I’ve now completed 1 and 2 Corinthians. Here are some highlights:

Highlights in 1 Corinthians

2:2-5
² I was determined to know nothing when I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. I focused on declaring the clear message of Christ and him crucified. ³ In fact, when I came to you, I was nervous, weak and trembling with fear. I came in a spirit of awe and humility at the task before me. ⁴ The content of my message and the way I declared it were not with clever, slick persuasion, but with evidence that clearly demonstrated the power of the Holy Spirit. ⁵ My purpose was that your trust in Christ might not depend on human wisdom but only on the power of God.

6:19
Don’t you know that the body of each of you is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you? Realise afresh that the presence of God himself is actually living in you right now by his Holy Spirit! You’ve received the Holy Spirit from God. Don’t you know that you belong to Christ? You don’t belong to yourselves; you don’t own your own body.

9:16
I sense an inescapably strong divine compulsion to preach the gospel. I’m driven by an overwhelming need to declare the good news of Christ. In fact, I will suffer intense anguish if I don’t preach the gospel.

9:22-23
²² To the weak, those who are considered foolish or uneducated, I became weak. My aim was to win the weak. In summary, I’ve become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I adapt my approach and behaviour to be most effective in reaching different groups for Christ. ²³ I am versatile in all this for the sake of the advance of the gospel, which is God’s saving power to bring about salvation. My purpose is that I might share in its blessings.

10:31
To sum up, therefore: whether you eat or drink – in fact, whatever you do – do everything for the glory of God. In every activity in your life – even ordinary actions – seek to honour God.

11:23-30
²³ As I am writing all this, I need to remind you of what I received from the Lord himself. I have already passed on to you what happened on the night that the Lord Jesus was betrayed. He took a loaf of bread from the table. ²⁴ When he had spoken a prayer of thanks to God for the bread, he broke it into pieces and said simply, ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to honour and remember me.’ ²⁵ In the same way, after eating supper, Jesus took the cup of wine, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, whenever you drink it, to honour and remember me.’ The shedding of Christ’s blood seals the covenant between God and his people, securing the forgiveness of all your sins. ²⁶ I am explaining this, because whenever you eat this bread and drink from this cup you declare the Lord’s death until he comes again. The Lord’s Supper looks forward to the heavenly banquet when Christ’s sovereign reign will be fully established.

²⁷ In conclusion, let me work out what this means for you therefore. Whoever eats the bread or drinks from the cup of the Lord casually or irreverently will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. When you eat the Lord’s Supper, those who selfishly look down on the poor among you are desecrating Christ himself, who selflessly gave up his life for all of you. ²⁸ Examine yourselves therefore, and only then eat the bread and drink from the cup. Carefully consider not only your relationship with God but also your relationship with other believers before you take part in the Lord’s Supper. ²⁹ Why? Because those who eat and drink without discerning the importance of the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. ³⁰ Such judgment is the reason why many in your church community are weak and ill and why some of you have fallen asleep in death.

13:1-7
¹ If I speak in human and angelic languages, but don’t love other people, then I’m doing no more than making a harsh, unpleasant and offensive sound like a noisy drum or clashing cymbal. ² If I exercise the gift of prophecy, and if I understand all the mysteries of God inside out and know all there is to know, and if I have complete trust in God’s power to move a mountain from A to B, but don’t love other people, then I’m nothing. Without love, all my speaking out Spirit-given messages, all my understanding of God’s hidden truths and all my knowledge are completely worthless. ³ Even if I sacrifice myself and give away everything I own to people in need – and if I hand over my body to a martyr’s death and boast about it – but don’t love other people, then I gain absolutely nothing.

⁴ Here is how love behaves in practice:

• Love acts patiently, putting up with people and situations without quickly becoming angry;
• Love shows kindness – at times tenderly, at times in a firm way – actively choosing to be compassionate towards others and do them good;
• Love isn’t jealous, seeing others as rivals, but seeks to serve others;
• Love doesn’t show off about its achievements, but instead acknowledges what others have done;
• Love isn’t proud or arrogant, drawing attention to itself, but is humble and modest;
• ⁵ Love isn’t rude, but treats others with proper respect;
• Love doesn’t selfishly seek its own way, but looks out for the interests of others;
• Love isn’t irritable or easily angered, but is patient when life doesn’t go the way we want;
• Love doesn’t bear grudges or keep a record of wrongs, but forgives and forgets;
• ⁶ Love doesn’t delight in evil, injustice or others’ failures, but joyfully celebrates integrity and the truth.
• ⁷ Love always takes care: it constantly provides security;
• Love always believes: it never stops trusting in God;
• Love always hopes: it continues to look to God expectantly;
• Love always perseveres: it keeps on keeping on.

14:27-28
²⁷ Now to sum up: you – yes, all of you as the church – are the body of Christ, and each of you individually is a different part of that body. ²⁸ God has placed in the church a diverse range of gifts:

• firstly, the foundational gift of apostles;
• secondly, prophets, who speak out Spirit-given messages to build up God’s people;
• thirdly, teachers, who explain and apply Scripture;
• then those with the ability to perform miracles, demonstrating God’s extraordinary power;
• then those with the gifts of healing, demonstrating God’s miraculous restoring to health;
• those who help others practically;
• those who direct, organise and manage, to keep church life running smoothly; and
• speakers in various kinds of languages they do not know.

15:50-58
⁵¹ Listen carefully as I tell you a mystery. I’ll explain God’s plan that was hidden until now: we will not all fall asleep in death, but we will all be completely changed ⁵² suddenly, in a split second – as quick as the blink of an eye – when the last trumpet sounds. When that happens, the dead will be raised to be imperishable and we will be completely changed. ⁵³ This perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. ⁵⁴ When this perishable body puts on the imperishable and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:

‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
The resurrection has defeated death.
⁵⁵ We can even taunt death:
‘Where, death, is your victory now?
Where, death, is your painful sting?’

