Introduction

This is the second article in a series on Artificial Intelligence, and you may be thinking that linking the silicon age to a first-century church may seem strange.

The reason is that the early Acts church serves us today as a model in some important aspects that are relevant to us as we encounter the rapid advance of AI.

In future articles, I will address some sobering and disquieting aspects of AI and how it will affect our lives. Therefore, it is important to anchor ourselves in Jesus and his church. Acts 4:32-34 records how ‘All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power, the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them.’

All seemed ideal, but then persecution came, and everything changed. The reason for the ‘scattering’ that followed is what I want to explore in this article.

The Great Commission

Luke records the last address Jesus gave his disciples as starting with the words “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.”  Luke then wrote in Acts that Jesus had also said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:8) The mandate was unambiguous: movement, expansion, and cross-cultural transmission.

However, the day of Pentecost came just days after Jesus had given his evangelical mandate to the disciples, and the eleven, plus over 100 other believers, had been mightily empowered … yet they did not rush out to save the world … they stayed in Jerusalem for years. That seems very strange, and I have often pondered over why they appeared to have ignored Jesus’ command. Well, I want to propose an answer to why this was the case, and it has a direct relevance to disciples living now in the Age of AI. However, instead of just stating it up front, I would rather lead you through the thought process in arriving at my conclusion.

First, let's have a look at the evidence of the state of the early Jerusalem church.

The Comfort of the Jerusalem Church: 14 Years of Stalling

The church was born when 3,000 believers were added to the original 120 in response to Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:41)

Shortly after that, another 2,000 were added to their number (Acts 4:5), bringing the total to about 5,000. A key fact to note is that they were all Jewish people.

The church was blessed. They were of one heart and mind, they shared everything they had, and the apostles witnessed to the resurrection of Jesus with great power. (Acts 4:32-35)

This continued for about 2 years until Stephen was stoned to death, and the Greek-speaking Jewish Christians fled Jerusalem.

The Hebrew-speaking believers stayed, along with the Apostles, for a further 12 years until a major dispersion occurred because of Herod Agrippa I’s persecution.

The disciples, led by the Apostles, did not even go into Samaria, let alone all the world. So, what were they thinking?! Let’s first consider Peter’s attitude towards the Gentile world, as he was the leader of the early church.

The Theology of Hesitation: Why Peter Stayed Put

It is reasonably clear from the biblical record that for the first 9 years or so, Peter regarded Gentiles (all people other than Jews or converts to Judaism) as ‘unclean’ and not worthy of the Gospel of Salvation. The early church consisted only of Jewish believers in Jesus as the Messiah. When Stephen was martyred, the Gentile converts to Judaism had fled Jerusalem, and this probably reinforced Peter’s views. Perhaps he could not conceive that Jesus, a Jew and a great teacher, could have meant that the disciples should go into the Gentile world with the Gospel until all Jews possible had an opportunity to believe. It could well be that the early church, under Peter’s leadership, saw itself as a Messianic sect within mainstream Judaism.

Jesus had to correct Peter through a vision of a large sheet let down to earth that contained ritually unclean animals. He was told to kill and eat, but he refused. Then a voice from heaven said, “Do not call anything impure that God has made clean.” (Acts 10:15) Only then did the penny drop for Peter that Gentiles were to be included in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Why Peter and the other Apostles rationalised Jesus’ command to preach the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Jesus was a Jew, and he upheld the value and role of the Old Testament Law. According to Peter’s understanding of that Law, as previously mentioned, Gentiles were to be regarded as unclean and excluded from the Kingdom of God. Surely, therefore, Jesus must have meant them to understand his Great Commission in a ‘Jewish’ way. Either the Lord meant they should only try to reach Jews, and most Jews were in Israel, so they should start there. Had Jesus not said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24) Had he not phrased the commission as Jerusalem first, then Judea and Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth? And had Jesus not set a precedent for them when earlier he had sent out the 12 disciples with the instruction: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel”? (Matthew 10:5-6)

It seems that even Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles, understood this to be the divine order. He said to the Jews he was ministering to, "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us …”  (Acts 13:46).

