Without God We Are Nothing
Picture if you will a room where twelve men sat together; a small pocket of unparalleled glory hanging over the precipice of the “hour of darkness” that lay ahead. Jesus tells his disciples, “I am the vine, you are the branches. The one abiding in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit, for apart from me you are not able to do anything.” (John 15:5) That sounds like a ridiculous thing to say. If you quoted that to a non-Christian, they would say “That’s absurd. I don’t even believe in God, and I do plenty of good things every day.
Fitting Into Christian Work
On April 13th, 1970, Jim Lovell uttered a phrase that would begin one of the most well-known stories in space travel: "Houston, we've had a problem." (that’s the real quote)
Do GO Teams.
A GO team is a mission trip ranging from a few days to a whole week.
You'll get your meals made for you, sleep in a church member's house, and be put to work doing leaflet distribution, door-to-door, street evangelism, holiday bible club, care-home work, manual labour and any other thing the church can think of.
Irenaeus of Lyons
Many consider Irenaeus to be the most important figure in the church in the 2nd century AD. In an era where we have few written sources, Irenaeus is an articulate voice. He gives us great insight into the development of the early church and the main challenges Christians faced.
What is Renwick House?
Renwick House is Belfast accommodation for University aged Christian young people. Located on 42 Elmwood Ave it's 100m from the Students Union building and just a 5 minute walk from the main Queen's buildings.
The Gospel Is Free
The imprisonment of the Apostle Paul was a big blow to the early church. Many may have thought it was game over. The great evangelist, the beloved Apostle to the Gentiles, the lynch pin of the early Gentile Church is now in a Roman dungeon awaiting trial. All is lost!
King Josiah
King Josiah began his thirty-one year reign over Judah at the early age of eight and he is known to be the last good king to rule over Judah. At the age of sixteen whilst he was “yet a boy” he began to seek God (2 Chronicles 34:3). Others around him were caught up in the idolatry that was rife throughout the nation but Josiah sought God alone and sought him wholeheartedly. He didn't delay pursuing God until he was older so he could enjoy himself in the present and as a king he certainly would have had the means to do as he pleased.
Salvation Is Not Garanteed
Have you ever been praying for God to convert someone? Maybe a friend or a family member? Have you given up praying for them and witnessing to them because you think they will never repent? John 13 reminds us of the love that Jesus had for his disciples.
Henrietta Gardener
A little girl sat at the back of the church listening. The minister was talking about her brother who had just been killed in an accident. A worker for God - he had been a student for the ministry - had gone. Who would take his place? The little girl thought, “I can’t be a minister but maybe I could be a missionary.” That was all. I was that little girl.
Amy Carmichael
Amy Carmichael gives an exceptional example of the set-apart life. From the time of her conversion to her going home, she poured out her life in service to the Lord and had little-to-no regard of human opinion.
Faith and Focus in the Storm
Storms are something we are very familiar with in our land. They are a regular occurrence every year sweeping in and battering our island. Storms are inevitable, not just meteorological ones but the storms we face in our Christian walk. Our circumstances are like the weather in Ireland, very changeable. Maybe you are in the midst of a storm right now.
Where to turn when I’m... FULL OF DOUBT
The Devil loves nothing more than to whisper doubt into our ears, attempting to snuff out our faith with his insidious lies about God’s goodness, the hope of forgiveness, the promise of eternal life. When doubt washes over us, it can be so easy to be crippled by it, and find ourselves trapped in the same cycles of guilt and self-loathing. If you, like me, often find yourself facing doubts, you may find the following verses helpful
Gladys Aylward
Gladys was just a normal woman, a parlour maid in fact, and yet God chose her as a leader of some of his people and an ambassador for Christ. She spent her life savings on a train to Tsechow, think of all the things she could have done with this money, but she chose to spend them on God’s work. I find this an amazing act of selflessness that shows how much God can do in us.
Adoption
IN 2016 there were 70,440 children in care in the UK. Of this number, 5% were placed back with parents and only 4% were adopted. This left the majority in foster care, secure units or other residential placements like children’s homes. How should that affect us as Christians? What can the Church do to help? This article will look at adoption and the next issue will deal with fostering