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Many are pained and hurting and just managing to survive, as this economic recession digs deep into people's hopes, dreams and plans.

Politicians have disappointed millions. Yes, we expect more from those who put themselves forward as leaders. Did they think for one moment that their sins would not be found out? It is not simply their sins that have been discovered, but they have been found out. The quality of their characters has been exposed.

There has been no repentance yet, as far as I am aware! We have had offerings of being sorry but we need more than that, as the…  ( Click for more )

How did the leadership cope, following Peter’s effective address on the day of Pentecost, when around three thousand people came to believe in Jesus Christ? It could have been a massive problem, but it wasn’t.

God never wants anyone to be confused.

There were those who asked for help and guidance as to what to do, and that is good.

The advice given was excellent, and they turned from their sins to God by repenting, were baptised in water immediately, and Jesus baptised these believers in the Holy Spirit.

Baptism in water dealt with their past, and Jesus…  ( Click for more )

When Peter arose and spoke on the Day of Pentecost around three thousand people were born again.

As they came to believe in Jesus Christ, Peter commanded them to turn to God in repentance, be baptised in water, and receive the Holy Spirit.

Peter had been explaining what the ascended Jesus had done as one hundred and twenty disciples were baptised in the Holy Spirit. He taught those listening of how wicked men had put Jesus to death, by nailing him to the cross, and on he went to proclaim how God raised Jesus to life. Many had witnessed this over these past seven weeks.

Peter…  ( Click for more )

It happened and it continues to happen.

We approach that season when we remember how the risen and ascended Lord Jesus Christ birthed and launched the Church.

The disciples of Jesus are patiently expecting something to happen, but they do not know what, and they do not know when.

They know Jesus is alive. They are faithful, obedient, prayerful, united, and they are studying the Scriptures.

They have so much, but they do not have enough.

Fifty days after He was crucified and resurrected from the dead, Jesus poured out the Holy Spirit upon 120 disciples in the Temple…  ( Click for more )

Forty days after Jesus Christ was raised from the dead He returned to His Father.

He came from God the Father and now that His work on earth was completely completed, He was returning to His Father, having been away some 33 years.

God the Father had accepted the sacrifice of the Passover Lamb. Jesus willingly laid down His perfect life and shed His blood to wash away man’s sin.

There is no forgiveness of sin without the shedding of blood.

Jesus led His disciples to the Mount of Olives from where He ascended.

As the disciples watched intently, a cloud enveloped…  ( Click for more )

Perhaps Peter thought Jesus would no longer have him as a disciple. After all, he had denied knowing Jesus Christ three times at one of the most crucial moments in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Peter had gone back to the fishing and had become so absorbed with the fishing that he almost forgot all about Jesus.

After they meet and have breakfast, the resurrected Jesus takes Simon Peter aside and asks him three times; Do you love Me? Do you love Me more than you love the boats and nets? Do you love Me more than the others? It is not precisely clear what Jesus is meaning.

Peter…  ( Click for more )

Whatever made them do it? Tension and emotion can make the finest of men do funny things at times.

Seven disciples of Jesus Christ returned to Galilee and to the fishing, after having met the risen resurrected Jesus.

They knew fishing. They understood fishing.

Resurrection from the dead was something unfamiliar, and most have real problems with the unfamiliar.

They tried to turn the clock back three years and it was disaster. You cannot turn the clock back.

Peter was restless and seeks to cover up his restlessness by being busy. He would do anything to reduce the…  ( Click for more )

Many are crying and looking for something.

There are various reasons behind the tears. Some are crying openly and unashamedly, whilst others are crying in private.

Those who are looking for something may not even know what they are really seeking. That is all right.

The first recorded words of the risen Jesus on resurrection morning were, “Why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?”

Jesus was speaking to a bewildered and broken hearted Mary. There is nothing wrong with being bewildered and broken hearted.