It is unlikely Peter viewed this as rebellion; he likely saw it as faithfulness to tradition. His blind spot was rooted in tradition, just as our blind spot about AI is rooted in the Protestant work ethic and our inability to adequately process an exponential rate of change.

The Cost of Denial: Facing the Exponential Curve

Let’s get to the first of two lessons that the Church of Acts presents. The first is that Justification and prevarication can be very damaging to us, as we need to face the truth about the exponential reality of AI.

When I speak to believers about the likely effect of AI on our churches, witness, and spiritual and emotional health, I most often get the following sort of responses:

The Denial Response

“It is just not possible that AI will have major life-changing effects on our lives over the next few years” It is not that they doubt that AI will bring some profound changes; it is that they can’t conceive of change happening so fast that their world could transform as fast as it is said it will. We have had new technologies like the computer, the internet, and the smartphone, but none of these turned us upside-down before we could adapt. My last article explained the human inability to comprehend exponential change, so if you have not already read this, then click HERE. This is the first, and in many ways the most important, change that we need to bring to our thinking concerning AI. Unless we make this change, the disruption that follows could seriously destabilise us.

The Abundance Fallacy

A second common response is, “Most people think that AI will usher in an age of abundance, so why should I worry about that?” Well, AI will probably reduce the cost of goods and services and create more time for leisure and pleasure. BUT, for costs to come down radically, and for much more leisure time to be created, there must be an equal and positive reaction … and that will most likely be the loss of jobs, income streams. This means that there is a very high probability that your job will become redundant! Even if governments eventually introduce a Universal Basic Income for all citizens, the price would still be a traumatic loss of personal identity, worth, and purpose. We cannot afford to delay and justify as Peter and the disciples did 2,000 years ago.

The Tool Argument

A third response is, “AI is a tool, and if we use it effectively, we will prosper… so bring it on.” Perhaps AI started as a productivity tool, but it is far more than that right now. It is a very clever and knowledgeable assistant, but before we fully realise what is happening, it is likely to already be taking over the very jobs it has been assisting with…at scale. And then what? Even if we had enough to live on, what would be the source of our identity, worth, and purpose?

Where AI Scatters Us: The New Samaria

If our current vocational identities are the "Jerusalem" we must leave, then what is the "Samaria" we are being scattered to? The early church was forced into cross-cultural witness among those they had deemed ritually unclean.

AI may propel us into a world where human value is defined not by utility or productivity, but by spiritual presence and relational depth - the very things no algorithm can simulate. Also, just as the early church idolised ritual purity, we idolise economic utility. Both are false anchors.

The "Samaria" of the AI age may be a return to the irreducible dignity of being made in the image of God, independent of output or efficiency. This is not a retreat, but a mission field.

Another lesson from the Acts account is the nature and components of church life it reveals. We should aspire to this in the time ahead, but I will cover this in another article.

Conclusion

AI as we knew it a year ago is now a capable assistant; in another year, it will be a co-worker, and a year after that, it will likely have rendered traditional white-collar roles unrecognisable or obsolete. Humans have shown themselves to be very resourceful, and society will probably solve the scarcity needs in our world. There may be an extended period of chaos before this happens,

My last article was a gentle introduction to this new series, 'AI In Our Future'. Before I introduce two key concepts, I'd like to share a story with you:

When the World Moved On

The morning light cut through the blinds, too clean,  indifferent. David sat at the dining table in his work clothes, even though there was nowhere to go. The habit of decades refused to die easily. Outside, the neighbour’s alarm chirped, a car reversed, and somewhere down the street a delivery drone buzzed low. Ordinary sounds of a city moving on without him.

He stared at his hands — steady, capable, but suddenly useless. “Good with numbers,” his retrenchment letter had said, as if that were an outdated technology. Over coffee gone cold, he tried to open a spreadsheet he’d made for job leads, but the screen’s blue pulsing notifications reminded him that the world no longer needed clerks.

His wife Nomsa lingered by the window. Her phone rested untouched on the sill, vibrating occasionally with messages from former colleagues. She hadn’t replied all week. It wasn’t shame — it was something deeper, a quiet unravelling of who she believed herself to be. For years, reports, deadlines, and mentoring younger staff had been her rhythm of purpose. Without them, time felt wide and formless.

