It’s amazing how when we change our focal point on a subject matter, we may end up seeing something we’ve never seen before. This is true especially of Scripture. The key to understanding God’s Word is to turn from seeing things from our own point of view, to seeing it from His Divine perspective. In the case of the Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers in Luke 20, this is distinctively so.

1 Kings 17:8-16 tells of a mother’s faith amid a hopeless situation that changed everything for the better for her and her son. She’s an example of a mother that despite facing an impossible situation, chose to have faith in God and saw how He worked wonders in her family’s life through her faith and obedience.

There are seven great priorities God has for the Church and I can see all of heaven buzzing with great excitement because of what’s about to happen on earth. The great sacrifice of our Saviour Jesus Christ is coming to a fullness and we need to be focused on those things that are in the Father’s heart.

The Parable of the Minas or Pounds is often interpreted as relating to our stewardship of the gifts that God has given to us. However, it really mimics real events in the days of Jesus where a king went to a distant country to receive his kingship. By drawing from current events of His days, Jesus sought to bring a challenge to His followers that goes far beyond just the stewardship of one’s gifts and opportunity.

1 Timothy 2:1-6 is a great passage that reminds us to pray for all people. When we start praying for them by name, our prayers can have a powerful and profound impact on those around us. Evangelism is not about a one-time campaign or event, but about intentionally sharing God’s love with others on a daily basis.

The 2nd epistle of Paul to Timothy is one of my favourites. It’s a ‘no holds barred’, bare knuckle letter written shortly before his own departure and he’s not holding anything back. He does something that he rarely does in the other epistles – he gets very up-close and personal and pours out his anguish to young Timothy.

When it comes to following Jesus, it’s not a set of rules or requirements. Neither is it about becoming a member of the church, but being in relationship with Jesus.

Both apostles Paul and Peter warned us to refuse and shun ‘profane and old wives’ fables’. Although the Bible doesn’t tell us exactly what these old wives’ fables were, a cursory glance of 1 and 2 Timothy gives us an idea what Paul was referring to. What are some of these old wives’ fables? How can the church avoid these controversies. Paul then spoke at length on the exercise of godliness, which we will be exploring.

Throughout His ministry, Jesus often encountered the cast aways of society and elevated them to a place of value and significance. If we’re to receive the new wine that God is pouring out for the end-time harvest, the Church needs to have new wineskins to receive the least of these as those He loves.