Malcolm Cox

Two weekends ago, I spent a memorable time with some dear old friends—friends I hadn't seen for several decades. The occasion was a reunion of my fellow music students who graduated with me from the University of Birmingham 40 years ago. We reconvened in Birmingham for a weekend filled with walking, talking, eating, and sharing stories. We reminisced about the good old days, told tall tales, corrected each other's fading memories, and, most importantly, we reconnected. 
The experience left me feeling thoroughly refreshed and deeply reflective. This weekend, while bringing back a flood of happy memories, also brought me face-to-face with some less-than-positive aspects of my past. My time at university was a mix of highs and lows. I acquired valuable musical skills, made lasting friendships, and, perhaps most importantly, met my wife, Penny—an earthly blessing I cherish above all others. 
However, I also carried a heavy load of regrets. Some were related to my lack of dedication to my studies, some to unhealthy habits I had developed during that time, and some to how I mistreated and hurt people. Delving into the specifics of these regrets would be too personal and involve others who shouldn't be named. Nevertheless, these regrets have weighed on me for decades. 

The most spiritually moving moment of that weekend occurred on a Sunday morning. During my prayer walk, I found myself back at the site of my university residence for the first two years in Birmingham. As I strolled around the halls of residence, I felt a profound spiritual moment develop. I brought to my list of regrets to mind and talked them through with God. 
It was then that something struck me. Here I was, 40 years later, and none of those regrets had proven fatal to me or the people I had hurt. In fact, I had the opportunity to reconcile with one of the individuals I had wronged during that very weekend. Certainly, those mistakes and hurts were real, but they did not define my life or anyone else's. I realised that God had been with me every step of the way, leading me to a better place. In that moment, I felt overwhelmed by grace—a recognition of God’s grace poured upon me over the decades. 

God had not treated me as I deserved. He had not held my mistakes against me or condemned me for my shortcomings during my university days. Instead, He had generously bestowed upon me His grace, mercy, and kindness. He had lifted me from a place of regret to a place of rejoicing, shielding me from the full consequences of my folly, not just then but many times since. I am truly fortunate to have a heavenly Father who delights in me despite my deficiencies, loves me despite my faults, and shows mercy despite my many flaws. 

Upon reflection, I realised I had carried these understandable yet burdensome regrets for far too long. Do you find yourself grappling with similar feelings of shame? Perhaps it's worth revisiting a place or memory associated with your guilt and reflecting on the passage of time between those days and today. Recognise that you are still here, still loved by God, and that your regrets have not been fatal. You are under God's grace and wrapped in His love. Remember that He is a God of redemption and second chances, always ready to welcome you back into His loving embrace. 

As you navigate your own journey of forgiveness and redemption, consider these two scriptures from the Bible that emphasise the power of God's grace and forgiveness: 

1. Romans 8:1 (NIV): "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."
2. Psalm 103:12 (NIV): "As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us." 
These verses remind us that in God's eyes, our past mistakes and regrets are forgiven and forgotten. We can find redemption and move forward with the assurance of His unending love and grace. 
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11)
God bless, Malcolm 

What does Ephesians tell us about Christian maturity?

Read Ephesians before watching the class — or at least skim the book.

1. How might maturity be understood as the ability to deal with uncertainty?
2. How can maturity protect the community from splits and schisms?
3. In what sense might maturity help us negotiate fear? 
4. If you had to relate three traits of a mature church, what would they be?

Scriptures referenced:
- Psalm 68

https://www.thamesvalley.church/

[email protected] 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

Today’s Teaching Tip is a shameless plug to join me and my friends for a day of happy homiletics. 

On Saturday, the 16th of September, I will be having fun learning how to move from text through context into content and application. Our format will include teaching, discussion, Q&A and small-group work. The event will be in person and online simultaneously.

We start at 10 am and finish at 3 pm with lunch provided. Our venue is the West Watford Free Church, Tolpits Lane, Watford WD18 6NU.

We are offering this module half price and will work with anybody with financial challenges to make sure that they can participate. 

Please join us if you can. Whether you are a staff church member, a leader of a small group, or someone who might share a talk about the Lord's supper or conduct a family devotional, this module is for you. 

Learn how to be confident that you may be what Paul called Timothy to be, someone who “does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV11)

Contact us here with enquiries: [email protected] 

The website can be found here: https://aimukandireland.com 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

Perhaps it is inevitable, but our granddaughter’s arrival gave me a refreshed perspective on one of my favourite descriptions of God. Let me set the scene. 

Two days had passed since our granddaughter, Talaya, came into this world, and I was about to meet her for the first time. I confess I was tingling as I stood outside the hospital ward, waiting for my chance to hold her. I knew that this moment would change my life. 
I entered the room and was greeted by the sight of our precious two-day-old Talaya. She was tiny, her eyes still adjusting to the world around her. My daughter and son-in-law offered Talaya to me and I gingerly picked her up. 
Automatically, without thought, I began to hum a traditional nursery rhyme to her. Talaya's tiny eyelids grew heavy. She settled into my arms and fell asleep. It was magical. 
In that moment, I couldn't help but recall a passage from Zephaniah: "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no longer rebuke you but will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17 NIV11). As I sang to Talaya, I felt a profound connection between this verse and our experience. 
Just as I sang nursery rhymes over my granddaughter, I realised that our Heavenly Father sings over us with love and joy. Singing over someone is an intimate act. He takes delight in us, just as I took delight in my granddaughter. 