⁵⁶ The painful sting of death is sin; death is the result of sin. The power of the sin is the law. Law gives sin its power. ⁵⁷ But we joyfully thank God as we celebrate the victory that he gives us over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ I urge you therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, to see the resurrection as an incentive to persevere in a life of service for Christ. Keep standing firm in him; don’t get knocked off course in any way. Give yourselves always and fully to the Lord’s work. Constantly devote all your energies to serving the glorious gospel of Christ. Do all this because you can be sure that your hard work in the Lord is valuable, not useless.

Highlights in 2 Corinthians

2:14
¹⁴ But we thank God, because he constantly leads us as willing prisoners who are privileged to take part in Christ’s victory procession. Through us, God spreads the distinctively sweet fragrance of the knowledge about Christ everywhere.

3:1-6
¹ Are we starting to commend ourselves again, to prove our credentials to serve you? Do we really need – as some others do – to have letters of recommendation about us sent to you or even written by you? Surely you know us well enough already, don’t you? ² Such letters are completely unnecessary because you yourselves are our letter, permanently written on our hearts. This letter of your transformed lives is recognised and read by everyone. ³ Your transformed lives clearly show that you are a letter sent from Christ, the result of our work of service among you. This letter is written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, who has been active among you. This letter isn’t written on cold tablets of stone but on the warm tablets of your responsive human hearts.

⁴ Because your lives have been transformed by God through our work among you by the Holy Spirit, we have such confidence through Christ towards God. ⁵ It is not that we consider ourselves to have sufficient ability to fulfil the tasks God gives us. No; we don’t claim that at all. Our ability to fulfil those tasks comes only from God. His resources give us the energy and strength to fulfil his purposes. ⁶ In fact, it is he who has made us workers with sufficient ability to serve a new covenant. This new covenant is not marked by external adherence to the letter of the law of Moses with all its strict rules. No; this new covenant is marked by the life-giving activity of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of his people. This is necessary because the letter of the law always leads to death and kills, while it is only the Spirit who can give life to God’s people. The Holy Spirit makes us new people; he lives in us and gives us the dynamic energy to obey God’s commands.

3:17-18
¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. We have complete Spirit-given freedom to:

• come into the immediate presence of the Lord in prayer,
• cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our lives and
• communicate the good news of Christ boldly.

¹⁸ So we all, with the veil now permanently removed from covering our faces, enjoy the special privilege of gazing at the glory of the Lord as in a mirror. As we do this, we are being transformed more and more into the image of Christ. Slowly but surely we become like him with ever-increasing glory. The source of this transformation is the Lord, who is the Spirit. Praise God!

4:2
² Instead, we have rejected underhand, disgraceful ways. We refuse to practise deceit and we do not tamper with or manipulate the word of God. No, but by continuing to declare the pure truth openly and boldly, we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God.

4:7-9

⁷ We have been entrusted with this lovely, priceless treasure in weak and fragile pots made of perishable clay. We’ve known God’s power actively at work in us in our weakness. This shows that this extraordinary, glorious power comes from God, not from us:

• ⁸ We experience troubles and pressures all the time, wherever we go, but we’re not defeated by them.
• We’re often perplexed, but we’re never driven to despair.
• ⁹ We’re persecuted by the enemies of the gospel, but we’re never abandoned by God.
• We’re struck down severely in all kinds of ways, but we’ve not been destroyed.

4:16-18
¹⁶ So we don’t lose heart and give up in despair. Even though our outer physical nature is becoming worn out and wasting away, our inner spiritual nature is being renewed and strengthened day by day. ¹⁷ Our present troubles are comparatively light and last only a short time. We’re convinced, however, that the present lightness of our troubles is producing for us an eternal fullness of glory immeasurably beyond all comparison. ¹⁸ So we don’t focus on the physical things that can be seen. Instead, we keep focusing on the spiritual things that cannot be seen, because what can be seen is temporary but what cannot be seen is eternal.

5:7
⁷ We live by faith, not by sight. We lead lives of trusting God, focusing on the spiritual things that cannot be seen rather than on the physical things that can be seen.

5:17-21 and 6:1-2
¹⁷ Therefore, anyone who is in Christ is a brand-new creation. The old life has passed away: it is completely over and done with. Sin is no longer the controlling factor in our lives. Stop and look! The new life has come and is here now! We have a fresh start: our lives are ‘under new management’. We have a new identity in Christ. ¹⁸ All this is from God. This whole transformation is the work of God. God reconciled us to himself – he brought us to himself – through the death of Christ. We are no longer filled with enmity towards God but can experience the loving warmth of his friendship. He has also given us the task of serving others by reconciling them with God, bringing them to him. ¹⁹ That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world – all things – to himself. The effect of this reconciliation is that God does not count their sins against them. God no longer holds people’s sins against them, but he forgives them. And he has entrusted to us the privilege and responsibility of declaring to all the world the wonderful message of reconciliation.

²⁰ We are therefore ambassadors for Christ. We have been sent with the authority of Christ to represent him and speak for him. In fact, God himself is making his direct appeal to you through us. We urge you from the heart on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God. Respond to this tender invitation: come to God! ²¹ What is the basis of this reconciliation? God took the initiative. He made Christ, the perfect One who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God: we are put right with God. When Christ died on the cross, a glorious exchange took place. Our sins were credited to Christ, the sinless One, and Christ’s righteousness was credited to us. Praise God!

¹ As we work together with God, we urge you not to receive God’s grace – his generous and undeserved love, favour and kindness – in vain. Don’t let God’s grace in you fizzle out. ² Why? Because God says to you in Scripture:

‘I listened to your prayers at the right time,
the day of God’s favour,
and I helped you on the day of salvation.’

