Queen's Road Cell

Selwyn shared how many times in the distant and recent past, he had received impressions and even words from the Lord that had subsequently been shown to be true. And quite a few of us there also felt that we had similar experiences. So we said that, while these experiences can be an outcome of a close walk with God as we commune with Him, they can also serve as spiritual gifts of encouragement and prophecy to our brothers and sisters in Christ if the message or impression is directed for them. However, we need to check those impressions against what Scripture teaches, and we also should check them with wise fellow Christians. We expect that the same Spirit will teach all of us and confirm impressions that He gives to one of us. Eugene asked a question as to how we balance the injunction to take the log out of our eyes before we remove the speck from a brother's (Matt 7:4-5) while obeying the many many NT commands to care for Christian brothers and sisters. We talked about what

Giving and the grace of God 1 We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God that has been given among the churches of Macedonia,2 for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. 3 For they gave according to their means, as I can testify, and beyond their means, of their own accord,4 begging us earnestly for the favor of taking part in the relief of the saints- 5 and this, not as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then by the will of God to us. 6 Accordingly, we urged Titus that as he had started, so he should complete among you this act of grace. 7 But as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you-see that you excel in this act of grace also. 8 I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Chr

We discussed the passage in Matt 14:22-33 where Jesus 'made' the disciples get into the boat. And my question was, "Is the author of the study justified in basing a whole point on the fact that the disciples seemed unwilling to do Jesus' will?" I said that we get the answer to that question not just from context, possibly from other versions, but by looking at a concordance. So I recommended the Blue Letter Bible (free on IOS), which has a Strong's concordance. The concordance tells me that the Greek word for 'made' ( anagkazo ) also means 'compelled' - the same word is used in Ac 26:11 for Paul 'forcing' believers to blaspheme. So the author's point is valid. This is a useful way to understand difficult parts of Scripture. I said that this passage teaches us that, when we have obeyed the voice of Christ, we may temporarily lose communion with Him, and get into trouble besides. And yet He remains in control of the situation and is

We spent more time on 'contributions' than 'questions' for a change today! Grace and Noel shared on their YMEFLC experience. Even Winnie shared on her conversation with a friend from CEFC where the latter mentioned how much she appreciated our communion ritual - something many of us have become numbed to. We discussed divine healing. The Bible unequivocally states that God heals (Is 53, cf. Mt 8). The issue is whether we can always expect Him to heal in response to believing prayer. If we have the idea that Jesus' death "paid it all", including physical healing, then we have to explain failure of divine healing as due to "lack of faith" on the part of the one praying or the one being prayed for. This certainly can be a factor, but the chief reason why physical healing does not always take place (in contrast to spiritual healing), is that physical healing is not God's ultimate aim for us, whereas spiritual healing is. Our physical wellness

2/7/16 Luke 17:11-19 11  On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee.  12  And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers, [ a ]  who stood at a distance  13  and lifted up their voices, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”  14  When he saw them he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went they were cleansed.  15  Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice;  16  and he fell on his face at Jesus' feet, giving him thanks. Now he was a Samaritan.  17  Then Jesus answered, “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine?  18  Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”  19  And he said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.” [ b ] At the age of 32, this passage is not unfamiliar to me. Events in the past months, however, have changed the paradigm on which I interpret and view the text. The seri

We looked at the story of Jesus washing His disciples' feet at the last supper. This would have happed shortly after the disciples disputed amongst themselves as to who was the greatest (Lk 22:24-25). The passage teaches us that Jesus washed feet so that: 1. His disciples would have "a share in him". The physical cleansing of feet did not save  (Judas' had his feet washed too). But part of the meaning of the action was to select those who had already bathed (v.10) i.e. already experienced regeneration and remission of sin. 2. He would give the disciples an example of humility in service (v.14) When He washed feet, Jesus approached with an attitude of : 1. Love for the disciples he had spent 3 years with. In the night before his betrayal and death he showed them love "to the uttermost". The Greek carries the idea of degree as well as time. 2. Confidence, assurance and sovereignty/authority. He knew He was in full control, knew His origin and knew His

 Wen Ai shared about the book she was reading ("Furious Love") and how it had touched her and made her feel the need to love people more. (Thanks, Wen Ai!) The book had stories of individuals who were faithful in small ways and who were able to make their love for people concrete. I asked the question then: "Are we supposed to love everyone equally? Do we love, for instance, Christians more than non-Christians?". Joshua then asked, "Does God love everyone equally?", which led to our main discussion for the evening! There is certainly a sense in which God loves everyone, but it is clear that He does 'play favourites'. Shaun kept saying, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated" (Rom 9:13). If God's love is expressed in action, and some are saved and some are not, clearly God does not love all in exactly the same way. Selwyn objected: but doesn't God treat us in response to the way we treat Him? (Which is to say, if we reach out to Him in