Editor’s Introduction
Hopefully you are enjoying your summer, and will receive this issue of the magazine in time to read it on holiday. It is important to read and develop our minds. One of our articles in this issue is about ‘justification’. Please don’t ignore it as a heavy topic, have a read, and let me know […]
Justification
When we are justified, we are ‘declared right’ in God’s sight. There is no guilt for sin, and no accusation can be made. As a result, we do not deserve to be punished. What the Lord Jesus says about justification In Luke chapter 18, the Lord Jesus tells the story of two men praying in […]
The Writing on the Wall
It’s great to see how the Bible stands. The attacks on its integrity and reliability have been relentless, but after every fresh wave of attacks the Bible emerges unscathed. Scientists have gone into the lab to disprove God, and have ended up providing more evidence of His existence. Archaeologists have gone to Bible lands to […]
Daniel
I love to hear how people were saved. It’s thrilling to hear about the different links in the chain, the moving of circumstances, the acts of providence, the moment of faith, and the change that resulted. Little wonder there is joy in the presence of the angels over one sinner that repents. Well, Daniel chapter […]
Editor’s Introduction
By the time this issue of YPS reaches you, we hopefully will have passed the season of snow and be well beyond spring and thinking of summer. Of course, that presupposes that you live in Europe; if you are in another time zone, my apologies. Enjoy whatever season you are in! This is a good […]
How to Study Your Bible
In our last study we looked at the importance of spending time with God. We live in a world that is so anti-God, and yet at the same time a world that needs to see Spirit-filled believers to experience what true Christianity looks like. We concluded that it was impossible, whatever our age, for individuals […]
Luke 17. 11-19
Luke tells us of a visit that the Lord Jesus made to Jerusalem in the closing days of His public ministry. On the way He passed through Samaria and Galilee and came to a ‘certain village’ where ten lepers met him. Their disease meant that they were unclean and, as a result ‘they stood afar […]
What can I do for God?
The Lord Jesus expects every disciple to be baptized. But it doesn’t end when the physical act has taken place. The truth that baptism pictures should continually and practically affect our lives. Being baptized, and living it out each day, is an important and elementary way for every believer to do something for the Lord. What is […]
Character Study
His Salvation The first mention of the man is in Acts chapter 16. verse 1. Paul had come to Derbe and Lystra and there was a certain disciple called Timothy. He was Paul’s true child through faith, 1 Tim. 1. 2 – it seems that he was saved when the apostle first visited the area. […]
Daniel
This is the one chapter in the book of Daniel in which Daniel doesn’t actually feature. It may be that Daniel was away on business and thus was not involved in this incident. It seems that Nebuchadnezzar has taken some exception with Daniel’s interpretation of his dream in chapter 2. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that he […]
Editor’s Introduction
Another year has come! How has it started for you? I hope that rather than make New Year resolutions that you have committed the year to God and asked for His guidance about how to spend your time, money, energy, etc, this year. The articles in this issue will hopefully help. Steve Buckeridge asks the searching question – what […]
The Prayer Meeting Register
It is interesting that God notes the names of those who are at the prayer meeting! Acts 1. 13 – 14. When He marks the register for your assembly prayer meeting, are you ‘present’ or ‘absent’? Here are some who were present on this occasion. Mary She was the privileged vessel through whom the Son […]
What can I do for God?
All Christians are part of the body of Christ, and it should be the norm that they demonstrate this by their active involvement in a local church, which gathers to the name of the Lord Jesus. Some circumstances, such as ill health, may mean not all of the following are always possible, but please prayerfully […]
Abel
When the writer of Hebrews lists men and woman of faith from the Old Testament, Abel is the first name to appear. His name means ‘breath’, although he was not the first person to breathe, nor to be born; these descriptions belonging to his father Adam, and his older brother Cain. He was born outside […]
Daniel
A casual reading of the book of Daniel will show that it is divided into two parts. The first six chapters make up the first part (the well-known part). These are chapters of narrative – exciting stories that have kept Sunday School children enthralled for generations. The last six chapters make up the second part. […]
Editor’s Introduction
Another issue of YPS is with us. This is the last one for 2012. I wonder where the year has gone but, more to the point, I wonder if I have done anything of significance in God’s eyes during this year. I am sure that Daniel in the Bible did not expect to be cruelly […]
Spending Time
Let me begin this study with a question which only you can answer honestly within yourself. How often do you spend time with God alone? We live in a world, particularly in the West, which is dominated by what we see and look like. My closeness to God is measured by most others, as how […]
What can I do for God?
