Soviet power was—as it was intended to be—the opposite of faith in God. It was faith in the greatness of humanity and in the perfectibility of human society. Peter Hitchens
Quote for the Day
Month: November 2025
I will give thanks…
O Come O Come Emmanuel
This is a stunningly beautiful adaptation by Skillet of the old Christmas hymn “O Come O Come Emmanuel.”
Some religious people have claimed it is satanic because there is a heavy metal interlude, but seriously you have to wait 3 minutes to get to that part.
The Lord will mediate between nations!
Quote for the Day
Among the favorite arguments of the irreligious—one that they almost invariably advance in the opening offensive of their attacks on faith—is this: that conflicts fought in the name of religion are necessarily conflicts about religion. By saying this, the irreligious hope to establish that religion is of itself a cause of conflict. This is a crude factual misunderstanding. Peter Hitchens
God is our salvation!
Do good…
Quote for the Day
Only one reliable force stands in the way of the power of the strong over the weak. Only one reliable force forms the foundation of the concept of the rule of law. Only one reliable force restrains the hand of the man of power. And, in an age of power-worship, the Christian religion has become the principal obstacle to the desire of earthly utopians for absolute power. Peter Hitchens
Give…
Reflections on Colossians 4:7-18
Scripture
Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nymphas and the church that meets in her house.
Observation
This section consists of Paul’s final instructions and greetings.
Tychicus is a beloved brother and faithful servant. He will give the Colossians a full report about the ministry. Paul is sending Onesimus, the former runaway slave, with him.
He sends greetings from his fellow workers who, are working for the kingdom of God, Epaphrus is a great prayer warrior who prays earnestly for the Colossians.
Paul sends greetings to the believers in Laodicea, and to Nymphas and the church that meets in her house.
Application
After preparing a sermon this morning about cell groups and their importance in the early church, it is interesting to come across this passage in my devotions. Often Paul’s letters end with a pile of personal greetings of this form: give my greetings to So- and- so and to the church that meets in their home.
The early church was essentially a house church movement. They had their large meetings from time to time, but they were generally small groups meeting in homes. These groups networked and had an over-arching leadership structure.
When we see the word “church” in the New Testament, we should think home groups rather than mega church. Over the centuries we’ve become used to the Sunday morning gathering with optional Bible study or fellowship meetings.
It’s very hard to shake off this multi-generational pattern, but if the church is to thrive in the next decade, we must recover the biblical pattern.
Journal.
Lord, what do you want to say to me about this template for the church?
Keith, it is true that my preferred model for the church is some kind of small group together with large group meetings or celebrations. This is the pattern I established in Acts.
This is not always a viable pattern when governments or local authorities oppose my bride, the Church. Wherever christians meet for intentional fellowship in my name, I am with them.
New Life Narrabri 