Am I a second-tier Christian?
Am I a second-tier Christian if I’m not a set-apart gospel worker? No! Definitely not. And here are three reasons why. 1) All Christians share an incredible privilege. Under the old covenant, the priests were ‘set apart’ to serve God – first in the tabernacle, and then in the temple. They were the only ones […]
How Do You Spot A Gospel Minister?
Rector of St Ebbe’s Oxford and one of our co-founders, Vaughan Roberts takes us back to basics with some cutting observations from Colossians 1 on the nature of genuine gospel ministry. 1) The authentic gospel minister serves God’s people. “I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is […]
What Is Pastoral Ministry
Richard Coekin is the Senior Pastor of Dundonald Church and the Director of Co-Mission, a church planting movement in London. This post is an extract from his book Gospel DNA (pages 104–107), published in 2017 by The Good Book Company. You can buy a copy here. When the Bible praises God as the “Shepherd” of Israel, he’s praised for […]
When Pleasure Becomes Business
At the end of John’s gospel, Jesus commissions Peter to lead the fledgling church, and, as is so often the case when dealing with Jesus, his priorities are surprising. Before signing him up to any preaching training courses, before explaining the vision statement or growth strategy, he asks a question that would seem irrelevant to […]
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 […]