives a conservative estimate that one in 10 Americans will suffer from it. Nobody is safe from depression—not even from “major depressive disorder,” the diagnosis I saw on my paperwork. What I Have Discovered I’m sure my feelings weren’t like those of every depressed person, but I know they weren’t unique. Fortunately, depression usually doesn’t strike ...

  Many of you have been experiencing fear and dread at the possibility of contracting COVID-19, of being hospitalized, perhaps even of dying. Some of you are fearful about elderly family members or other loved ones with compromised immune systems who live interstate or overseas. But even if you aren’t afraid of the coronavirus for health reasons, many of you are certainly worried about financial reasons. As businesses close, jobs have been disappearing and borders are closing this morning. Some of us may lose our jobs, while others have been cut back. Yesterday, Hope College staff contacted all our international students. Many of whom have lost employment. Pastor Justin will have a zoom online meeting with all our church leaders tonight - to organize Digital Connect Groups and Pastoral Care. If you don't receive our newsletter and would like to, go to hopechurcaustralia.com and complete the contact form. We must keep in communication, please. Hope Church Digital Experie...

For a long time, I believed a person’s ability to comfort another was simply a by-product of having experienced suffering. But notice what the apostle Paul says in his letter to the Corinthians: Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.… If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer —2 Corinthians 1:3–4, 6, NIV According to Paul, God does not comfort the believer for the believer’s sake only . Part of His reason for comforting us in our times of distress is so that we can more effectively comfort others. The apostle portrays himself as one who is passing along to other believers the very comfort God used to comfort him. He goes on, however, ...