I continue to sing over Talaya at every opportunity. In those moments, I feel an unbreakable bond between us, a bond rooted in love. It is a tangible reminder of God's love for each of us, His children. It's a reminder that God's love for us is like that of a grandparent holding their precious grandchild—overflowing with delight, tenderness, and an unending melody of love. 

Conclusion 

What does knowing that God delights to sing over you mean to you?  What songs do you think he might sing? 
Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 
Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 
If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm 

What does Ephesians tell us about Christian unity? 

Read Ephesians before watching the class — or at least skim the book.

1. How might we use our gifts to nurture the unity that God has created?
2. What is the place of honesty in unity?
3. How might we navigate the causes of disunity in our communities?

https://www.thamesvalley.church/

[email protected] 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

Do you have a framework to help you with the practical side of your preaching and teaching? In today's short tip, I offer you one from of old. It comes from a book given to me by my friend Harry Hardy, written by a church of Christ minister over 100 years ago. Do you think it is still relevant?

The book is Christian ministry by Joseph Rotherham and contains the following framework taken from Dr. Stalker’s “The preacher and his models”.

“Begin low;
Proceed slow;
Rise higher;
Take fire;
When most impressed
Be self-possessed;
To spirit add form;
Sit down in a storm."

Note: No framework is meant to be a formula or employed rigidly. If you do make use of this framework, be sure to be flexible. What frameworks do you have in mind already? Please share them here so that we can learn from one another.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

Would you like to freshen up your approach to prayer? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last few weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. We conclude the series this week by putting it all together. First, however, a point of clarification.

Point of clarification
As I did in the first episode, I should mention that this framework is not meant to be a formula. Nor do I consider it superior to any other framework. It is simply one of many. 

Security; Submission; Supplication
I have used this framework every day for the last several weeks. It does not cover the totality of my prayers. I have also enjoyed some set prayers from a prayer book connected to Lindisfarne, a Church of England prayer app, and other extemporaneous times of praying. However, I have discovered that using the same framework day after day has deepened my understanding of the connection between security, submission and supplication. Additionally, focusing on these three areas has reminded me of examples in Scripture of people enjoying security with God, the struggle to be submissive to the will of God, and the discipline to make requests by faith. 

Meditating in prayer on my security with God has led me into some times of wonderful praise. How can I ever thank God enough or praise him adequately for adopting me as his child despite my rebellion and weakness? Asking my heavenly father to help me want to be submissive has created a greater awareness of the struggle to be submissive throughout the day. It’s on my mind more. Now and again, I ask myself, “Am I being submissive to God’s will?” Sometimes the answer is not clear, but the question is still a healthy one. Bringing more requests to God has connected me more strongly to those I pray for and revealed to me ways in which I could be part of the answer to the prayers I am offering to God.

Conclusion
Have you tried this framework? Have you persevered with it? What have you discovered? 

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm

The link you need is: https://www.aimukandireland.com
Email: [email protected]

Homiletics
You might well ask, “What on earth is homiletics, and why does it matter?” Homiletics comes from a Greek word meaning to converse, or talk with someone. In the Christian context, it refers to preparing and presenting God’s Word to other people. “Ah, you mean sermons.” Well, it includes sermons, but much more. Whenever we talk about the Scriptures with fellow humans we are being homiletical. All of us do this in different ways, including welcoming people to a church service, sharing thoughts about the Lord's supper, preaching a sermon or teaching a lesson, doing a family devotional, teaching the children in children's ministry, doing a class for the youth ministry, and so on. 

Knowing how to prepare well and how to present well are vital to healthy growth.

Paul tells Timothy to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

He knows Timothy will not be perfect, but he urges him to do his best to handle God’s word accurately. We will never avoid all errors, but we can grow in teaching more accurately. 

As an illustration, let me share an experience with you. I turned up at a church service (not Watford). One of the members shared some thoughts before we took communion. He was sincere, not an experienced speaker, standing in the gap because others were away and English was not his first language. I greatly appreciate his heart. However, the passage he chose had nothing to do with the Lord's supper, the crucifixion, or forgiveness. He didn't mention the cross or what Jesus did for us until the very end — bolting on his point about communion to a Scripture that clearly meant a lot to him but had nothing to do with the Lord’s Supper. He needed homiletical training.  

What about the significance of presentation? 

Here is my favourite example of healthy presentation, 
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” Acts 14:1 

Paul and Barnabas not only spoke the truth, but did so effectively. We need to be accurate — that's the preparation stage — but we also want to be effective. Have you heard lessons which contain truth but did not hit home? I've taught quite a few of those, let alone heard them. It's disappointing when that happens. Disappointing to us as speakers, our hearers, and ultimately to the Holy Spirit. God’s truth can indeed have an impact even when it is contained within an ineffective presentation. But why should we make God’s work harder than it has to be?! 
Studying homiletics makes all the difference to accurate and effective teaching. 

