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Over the last few weeks in Acts we have been discovering a number of ways we can care for the church. Pray In Acts 4:23f, we discovered it was the natural reaction of the believers to pray to God. They do so in good times to say thank you. They do so after being persecuted for their faith, and ask for boldness. As they pray, thing happen - the ground shakes, they are filled with the spirit and speak the word of God boldly. The church grew through prayer. More people beli

I have to admit it - I rely a lot on Google. Gmail, Calendar, Keep and Maps are apps I use daily. I am using Google Assistant more too. But sometimes it lets you down. Take this for example. I was hugely disappointed with this answer. It is so unhelpful. Where Google lets you down, our catechism question for this week helps! Q15. Since no one can keep the law, what is its purpose? That we may know the holy nature and will of God, and the sinful nature and disobedie

There is nothing more encouraging that knowing that God is at work. It is exciting to know that he is alive and active in the world. How do you long for him to work? In our passage today, we saw God at work. He was at work with 'great power and great grace.' The humbling thing was, that his great power and grace was at work in US. If we're honest, when we want God to work, we want him to do it over there. Sure, we want him to work in our church and our community, but t

Last time in the catechism, we discovered that we have nae chance of keeping God's law. You might think that's not only tough - it's no fair. The next question helps us understand more. Q14. Did God create us unable to keep his law? A. No, but because of the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve, all of creation is fallen; we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature and unable to keep God's law. This helps us understand the issue more. Here are a cou

This morning we listened to the early church in prayer, after the release of Peter and John. The story comes in Acts 4:23-31. After they pray an earthquake shakes the room they where meeting in. They are filled with the Spirit. They all speak the word of God boldly. I have never been in a prayer meeting when the earth has shock in response to our prayers. Yet God has still heard; and he still answers. If we believe that, then we must live it. When we pray for boldness

Have you ever seen someone attempt something and think - they have nae chance? It could be on the sports pitch or going for a promotion at work, the odds seem stacked against them. They have nae chance! What are our chances of keeping God's law? Even for a day? Question 13 of the New City Catechism tells us we have 'nae chance'. Q13. Can anyone keep the law of God perfectly? A. Since the fall, no mere human has been able to keep the law of God perfectly, but consistentl

I have always been challenged and encouraged by Acts 4:13 "When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus." This morning, we seen the need to spend time with Jesus. Here are some practical suggestions about how to do this. Read an advent book We recommended two this morning. Love came down at Christmas by Sinclair Ferguson or Come, let us adore him

We come to the last two commandments in this weeks catechism Q12. What does God require in the ninth and tenth commandments? Ninth, that we do not lie or deceive, but speak the truth in love. Tenth, that we are content, not envying anyone or resenting what God has given them or us. Some thoughts. Truth and love belong together Oil and water don't mix; truth and love do. Sometimes we think the best thing to do is to spin the truth slightly. At other times we are tempted just

This morning we seen the UNIQUE claim that Peter makes about Jesus, recorded in Acts 4:12. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. As we head out into another week, there are many ways in which this claim will be challenged. So here are a couple of things to remember. It's not about 'my faith', but 'the Saviour' Faith is personal. It is something which I have. But it is not really about me, it i

On Sunday morning, Remembrance Day, we came to the sixth commandment. It is often misquoted as 'Do not kill' - and with that questions are raised about the justification of war. We didn't address such questions, and I am not going to now either - apart from reminding us that he commandment actually says 'You shall not murder'. As we turn to the catechism, we see that the commandment is more concerned about how we live than big moral questiosn. Q11. What does God require i

In the 4th and 5th commandments we come touch on difficult areas in our lives - Sunday and family. Q10. What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments? A. Fourth, that on the Sabbath day, we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honour our father and mother, submitting to their godly disciple and direction. Here's a couple of things

This morning in our service we remembered the 100th Anniversary of the armistice signed at 5am on 11th November 1918, which brought about an end to the First World War. This armistice lead to peace, for a time. Since it was signed, there have been too many conflicts and wars, which have brought hurt to many people. We may not have known war as some have known it, but neither can we say we know peace. Yet a vision of peace flows through the whole bible. We looked at one vis

It's been a while since I have blogged on the Catechism - apologies! I thought that we would take a break from it in our services over the last couple of weeks, and so spread out the blogs... but the question for this week ties in well with the theme of remembrance, so we need to get back on track. Let's look back to Question 9. Q9. What does God require in the first, second and third commandment? First, that we know and trust God as the only true and living God. Second,

As we think through mission planning, I want to highlight a book which I have found hugely helpful in my understanding. Ministries of Mercyis written by Tim Keller. The opening section is based on the parable of the good Samaritan. Each chapter gives a short overview, which I reproduce for you below. Keller has also written Generous Justice, which is also very helpful... and probably slightly easier to read! Here is Kellers overview Mercy to the full range of human nee

In our service today we worshipped, listened to God, dreamed and discussed as we sought to discern what God is calling us to do to build his kingdom in Moodiesburn. We discovered that God calls us to 'love God and love our neighbour' and sought to put flesh on those bones, giving shape to our mission plan. When we put together a mission plan, and specifically fleshed out what it means to love our neighbours we feel a tension, that Christians often feel, between social actio

The book of Acts, continues at an exciting pace as in Chapter 3 we see a lame beggar being healed. His life is transformed. He was an outsider, now he is a worshipper. We long to see that same transformation take place in many lives today. We long to see the church grow. So how is it possible? By faith in the name of Jesus, this man who you see and know was made strong. It is Jesus name and the faith that comes through him that has completely healed him. Acts 3:16 The

We're back in the New City Catechism this week, picking up at Question 8 Q8. What is the law of God stated in the Ten Commandments? You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below - you shall not bow down to them or worship them. You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Honour your father and your

This morning, we looked at Acts 2:42-47, where we discovered 'a living church consists of people who are devoted to learning, caring and worshipping.' We also seen that a living church will be a growing church, yet we can't be arrogant, and must remember that God gives the growth. There is so much more to chew over in these verses, and I want to encourage you to think about them and to chat with others about what you are learning. As you do so, let me remind you of a coupl

Whenever we are doing an exam, we like to know the pass mark. If you know the pass mark, you get a bit of breathing space. You know there is a little wriggle room, you can get that question wrong and it will still be OK. It gives you some confidence. Over the next few questions, the catechism is going to look at God's law. It begins by asking a question about the pass mark. Q7. What does the law of God require? A. Personal, perfect and perputal obedience; that we love God

You might wonder what goes on at a prayer meeting? You may ask why bother with prayer? Last night in the prayer time we looked at Psalm 105, which answers these two questions. Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts. Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice. Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always. Remember the w