From the corridor came the sound of Amahle’s school shoes tapping on the tiles. She was sixteen. “They say the new maths tutor at school’s an AI,” she said, slipping toast into her mouth. “It marks our papers in seconds.” She laughed without irony, but there was an anxious tremor in her voice. “At least it can’t get retrenched.”

Nomsa forced a smile, but the words landed like stones. At the far end of the kitchen, their son Liam sighed over his laptop. His graduation photo still hung above the counter, showing a young man in robes, eyes full of untested promise. Now, he was writing proposals for potential clients who preferred the “AI-hybrid freelancer plan.” Deep down, he wondered if he was already obsolete.

That evening, the house seemed heavier. Job portals glowed unanswered. A half-cooked supper congealed on the stove. David finally spoke. “You know,” he said quietly, “I used to think my work meant I mattered — keeping order, balancing accounts, being needed. Now …” His voice trailed off. “Now I don’t know what I am.” Nomsa placed a hand over his. “Maybe that’s what we need to find again — not the jobs, but what we are without them.”

The couple sat in silence, not hopeless, but hollowed, waiting for meaning to return, or for faith to remind them that dignity is not a job title, and worth is more than a login. (AI-generated)

That's a rather sad story, isn't it? Unfortunately, it's already painfully real for so many people in my country, South Africa. Right now, most unemployment isn't because AI has taken jobs - it's because of our struggling economy and difficult socio-political situation. But in the very near future, AI is likely to become a major driver of joblessness. The story is also a graphic summary of the rest of this article.

Now, perhaps you are thinking, "Ah yes, Chris, I know something about AI, and I don't think things will be much different to when computers came along - two jobs created for every one lost." Well, maybe. But there's that troublesome word: maybe. Maybe this will happen, or maybe that, or maybe something else entirely… or maybe we just don't have the right mental tools for assessing what all these 'maybes' really mean.

So the first topic I want to address is something I'm calling Exponential Ectopia.

Exponential Ectopia

"Say what now?" I hear you ask. Well, you shouldn't have heard that term before because I've just invented it (as far as I know). 'Ectopia' is a condition, when applied to an eye, where the lens is misaligned, commonly causing short-sightedness. 'Exponential' means getting faster and faster. Put them together, and you've got our collective problem: we're short-sighted about how rapidly things are accelerating.

Here's the thing: we are practically hard-wired for a way of thinking about the future. We make an estimate based on what happened before and project it forward.

We subconsciously construct a mental graph where the angle shows a rate of change we're used to. Trouble is, change no longer happens in that nice, steady, linear way — it's exponential. The rate of growth doesn't stay constant; it doubles, then doubles again.

Let me give you a concrete example: There's a dam near where I live that became infested with Kariba weed. On day one, there were just a few plants bobbing about. By day two, they were appearing in different places. By day 12, the dam was a quarter full of them. By day 16, it was half full. And by day 20? One hundred per cent of the dam was covered in floating weeds! The coverage doubled every four days.

Now, if that's hard enough for us to wrap our heads around, here's the kicker: AI and its related technologies are doubling in capability every seven months. Their rate of exponential growth started small and seemed to have a nice, gentle slope. But like those weeds, the rate of change took off, and now we're in what I can only describe as an exponential tizzy, with little capacity to comprehend what's actually happening.

Humans are naturally designed for slow, linear thinking. In the past, this was an asset and helped us to function well in a slowly changing environment, but things are different now. Our brains are brilliant at many things, but grasping exponential change isn’t one of them. We can only juggle a handful of items at once, which is why even smart people consistently misjudge compounding effects — like accumulated investment interest – often by about half.

So when you catch yourself thinking, "AI can't possibly be changing that fast; I'm sure we'll have years to adapt," please think again! It is like looking at the Kariba weed in the dam on day sixteen and thinking, “Well, it’s taken 16 days to get half choked up, so we still have over two weeks to find a solution.” Unfortunately, you would be totally wrong, because in four days the dam will be full of weeds! Exponential Ectopia leads to complacency and a dangerous lack of preparation. It's far better to err on the side of realistic expectations, even when it’s a disturbing prospect. Better to recognise that the light at the end of the tunnel might actually be a rapidly accelerating train and prepare to jump, than to be caught unawares.

