Today's passage (Acts 9:32-43) contains two examples of a general principle. The principle is that the Holy Spirit, working through His servants and the Word of God, is uniquely able to restore human beings to fellowship with God. The first example is an unsaved young man and the second is a faithful and generous believer, so the principle applies …

Sharing your faith with individuals bears much fruit. Tearing Philip from the crowds to which he preached in Samaria, the Holy Spirit sends him to evangelise a single traveller, the Eunuch from Ethiopia. A waste of Philip's talents? By no means, for this black African became a missionary to his own people, helping to fulfil Christ's promise that ev…

If the dead rise, in what form do they do so? Paul recognises this seemingly harmless question as a new attack on his doctrine. Replying, he shows that creation itself is hugely diverse so by analogy humans have not only physical bodies but also spiritual bodies. He unveils the nature and fate of both.…

While Saul of Tarsus tried to destroy the infant church in Jerusalem, it was growing rapidly in Samaria where Philip had gone to preach the gospel. Lesson? Suppress God's work in one place and it will prosper somewhere else.

This is the speech delivered by scientist and creationist Professor Edgar Andrews when he went head-to-head with Oxford Professor and atheist Richard Dawkins at the 1986 Oxford Union debate on the motion "The doctrine of creation is more valid than the theory of evolution".

The martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 7) was a turning point for the early church. Chris Boraston identifies the changes that it brought about including the dispersion of the gospel beyond Judea, the redundancy of Temple worship and the universal presence of God, the explosive growth of the church, the intensification of persecution, and its impact on the…

Stephen (Acts 7) was accused of blasphemy against the Mosaic law and the Temple but his accusers could not grasp that these institutions were only "shadows of the true", pictures of the Christ who had now come. We must avoid two errors; dismissing the OT as irrelevant and putting new-covenant believers under its demands.…

Did Adam and Eve really exist or were they just mythological, as Darwinian "common descent" asserts? We examine the arguments advanced by evolutionists that the genetic diversity of modern man makes it impossible for us to have descended from a single couple. Here we refute these claims on both scientific and biblical grounds, showing them to be ba…

A gifted servant of Christ is falsely accused and tragically martyred for telling the truth. Yet this exemplifies in a special way that "the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church". Not only did the growth of the church accelerate after this event but it was the first step in the spiritual journey that turned Saul of Tarsus into Paul the Ap…

The rapid growth of the early church following Pentecost was an amazing work of God but it also brought dangers. Chris Boraston identifies three such dangers in Acts 6:1-7; the threats of division, diversion and dysfunction. The way the apostles dealt with these dangers is instructive for us today when many churches are riddled with these these ver…

Modern evangelism tends to concentrate on the cross of Christ but Paul's message to an unsaved world focussed on Christ's resurrection. We examine why the Apostle preached in Athens "Jesus and the resurrection" (Acts 17:16-34) and find that the resurrection was a fourfold declaration by God of the deity of Jesus, the accountability of man, the puri…

Those who reject dualism claim that it is impossible for the mind to affect physical processes in the brain because mind has no physical properties like mass or energy. In this episode we present experimental evidence that mental states do in fact affect brain states. How? We propose that there exists a continuous two-way exchange of information (i…

n 1 Corinthians 15:20-28 Paul explores the pivotal role of Christ's resurrection in God's eternal plan and reveals the contrasting destinies of the two "tribes" of humanity, the tribe of Adam and the tribe of Christ. The curse upon Adam for his rebellion brought mortality, spiritual death, and eternal separation from God. But Christ's substitutiona…

To what or whom do you give allegiance, to the traditions of men or the lordship of Christ? Chris Boraston discusses the dilemma that faced the Pharisees in Acts 5:22-42 and shows that it faces many relgious people today. It demands a decision from each of us because "no man can serve two masters".

Is the human mind non-existent or at best a powerless emanation of brain activity? Many so believe but having examined their claims we see that they are only claims based on the prior assumptions of materialism. We quote an eminent philosopher who points out that non-material things like love, emotions and thoughts about future events are the true …

Is the human mind non-existent or at best a powerless emanation of brain activity? Many so believe but having examined their claims we see that they are only claims based on the prior assumptions of materialism. We quote an eminent philosopher who points out that non-material things like love, emotions and thoughts about future events are the true …

Chapter 9 of "What is Man? Adam, Alien or Ape?" embarks on an exploration of the complex relationship between the mind and the brain. The chapter begins with a thought-provoking quotation from J.B.S. Haldane, challenging the notion that the mind is merely a by-product of brain activity. Using a captivating house and garden analogy, we illustrate th…

