Ray Bell

This week in Galatians 2:11-21 we hear of a time when Paul confronted Peter for being ‘out of step with the truth of the gospel’. What may have seemed to be a simple case of changing one’s behaviour to suit different company, was in fact a matter of utmost significance. Paul saw Peter’s conduct for…

Thank God for choosing a rugged man like Paul who would not move for a moment away from the gospel that he had been commissioned by God to proclaim. Meeting the other apostles after years of independent ministry only confirmed that his gospel was no different than theirs – they were on the same page…

This week in Galatians 1:11-24 we hear how Paul’s apostleship and the gospel he proclaims are not some man-made fairytale or fiction, but come from God himself. They therefore carry all the weight and authority of the Lord. To reject this gospel of grace from God, or to distort it in any way, is not…

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” How would life be if all we did began with the grace and peace of God? How would life be if forgiveness flowed freely in all our relationships? What freedom we would have! And what trouble we would avoid! Such freedom…

This week, in the last message of our ‘Abide In Me’ series we will hear of the great goal of all creation and the culmination of all history – when ‘the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people.’ ‘Heaven’ has little to do with…

This week David Powell will bring the ninth message in our ‘Abide In Me’ series – “Abiding in the End”.  The readings are from Revelation 4 and 7:9-17 revealing the throne of the Father and the Lamb that was slain. Here we reach a glorious end to our abiding – eternal worship of the Father,…

This week, in John 15, we come to the passage from which the title of our series appears – ‘Abide in me, and I in you,’ says Jesus to his disciples. The vine imagery used by Jesus is a reminder of Israel’s failure to produce the fruit the Father desired. In the last of Jesus’…

It is often said that we live in a ‘free country’, but I wonder how many of us truly feel free. There is much in this life which seems to restrict and overwhelm us, let alone the matters of sin, the world, the devil, our consciences and God’s law and his wrath. Wouldn’t it be…

This week, from John 6:22-59, we will hear how doing ‘the work of God’, coming to Jesus, looking to him and feeding on his flesh are all one and the same – belief in him. And all who do this will be ‘raised up in the last day’ and have eternal life. Yet, unless the…

Last week we were shown something of the holiness of God that Israel, and others such as the Philistines, saw and experienced, particularly with regard to the Ark of the Covenant. God was determined to dwell among his people, and graciously provided the means by which this could take place. However, very few were able…