Introduction – Thorn bushes and myrtle trees
Perhaps we are lazy or have become accustomed to bite-sized everything, from social media to a YouTube-style news cycle. Whatever the reason, Christian doctrine is sadly neglected. We seem to know very little about our God, our Saviour, and the gospel. We sing songs about people’s experiences, aspirations, emotions and are stirred by the lyrics […]
The key to conversation
As a young Christian, I had a burning desire to make the gospel known to those who had never heard it. What held me back was an equally strong feeling of inadequacy. I was ill-equipped to converse with friends, neighbours, and strangers, about the gospel and I didn’t want to make a fool of myself […]
Zacharias
Between the two testaments, there were ‘four hundred silent years’ without a word from God.1 How would heavenly communication be resumed? Who would hear the first fresh word from the Lord? The answer is that divine revelation came initially to a priest engaged in temple service; his name was Zacharias. Throughout his writing, Luke focuses […]
Be Mindful
The practice of mindfulness has become increasingly popular in society today. However, there is real danger associated with becoming overly focused on self. As an antidote to self-occupation, I would like to consider what the Bible says we should be mindful of – profitable things that we should strive to remember and focus our minds […]
Can sickness be for the glory of God?
When we have a friend or loved one who is unwell and going through a real trial with their health, it’s difficult, isn’t it, to see the purpose behind it or to understand why our God doesn’t seem to intervene immediately despite all our heartfelt prayers? Of course, the simple answer is to say that […]
Editor’s Introduction
Here we are moving swiftly towards the end of another year! 2021 has nearly run its course. How has the year been for you? Hopefully, we have all learned lessons from our experiences, and our walk with the Lord has become increasingly important to us. In this issue Phil Raggett reminds us about what the […]
‘I am an ambassador’ – Eph. 6. 20
‘And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak’, Eph. 6. 19, 20 Apart from world politics, the term ‘ambassador’ […]
Proverbs: The Book of Wisdom
All quotations are taken from the New King James Bible. Apart from Christ Himself, Solomon was the wisest man who ever lived. He made his request for wisdom early in his reign, and God responded by giving him such wisdom ‘so that there has not been anyone like you before you, nor shall any like […]
Who is the Holy Spirit?
Throughout the pages of the word of God the Holy Spirit is mentioned. In the book of beginnings, Genesis, He is moving across the face of the deep, Gen. 1. 2, and in Revelation He joins the bride in saying ‘come’, Rev. 22. 17. One writer referred to the Holy Spirit as the forgotten God, […]
Four Bad Priests
The Bible is packed with good examples of characters we can emulate, since ‘things … written aforetime were written for our learning’, Rom. 15. 4. Conversely, there are also many bad examples, people whose traits we must avoid. Such examples should serve as salutary warnings to us as believers. In this article, we will consider […]
Editor’s Introduction
Thanks for reading Young Precious Seed (YPS). If this is the first time you have read YPS, welcome. If you are a regular visitor, thank you for your ongoing interest. Our aim at YPS is to promote the teaching of the New Testament and to encourage young Christians to learn and live out the truths […]
The Glory of the Person of Jesus Christ
If the world wasn’t in enough turmoil pre-Covid-19, it is now. Financially, politically, socially and culturally, wave after wave of bad news bombards us through every form of media. It is enough to depress even the most optimistic person. Where on earth can Christians turn to be cheered up? I commend to you the person […]
‘I am apprehended’ – Phil. 3. 12
‘Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus’, Phil. 3. 12. I was not much of an athlete at school and merely dabbled with cross-country, resulting in only once being asked to represent […]
Career Choices – Working in the Public Sector
I have been in the civil service for over forty years and recommend public service as a career worth considering in that it provides secure employment, while allowing a believer to serve the Lord and to fully participate in the assembly of which they form a part. Serving the public good The vast UK public […]
Prophetic Priests
The original Joshua featured in Israel’s first exodus; after they escaped from Egypt, he led them into the Promised Land. The other Joshua, who is the subject of this article, participated in Israel’s second exodus, when they returned from Babylonian captivity. The magnitude of the second exodus was roughly a tenth of the first; only […]
An Upward Look
In these difficult days of the Covid 19 pandemic, it is good for the child of God to be encouraged in the Lord. There are countless occasions in the word of God when we are encouraged to ‘lift up our eyes’. Some of the most prominent characters in the scriptures do just this, and we […]
Editor’s Introduction
Welcome to YPS May 2021. I hope that this issue finds you well. One of my privileges when compiling and editing YPS is finding new writers and reading what they send me. Last issue we had a couple of new writers, and I really enjoyed their articles – there are more to come, so watch […]
‘I am in a strait’ – Phil. 1. 23
‘For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain … what I shall choose … I am in a strait … having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ … nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful’, Phil. 1. 21-24. It has been said that in Bible study […]