In this new podcast series, we revisit a book authored by the podcaster several years ago entitled 'What is Man?' This reflection is occasioned by the upcoming annual conference of the British publisher Banner of Truth, who (whether intentionally or not) selected the title of this book as their theme. We will explore our understanding of who man is…

Like the beggar at the Temple gate we need material and financial provision to survive but do we give sufficient thought to our spiritual survival, something only the gospel can provide? The healing of the lame man in Acts 3:1-10 draws attention to this and by analogy demonstrates that spiritual safety resides in a personal esperience of the power …

A cowardly Peter denied Christ three times, so what changed him into the fearless powerful preacher of the day of Pentecost? It was, of course, the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Chris Boraston reviews the events of the day of Pentecost and traces Peter's failure, restoration and rise to leadership of the New Testament church. The same Holy Spirit …

What did Jesus mean when he said at the last supper "this is my blood of the new covenant"? We explore this question using Jeremiah's prophecy (Jer. 31:31-36) and extend our examination to the other two covenants which affect our eternal destiny, the "old covenant" given at Sinai and the overarching "covenant of promise" made by God with Abraham.…

Following the ascension of Christ, the disciples wait in Jerusalem for the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit, but they are not idle (Acts 1:12-26). They review the fate of the traitor Judas, choose Matthias as his replacement, continue in united prayer and discover the sovereignty of God in all the seemingly chaotic events of the passover week…

The ascension of Christ is described only three times in the New Testament so is it unimportant? By no means! Pastor Chris Boraston explains what it meant to the disciples then and still means to us today. In Acts 1:6-14 we see that Jesus (1) retains his full humanity in heaven and thus his empathy with us, (2) exhibits his full deity, and (3) will…

It is Christ who builds His church not us, but we are his labourers in the work of construction. In this introduction to the Acts of the Apostles, Pastor Chris Boraston shows how the Lord equips His people for the task, providing the power of the Holy Spirit, the blueprint of the Scriptures, the tools of the gospel and the encouragement of His cons…

No building is more secure than its foundations and the only safe foundation for Christian churches and believers is Jesus Christ. So asserts the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10. Expounding the whole of this chapter, Pastor Chris Boraston points out that only God can make the gospel seed grow and provide a sufficient foundation for life, but we …

Most people have heard some version of the "Christmas story" and many celebrate the event as a holiday, an opportunity for family reunions and a time for giving to good causes. But in this exposition of Hebrews 1, Chris Boraston takes us behind the scenes of celebration to contemplate the divine glory of Christ, who was "made flesh and dwelt among …

Why did God choose poor despised shepherds to be the first recipients of the news of Christ's birth when there were many more "suitable" people who might have been so favoured? Phil Watson explains in a heart-warming but penetrating exposition of Luke 2:8-20. He demonstrates that God consistently "resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" an…

Love never fails (1 Cor. 13:8) whereas prophecies, tongues and knowledge must cease when "that which is perfect" has come. We see that the Greek word translated "perfect" actually means "complete" and that it refers to the completion of New Testament scripture, whereas seeing Christ "face to face" (v.12) refers to our entry into glory, the consumat…

Love hopes and endures (1 Cor. 13:7) but hope concerns the unknown future, so how can love "hope all things"? Answer; because "all things" here mean things that God has promised in His Word and if we love Him we will surely trust Him to honour His promises. In the same way love endures hardship by trusting God and looking at the unseen realities of…

Chris Boraston takes us back to basics, addressing the confusion that often surrounds the concept of new (that is, spiritual) birth (John 3:1-21). We meet Nicodemus, the teacher of Israel, who is confused and Jesus Christ, the teacher of Nicodemus and all who receive His words; none can either see or enter the kingdom of God unless they are born ag…

"Love bears all things and believes all things" declares the Apostle (1 Cor. 13:7). But what do these statements mean in practice? We see firstly that "all things" cannot mean "everything" and go on to show that bearing all things means bearing our fellow believer's burdens as far as we are able, while believing all things means believing only what…

Did you know that shepherds used to anoint their sheep with oil to protect their heads from invasive fly-borne parasitic infections? 1 John 2:30 tells us "you have an anointing from thr Holy One" and in this episode Phil Watson discovers this truth in Psalm 23:5 and unfolds how much it means to believers today.…

Did you know that shepherds used to anoint their sheep with oil to protect their heads from invasive fly-borne parasitic infections? 1 John 2:30 tells us "you have an anointing from thr Holy One" and in this episode Phil Watson discovers this truth in Psalm 23:5 and unfolds how much it means to believers today.…

We continue to explore in 1 Cor. 13 the characteristics of the love "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" finding seven things that, in its humility, love does NOT do. We contrast these negative statements with the actions and attitudes of human nature exhibited in such things as the protest movements so common in our day.…

We continue to explore in 1 Cor. 13 the characteristics of the love "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" finding seven things that, in its humility, love does NOT do. We contrast these negative statements with the actions and attitudes of human nature exhibited in such things as the protest movements so common in our day.…

Matthew 24:1-14. Jesus advises his disciples how to be overcomers in a turbulent world and his words of warning and comfort apply to our own day with even greater force.