Beyond this perceptual problem, there's another psychological challenge we need to be aware of: Change Trauma.

Change Trauma

Here's the truth:

we simply don't know with any certainty whether Artificial Superintelligence will bring good or bad changes to us and our society. What we do know is that change - whether positive or negative - can be deeply traumatic when it happens too quickly or too intensely for a person or community to process and adapt.

We're pretty certain that AI is bringing unimaginably rapid change into our world. So we can be equally sure that there will be real trauma involved. What does this look like? Well, a few things:

First, there's the disruption to our sense of stability. Change destabilises our routines, our identities, and our expectations — basically, everything we've built our daily lives around.

Then there's the feeling of losing control. Events start to feel like things happening to us rather than developments we're navigating alongside. We lose our sense of agency.

Our brains also experience cognitive overload. Too many new variables hitting us almost simultaneously exceed our working memory and our capacity to adapt. This leads to confusion, anxiety, or mental paralysis — we just freeze and end up doing nothing positive.

Finally, there's a mismatch stress. When what's familiar and what's suddenly required are miles apart, our brains trigger stress responses similar to trauma: fight, flight, or freeze.

Having some idea of what's coming down the tracks, and at what speed, helps us both to cope and think clearly about how we should respond. Can you imagine the irony? Superintelligent AI turns out to be genuinely beneficial, but we've shredded ourselves mentally because the speed and magnitude of the changes were just too much for us to handle.

Conclusion

But here's an even greater irony, one that troubles me deeply: Jesus-followers suffering unnecessarily during times that could actually be productive and faith-building. Think about it. Jesus told His disciples, and that includes us, that he will never leave or forsake us, that he'll be with us until the very end of the age, and that we shouldn't fear because he has overcome the world.

These aren't just nice-sounding verses for quieter times. They're solid promises for exactly these kinds of moments. I'd encourage you to read passages like Matthew 28:20, Hebrews 13:5, Romans 8:38–39, and 1 Peter 5:7. Let them sink in. Let them become not just familiar words, but anchors for your soul.

Throughout this series, I'll be giving you glimpses into what we can reasonably expect regarding AI and some idea of the timelines involved. More than that, though, I want to bring you practical wisdom that will help build your confidence and strengthen your faith for the times ahead. Not a flimsy optimism based on hoping technology works out, but a deep hope rooted in the One who remains sovereign over every algorithm and every acceleration.

God bless you, my friend

As with my last article, here is a debate by tw0 AI characters. Please drop me a line if you find this approach helpful or unhelpful.

By now, everyone knows that AI stands for Artificial Intelligence and that it is causing both excitement and alarm.  It is one of the technological subjects that interests me, but I will resist the temptation to waffle on about how it works, and other aspects that most people are just not bothered with. Instead,

I want to focus on two things: what everyone needs to know about AI, and then what might interest Christians in particular.

Some things that should concern all of us

A much-lauded positive result of applying AI is that it frees humans from performing low-level or repetitive tasks, thereby creating more time to be creative and innovative. In First-World countries with low unemployment rates, this could be a positive development. However, in Third-World countries with high unemployment rates, perhaps it is not.

I live in a Third-World country where the expanded unemployment rate is over 42%. The total population, including an estimate of unregistered immigrants, is about 65 million. So, that means that about 28 million people do not have employment! So, for millions of people, the fact that AI is doing the routine and repetitive work is not good news.

To exacerbate the situation, according to some research findings, a large percentage of the country's total population, and not just the unemployed, is estimated to be incapable of facing the cognitive challenges of a rapidly increasing AI-driven economy.

In my country, the state avoids terrible hardship or anarchy by paying out huge amounts of taxpayers’ money in monthly allowances and subsidies to unemployed people. The problem is that the government has run out of money, taxpayers, and loan financing!