Career Choices – Cabinetmaker
As I start to tell you about my work-life experience, there is a principle that you would be wise to consider. As Christians, we should talk to the Lord about everything, so as you think about what career you should pursue, make it a matter of prayer. I always wanted to be a chef; however, […]
Editor’s Introduction
We are now well into 2021 and hopefully you are well. I don’t know what stage we will be in the fight against COVID-19 by the time you read this, but I am sure that it will still be on our radar. What an encouragement it is to know that ‘the Most High rules in […]
Not Important
There is a sketch in the Calvin and Hobbes comic book that pictures Calvin looking up at the stars and shouting, ‘I’m significant!’. The next panel zooms out to show us a tiny handful of the stars framed against a small picture of Calvin in the bottom left-hand corner, while in the following frame Calvin […]
‘I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful’ – 2 Cor. 7. 4
‘Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation’, 2 Cor. 7. 4. In our previous article, we briefly considered Paul’s care for the Philippian believers. We now turn our attention to the Christians at Corinth. Although […]
Evangelizing
Matthew’s Gospel closes by recording that the risen Lord Jesus Christ commissioned the disciples to ‘teach [disciple] all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost’, Matt. 28. 19. The commission has not been revoked. We each have the privilege and responsibility to witness about […]
Public Preaching
It must be about ten years since I first stood on a platform, red-faced and with shaking hands, to publicly preach the gospel. Here is some advice I would give to my former self, and to anyone else starting out in what can feel like a daunting part of Christian service. I have separated this […]
Career Choices – Teaching
I can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to be a primary school teacher – so the disclaimer at the outset is that I cannot speak for high school teachers. Main commitments in work life Teaching is like any other job – if you want it to take over your life, it will. The […]
Prophetic Priests
Children often follow the career paths of their parents. For instance, how many doctors do you know whose parents were doctors? There is a similar pattern for teachers. In Old Testament times, the office of priest was hereditary – son followed father into sacred service, as ordained by Jehovah, 1 Chr. 23. 13. That is […]
Dispensations – Final
In studying the dispensations of innocence, conscience, government, promise, law, grace, and kingdom, we have seen, at times, a degree of overlap between the various administrative systems through which God has regulated His dealings with mankind. The Acts period stands out especially, containing elements of law, grace, and kingdom. A second historical period which does […]
Editor’s Introduction
It has been a real pleasure for me to read and edit the articles that I am bringing to you in this issue. You will notice that we have a final article on ‘Dispensations’. This brings us to the end of this series but more than that, it reminds us once again of the plan […]
‘I am … content’ – Phil. 4. 11
‘I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content’, Phil. 4. 11. The Epistle to the Philippians is marked by joy and rejoicing, as Paul displayed much affection for the Philippian believers. Paul wrote from prison, Phil. 1. 7, likely at Rome, to thank the believers for a gift that they had […]
Giving
The Context The Apostle Paul reminded the Ephesian elders that the Lord Jesus had taught that ‘it is more blessed to give than to receive’, Acts 20. 35. The Lord Jesus gave Himself. What do we know about giving? It is sad to observe that, while there are exceptions, the saints are generally better off […]
Career Choices – Banking
I have spent the last thirteen years in the banking industry and many changes have taken place over those years. Like writers before me, I have been thankful to the Lord for His help and guidance during that period. I can look back over it and know that I have been guided through thus far. […]
Hilkiah
Hilkiah’s name means ‘My portion is Jehovah’ and this priest certainly lived up to his name. Hilkiah was high priest during the reign of Josiah, the last good king of Judah who ‘walked in the ways of David’, 2 Chr. 34. 2. In this article we examine three spiritual highlights which, taken together, demonstrate that […]
Acrostic of Prayer
The exhortation of 1 Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 17 to ‘pray without ceasing’ is particularly pertinent in times of difficulty, when we feel overwhelmed by the circumstances of life. Thank God for this precious recourse that we have, as believers, and the confidence we gain from knowing that ‘in every thing by prayer and supplication […]
Editor’s Introduction
Thanks for joining us again and reading ‘YPS’. If we are still in ‘Lockdown’ when this insert reaches you, I hope that you have more time to read. If you are like me, you will probably be as strapped for time as ever so ‘take and make time’ to read. It is not a luxury […]
‘I am what I am’ – 1 Cor. 15. 1
‘But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain’, 1 Cor. 15. 10. Saul of Tarsus was vehemently opposed to all who owned Christ Jesus as Lord and ‘he made havock of the church’, Acts 8. 3. It was this violent […]
Worshipping
In John chapter 4, the Lord Jesus explained to the Samaritan woman that the day was coming when the Father would seek worshippers ‘in spirit and in truth’. But what is worship? If we look across 21st-century Christendom, worship often equates to music. Worship can certainly be expressed in appropriate hymns and spiritual songs that […]