• Stop and look! Now is the time to seize the moment and come to the Lord. Don’t refuse God’s offer of peace.
• Look and act! Right now, today, is the day of salvation, the opportunity to enjoy all the privileges that are yours in Christ. Don’t delay in turning to the Lord.

6:3-10
³ We don’t put stumbling blocks in anyone’s path by what we do or say. No one will then be able to discredit our service for God. ⁴ Instead, we commend ourselves as God’s servants in all we do. We don’t give up, but keep going by faithfully depending on the Lord, as we experience troubles, hardships and terrible distress. ⁵ We’re beaten, imprisoned and attacked by angry mobs. We’re exhausted because we’ve worked our fingers to the bone. We don’t sleep at night and we go without food. ⁶ Nevertheless, we lead lives of purity, integrity and discernment. We’re patient and kind. In other words, our lives show the fruit of the Holy Spirit and sincere love. ⁷ We declare the truth of the gospel as we depend on the power of God. We’re equipped with the weapons of righteousness for both hands – right for attack and left for defence. ⁸ Sometimes we’re honoured and at other times we’re discredited. People may slander us, dragging our names through the mud, or they may take their hats off to us in praise. We’re treated as con artists, but all the time we’re authentic and genuine. ⁹ We’re considered by some to be insignificant nobodies, while we’re recognised by others as well known. We often face death, but look at us: we’re still very much alive! We’re punished severely but not killed. ¹⁰ We’re desperately sad, but at the same time we’re always over the moon with joy. We’re poor – we’ve not got two pennies to rub together – but our lives enrich many people spiritually. We own nothing, but in reality we possess everything.

6:17
¹⁷ Therefore:

‘Come out from their midst;
be separate from them.
Reject the worldly way of life,
and lead lives that are radically different from those around you,
says the Lord,
Touch nothing impure that will defile you,
Then I will welcome you into my presence.’

7:11
¹¹ Stop and look at how many positive effects this godly sorrow has produced in you:

• what earnestness you show on pursuing God;
• what eagerness to clear yourselves of blame;
• what righteous anger you express at your past behaviour;
• what reverent fear you have of God;
• what longing for holiness;
• what zeal you burn with to obey Christ; and
• what justice you display for what is right.

At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

8:1-5
¹ Now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about God’s grace – his generous resources that flow from his undeserved love, favour and kindness – which he has shown the churches in Macedonia. ² When they were going through an ordeal of intense suffering, their vibrant joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in extravagant generosity. ³ I confirm that they weren’t coerced in any way but they gave freely and faithfully as much as they could afford. In fact, they even gave sacrificially, beyond what they could afford. ⁴ They pleaded with us humbly and urgently to let them share in the gracious privilege of helping provide relief for the Lord’s holy people in Jerusalem. ⁵ The help they gave was not simply as we expected, in terms of their giving financial help. They went beyond our expectations by first giving themselves – committing themselves fully – to the Lord and then also to us, according to God’s will.

8:9
⁹ Why? Because you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ – his extravagant love, favour and kindness – may that inspire you to give generously. Although he was rich, enjoying glory with his Father before the universe was created, yet for your sake he became poor. He gave up all his rights and took the nature of a humble servant, being born a real human being. The result was that because of his poverty you might become rich. You’ve been enriched with great spiritual wealth to enjoy the privileges of a right relationship with God, forgiveness of sins, adoption as God’s children, and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit.

9:7
⁷ Each one of you should give as you’ve decided in your heart. The attitude with which you give is important. You shouldn’t feel sad because of what you’re giving away or feel pressured because you’re being forced to give. Why? Because God loves a cheerful giver: he delights in the person who gives with a smile in their heart.

9:15
¹⁵ Thank God for his gift that is too marvellous for words! We are deeply grateful for the gift of Jesus Christ and his salvation.

12:7-10
⁷ Therefore to keep me from becoming proud of the incredibly wonderful revelations I received from God, I was given a thorn in my flesh. This was a messenger sent from Satan to inflict intense pain and torment me. ⁸ I pleaded in prayer to the Lord Jesus three times to remove this thorn from me. ⁹ But he spoke to me with gentle but firm assurance, ‘I promise you that I will give you my grace. My tender love and kindness will be enough for you because my power reveals itself best in your weakness.’ When we’re aware of our complete weakness and turn to Christ to help us, we can know his power strengthening us in our suffering. I will therefore boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, rather than pray for the Lord to take away the painful suffering. It is in my weakness that the powerful resources of Christ himself rest on me to give me protection and strength to continue to follow him. ¹⁰ I therefore not only accept – but even take pleasure in – weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions and difficult situations (tight corners). I endure all these for Christ because when I am weak, then I depend on Christ and become strong in him.

13:5
⁵ Carefully examine yourselves to see whether you are really following the faith and are continuing to trust in Christ. Test yourselves thoroughly. Make sure that the way you behave is consistent with the teaching that you claim to believe. You know and experience God deeply, don’t you? Surely you realise that Jesus Christ actually lives in you, don’t you? That is, unless of course you fail the test!

13:13-14
¹³ All God’s people send you their greetings.

¹⁴ I pray that:

• the grace – the wonderfully generous and undeserved kindness and favour – of the Lord Jesus Christ,
• the lavishly tender love of God the Father,
• and the deeply special partnership of the Holy Spirit

will be with you all to serve this three-in-one God.

At the time of writing I have completed drafting Galatians and am now editing Hebrews.

I’ve now completed the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus). Here are some highlights:

1 Timothy 6:15-16:

¹⁵ My heart leaps for joy as I praise God, who:

• is the most honoured and only Sovereign,
• is the King of reigning kings and Lord of ruling lords,
• ¹⁶ is the only One who is immortal: he can never decay or die,
• lives in such radiantly glorious light that no one can come close to,
• is invisible: no one has ever seen or can see him.