With all that in mind, I invite you to join me at the next AIM module on Saturday, the 16th of September. You can participate in person here in our building or online via Zoom. The day will run from 10 am to 3 pm. 
We are offering this module at half price, £77. People have asked why we charge, given that this is a church event. However, AIM is not paid for by any church, it is self-funding. There are costs involved, and we need to cover those. However, no one must stay away based on the fees. We will always find a way for everyone who wants to attend to be able to do so. Therefore, if financing is a problem, please do not hesitate to speak to me, and I'm sure we can figure something out.

The link you need is: www.aimukandireland.com

More information here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCEwuelrqiI 

The schedule for the day looks like this:
10:00-10:15 Explanation of connection of homiletics with New Testament and Old Testament interpretation
10:15-10:55 Biblical Sermon Analysis and the Bullet, followed by an interactive discussion  from 10:55-11:15
11:25-12:05 The Method, Pt. 1 (Text—Context—Content—Application…)
12:05-12:30 Interactive: Passages for lessons
12:30 LUNCH BREAK
1:15-1:45 The Method, Pt. 2
1:45-2:45 Interactive—break into 2s or 3s, work on more test passages, then share for critique
2:45-2:55 Last things

Further topics will be covered in subsequent videos, including:
1. The Imperative of Preaching & Teaching
2. Three Levels of the Ministry of the Word
3. The Mandate for Preaching 4. How I Learned to Teach & Preach 5. The Proclamation of the Gospel
6. Applying the Message
7. Keeping Lessons Interesting

God bless, Malcolm

Introduction 

Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded. 
“At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Today, we review the series and draw some general conclusions. 

Point of clarification 

It is not healthy to be paranoid about our effectiveness, nor can we ever measure it empirically. Still, there is a place for considering whether we have set ourselves and our listeners up for success. We have been exploring how to be ‘effective’ — not just skilled or accurate — in these episodes. 

The Plan 

Our material has been based on an article you can find here: https://www.douglasjacoby.com/the-ten-commandments-of-teaching-by-brian-fontaine/ 
We have explored the following ‘commandments’: 
1st Commandment: Know thy content, backward and forward, for your students’ respect and attention begins here. 

2nd Commandment: Proper Planning and Preparation Prevent Poor Performance. 

3rd Commandment: Ohhh, Ahhh, Wow! Get and Hold. 

4th Commandment: Respect the time. 

5th Commandment:  Great learning is more important than great teaching. 

6th Commandment: Every Learner is Different so… Differentiate. 

7th Commandment: They Won’t Care How Much You Know Until They Know How Much You Care. 

8th Commandment: Enthusiasm is infectious! 

9th Commandment: It doesn’t matter how well you taught it, it matters how well they learned it. 

10th Commandment: Tests aren’t just for students. 

Which of these resonated with you most? 

Conclusion 

Not so long ago, I attended a church service where the sermon was about a book the preacher had read (and no, it was not the Bible), and the communion talk did not mention the cross. The speakers were well-meaning, sincere, English was not their first language, and they served with a good heart. They were well-intentioned but not effective. We did not leave strengthened in faith. How we use the word of God matters. 
Consider joining AIM UK&Ireland to develop your understanding of Scripture: https://aimukandireland.com/. Our next module is Homiletics (the preparation and delivery of lessons). 

Please add your comments on this week's topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, or practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here's the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
If you'd like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, "How God grows His people", sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 
Please pass the link on, subscribe, and leave a review. 

"Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs." (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm 

Would you like to freshen up your approach to prayer? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last four weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. In the previous two weeks we have explored security and submission. We continue this week with supplication. First, however, a point of clarification.

Point of clarification
Supplication is a fancy word for ‘request’. The point is not the length of the list or the total amount of words — “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7 NIV11) We are not talking about offering God our shopping list of requests, but we are talking about telling him what we need and what we perceive other people need. With these thoughts in mind, let’s consider the example of Jesus.

Supplication:
Supplication is meaningful because it is built on security with God and submission to God’s will. Jesus demonstrates this in his life as summarised by this verse, “During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission.” (Hebrews 5:7 NIV11) Jesus knew God had the power to save him, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?”(Matthew 26:53 NIV11), and trusted him even though it was not appropriate for the Father to supply those angels. How did Jesus manage this? Because his security with God was unshakeable and his submission to God was unbreakable. 

These qualities set us up magnificently to present our requests to God. Jesus taught his followers to expect answers to prayer, “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” (Matthew 21:22 NIV11) Paul encouraged us to tell God what we need, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”(Philippians 4:6 NIV11)

Conclusion
Do you tell God what you need? Are you requesting his work in the lives of people you care about? 

Next time we will go on to look at putting it all together.

Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. 

Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]). 

If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://[www.malcolmcox.org](http://www.malcolmcox.org/). 

Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. 

“Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) 

God bless, Malcolm