Jesus Christ is an expert in dealing…  ( Click for more )

Whatever was he doing that remarkable morning some sixty years before putting it all down on paper?

John, the youngest of the twelve disciples, had been with Jesus Christ for three years. He and his older brother, James, had been very close to Jesus.

He had been out at Calvary and had seen his hero and leader and Lord crucified.

Three days later, women returned from the tomb, reporting that the massive stone had been rolled away, revealing an open door, but more importantly, explaining that there was no dead body of Jesus inside.

Peter decides to go and check things…  ( Click for more )

It was a day of mixed emotions. The crucial climax is fast approaching.

Having ridden down the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, on a donkey, to fulfill a 500-year-old prophecy, Jesus Christ entered the city.

Was the Saviour of the world about to rescue His people from the political oppression of the occupying Roman rule? No.

To the right of that gate lay the Antonio fortress, the headquarters of the Roman authorities.

Jesus did not turn right. He turned left approaching the Temple, which resembled a market place, and there He overturned the tables of traders and…  ( Click for more )

Remaining biblically balanced is challenging in these current financial circumstances. After all, just what exactly is happening? Discerning is not always easy.

An experienced and trusted colleague recently sent out an urgent message to consider seriously that the present crisis is not recession, nor depression, but judgement!

Is God judging the raging sins of the nations? The secular foundations are undoubtedly being shaken.

Many are laying up a thirty day store of non-perishable food and other essentials, but in parts of Kenya it would difficult to store up a thirty…  ( Click for more )

When the people of God, under Nehemiah’s leadership confessed their sins, it was serious business.

They fasted, wearing sackcloth which symbolised inner repentance, and dust on their heads was an external indication of the sorrow they felt in their hearts.

The Word of God was read for three hours. A further three hours was spent confessing sin and worshipping. This was no shallow superficial repentance.

When the call to prayer and praise was announced, all those present stood, and we have the longest recorded prayer in the Bible.

In a day when the name of God…  ( Click for more )

It was a critical night forty years ago. For six weeks there had been an intense spiritual battle ongoing.

He asked a friend to pray one final time as he was about to resign from being a preacher of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

As his friend prayed Jesus Christ baptised him in the Holy Spirit. He describes the experience like having two cycle pumps placed on his big toes as he felt the power of God flow throughout his whole body.

The friend indicated that there were words in his mind which were not English and encouraged him to speak them out. This he did. He was speaking…  ( Click for more )

What do you do after a great project and task is completed?

After the reconstruction of the broken walls around Jerusalem, we have the reinstruction of the people, and then Nehemiah selects and appoints reliable men to whom he can delegate important responsibilities.

It is during a time of crisis that a man’s character is revealed.

Nehemiah was a strong man. Despite all the opposition while he was supervising the rebuilding of what had been lying in ruins, he maintained his confidence in God.

A man of lesser character and ability might have given up or compromised…  ( Click for more )

Let’s have a serious talk about what is happening. Let’s discuss this matter. Surely you can spend some time with us in one of the quiet villages outside Tel Aviv. We really want to meet with you and hear how things are going. Let’s dialogue!

Five times Nehemiah’s enemies tried to drag him away from the great project he was heading up in Jerusalem.

His enemies are incensed at what he was accomplishing for God, but Nehemiah would not leave the workforce without his inspired and encouraging leadership. He knew people can lapse into their old ways when…  ( Click for more )

Will we ever again see anything like this?

At the precise right moment Ezra the priest stepped onto centre stage in Jerusalem, with the entire population requesting that Ezra reads the Word of God to them.

The broken down wall had been rebuilt, but these people knew that more was needed than a restored strong protective wall.

For five or six hours they listened attentively.

This was not arranged by Ezra or Nehemiah. It was not laid on from the top.

A special platform was constructed for the people to hear without difficulty, and Ezra brought his copy of the Scriptures. …  ( Click for more )

The organising ability of Nehemiah to lead people, as well as rebuild what had been destroyed, is astonishing.