May all honour and eternal power be given to him! Yes! Amen.

2 Timothy 2:2:

You’ve heard me teach certain matters in the presence of many witnesses. Entrust this teaching to people whom you’ve identified as reliable and trustworthy. Be proactive and make it a priority to invest your time, energy and resources in such people, who should also be qualified to teach others. In this way, the baton of being a faithful teacher will be constantly passed on to equip future generations.

2 Timothy 3:14-17:

¹⁴ But as for you, Timothy, make sure that you remain firmly committed to the message you’ve learnt. Don’t abandon, neglect or distort the teachings you have become deeply convinced of. You also know the character of the people from whom you’ve learnt them. ¹⁵ You have been taught – and have known – the holy writings from the time when you were a toddler. Their message can make you wise so that you find salvation, which comes as a result of your trust in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶ All Scripture is breathed out by God. The whole of Scripture has its source in God himself. It has God-given authority and is valuable to:

• teach God’s truth
• rebuke error
• correct wrong ways and
• train in living right with God.

¹⁷ The ultimate purpose of Scripture is practical: that God’s people may be well qualified and fully equipped for all kinds of good works.

Titus 3:3-7:

³ Why should we behave like this? Because at one time, before we trusted in Christ, our lives were completely different from what they’re like now. We used to be foolish and disobedient. We were led astray and were controlled by all kinds of sinful desires and pleasures. We spent our lives full of spitefulness, envy and hatred. We were hated and we hated one another too. ⁴ But the wonderful kindness and love of God our Saviour broke into human history! When his extravagant goodness appeared to us, ⁵ God saved us, not because of our own righteous achievements, but because of his mercy. We didn’t deserve to receive God’s salvation at all; he rescued us only because of his infinitely rich mercy. He saved us through the washing of the new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. Compared with our previous life, we became radically changed people! God saved us by washing away our sins; we were born again and were given new life by the Holy Spirit. ⁶ God poured out his Spirit on us lavishly, flooding our whole lives, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. ⁷ God’s purpose was to put us right with himself by his grace – his generous love, undeserved favour and overflowing kindness. We have become heirs of God’s promises according to the certain hope of eternal life, the full salvation that we confidently look forward to enjoying for ever.

At the time of writing I am making good progress in editing 1 Corinthians.

2022 saw the completion of Romans and James

My Romans 11:36:

Everything comes from him;
everything has him as its starting point.
Everything is through him;
everything is accomplished by him.
Everything is for him;
everything has him as its ultimate goal.
To him be the supreme glory,
praise and worship
now and for ever and ever!
Yes, yes, yes! Amen!

My Romans 12:1-2:

¹ Therefore, in response to God’s gloriously generous acts of mercy and grace, I urge you, my brothers and sisters, to submit to God. Offer your bodies, in fact your whole selves – every part of your body and every area of your life – as a living sacrifice to God. Such a sacrifice is:

• total: keep nothing back.
• willing: gladly submit to God because you’re thankful for all he has done for you.
• living: remember that you actively share in the resurrection life of Christ.
• holy: cultivate the fruit of the Spirit to become more like Christ himself.
• thoughtful: serve the Lord as an act of worship with your hearts and minds gripped by his love.

Such a sacrifice will always be acceptable and pleasing to God.
² Although you live in the world, don’t conform to the world around you: don’t let the ways of the world shape how you live. You need to be transformed from the inside out. Your inner self needs to be completely changed, because what you do is influenced by how you think. Replace the thought patterns of the world around you by constantly renewing your mind. Take in and apply the ever-fresh word of God, and your thinking will be reshaped by the Holy Spirit. You will then be able to discern and fulfil what is the will of God, what is good, perfect and pleasing to him.

My James 5:16:

‘The prayer of a righteous person – one who leads a life of godly integrity – is powerful and effective. When you pray, God releases the power of his infinite resources. Never forget that your prayers make a huge impact.’

2023 has seen the completion of Colossians and Philemon

‘Outrageously thankful’
One phrase in Colossians 2:7 kept ringing in my ears as I worked on the text: ‘outrageously thankful to Christ’. The traditional versions have ‘overflowing with thankfulness’. I searched through a thesaurus for synonyms for very and they all seemed to have negative overtones. I therefore looked for a synonym which one worked best with ‘thankful’ and came up with ‘outrageously thankful to Christ’. Thank you, Lord!

At the time of writing I am editing the Pastoral Letters (1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus).

Revelation 1:4-8

⁴I, John, am writing to you, the seven churches in the province of Asia. May you all receive more grace – special undeserved love, kindness and favour and peace:

• from God the Father, the eternal One, who is always present, who was in the past and who is to come in the future, and
• from the seven spirits, the full sevenfold activity of the perfect Holy Spirit, who are in front of his throne;
• ⁵and from Jesus Christ. He persevered as the faithful witness. He is the firstborn from the dead: his resurrection proves he is the most exalted One. He is the all-powerful ruler who reigns supreme over all the rulers on earth.

Praise Jesus Christ! He loves us deeply and constantly. He has set us free from the controlling power of our sins. He did this by giving up his life when he shed his blood for us in his death. ⁶He has made us a new people: kings and priests to serve his God and Father. Stop and realise afresh our new identity in Jesus Christ. Yes! Celebrate him in praise for his radiant majesty and power for ever and ever! Amen!

⁷‘In fact, look up! Focus on Jesus Christ.
He is coming with the clouds,’
He is coming to this earth gloriously
and visibly: ‘The eyes of every person will see him,
even those who pierced him.’
All the peoples throughout the earth
‘will mourn because they have rejected him.’
Yes! Amen!

⁸The Lord God himself says, ‘I am the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, the ultimate source and supreme goal of all things. I am the One who is always present, who was in the past and who is to come in the future. I am the eternal all-powerful One.’

