Ray Bell

Last week we commenced our series, ‘The Things That Make For Peace’. This week we consider the promises of God concerning peace. The peace of God we enjoy today is not some ethereal notion of tranquility, or a delicate balancing act of work, rest and play, but is secure and full of substance. Our present…

This week we commence a new series entitled The Things That Make For Peace. Peace is a much sought after, but elusive, goal in the world. Whether it be on a personal level, among families, within a nation, or across the globe, we all want peace. However, no matter how much we fight for it,…

Wayne Lines is preaching this Sunday and writes, “In this section of Paul’s letter he engages in a little boasting, which he calls foolishness, to show up the foolishness of the Corinthians in esteeming the ‘super apostles’. On closer look, we see that his boasting is not of the same ilk as his opponents. Whereas…

This week we return to our series through 2 Corinthians. In Chapter 11 Paul expresses both his love and his fear for the Corinthian believers as they are in danger of being led astray by the ‘super-apostles’. He has preached nothing but Christ crucified to them, and in this, they lack nothing, as it came…

As Jesus breathed his last, the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. By the shedding of his blood, and the tearing of the curtain, that is “his flesh”, as the writer of Hebrews puts it, Jesus opened ‘a new and living way’ to approach, worship and dwell with God. We can…

We take a break from our series through 2 Corinthians this week and Brian Arthur will be preaching. He has entitled the message, ‘Rising Fear’ and writes, “On top of the universal fear that God says enslaves every human being there are seasons of fear. Like the bush fire that moves from the understory into…

Money may not grow on trees, but in 2 Corinthians 9 Paul speaks of ‘fields of gold’ growing in the lives of those who willingly confess to the gospel of Christ and submit to the grace of God. These are fields of righteousness and grace, sown in joy with seeds supplied by God, producing grain…

At the heart of our passage this week (2 Corinthians 7:5-16), Paul writes, “godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.” The grief he is speaking of refers to what one feels when they have been ‘found out’ or reprimanded for their poor behaviour or sin. None…

This week, among the many great gospel truths contained in our passage (2 Corinthians 5:11-6:2), we will hear Paul urge the Corinthian believers, “Do not receive the grace of God in vain.” What a terrible thing it would be to hear and receive the gospel of Christ, and there be no fruit of it in…

We find in 2 Corinthians 4 that, not only is Paul ‘very bold’ because of the sure hope of the new covenant in Christ, no matter what is thrown his way, he does not lose heart. He refuses to compromise the gospel or his integrity, and instead, persists in speaking the truth openly, commending it…