So, what is to be done? For starters, where precision and accuracy are not paramount, the private sector could forgo the additional profits that come from employing AI to do low-grade tasks. That is highly unlikely because businesses in South Africa need to compete with overseas companies if they are to survive. Secondly, both private and public sectors could upskill as many low-IQ education people as they can, and this is where AI can help a lot. AI is great for designing and implementing educational and skills training programmes. This would require massive and rapid organisation, funding and expertise, so this too is very unlikely to happen in the near future. Private home owners could also help by employing people with cognitive challenges to work as domestic helpers, gardeners and so on, and responsibly help them get by if they can. Some people who live in large houses often employ the minimum number of domestic helpers on the grounds that they can’t afford it, yet they eat out frequently and go on expensive holidays. Perhaps we should all rethink where we stand on this? Even if there was an immediate and country-wide change of heart, this strategy would be a drop in the unemployment ocean.

How we all should use AI at a personal level

For most of us, AI is probably best used for quickly getting information on almost anything, and it beats Search Engines hands down. It is also great for comparing and evaluating options, critiquing assertions. summarising and so on. Another great use for AI is to treat it as a discussion partner. Ask it questions and then interact by challenging or qualifying its responses or your questions. This yields the best results while still fully engaging our brains, personal experience and knowledge bases.

How not use AI, in my opinion, is to set it tasks and allow it to do our thinking for us. This is ethically questionable and also detrimental to us.

A recent study was conducted by a top American University, which tracked 54 participants writing essays over four months.  They were allowed to use AI as much as they wanted.  They then compared the results to a control group that did not use AI and found that the AI-assisted group displayed lower brain activity, particularly the mental activity linked to creativity and memory. Moreover, the reports claim that there was an 83% inability to accurately recall what they had written! Another 2025 study of 666 participants found a marked correlation between frequent AI use and critical thinking scores. Younger users showed higher dependence and worse performance.

The study did not prove permanent brain decline, but that the danger of ongoing dependence on AI is nevertheless real.

Ethical Considerations

A question that our experts and legislators are currently grappling with is 'To what extent can ‘creators’ claim ownership or take credit for something they produce with the help of AI?' I write a lot, so I will use that as an example. On one end of the spectrum is the use of spelling and grammar checkers in products such as Microsoft Word or Grammarly (forms of AI). I am both dyslexic and a lousy speller, so for me these aids are essential. They don’t save me time because I have to make so many corrections, but they save face and reputational damage.  These aids are as necessary to me as audio-to-text applications are to some physically impaired people. I do not regard these aids as presenting an ethical problem. What is more, I have no problem with using AI to scan my work for tone or content that could cause offence or be misunderstood. I have, on occasions, also asked AI to adapt my writing to be better understood and related to by certain age groups or types of people. It is at this point that things get a little dodgy for me.

Would I ask AI to write an article, or even a book, for me by just giving broad guidance and a few parameters? No, I wouldn’t normally do this, and if, for some reason, I did, I would clearly disclose that it was AI-generated. I would certainly never consider submitting an AI-generated document for peer review or educational credits. Publishers, writers’ associations, and educational institutions have already set clear standards, but we all need to settle for ourselves what is ethically and legally acceptable and what is not. And, of course, the same would apply to artistic works or innovations.

The broader societal impact of AI

I have recently watched several AI experts talking about the future effects of AI on society. Some have waxed lyrical about the hugely positive influence AI is having in the fields of medicine, pharmaceutics, and so on, where it performs admirably in helping doctors diagnose more accurately and assisting surgeons in delicate and difficult procedures. It helps in developing aids for the disabled, finding new cures and seems to have many other clear benefits to humanity. I am sure they are right about this, and we will all benefit from the rapid advances being made. On the other side of the coin are the equally rapid AI-led advances in lethal arms development, narcotics creation, and techno-crime of every sort. AI is also being used to trick us into giving access to our banking accounts! I get about 5 emails or SMS attempts to defraud me every day, as well as sporadic telephone calls trying to get me to allow access to my bank accounts! Of late, they have been getting sophisticated and deceptive with the use of AI, making them even more convincing.