Everyone became involved in the reconstruction of the walls of Jerusalem.

Nehemiah appoints some forty section leaders.

Eliashib, the High Priest, sets the example by starting at the Sheep Gate, where the sheep were brought in for sacrifice. The priests could easily have absolved themselves from the obligation to work on the wall.

One important principle of leadership is to be working alongside all the others.

Even the perfumer’s daughters lent a…  ( Click for more )

Many situations are currently lying in ruins.

Finances, hopes, dreams, plans, moral standards, various individual’s circumstances, are suddenly lying in heaps of rubble.

When Jerusalem’s walls were just a pile of demolished stones, God raised up Nehemiah to rebuild and repair.

God is still in the business of rebuilding and repairing.

Nehemiah was a top man in Persia. Only the king could permit him to travel the 1,000 miles to Jerusalem, and only the king had the resources to enable Nehemiah to rebuild what had been destroyed, and also ensure him safe passage…  ( Click for more )

How do you react and respond to bad news?

When Nehemiah heard the sad and bad news, that Jerusalem’s walls lay in ruins he responded positively.

He sat down, wept, mourned, fasted, and prayed. Not many people react and respond with such profound spiritual fervour.

Nehemiah held a position of great importance. He was the cupbearer to the king of Persia.

Before the king supped, Nehemiah would taste the wine to ensure that it had not been poisoned. He never knew when it might be his final sip!

Nehemiah was an eminent man, exercising a responsible role, and was…  ( Click for more )

When Nehemiah was repairing and rebuilding Jerusalem’s walls he suddenly faced internal dissension, as famine resulted in food shortages.

There was also heavy taxation, exploitation and a serious financial crisis.

Rich Jews were feathering their nests by loaning money at high interest rates; arranging mortgages with oppressive terms, and generally exploiting those in financial difficulties.

Labourers who did not own their own land were deeply discouraged. Farmers found things difficult as they mortgaged their fields.

Loan sharks, or financial speculators, had…  ( Click for more )

Some of us started 2009 by considering and being reminded how important it is to be more interested in people than things.

This was all in the context of, why am I here; what am I doing in this world; and what is the purpose of my existence?

These are highly relevant themes and questions as New Year began; particularly in these financially challenging days.

Having left a conference with 230 men, I was asked if I had come away with hope, and after a moments thought, my reply was, no not hope, if you want one word, but battle, yes.

It can be good to be faced with piercing…  ( Click for more )

Length is not necessary to be profound. Psalm 93 is quite short, but reassuring truths are taught in a few sentences; truths of which we need frequent reminding, particularly in these shaky times. The Lord reigns. Our God reigns and He is robed in majesty.

The prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel had similar visions of God, as had John, the youngest of the twelve disciples, and he describes what he saw in the book of Revelation.

Whatever opposition might arise in the world, God’s throne is unmoved and unmoveable.

Whatever turmoil, upheaval and rebellion might explode across…  ( Click for more )

The annual media presentations and surveys have again reported the level of unbelief in the nation.

Two thirds now say they do not accept the biblical record regarding the birth of Jesus Christ. Some claim to be Christians, with even ministers among them! Ministers of what? This is serious.

One Sabbath day Jesus went into the synagogue to teach. A woman who had a spirit of infirmity for 18 years was present. She was bowed down and bent. She needed help and she was not getting help where she was worshipping.

This wasn't a simple physical illness, if there is such a thing.…  ( Click for more )

Fifty years ago David Wilkerson hit the headlines when he intervened in New York’s gang warfare. The book and film entitled “The Cross and the Switchblade” recounts the details of what happened.

“Teen Challenge” was formed to minister to those addicted to alcohol and drugs.

This experienced pastor has followed Jesus Christ over all these years.

Recently, he contacted a number of us explaining what he has encountered in New York, regarding the financial crisis.

“Pastor, what am I going to do? I lost my job. I may lose my home. Where…  ( Click for more )