Revelation 1:12-18
¹²I turned round to see whose voice was speaking to me. But when I turned, I first saw seven golden lampstands. ¹³In the middle of the lampstands I then saw a majestic heavenly being like a Son of Man present among the lampstands. He was dressed in a long robe, like the one worn by a priest, and with a golden sash round his chest. ¹⁴The hair on his head was white like wool, or even snow, showing his wisdom. His eyes were like blazing flames, having the insight of a judge. ¹⁵His feet were glowing like polished bronze as if purified in a furnace. His voice was as powerful as a roaring waterfall. ¹⁶In his right hand he was holding seven stars. Out of his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword of incisive judgment. I glimpsed his face shining as radiantly as the sun in its full intensity.

¹⁷This vision of the risen Jesus was so glorious and overpowering that when I saw him, I fell unconscious at his feet in awe and terror as though dead. But I felt the gentle touch of his right hand on me, and he spoke with authority and reassurance, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last. ¹⁸I am the Living One. I was dead, but look! I have been raised to life and am alive for ever and ever. Be confident because I am Lord of all. I am with you always. I hold the keys of death and Hades, the realm of the dead. I exercise absolute authority over the power of death.

Revelation 2:4-5
⁴‘But although I praise you for your zeal for the truth, I also criticise you. I have this against you: you’ve abandoned the first love you had for me and your brothers and sisters when you started to follow me. Your passion for God has grown cold. You no longer serve others from a heart of love. ⁵So remember how far you have fallen! Turn back to God and change your ways. Rekindle the fire of your devotion for the Lord. Go back to doing the works that you did when you first followed me. Find practical ways to show your compassion towards others. But if you don’t turn back to me, I warn you, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. This church will stop being a source of light to your community.

Revelation 3:20
²⁰Listen! Recognise that all you need is me. I’m standing outside the door of your lives and am knocking. I invite you to open the door. Take down the “Keep out” sign and let me in. If you hear my voice and respond by opening the door, I promise that I will come in and eat with you, and you with me. We will enjoy each other’s company and share a meal together as close friends.

Revelation 4:8-14
⁸Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes all around, on the inside and outside of their bodies. They never stop singing. They worship God continually 24/7, singing together:

‘Holy, holy, holy,
He is completely holy, full of pure, perfect and majestic holiness.
He is the Lord God Almighty,
He is the greatest Lord, the infinite all-powerful God.
He was in the past, is always present and is to come in the future,
He reigns eternally over time and history.’
⁹The four living creatures and the 24 elders were completely captivated by the Lamb. They sang a fresh and glorious song of worship to the Lamb:

‘You are worthy –
only you, Lamb of God, have the right –
to take the scroll
and break open its seals,
because you were killed,
and with your blood
you paid the price to set people free from slavery to sin
and present them to God,
– people from every tribe, every language, every people and every ethnic group.
¹⁰You have made all of them in their diversity to be one kingdom, kings and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.’

¹¹Then I looked and I heard the voice of countless millions of angels. They surrounded the throne, the living creatures and the elders. ¹²They were filled with an all-consuming passion for the Lamb and burst into a loud song of adoration:

‘The Lamb who was killed is worthy!
Only he has the right
to receive all power and wealth,
wisdom and strength
and honour, glory and praise!’

¹³Then I heard every creature throughout the universe, in heaven, on earth and under the earth and even in the sea … and everything in them … singing joyfully:

‘May the glorious One who sits on the throne
and the Lamb
receive all praise and honour and glory and power
for ever and ever!’

¹⁴The four living creatures responded with a grand ‘Yes! Amen!’ and the elders fell on their faces and worshipped.

Revelation 5:9-10
<9>The four living creatures and the 24 elders were completely captivated by the Lamb. They sang a fresh and glorious song of worship to the Lamb:

‘You are worthy –
only you, Lamb of God, have the right –
to take the scroll
and break open its seals,
because you were killed,
and with your blood
you paid the price to set people free from slavery to sin
and present them to God,
– people from every tribe, every language, every people and every ethnic group.
¹⁰You have made all of them in their diversity to be one kingdom, kings and priests to serve our God,
and they will reign on the earth.’

Revelation 7:9-12
⁹After this I had a further vision. I saw a huge crowd of people … in fact, a countless number … from every ethnic group, every tribe, every people and every language throughout the world. They were all standing in front of the glorious One on the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing pure white robes and were waving palm branches of victory in their hands. ¹⁰They cheered loudly and excitedly in celebration:

‘Salvation comes only from our God!
We give honour to the glorious One
who sits on the throne
and to the Lamb!’

¹¹Then all the angels were standing round the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures. They fell on their faces in awe and joy in front of the glorious One on the throne and worshipped him, ¹²saying:

‘Amen! How wonderful God is!
May all praise and glory;
wisdom, thanksgiving and honour;
and power and strength
be given only to our God
always and for ever and ever!
Amen! Yes! Yes! Yes!’

Revelation 7:14-17
He said to me, ‘They are the ones who are coming out of the terrible suffering. They have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Their trust in Jesus’ death brings forgiveness of their sins and cleansing.

¹⁵‘Therefore they stand as priests
in front of the glorious One on the throne of God
and worship and serve him day and night in his temple.
The One who sits on the throne
will protect them with the shelter of his glorious presence.

¹⁶He will take away all their suffering:
“They will never again be hungry
and never again be thirsty.
Neither the sun nor any scorching heat
will strike them.”
They will be kept safe and secure.
¹⁷This is because the Lamb at the centre of the throne
will take care of them as a shepherd looks after his sheep.
“He will guide them to ever-fresh springs of living water,”
“and God himself will wipe away every tear of grief or pain from their eyes.”’
Those who have remained faithful
will be filled with pure joy;
their deepest longings will be satisfied for ever.
They will fully enjoy the closest presence of God himself.