Beyond financial deception, there is a more subtle and troubling effect of AI that impacts our mental and spiritual well-being. At this level, the impact of AI, as I experience it, is almost entirely negative.

The other day, I stumbled on a YouTube video where a so-called professor of applied mathematics claimed to have had a near-death experience where Jesus gave him five warnings to the world. Strangely enough, he was presented as an avowed and vigorous atheist. He said that these warnings would be observed by everyone around the world and would all occur in January 2026.

I used AI to research and analyse the video and unsurprisingly found it to be an AI-generated fake. I also discovered that there were dozens of variations of the theme flying around the internet – an imaginary elderly woman claimed a similar experience, as did a soldier, a Jewish scholar, a boy, a political advisor, and many more.

This example is not an isolated incident, but part of a rapidly growing pattern. Why do people do this? The main reason is no doubt that they get paid money by advertisers and media companies, depending on the number of views they get and the duration of each view. Also, it is easy to get a suite of AI applications that produce high-quality and potentially convincing content. One person can produce up to ten of these videos a day by using AI! To make matters even worse, these videos can sow fear or morbid satisfaction for some folks – some even call it ‘fear-porn’, can you believe it?

A global concern

Some of what I have described so far may sound like a uniquely South African crisis, but the same dynamics are beginning to surface globally - and at a scale that could affect every nation.

Some of the same AI experts I have mentioned watching also debated a big concern for all thought-leaders, politicians, and top business executives. If AI does away with as many jobs as it seems it will, then how do the jobless survive? The apparent answer is that the governments of the world will have to pay a universal income allowance to everyone on the planet- a sort of dole or social grant on steroids. So apparently, we will all be able to get along just fine without earning a living. But here is the thing. Who would pay for these multi-gazillion-dollar grants? Why the governments, of course. And where would they get the money to do this? Well, in taxes from the tech giants, who make obscene profits from producing the AI that is the cause of the problem. It sounds a bit like a snake-eating-its-own-tail metaphor. This whole scenario raises a question that is not merely financial, but profoundly human and spiritual.

Beyond the economic questions lies a deeper human issue - one that goes far beyond employment figures and government policy.

“Oh Lord, please guard my heart from becoming so immersed in the ways of this world system that I, even inadvertently, stop depending on you and rather rush to my own solutions to my problems.”

A great reminder for the new year - focus on God is one of many of the truths Dr Christopher Peppler highlights in this TruthTalk. It is the last of the Insights from Isaiah series, but if you would like to read it from the beginning click HERE for the first post of the series, or listen to it from the beginning, please click HERE.

Please don't forget there is always the audiovisual page which contains all the episodes and more on one compact page. Happy new year all, here's to a God-centred and God-dependant 2026.

Best, Admin

In this penultimate podcast on the Insights from Isaiah series, Christopher highlights just one insight - but it's a good one containing encouragement and hope, so listen to it now by clicking the play button at the bottom of this post. If you would prefer to read the original post, then click HERE.

 “God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”   So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Until next time, admin

Imagine God saying to you, “Come let us reason together.”  The Lord tells the Israelites that he is prepared to make their ‘bloody’ sins as white as snow…  IF they are willing and obedient, he will reward them abundantly, but IF they resist and rebel, then they will be ravaged by war. God was allowing them to decide for themselves, to choose his way by exercising their wills.

God is shown to give choices to people throughout the bible. If he has offered to reason with you, which way have you chosen? To heed and obey or not.

Dr Christopher Peppler takes these passages into the modern context and gives you examples of ways where you maybe accidentally not 'heeding'.

If you would prefer to read this post, then click HERE. Also please note all the TruthTalks along with some YouTube video's, sermons, Q and A sessions and more can be found on the AudioVisual page HERE. You can also catch up on Part 1 and 2 from that link.

Until next time

If God in the Old Testament sometimes feels less than all-loving to you, then you need to listen to this TruthTalk to find out something quite different.

Dr Christopher Peppler talks on THIS post in the Insights from Isaiah series. If you have an interest in AI (in this case an engine called Perplexity) and how much you can trust it, then this TruthTalk will also interest you as Chris takes us through just what AI says about Isaiah too.

