Do you keep a diary? What big events have taken place in your life over the past year? This month witnesses the 45th anniversary of my graduation as a medical doctor from Glasgow University and my 40th wedding anniversary. This year witnesses the 40th anniversary of my licensing to preach the everlasting Gospel of the …
Category: Personal development
What is the nature of faith?
Faith is a personal judgment. You cannot believe something that you do not think is true. You have judged it to be true, so you believe it. If you judge it to be false you are not able to believe it. Therefore you are personally responsible for your own beliefs because they are your personal …
Reserving judgment
Public discussion is polarising society into the familiar "us and them" mantra. "Are you one of us?" Current discussions too often resolve into binary choices, and many people expect you to subscribe to one or other – left or right, for or against Donald Trump, for or against the Russo-Ukrainian war or the coronavirus vaccine, …
Is true Christianity confrontational?
Jesus Christ was a radical teacher Who astonished even His own disciples Mat 19:25. Yet crowds of people heard Him gladly Mk 12:37. He appealed over the heads of Jewish officialdom to teach the people publicly. He contradicted Jewish officialdom and called them hypocrits Mat 23. Yet there are those who want Christians to be …
The utility of Christian fellowship
Christian fellowship is not an option – it is a necessity for Christian development and usefulness. Having noted the nature of Christian fellowship, and the content of Christian fellowship, I now turn to the utility or usefulness of Christian fellowship. This usefulness is not simply personal, but collective, even to the extent of national and …
The content of Christian fellowship
Having noted the nature of Christian fellowship, I now turn to the content of Christian fellowship. Christian fellowship is Christocentric, meaning that it centres on the Lord Jesus Christ because He is the centre of everything Col 1:17. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last Rev 22:13. Different people focus …
The prejudice of offence
Some of the most prejudiced people are those who take easy offence. How is this so, and so what? This is very relevant in our politically correct era when those in public life and on social media are busy taking offence at their opponents' opinions. So what is the connection? Both prejudice and offence are …
Dr John Kennedy (1819-1884)
Scottish Highland Christianity has been unique in preserving the biblical and spiritual attainments of the 16th-century Scottish Reformation to the present day. Foremost in the ranks of 19th-century Highland Christianity was Dr John Kennedy (1819-1884), the renowned minister of the Free Church of Scotland in Dingwall for 40 years. Dingwall (Tingwall) was considered the Viking …
Motives for Christian living
Jesus said: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." John 14:15. The Lord Jesus Christ tells us that "If anyone loves Me he will keep My words, and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make our abode with him" Jn 14:23. Experiencing the love of God is a strong …
Christian usefulness
The usefulness of Christians is paramount. It is not enough to listen to sermons and to worship God, but God expects us to be useful. "Faith without works is dead." James 2:20,26 I suggest that prayer without works is dead also Ex 14:15, Act 9:6-11. Jesus' Sermon on the Mount – Matthew, Chapter 5 Immediately …
Donald's Thoughts 