Revelation 11:15
¹⁵Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven. They shouted out their affirmation:

‘The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord God and of his Messiah.
He will reign for ever and ever!
Our Lord God and his Messiah
now at last exercise supreme sovereign authority.’

Revelation 12:11-12
¹¹Our brothers and sisters have overcome him because
they trusted in the blood of the Lamb,
that Jesus gave up his life for them
when he died on the cross.
They trusted that Jesus had forgiven all their sins.
They faithfully declared the word of truth,
the message of their testimony.
They did not cling tightly to their lives
but were willing to be persecuted
even to the point of death.
¹²Because Satan has been defeated and
the Messiah’s powerful reign has now arrived in its fullness,
come on and celebrate!
Take delight, therefore, you heavens
and everyone who lives there!
But disaster will come on the earth and sea
because the devil has gone down to you.
He is furious
because he knows
that his time is short!’

Revelation 19:6-8
⁶Then I heard what sounded like the roar of a vast cheering crowd, as powerful as a roaring waterfall and booming thunder bolts, shouting out this joyful song of thanksgiving and worship:

‘Praise God
because our Lord God, the All-powerful One,
reigns over all.
⁷Let’s celebrate!
Take delight in him, jump for joy
and give him glory
because the time has now come
for the wedding of the Lamb.
His bride has made herself ready.
⁸She has been given the privilege
of wearing radiantly pure fine linen clothes,
(because fine linen stands for
the righteous acts of God’s holy people).’

Revelation 20:1-4
¹I saw an angel coming down from heaven holding in his hand the key to the Abyss and a heavy chain. ²He grabbed hold of the dragon – that ancient snake called the devil or Satan – and put him in chains for a thousand years. ³The angel threw him into the Abyss, locked it up and sealed its entrance over him. This was to restrict Satan’s power so that he might no longer deceive the nations until the thousand years were completed. After that he must be set free for a short time.

⁴I saw thrones in heaven, and those sitting on the thrones were given authority to rule and judge. I also saw the souls of martyrs, those who had been persecuted and beheaded because they had remained faithful to the testimony of Jesus and the word of God. These martyrs had been vindicated by God and rewarded for their faithfulness. They had not worshipped the beast or its idol and had not been branded with the mark on their foreheads or on their hands. They came back to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.

Revelation 21:1-7
¹Then I saw an incredible vision of a completely transformed creation. I saw a new heaven and a new earth, because the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea of evil no longer existed. ²I saw the pure and holy city, the new Jerusalem, joyfully coming down out of heaven from God himself, prepared as a bride dressed beautifully for her husband on their wedding day. ³Then I heard a loud voice coming from the throne. The voice called out triumphantly:

‘Look at this glorious city,
full of life, full of God himself!
God’s home is now among his people.
He will make his home among them;
they will enjoy his immediate presence for ever.
They will be his one people,
from all the world’s diverse peoples, tribes, languages and ethnic groups.
God himself will be with them and will be their God.
⁴Be encouraged!
He will care for them so much that
he will personally wipe away every tear from their eyes.
Death will no longer exist;
neither will any form of grief, crying, suffering or pain exist any more.
All evil will be excluded,
because the old order of things has passed away
to be replaced by the new order of perfect peace, love and joy.’

⁵Then the glorious One seated on the throne said, ‘Look! I am making all things radically new. Nothing will be the same; everything will be changed.’ He added, ‘Write this down, because you can trust these true words. He will certainly fulfil his word.’ ⁶Then he spoke to me personally, ‘It is done; everything is completed. I am the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I am the ultimate source and supreme goal of all things. To those who sense their need and are thirsty, I will freely give water from the ever-fresh spring of living water. As they drink that water, their deepest spiritual longings will be satisfied. ⁷Here is a challenge to remain faithful! Those who have been victorious throughout life will inherit all the privileges of the promised blessing that I will be their God and they will be my children.

Revelation 22:1-5
¹Then the angel showed me the river of ever-fresh living water, sparkling brightly as crystal. This river flowed from the throne of God and of the Lamb ²through the middle of the main street of the city. On both sides of the river stood the tree of life, which produced thriving crops: twelve kinds of fruit, one fresh crop each month of the year. The tree’s leaves bring the healing power of God to the nations of the world. ³No longer will there be a curse on anything. The judgment of humanity’s original rebellion will be taken away and the glorious presence of God – the throne of God and of the Lamb – will fill the city. His servants will worship and serve him. ⁴They will even see his face with their own eyes: this is the highest possible privilege! His name will be on their foreheads; they will enjoy his security and protection. ⁵There will never be any night again; it will always be light. They will not need any lamp or the light of the sun, because the glory of the Lord God himself will shine on them, and they will reign joyfully with him for ever and ever.

Revelation 22:17-21
¹⁷The Holy Spirit together with the church, the Bride,
urge Jesus, ‘Come soon!’
May those who listen to this
also say, ‘Come!’
May those who are thirsty come,
and may those who want to
freely take the gift of living water.
As they drink that water,
their lives will be sustained
and their deepest spiritual longings will be satisfied.

¹⁸I warn everyone who is listening to the words of the prophetic message of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to that person the punishment of the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹Similarly, if anyone removes anything from the words of this prophetic message, God will remove from that person any share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book. This revelation must not be tampered with or distorted in any way. Respect this book; obey its contents. Do not alter, ignore or turn away from its message at all.

²⁰The One who declares these things says, ‘Yes, I repeat this promise, I really am coming back soon.’

We respond with deep longing, ‘Yes! Amen! Lord Jesus, come back as quickly as possible.’

²¹May the Lord Jesus generously pour out his grace – his special undeserved love, kindness and favour – on you all. Yes!