If you missed the first part, it's not too late to hop on board. Click HERE to read Part 1 or HERE to listen to it.

Click on the button below to listen now, or you can delve through all the AudioVisual content supplied including sermons, YouTube videos, sermon notes and more.

Until next time.

Dr Christopher Peppler describes the book of Isaiah as being "... a ‘place’ where I often ‘hear’ the Holy Spirit speaking to me."

To find out why listen to the first part of this series by clicking on the play button below or click here to read the original post.

When you are in the mood to listen and watch the TruthTalks and sermons don't forget that they are all here in this handy AudioVisual library.

This is the third and final pillar in the series. Here, I speak on subjects such as the New Birth, Trichotomy, Spiritual Baptism and Infilling, practical dependence on the Holy Spirit, gifts, manifestations, and ministries, as well as the dangers of division and misunderstanding. The final section is a conclusion to the whole series, emphasising how the three pillars of truth stand together as foundations for the Christian Faith.

You can find:

PILLAR 3 Part 1 Video HERE

PILLAR 3 Part 2 Video HERE

PILLAR 3 Q&A Video HERE

Read on for a summary of the transcript of the two videos, which captures just the gist of the teaching.

Finally, the TruthTalks Audio is HERE or at the very bottom of the page.

 Summary of Transcript: Pillar Three: Spirit-Dependent

In this final part of the "Three Pillars of Truth" series, I focus on what it means to be Spirit-dependent. My aim isn’t to be dogmatic or try to dictate beliefs, but to encourage you to think deeply and perhaps differently about familiar topics.

The New Birth: Where Dependence Begins

For me, the most fundamental act of dependence on the Holy Spirit is the new birth. This is where spiritual life starts: the regeneration of a dead spirit, a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus. As Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3, unless we are born again - born of water and the Spirit - we cannot even perceive the kingdom of God. Peter echoes this in 1 Peter 1:23, emphasising that this birth is not physical but spiritual. In my understanding, the process begins with conviction (a work of the Spirit), leading to confession, then a sincere request for new birth, and finally, spiritual regeneration. This sequence is vital to my theology and experience.

Understanding Human Nature: Why Trichotomy Matters

I subscribe to a trichotomist view of human nature: we are body, soul, and spirit. The spirit is the part of us dead to God until new birth. This distinction is crucial because it guards against a "mind-based Christianity," where faith is reduced to intellectual assent or cultural identity rather than spiritual transformation. I’ve seen too many people who identify as Christian but have never experienced the radical newness of being born again.

Spirit Baptism and Infilling: Power for Life and Ministry

The new birth is the Spirit’s work in making us alive to God, but the infilling, or baptism of the Holy Spirit, is about empowerment for Christian living and ministry. As Jesus promised in Acts 1, the Holy Spirit gives us power. I believe the disciples were born again when Jesus breathed on them before he ascended into Heaven, but the day of Pentecost was about receiving power for ministry.

Trichotomy best explains this: we need a living spirit to be filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit. This isn’t just theory for me; it’s shaped my ministry and my understanding of how God works in and through us.

Practical Dependence on the Spirit

I have experienced the Spirit’s guidance in life-changing decisions - leaving a secure corporate job to pastor a tiny church, for example. It wasn’t a whim; it was a clear conviction from the Holy Spirit, confirmed by my wife, others, and circumstances.

I know I can’t transform myself; only the Holy Spirit can bring true, eternal change.

Ministry without the Spirit’s power is empty. I’ve seen how sermons and church activities lack life-changing power unless they are Spirit-empowered.

The Holy Spirit also illuminates Scripture for me. Even after years of study, it’s often the Spirit who brings understanding, sometimes years later.

I can’t witness, minister, or even hope for resurrection apart from the Spirit’s power.

Gifts, Manifestations, and Ministries

There’s much confusion about spiritual gifts. I see a clear distinction between manifestations (Spirit-given actions for others’ benefit) and ministries (ongoing roles in the church). I don’t believe gifts are permanent possessions or badges of status. Instead, the Spirit gives as needed, for the common good. I’ve seen the dangers of pride and division when people focus on "their" gifts rather than on serving others in obedience to the Spirit’s prompting.