It is wonderful that God has a plan for each of our lives, and desires to guide us in the big decisions we take. It is just as remarkable that He has given the Holy Spirit to live in each Christian to constantly guide in even ‘minor matters’. Every Christian should be able to say, […]
Daniel
He was far from home and routine, free from restraint and supervision, subject to intense pressure from authorities and peers, exposed to immense opportunities to leave behind all he’d known, and move ahead in a new culture. But as we read the story of this young man, Daniel, we discover that rather than society making […]
Editor’s Introduction
Another issue is now ready for your enjoyment. Hopefully you will find it helps some aspects of your spiritual journey through life. This issue sees a number of articles which I found very helpful as I edited them. We get a few insights into varying aspects of Christian life in this issue. How do you […]
The Life of Paul
Paul the apostle was a man of many talents. He reminds me of the Action Man figures from my youth. A plastic hunk could be transformed in a moment from a soldier to a chauffeur, with a quick change from khaki combats to a blue suit and peaked cap. More seriously, Paul effectively performed many […]
Resisting Peer Pressure
When I was at school a friend of mine achieved top grades and mixed with a decent group of friends for the first couple of years. He was popular, good company and appeared to be content. At about the age of 14 he began to mix with another social group outside school and very quickly […]
What can I do for God?
Worship of our Creator and Saviour is one of the highest privileges we can ever have. It is definitely something that all of us should be doing! ’It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High’, Ps. 92. 1. What is worship? Worthship […]
Editor’s Introduction
It doesn’t seem long since I wrote the introduction for the February issue of YPS, but here we go again. What delights have we for you in this issue? Stephen Grant has written an excellent article for us on the life of Moses – he made me think about some aspects of Moses’ life that […]
How to enjoy eternal life
When we receive a gift, one of the most important questions that we could ask is, ‘How can I get the most enjoyment out of this gift?’ Hopefully, instructions will come from the manufacturer about how we can enjoy our new possession. The book of Deuteronomy records how the nation of Israel was to possess […]
How to have a good testimony
Every committed Christian wants to please the Lord by having a good testimony. But how do we do it? What are the characteristics of a good testimony? How do we keep going with a consistent testimony? These are just some of the questions we might be asking. 1st Thessalonians is a story of new converts […]
Moses
He was the man that God chose to lead a slave nation from Egyptian captivity through a wilderness to a promised land. He was the Prince of Egypt who became a shepherd, prophet, leader and so much more. Moses had a spectacular beginning and end to his life. His life ended when God buried him […]
Serving the Lord
Introduction Serving the Lord is the privilege and responsibility of every born-again believer. When Paul wrote in 1st Thessalonians chapter 1 verses 9-10, he referred to a past, present, and future event in their lives. He reminded them of their past, when they were saved, ‘you turned to God from idols’. He directed their gaze […]
What can I do for God?
Knowing your Bible is not just something for preachers and academics! God has provided His word for all of us to be fully equipped to live for Him, 2 Tim. 3. 17. He has also given us His word so that we will be like Him, 2 Pet. 1. 4. What to do? Listen to […]
The Book of Esther
Esther is a book which clearly emphasizes the providence of God. One of the features of the book is that the name of God does not appear in the Hebrew text. However, on closer examination we can find the Lord’s name in acrostic form* in the narrative. On four occasions, 1. 20; 5. 4, 13; […]
Building Blocks of the Christian Faith
The -tions (phonetically, the -shuns) of the Christian life are a good theological study. The first -shun we experience is salvation, although, on the divine timescale, election comes first. In the previous issue of YPS, Jack Hay explained separation. This time, we are going to think about sanctification. Whereas separation focuses on what we should […]
Editor’s Introduction
Editor’s Introduction If I were to give this issue of YPS a theme it would be ‘tools for better Christian living’. Not a very trendy title you say but hopefully it gives a taste of what we have focused on in this issue. I am sure that most of us get frustrated at times and […]
Helpful biblical guidance for believers
In the August 2010 edition of Precious Seed International I wrote an article entitled ‘Fellowship’. In this I suggested that there were six aspects of local assembly fellowship which are vital for every believer. These are our commitment, continuity, conduct, contribution, care and compliance. There is however another aspect of local assembly fellowship that is […]
How do I ensure that I stay close to the Lord?
Sadly, few of us can claim the testimony of an Enoch or Noah, who ‘walked with God’ closely and continuously. Often we are more like Peter, who ‘followed afar off’. Yet it is true that each of us is as close to God as we choose to be. The purpose of this article then is […]
What can I do for God?
What is it? There are different things that we can do in prayer and they should normally be in the following order. Praise: Thank God for His greatness (many of the prayers in the Bible start this way, e.g., 1 Kgs. 8. 23; Isa. 37.16) Repentance: confess known sin and shortcomings (Ps. 66.18) Appreciation: give […]
‘Be ye separate’
Key Bible references 2 Corinthians 6. 14-7. 1. There are numerous key commands in the Bible for the Christian. In fact, Christian life started in response to a command – ‘Be ye saved’, Isa. 45. 22. By obeying that command, we commenced our spiritual lives, and, there and then, other commands came into play. ‘Be […]