Acts in my paraphrase (extended translation) is published is now available in digital editions

Some highlights:

Acts 1:8
‘You will receive power from heaven when the Holy Spirit comes on you. Only when you’re brimming over with the energy of the Holy Spirit will you be equipped to take the initiative and be effective witnesses for me. The Holy Spirit will mobilise you to boldly declare the good news. You will go out in ever-widening circles, first to Jerusalem, next to all of Judea and Samaria and then eventually to the furthest corners of the earth.’

Acts 2:2-4
Suddenly, something absolutely unexpected and extraordinary happened. They heard a loud roar like the noise of a gale-force wind that came from heaven and spread throughout the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what appeared to be bright flames of fire over them all. The flames divided above them, so that a single flame came to rest on each of them, but without burning them. They were all filled, brimming over, with the Holy Spirit. The promise of Jesus was fulfilled as the Holy Spirit came on them all. Each of them experienced an overwhelming sense of the presence and power of God. They began to speak in other languages that they did not know, as the Spirit equipped them.

Acts 2:42
They all committed themselves actively and wholeheartedly to:

• the apostles’ teaching and training, and
• fellowship, meeting with, sharing with and supporting one another;
• the breaking of bread, including as Jesus did at the Last Supper, to remember his death and
• different kinds of prayer, showing their constant dependence on God.

Acts 3:19-21
The time has now come therefore: have a complete change of mind and heart; make a decisive U-turn in your lives. Turn back to God and trust only in him so that all traces of your sins will be wiped out. You will then enjoy the gentle breezes of the Lord’s presence. He will then send the Messiah appointed for you, that is, Jesus, who must remain in heaven until the time comes for the restoration of all things, when everything that has been spoilt by sin will be completely renewed in the world to come, which God declared through his holy prophets a long time ago.

Acts 4:12
‘You must respond to Jesus, because salvation is not found in anyone else. There is no other name given under heaven to humanity by which we must be saved. God has provided Jesus as the unique way of salvation for the whole world.’

Acts 7:22
Moses was then trained in all the great wisdom of an Egyptian education and he became a force to be reckoned with in both his words and actions. God was preparing him for his future leadership role.

Acts 8:4
So the followers of Jesus who had been driven out of Jerusalem took every opportunity wherever they went to talk naturally about Jesus in their normal everyday conversations.

Acts 10:28
Peter said to them, ‘You yourselves are very much aware that it is against our law for a Jewish man to associate with, or even visit, a Gentile. If we do so, we become defiled, ceremonially unclean. However, God showed me in the vision I saw that I could eat any food and not become defiled. I realise now that I am therefore allowed to associate with Gentiles because I should not write off anyone as impure or unclean.’

Acts 12:9
Following the angel, Peter left the prison cell. He didn’t know whether what the angel was doing was real. In fact, he thought he was dreaming or experiencing a vision; everything seemed surreal.

Acts 14:22
As they went, they strengthened the hearts of the believers, encouraging them to continue to trust in the Lord. Their message was realistic: ‘As you follow Jesus, you will definitely experience difficulties. We have to go through many troubles to enter the kingdom of God.’

Acts 17:22
Then Paul stood up in the meeting of the city senate and said, ‘People of Athens, I notice that you have a great sense of God in every aspect of your lives. You realise there must be more to life than what you see and experience…’

Acts 20:24
However, I don’t regard my life as valuable to myself. My aim is to complete the race – and it’s a marathon not a sprint – and fulfil the service that I received from the Lord Jesus. I simply want to tell the truth about the good news of God’s extravagant love.

Acts 28:31
He continued to declare the good news of God’s reign breaking into the world in Jesus. Full of boldness, he taught about the Lord Jesus Christ. Nothing and no one could stop him from faithfully making Jesus known … so the good news of Jesus would eventually reach the furthest corners of the earth.

¹¹Jesus continued, ‘There was once a man who had two sons. ¹²The younger son said to his father, “Father, give me my share of your estate that will come to me when you die.” [In this way, the son was basically saying, “I wish you were dead.”] So the father divided up his inheritance between the two sons.

¹³‘Soon after that, the younger son cashed in his inheritance, packed up all his belongings and left home. He travelled to a country far away, where he spent his new-found wealth on a binge of wild, reckless living. Boy, did he have a good time! ¹⁴But after he had got through all his money – down to the last penny – a severe famine devastated the whole country, and he was left with nothing … absolutely zilch. ¹⁵So he went and linked up with a local farmer, who sent him out into the fields to feed slops to the pigs. (Because Jews considered pigs unclean, this menial work would have been deeply humiliating for him.) ¹⁶He became desperately hungry: he even longed to eat the pods in the swill that the pigs were feeding on, but there was no one he could turn to who would give him anything to eat.

¹⁷‘But when the son hit rock bottom, he finally faced up to reality. He came to his senses and recognised his own guilty wretchedness. He said to himself, “How many of my father’s servants, who are paid a pittance, are better off than me? They’ve more than enough food to eat, while here I am starving to death! ¹⁸I’ll get up and go back home. I’m going to turn back to my father. He’s my only hope. I’ll not put it off a moment longer. I’ll throw myself on his mercy. I’ll confess to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. ¹⁹I no longer deserve to be called your son, but because I know that you’re generous even to your paid servants, make me like one of those.’”

²⁰‘He knew that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so he acted on his decision, got up, left the distant country and went back to his father. But while the son was still a long way from home, his father saw him. His father had been in anguish ever since his son had left home. But now he saw his son – this thin, weak, dirty, smelly, miserable figure – but nevertheless still his son! – walking along the lane. The father threw all caution to the wind big time and jumped for joy! He felt the deepest mercy and compassion for his son, ran out at breakneck speed to meet him, gave him the biggest hug in the world and kissed him tenderly over and over again!

