Starting Out in full-time Gospel Ministry
In 2009, Reuben Mann wrote an article for 9:38 on starting out in gospel ministry. Since then Reuben and Hannah have had another son; Reuben has taken on pastoring a church plant, Emmanuel Marlborough; and Mike Ovey, Reuben’s principal while at Oak Hill, has gone to be with the Lord. But Reuben’s original article, reposted below, […]
10 Tips for Getting the Gospel on the Agenda
“It’s all right telling me to make the most of every opportunity, but I just don’t seem to get any opportunities to talk about my faith! What can I do?” 1) Pray for opportunities This might seem obvious, but it’s extraordinary how little most of us do deliberately pray for chances to talk about our […]
Whose Servant Are You?
“I love study and I love giving talks,” said the eager young man across the table at the interview. “In fact, I can hardly wait to get into the ministry.” But my colleague pulled him up short, with a very penetrating question. “And do you equally love the people you speak to?” Eventually, the reply […]
The Other 9:38
Matthew 9:38 is a wonderful verse. As Jesus went through the towns and villages, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and manifesting all its blessings, he was deeply moved by the crowds. He looked out at the vast numbers of lost people, harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd, and he had compassion. […]
Book Review: Is This It?
There is a certain amusement when you realise your boss has asked you to write a blog post reviewing a book whose front cover says (among other things), “I hate my job!” He’s a brave man. Anyway, I have duly read Is This It? by Rachel Jones. And I have frequently found myself getting distracted from […]
Make A Difference In Small Towns
Most of us hope, when we become followers of Jesus, that He will use us to make a difference for His Kingdom. Some of us realise we need some experience and equipping to maximise the effectiveness of our Christian witness. But most of us also feel that as well as training, we’d like to start […]
Should I Not Be Concerned?
In Jonah 3, a city of 120,000 turns from their evil ways to the Lord – the greatest revival in the Bible! In Jonah 4, we see Jonah’s anger over it. He finally explodes and pours out the poison of his soul to God, revealing that it wasn’t fear but disgust – disgust at the […]
The Time Is Short
Jesus is coming back. When he does, he has promised to welcome his friends into the unhindered joy of his presence and to banish his enemies from it (Rev. 221:6–8). We know that his coming is soon (Rev. 22:12). We don’t know precisely when (1 Thess. 5:2). We are to be on our guard, ready […]
The value of doing a ministry apprenticeship in a church plant
In 2003, my wife and I moved from Brazil to the UK. Soon we began to study the Bible with some friends at home. In 2005 this group of friends grew, and we decided to plant a church. However, I made some mistakes during the process of planting a church which resulted in the death […]
Council Estate Christianity: blessings and challenges
I’ve been asked to write on this topic, so here goes, but bear in mind this is written from my perspective, and I’m not claiming everyone who works in such an area feels this way! Blessings of ministering on a council estate: Some challenges: But, as you can see, there are more blessings than challenges!
Risk is right
In 1976, Ron started a company with two of his friends. Just two weeks after starting the company, Ron became impatient about whether this whole startup thing was worth his time. His two friends were big on ideas but knew nothing about business. Their startup was in a garage, not in a trendy warehouse conversion. […]
Both-And: Good Work and Gospel Work
Aged six, I’d decided that I was going to be a firefighter. I would fight fires during the week and – after a family holiday to Switzerland – I decided my weekend job would be driving trains up the Swiss mountains. I have not yet been a firefighter or a driven a train. I have […]