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I am in agreement with Amadeus on this question. I have prayed in tongues, and I have witnessed a few prophecies that I would say are genuine (plus many more that probably weren't). The cessationist argument is built on two main planks: the Biblical fact that the gifts were originally given to...

30 Life after death Read 1 Peter 1:3-7 We can’t actually know what happens after death; but we can have confidence in the death and resurrection of Jesus. When he died for us, he drew death’s sting and removed its terror (Hebrews 2:14,15). And because he rose again, we know for certain that...

29 Jesus will return Read 1 Thessalonians 4:13-5:11 Jesus’ physical absence from this world is only temporary. He promised that he would return one day in glory and majesty to judge the world and set up his Kingdom on earth. But he also gave hints that we might have to wait a long time...

28 Telling others about Jesus Read Matthew 5:13-16 Christian faith can’t be a private matter, because Jesus Christ changes our lives in so many practical ways. We become like lights shining in a dark world - so we can’t help but show up! Whether we like it or not, we’re walking...

27 The Church Read Ephesians 2:11-22 God’s plan has always revolved around a special group of people - his “chosen people”. He loves each one of us individually, of course, but he wants above all to create a community: “my kingdom of priests, my holy nation” (Exodus 19:6). In Old...

26 Prayer Read Matthew 6:5-15 When we put our trust in Jesus, his Father (God) becomes our Father God as well. The mighty and awesome God actually adopts us as his children! (Romans 8:14,15) And this means that, when we pray, we can address him as ‘Father’. He is the perfect Father: always...

Thank you both

25 A new lifestyle Read Colossians 3:5-10 Even after becoming a Christian and receiving the Holy Spirit, I still have a natural tendency towards sin. The Spirit sets to work to ‘restore’ the image of God in me, like an art restorer working slowly and carefully on a damaged painting. But he...

24 The Holy Spirit Read Ezekiel 36:25-27 As we have seen, Christianity isn’t about believing the right things and keeping certain rules. When we put our trust in Jesus, he gives us his Holy Spirit to live in us (Ephesians 1:13) - and the Holy Spirit does stuff! “I assure you, no-one can...

23 Baptism Read Acts 2:37-41 In New Testament times, everyone who became a Christian was immediately baptised by being immersed in water. This was in obedience to Jesus’ instruction after his resurrection (Matthew 28:18-20). Baptism is an act of submission and obedience (because Jesus has...

22 Counting the cost Read Luke 14:25-33 Following Jesus has never been an easy option. In the first century, the only people who carried crosses (verse 27) were condemned criminals going out to their execution. And in some countries today, being a Christian can put your life in danger. In...

21 Forgiveness Read 1 John 1:5-10 Christianity is the only religion that offers complete forgiveness of all our sins - past, present and future. God can’t condone sin without contradicting His justice; and he can’t simply ignore our sins because they offend him so deeply. But if we belong...

20 Faith Read Galatians 2:15,16 Popular religion thinks that you have to be a ‘good’ person in order to receive God’s favour. So people assume that Christianity is mainly about living a good life (by keeping the Ten Commandments, or obeying the Sermon on the Mount) in order to please God...

19 Repentance Read Romans 10:9,10 Repentance is more than just feeling and saying sorry for the wrong things that I’ve done. It’s a turning around - a complete change of attitude towards God, towards myself, and towards other people. And having turned around, I start looking and moving in...

What about them? Whether there was an individual Adam or not, we are all descended from an original (very small) group of humans who were endowed by God with His image. If "Adam" was one member of that small group, we are still all descended from him. Last year we visited a remote village in...

You can indeed condense it all into a single paragraph - but that only gives the bare facts, no explanation.

There is a false dichotomy here. "Literal" doesn't necessarily equate to "true". Plenty of non-literal things are true - Jesus' parables, for example. Not every part of the Bible has to be interpreted literally. Revelation, for example, is "apocalyptic" literature - which was never intended to...

18 Jesus’ ascension Read Acts 1:1-11 Since a victim of crucifixion fell under the curse of being “hung on a tree” (Deuteronomy 21:22,23), this manner of death should have disqualified Jesus of Nazareth from any claim to be the long-awaited “King of the Jews”. But God had the last word, and...

17 Jesus’ resurrection Read John 20 Jesus’ body was prepared for burial in the traditional Jewish manner: wrapped tightly in strips of cloth, laden with valuable spices. It was then put in an otherwise empty rock tomb, with a heavy stone rolled over the entrance to keep out grave-robbers...

16 Jesus’ death Read Isaiah 53 Jesus was betrayed by one of his closest friends, condemned to death on false charges by the Sanhedrin (the Jewish Council) and executed by the Romans. The Gospels give us the facts of the story in great detail, and are especially concerned to point out that...