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.

You will have heard the saying, “Never judge a book by its cover”, but maybe we could add to that, “Never judge a book by its title”, at least not this book, for unless you are a number nerd you might be tempted to skip or at least fast forward through a piece of literature with the ironic title of “Numbers”.

Galileo was one of those guys who could turn his hand to most things - a ‘polymath’; he has been called the father of science, modern physics, astronomy and the scientific method. Galileo got into deep water with the Roman Church when, in 1633, they deemed him a heretic for his observations that it was the Earth that rotated round the Sun (the Copernican model) and not the other way around.

Daniel grew up in Israel and was no more than a teenager when he was swept off with the Israelites to Babylon as a slave. He was suddenly surrounded by a completely foreign culture, foreign lifestyle and most importantly a foreign god.

In several places in the OT, the phrase 'the Rock' is used as a grand title for God Himself. This title 'the Rock' speaks to us of God's faithfulness. 'The Rock' conveys how God is unchanging, utterly faithful and constant in His care.

I’m not naturally a very sociable person. I once famously told all the girls at GAC that I hated meeting new people (not a very encouraging thing to say as a leader). However, it is true that I find any form of socialising tiring and draining particularly if I do not know the people well. Nevertheless, having grown up as a minister’s daughter the idea of having many people in and out of your house is a normal one. Growing up our dinner table frequently hosted our congregation, visiting missionaries and many of our childhood friends. Perhaps because of this I see that hospitality is a way of life despite my introverted tendencies. Butterfield seeks in her book to show that hospitality is indeed inevitably part of the Christian life.

Solas is the Irish word for ’light’ and is in the name to provide a simple evangelistic opportunity to point people to Jesus who is the Light of the World who came into the world in order to rescue those who are in darkness. SOLAS is also the term used to highlight five important Bible truths of the Reformation known as the Five Solas: Sola Scriptura (Scripture Alone), Solus Christus (Christ Alone), Sola Gratia (Grace Alone), Sola Fide (Faith Alone) and Soli Deo Gloria (to God’s Glory Alone).

The Logos School of English Education in Cyprus is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. It has had many faithful Christian workers throughout its time. The school has around 350 pupils in Kindergarten, Primary and Secondary School. There are 39 nationalities represented in the school from a variety of different religions. We interviewed one of the teachers to find out more about Cyprus and how God is working there.

The book of Nahum is a message about the certainty of God's judgment against those who persist in sin and in a spirit of rebellion against God and also a message of comfort to God's people reminding them that despite how things seem at present, ultimately God's justice against and punishment of His and his people's enemies will take place.

Tertullian was born into a pagan family in Carthage (modern day Tunisia) sometime around the middle of the 2nd century. He received an excellent classical education, which is evidence of a privileged upbringing. He converted to Christianity sometime before 196AD and became one of the most prolific Christian writers of his time.

An alabaster jar, easy broken, easy spilled,

is brought before him who had it filled.

The jar is broken and out pours love

upon Love’s feet, soon pierced high above

The Prayers of Matthew Perry, A.I designed Supercar. and South African Rugby Captain Siya Kolisi

A young man ran up to Jesus. This guy was one of life’s success stories, a rising star in society who seemed to have the world at his feet. Though young, already he had gained wealth, position and prestige, but he was struggling spiritually. In spite of his success and wealth, his soul wasn't satisfied. Deep down he knew something crucial was missing from his life. So, he ran to Jesus and fell on his knees with a question burning in his heart: ‘Good Teacher, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?’ Jesus replied, ‘Why do you call Me good? No one is good - except God alone.’ These words of Jesus highlight three major truths that dominate Scripture

The city of Ephesus was one of the greatest cities in the Roman Empire, situated on major trade routes and so extremely prosperous. It was also a very important religious centre, with temples dedicated to various gods and goddesses. Its main claim to fame was the splendid temple of Artemis (the Roman Diana) which drew pilgrims from distant places and generated significant income for the manufacturers of silver shrines (Acts 19:24ff).

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.

This time we are going to look at Bunyan as he wrestled with doubt and assurance that he was forgiven and was secure in God’s hands. His brokenness over his sin is only finally resolved when he rests on the finished work of Jesus Christ. Assurance is one of the biggest struggles which many Christians have and the thought of our sin being too great for God to ever forgive can cause great anxiety for even those with the strongest faith. Bunyan shows that our assurance is not in what we do but what Christ has done; it is not by works but by grace alone that we are saved.

Preachers sometimes act as if the present sermon or series they’re preaching is the most important thing you’ll ever hear. We may even say as much! In this case what I’m working on currently may not be the most important thing of all, but it’s certainly very relevant to this series on Christianity.

How many times have you been warned that we live in “an increasingly secular world”? How many evangelism videos have you seen preparing you to deal with the critical, cynical atheist? Of course, this is a real and pressing issue of our day, and the opening verse of Psalm 14 assures us that man’s outright denial of God’s existence is not a modern phenomenon, but that it is a rather persistent fruit on the tree of sin

It’s 7 March 203 AD and a small group of Christians are led into the Amphitheatre in Carthage, in the Roman Province of Africa (modern day Tunisia). They look unusually  composed for people about to meet their death. It is the 14th birthday of Geta, the younger son of the Emperor Septimius Severus and these Christians will be part of the entertainment for the 35,000 strong crowd. This macabre spectacle will see this small group of men and women being left at the mercy of wild animals. None will survive this gruesome execution.

How much do you actually know about Islam, aside from dress codes and extremists? Perhaps, because we live in Northern Ireland, it is not something that you have encountered, or you don’t see much benefit in engaging with it.