In 1 Corinthians 13 the Apostle Paul tells us what God means by the word "love", something very different from popular usage in our culture today. In this episode we begin to examine the characteristics of love, concentrating on the statement in v.4 that "love is patient and kind, love does not envy". Both kindness and the absence of envy (we will …

What purpose do spiritual gifts serve? Continuing our studies in 1 Corinthians we find the answer as we read the first three verses of chapter 13 alongside Ephesians 4:8-16. We learn firstly that the purpose of spiritual gifts is to build up the church. We find secondly that this building up is the joint responsibility of every believer in a local …

What was and is the purpose of spiritual gifts or charismata? Paul begins his three-chapter answer to this question in 1 Corinthians 12:1 and in this episode we consider mainly chapter 12, examining in turn the problem of spiritual gifts, the provider of spiritual gifts and the purpose of spiritual gifts, and applying our conclusions first to the h…

Too busy to please God? We contiue our study of the parable of the sower in Matthew 13 by considering the seed that falls on the weed-infested soil. Using the parable of the great feast in Luke 14 we identify the various ways in which the seed, having germinated, may still be choked to death. In contrast, the seed sown on good soil always produces …

Why is our evangelism so ineffective today? Is our evangelistic technique at fault? The parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-9) helps to put our thinking straight, showing that the problem lies not in the seed nor with the sower but in the soils, namely, those we seek to win for Christ. The ultimate sower is the Holy Spirit, who alone can bring a per…

The OT foretells the coming of Christ but did you know that it also predicts His second coming? In this episode we see that Psalm 2 does both, describing a thousand years in advance how Christ would suffer to secure the salvation of His people but also that He must return to rule the earth with an iron sceptre and carry out the final judgement. Les…

Chris Boraston shows how to abide in Christ as branches in the vine (John 15:1-11). Understand that Jesus is the true vine so shun imitations; obey His words; rely on Him in all things for the branch cannot bear fruit of itself; humbly submit to God's pruning. Finally, through the power of the Holy Spirit, yield fruit that pleases God .…

How can a sovereign God be in control of a dysfunctional world? How can we reconcile God's omnipotence with the rage of nations and the ungodly chaos we see around us? Psalm 2 provides prophetical answers to these questions, explaining what God has done about it by sending His King into the world and establishing His kingdom upon earth.…

Did you know that the Apostle Paul said heresies were necessary? In 1 Corinthians 11:17-34 he explains that they help us distinguish real Christianity from false. Discussing the Lord's supper he manages also to explore the nature of heresy and how to negate it.

Visiting preacher Chris Boraston asks "Where did Jesus come from?" and finds the answer in the prologue to John's Gospel. There Jesus is identified as the creator; as the eternal Son and second Person of the Triune God; as the Word of God; as the incarnate Deity; and as the one in whom the Father is revealed to human sight and understanding.…

Few NT passages have caused more contention and debate than 1 Cor. 11:2-16 which deals with headship and head coverings and has earned Paul an undeserved reputation as a misogynist. In revisiting this passage we discuss what it really means and discover applications for churches and Christians today.…

"All things are lawful for me" declares Paul in the opening verse of today's passage (1 Corinthians 10:23 - 11:1) and thus proclaims the grand theme of Christian liberty. But he spends his time explaining what it is and how we are to use it. We are to put others first, treat all people with courtesy as we seek to win them for Christ, and ultimately…

Poor sound quality due to recording error; sorry! 1 Cor. 10:13 showed us how to escape temptation individually. The verses that follow (14-23) show us how to do so together in Christian fellowship with emphasis on the Lord's Table ... which defines the church, defies the devil and delights the believer.…

All christians experience temptation and all sometimes yield to it and sin. But in 1 Corinthians 10:13 Paul tells us that God provides a way of escape from temptation. What is this way and how can we avail ourselves of it? We find answers and encouragement in today's podcast episode.