Martin Wickens
Speaking the Truth in Love
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Unhindered
The book of Acts ends with the word unhindered. “Unhindered… that is the last word, flaming in light, thrilling in power, telling the secret of the new force right at the heart of the world… only one man, mean and contemptible of bodily presence… but that man unhindered.” G Campbell Morgan I began studying the…
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Keeping the Lights On
We sometimes underestimate the importance of normal, even the mundane, of simply keeping the lights on. The Desire to Improve Human nature is a complicated set of seemingly contradictory traits. Our sinful nature is lazy, selfish, and self-destructive. Yet, God seems to have hardwired into us something that struggles against that. This is not a…
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Scapegoat
The second famous phrase in our series brings us to a precious truth about Jesus Christ. We’ve all heard this phrase used. Perhaps in sports, politics, or business. It may refer to someone innocent, but often the scapegoat is just as guilty as anyone else but is singled out to take the collective guilt of…
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Fly in the Ointment
Wisdom is the principal thing, according to Proverbs 4:7, and so we ought to get wisdom. Solomon knew this, but he struggled with the limitations of wisdom. In Ecclesiastes 9 and 10 Solomon shares some limitations that he has observed to the benefits of wisdom. Most famously in this section is the phrase we know…
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My Preaching Philosophy in a Nutshell
As we’ve worked through Acts in our morning service we’ve seen much of Paul’s method in evangelism and discipleship. Several words reflect his emphasis on God’s Word: This morning we camped out on a single word in Acts 18. And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.…
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Was it Worth It?
Can you see him? Can you see that young man studying how to act, learning his lines, modeling his life after the stars on the silver screen? Can you see her? The young woman taking acting classes, doing all she can to look a certain way, be seen with the right people, and all too…
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Famous Phrases: An Eye for an Eye
The Bible has shaped our language, legal system, and much of the world to a degree that even the most fervent of atheists couldn’t deny. Last night, we began a new series looking at some of the phrases that we find in everyday language but have their origins in the Bible. We began with “eye…
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Influence
In the social media world, there exists a phenomenon unique to the digital age – influencers. Like the old Ronseal ad, they do “exactly what it says on the tin.” Influencers influence. They influence others to buy products or buy into ideals and lifestyles. They leverage their position and experience in an industry worth over…
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“You Can’t Let a Young’n Decide for Himself”
We live in a time and culture where choice, and not responsibility receives all the attention, and admiration. This post kind of meanders through several points, and I feel like an entire series is needed to fully expound things. But ultimately I want to focus in on our children. I hope you’ll follow my train…
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Corporate Worship – Book Review
Recently, I finished reading Scott Aniol’s book, “Biblical Foundations of Corporate Worship“. It is a relatively small book at 121 pages, but its conciseness is part of its strength. Across five chapters Scott lays out a Biblical case for what constitutes Biblical, corporate worship. Many today worship in a purely emotional way and then assess…