Posts Tagged: ‘Judges’

Speaking of the Future

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during August 2025]

Last week we took a brief look at the prophecy of Amos, one of the minor prophets whose accounts are included in the second half of the Old Testament. The term ‘minor’ relates to the lengths of the books that bear their names; it certainly does not signify that their messages were of any lesser importance.

Are we often tempted to dismiss these minor prophecies as being largely historical and not relevant to our time? A few of the stories, such as the scandal of Hosea’s wife or Jonah attempting to sail off into the sunset, may catch our attention but are we at risk of missing the messages that the rest of these texts may have for us?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys

Shouldn’t, Couldn’t, Wouldn’t

[A ‘Tuesday Challenge‘ originally prepared for the congregation of Horley Baptist Church during July 2025]

I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth.
Acts 26 v9 [ESVUK]

Saul of Tarsus was convinced that he was working for God, that he was doing what God wanted him to do. Later in his life he came to realise that he should not be doing what he had been doing. Are there times when we too are surprised by the realisation that what we think we are doing for God is not actually what he wants us to do?
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Contributor: Steve Humphreys

Finding Courage in the Story of Gideon

[This reflection by Dazz Jones was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 03/Nov/2024]

This month in our sermon series we’re looking at the story of Gideon. When we feel overpowered, outnumbered, or just plain overwhelmed, it can be hard to find the courage to keep going. In the Bible, we see many stories of God’s people facing impossible odds. One of the most striking examples is Gideon, a man who saw himself as anything but a warrior, yet was called by God to lead Israel to victory over the mighty Midianites. Gideon’s journey from fear to faith gives us a map for finding courage in the middle of our challenging circumstances. (more…)

Contributor: Dazz Jones