I’ve also learned that most of the gifts described in Scripture were manifested in Jesus’ ministry, except for tongues and interpretation, which are unique signs for the church.

A key concept is that the focus should never be on the manifestation itself, but on obedience to God and blessing others.

So, Pillar One dealt with being Bible-based, Pillar Two was about being Jesus-centred, and Pillar Three focused on being Spirit-dependent. All three of these concepts are interdependent and together form doctrinal pillars that uphold the truth.

This week I am deviating slightly from the advertised plan. Instead of the videos now and the Q&A next week, I am giving you all three at once.

You can find:

PILLAR 2 Part 1 Video HERE

PILLAR 2 Part 2 Video HERE

PILLAR 2 Q&A Video HERE

Here is a summary of the transcript of the two videos that captures just the gist of the teaching.

The TruthTalks Audio is HERE or at the very bottom of the page.

Summary of Transcript: Pillar Two - Jesus-Centred

This transcript presents Pillar Two of the "Three Pillars of Truth" series, focusing on being Jesus-centred as the central foundation for Christian faith and biblical interpretation. The three interconnected pillars are Bible-based (Pillar One), Jesus-centred (Pillar Two), and Spirit-dependent (Pillar Three), with Jesus serving as the focal point that connects all three.

Why Jesus Must Be Central

While Scripture reveals God as triune (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), Jesus must be the primary focus rather than the Trinity as a whole. This is because:

The Trinity is incomprehensible: As limited three-dimensional beings, humans cannot fully grasp the Trinity concept, making it unsuitable as a practical focus.

The Father is unseen: Jesus explicitly stated that "no one has seen the Father except the one who came from God" (John 6:46), making the Father inaccessible as a direct focus.

The Holy Spirit is ethereal: Compared to wind by Jesus, the Spirit has no bodily form and cannot serve as a tangible reference point.

God the Father himself directed attention to Jesus, saying "This is my son whom I dearly love... Listen to him" (Mark 9:7). Jesus taught that the Holy Spirit's role is to "bring glory to me [Jesus] by taking from what is mine and making it known to you" (John 16:13-14).

Jesus as God Incarnate

Jesus is the full manifestation of God as attested by several key scriptures:

Colossians 1: Jesus is "the image of the invisible God" with "all his fullness" dwelling in him.

Colossians 2: "In Christ all the fullness of the deity lives in bodily form."

Hebrews 1: Jesus is "the radiance of God's glory, the exact representation of his being."

John 14:9 “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”

Critical Implications

Source of Truth: Jesus, not even the bible, must be acknowledged as the ultimate source of truth, though this truth is revealed exclusively through Scripture.

Salvation and Evangelism: Belief in Jesus' divinity is essential for salvation. He cannot save if he is anything less than God, nor could he represent humanity if he were anything less than man.

Transformation: The goal of spiritual transformation is to become more like Jesus, requiring believers to look to him as the model and example.

Future Hope: Jesus himself, in his resurrected being, provides evidence and assurance of believers' future hope in the second coming.

The Christocentric Method of Biblical Interpretation

Here is a ‘three boxes (three-box?) model’ for Bible study:

Start any subject with the Gospel revelation of what Jesus said, did, and displayed of the nature and character of the Godhead. Then, examine the Old Testament record to better understand why Jesus said and did what he did. Then, turn to the New Testament to appreciate how to interpret and apply what Jesus taught and modelled. This approach uses “Jesus spectacles” as a lens through which to interpret all Scripture, arguing that without this lens, biblical understanding becomes blurred.

Practical Applications

Direct Applications include Jesus' teachings on Sabbath observance, adultery, and paying taxes, where he gives clear teachings on these subjects.

Deduced Applications cover areas like sexual sin (modelled after Jesus' grace-filled treatment of the woman caught in adultery), the status of women (demonstrated through Jesus' respectful treatment of Mary and Martha), and self-defence (inferred from Jesus telling disciples to buy swords for protection).