^21‘The son began the confession he’d rehearsed, saying to his father, “Father, I have sinned against God in heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son …”

²²‘But the Father interrupted his son, telling his servants to welcome him back home, “Quick, we’ve got to honour my son! Fetch the best robe and put it on him. Of course I take him back and accept him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet to restore his full dignity as my son. ²³Bring out the fattened calf, the one we’ve been keeping back for special occasions … well, if this isn’t special, then what is? Pull out all the stops! Let’s have a party and celebrate his homecoming, ²⁴because we thought this son of mine was dead but he’s now alive. He’s come back to life again! Once he was lost, but he’s now been found! I’m going to give him a fresh start.” And they began to celebrate.

²⁵‘But the elder son was out working in the field, and as he came close to home, he could hear music and dancing as he caught the smell of roast veal wafting through the air. ²⁶He called one of the servants and demanded to know what was going on. ²⁷The servant told him, “Your brother’s come home, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he’s got him back safe and sound.”

I have just completed Matthew’s Gospel: something of a marathon. Here is my draft of the final few verses:

¹⁸Then Jesus came up and encouraged them. He declared to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. My resurrection confirms that I am the unique sovereign Lord of heaven and earth.

¹⁹Because this is so, I command you to go out now and make disciples in every people group. Be bold and step outside your comfort zone. Train people throughout the world to follow me. As you go, baptise the new followers in the one name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Wash the new followers with water as a sign that they have abandoned their old way of life and are committing themselves to follow me.

²⁰Teach those new followers to not just listen to, but also to put into practice, everything that I have commanded you. As you do all these things, never forget my promise that I am present with you always. I will equip you with my personal resources of power and encouragement. Remember that I am close to each of you every moment of your lives, wherever you are, right to the very end of this age.’

I wanted to include “Be bold and step outside your comfort zone,” as that seems necessary for many of us, not least me. The further challenge was: am I only a disciple of Christ or am I making disciples?

An audio version of my Word Come Alive paraphrase of Ephesians is now available:
http://bit.ly/2oXz4nt

I’ve been beavering away through recent months and am currently drafting Matthew 13.

Readers have appreciated my version of Matthew 9:35-38:

³⁵Jesus went throughout all the towns and villages in that area, teaching in their synagogues, declaring that the good news that God’s reign had now come in him. He also healed all kinds of diseases and disabilities that people were suffering from.

³⁶As a result, crowds of people flocked to him. When he looked at them, he had deep compassion on them. His heart went out to them and he felt intense sympathy for them because he saw their desperate need. They were stressed out and struggling to cope with life, wandering round with no one to look after them or lead them, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he told his apprentices, ‘I see a bumper harvest that is ready to be gathered in, but at the moment there are only a few workers. Many more workers are needed. ³⁸So co-operate with the Lord who owns the harvest. Pray urgently to him that he will thrust more workers into his harvest field – workers who will roll up their sleeves and gather in the crop.’

Readers have appreciated my version of Matthew 11:28-30:

²⁸‘Come to me, all of you who are worn out, overwhelmed and weighed down by the stresses and strains of life. I will relieve you of these heavy burdens. ²⁹Submit to me; live your life harnessed to me. Follow me and become my apprentices. Let me teach you and train you because I am sensitive and humble in heart and you will find spiritual strength and refreshment ³⁰because following me is pleasant and a joy, not a chore or heavy burden.’

To listen to a message I preached on Matthew 11:28-30 click here.

Jesus teaches on the hillside

¹When Jesus saw the crowds following him, he went and sat down on the hillside. His apprentices came to him, ²and he started to teach them.

The challenge of true Christian character

Jesus told his followers that they were to be distinctive, radically different from the people around them. The attitudes and actions of his followers could become like this only because God’s power was at work in them. If they lived in such a way, they would enjoy the privileges God would give them now and in the life to come.

Jesus taught them:

³‘Other people say, if you’re self-confident, you’ll be happy. But I say to you, it’s those that humbly recognise their spiritual need who are truly happy and fortunate. They will draw on God’s resources, so the kingdom of heaven already belongs to them.

⁴‘Other people say, don’t worry about sin. But I say to you, it’s those that mourn and grieve over their sin and failures who are truly happy and fortunate. God will comfort and encourage them.

⁵‘Other people say, it’s the arrogant that are successful. But I say to you, it’s those that humbly trust God who are truly happy and fortunate. They not only enjoy the blessings I give them now but they also look forward to inheriting the new earth that God will create.

⁶‘Other people say, if you do your own thing, you’ll be fulfilled. But I say to you, it’s those whose deepest desire is to lead lives that are right with God who are truly happy and fortunate. They long to see justice prevail throughout the world. Their appetite for God will be satisfied.

⁷‘Other people are successful by bullying their way to the top. But I say to you, it’s those that are merciful, kind and generous towards others who are truly happy and fortunate. God will be merciful towards them and forgive them.

⁸‘Other people say, it’s OK to deceive others and see what you can get away with. But I say to you, it’s those that are fully devoted to God and let him clean up their inner life who are truly happy and fortunate. They catch glimpses of God’s glory now and are ready to see him in all his fullness in the life to come.

⁹‘Other people fight and make war. But I say to you, it’s those that seek and make lasting peace who are truly happy and fortunate. God will recognise them as his children, because they reflect what he is like.

¹⁰‘Other people say, don’t get too committed to God. But I say to you, it’s those whose lives are so right with God that they provoke hostility who are truly happy and fortunate. They will suffer persecution but the kingdom of heaven already belongs to them. ¹¹You’re truly happy and fortunate when people insult you viciously, persecute you and make false accusations against you because you follow me. ¹²Don’t be miserable but feel on top of the world at such times because a great reward is waiting for you in heaven. That reward will more than make up for the suffering you’re now going through. Remember that the prophets who went before you were also persecuted.