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1 month ago | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
I think this is how our service of God often works. There are of course the obvious things: that terrible effort to explain the gospel that just went horribly wrong, the advice we gave that blew up in somebody’s face, the action we took that we look back and think was actually wrong. All well-intentioned mistakes in the service of Jesus. I am just preparing a sermon on a funny little episode in 2 Kings 4Open in Logos Bible Software (if available).
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2 months ago | 
evangelical-times.org | Stephen Kneale
On the death of Pope Francis, I have been a little surprised by some of the evangelical responses. For a helpful comment, I would recommend this from Leonardo Di Chirico. I appreciate the death of any world leader – particularly where we feel the need to comment – can be a tricky business. Quite what do you say? Particularly if the person in question has said and done some things with which we might vehemently disagree. Let me raise some notes of caution.
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2 months ago | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ kingship as a sign to the Jews that He is the promised messiah. Mark emphasizes Jesus as an obedient servant. Luke is written for the benefit of non-Jews. John writes to emphasize that Jesus is the everlasting Son of God and, at the same time, God the Son. In our weekly theology breakfast, we are continuing our biblical theology track.
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2 months ago | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
There is a fairly strong line in denying ourselves comfort for the sake of the gospel and very little that would lead to the conclusion of encouraging Christian morals apart from actual conversion to make life easier or to aid the spread of the gospel or anything like it. Are these cultural matters really being encouraged and applauded by believers for the sake of the gospel or, if we’re really being honest, is it because they will make our life that much easier?
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Mar 8, 2025 | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
Have you heard, for example, that apocryphal story of Martin Luther? Apparently he was asked one evening what he’d be doing the next day and he replied, ‘Work, work from early till late. In fact I have so much to do that I shall spend the first three hours in prayer. One of my favourite books on prayer is Michael Reeves’ Enjoy Your Prayer Life. I like its honesty, its directness and particularly the fact that it is short.
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Mar 5, 2025 | 
evangelical-times.org | Stephen Kneale
You don’t have to be around churches very long – particularly if there are any children around – before somebody insists it is a bit boring. Kids have a habit of saying whatever happens to be in their heads, and that has the benefit of at least being unfiltered and what they actually think. Adults tend to be a bit better at pretending they don’t think these things, but we can’t escape the fact that just because they don’t say it out loud doesn’t mean they don’t still think it anyway.
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Feb 25, 2025 | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
It is hard to avoid the sneaking suspicion that my interests are deemed acceptable and good whilst yours, for somewhat opaque reasons, are deemed less worthy and excellent. It is often delivered in pseudo-Christain terms but not actually rooted in anything specifically Christian at all. Just a superior sense that my hobbies are better and more godly than yours. A long while ago now, I was asked to speak at one of the UK’s foremost conservative evangelical theological seminaries.
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Feb 15, 2025 | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
The words we speak – even throwaway comments we think nothing of – say something about our hearts. What we really think, or more specifically what we really are, comes out in what we say, maybe especially in those moments when we just aren’t thinking a great deal about what we’re saying at all. I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak. – Matthew 12:36At our most recent men’s breakfast, we were looking at sins of the tongue.
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Feb 6, 2025 | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
What once seemed wise, now seems foolish. What once seemed strong, now seems weak. What we might once have been impressed by we now see is no cause for boasting at all. What the world derides as foolish or offensive, we’ve found to be the very power of God at work in us. In 1 Corinthians 1:22-23, Paul says God’s wisdom confuses Jews and Greeks. Jews look for miracles to validate the message and Greeks look for wisdom (for which read, rhetorical skill and eloquence). But Paul preaches Christ crucified.
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Jan 25, 2025 | 
theaquilareport.com | Stephen Kneale
God sovereignly ordains events in history to speak to his people concerning his plans. We, therefore, read the historical and prophetic narratives of scripture with an eye on the fact that God was orchestrating these historical events to point to future events or to function as examples to his future people.
