Category: ‘Tuesday Challenge’

All We Like Sheep

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]

All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
Isaiah 53 v6 [NKJV]

As a general rule, people do not take kindly to being likened to sheep. However, there are some semblances which help to justify the description. Like sheep, we prefer to move with the crowd, we tend to repeat our mistakes and we often think the grass is greener elsewhere.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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News Has Consequences

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]

He will not be afraid of evil tidings; His heart is steadfast, trusting in the Lord.
Psalm 112 v7 [NKJV]

So much of the content of our daily news bulletins is ‘evil tidings’ or, in contemporary terms, bad news. It is often said that bad news travels faster than good news, an observation that was first expressed in a literary context as long ago as the 16th century.[1] Perhaps the oxymoron of a ‘good gossip’ helps to perpetuate the hypothesis.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Against the Wall

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]

A farmer went out to sow his seed. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate it up. Some fell on rocky ground, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times more than was sown.
Luke 8 v5-8 [NIVUK]

Following the conquest of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586BC the walls of the city had been torn down, effectively leaving the city defenceless and in disgrace. In 444BC Nehemiah was called by God to go to Jerusalem and rebuild its walls.
So who was Nehemiah and what has he to do with the parable of the sower as recorded in Luke chapter 8?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Sundry Times and Divers Manners

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.
Hebrews 1 v1-2 [NIVUK]

For some 2000 years, readers of the Biblical book known as the ‘Letter to the Hebrews’ have encountered these words, in one form or another. The rest of the letter itself contains many spiritual gems which encourage us to read further, so much so that we are often tempted to skip over these opening verses.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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Come Back Peter, Come Back Paul

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during September 2026]

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.
Ephesians 4 v11-12 [NIVUK]

Do you recall the nursery rhyme and childhood game of ‘Fly Away Peter, Fly Away Paul’? It dates from around 1765 and as a game it is much easier to demonstrate than to explain. Instead we will concentrate on the two men whose names give the game its title. Using Biblical sources and various commentaries we can form character portraits of the two men.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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At the Seaside

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2026]

God called the dry ground ‘land’, and the gathered waters he called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1 v10 [NIVUK]

In many parts of the northern hemisphere, August is considered a holiday month. The areas where the land and the sea meet are often very popular with holidaymakers with their visions of sandy beaches, calm waves and refreshing breezes. Hoteliers, caterers and ice-cream vendors exploit those attractions knowing that their customers will not count the cost until they get home.
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys
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