Through the Bible in 66 Days - Galatians

 

If you’ve ever wondered what Christianity is really about — rules or rescue, effort or grace — the book of Galatians answers it plainly. Paul writes like a man on fire because the very heart of the Gospel was under attack. Some were teaching that you needed Jesus plus good works, Jesus plus the law, Jesus plus human effort to be saved.

Paul says absolutely not.

The Gospel is Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone — or it is not the Gospel at all.

1. The Problem: People Adding to the Gospel

Some teachers had slipped into the churches of Galatia, saying:

“You need to keep the Jewish law to be saved.”

“You need to do certain works to stay saved.”

“You need to earn God’s acceptance.”

Paul responds with the force of a man defending the cross:

“If righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.” — Galatians 2:21

In other words, if you could save yourself by being good, Jesus didn’t need to die.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - 2nd Corinthians

If 1 Corinthians was Paul taking the Corinthians by the shoulders and saying, “Brothers and sisters, this needs sorting,” then 2 Corinthians is him saying, “Thank you for listening — but some of you still need to take God seriously.” It is one of the most personal, emotional, and Christ‑centred letters Paul ever wrote.

1. A Letter of Thanks — and a Call to Finish the Job

Many believers in Corinth had responded well to Paul’s first letter. They had repented, corrected the immorality, and taken sin seriously. Paul rejoices in this. He says God “comforts the downcast” and that he was comforted when he heard of their obedience (2 Cor. 7:6–7).

But some still resisted. Some still questioned Paul’s authority. Some still refused to repent. So Paul writes again—thankful, relieved, yet still urging them to fully submit to the Lord.

This is the Gospel pattern:

Through the Bible in 66 Days - 1st Corinthians

 

If you ever feel like Christians should “have it all together,” the church in Corinth is a refreshing reminder that believers are people — real people — who often get things wrong. Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians was written to a new group of believers who had recently come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ after hearing the Gospel of salvation. They were saved, forgiven, and loved by God — but they were also a bit of a mess.

And that’s strangely encouraging.

A Church With Problems — And a God Who Doesn’t Give Up

The Corinthians were genuine Christians, but they were disobedient, immature, and often careless. Paul doesn’t hide any of that. Instead, he deals with their issues head‑on:

• Division in the church — Some followed Paul, some Apollos, some Peter. They were acting like fans of different football clubs instead of one family in Christ.

• Immorality — One man was even sleeping with his stepmother. Paul says this behaviour wouldn’t be tolerated even among unbelievers.

• Christians taking each other to court — Instead of showing patience and grace, they dragged one another before unbelieving judges.

• Chaos at the Lord’s Supper — Some were getting drunk, others were being greedy, and the whole meeting had lost its reverence.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Romans

 

The book of Romans is one of the clearest and most powerful explanations of the Gospel found anywhere in the Bible. It was written by the apostle Paul, a man who once opposed Christianity. He persecuted believers and opposed the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet God saved him by grace, and the very man who once tried to destroy the Gospel became one of its greatest preachers.

That alone is a message of hope. If God could save Saul of Tarsus, He can save anyone.

Paul writes Romans to carefully explain the Gospel message. He shows why salvation is needed, who needs it, how God provides it, and what happens when a sinner trusts in Christ.

Many people have heard the statement, “Christ died for our sins,” but what does that really mean? Why did He have to die? What difference does His death make? How can a guilty sinner be forgiven and accepted by God? And after someone becomes a Christian, how can they battle against sin and temptation?

Romans answers these great questions.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Acts

The Book of Acts is the second volume written by Dr Luke, the same careful historian who wrote the Gospel of Luke. He continues his account for his friend Theophilus, showing what happened after the Lord Jesus rose from the dead and returned to heaven. If Luke’s Gospel tells us what Jesus began to do and teach, Acts tells us what Jesus continued to do through His people by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts is a fast‑moving book—full of journeys, preaching, conversions, opposition, miracles, and changed lives. It begins in Jerusalem and ends in Rome, showing how the gospel spread from a small group of believers to the heart of the Roman Empire. In other words, it takes the message of Christ from Jerusalem to Rome, covering the whole known world.

Two Main Sections — Peter and Paul

The book divides neatly into two parts:

Through the Bible in 66 Days - John

 

John wrote his Gospel as an older man looking back over a lifetime of walking with the Lord Jesus. He wasn’t guessing. He wasn’t repeating rumours. He was an eyewitness. He had seen the miracles, heard the teaching, watched the crowds react, and stood at the foot of the cross. And now, near the end of his life, he tells us why he wrote it all down:

“These are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you might have life through His name.” (John 20:31)

That is the heartbeat of the whole book. John wants you to know who Jesus really is and to have eternal life.

Seven Signs That Point to Jesus as the Son of God

John chooses seven signs—seven miracles—to prove that Jesus is not just a good teacher or a kind healer, but God Himself. Each sign is like a spotlight showing His power:

• Turning water into wine (John 2)

• Healing the nobleman’s son (John 4)

• Healing the lame man at Bethesda (John 5)

• Feeding the five thousand (John 6)

• Walking on water (John 6)

• Giving sight to the man born blind (John 9)

• Raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11)

These aren’t random acts of kindness. They are deliberate signs showing that Jesus has the power of God—power over sickness, nature, blindness, and even death.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Luke

Luke’s Gospel opens with a doctor’s precision. He tells his friend Theophilus that he has carefully investigated everything about Jesus so that he can present an orderly, reliable account of the things Christians are certain about. Luke wants us to know that the Gospel is not a collection of nice ideas — it is history, truth, and fact.

Luke himself was not a Jew. He writes as an outsider, someone who understands what it feels like to be on the edge. And that is exactly why his Gospel is so precious. He shows us the Lord Jesus moving toward the people everyone else avoided — outcasts, foreigners, enslaved people, sinners, the poor, the broken, and especially women who were often overlooked in that culture. Luke shows us that Jesus sees, values, and welcomes every person.

Jesus — The Perfect Man

The Greeks admired the idea of the “perfect man” — wise, noble, balanced, compassionate, strong. Luke shows that Jesus surpasses every ideal they ever imagined. He is God in human flesh, living among us with perfect kindness, perfect purity, and perfect love.

Through the Bible in 66 Days - Mark

 

The Gospel of Mark is the shortest, sharpest and most fast‑moving account of the life of the Lord Jesus. It doesn't ease the reader in gently. It launches straight into action. From the opening paragraphs, Mark bounces from scene to scene, miracle to miracle, showing that Jesus has complete authority over sickness, evil spirits, nature, and even death itself. Nothing is wasted. Every episode is chosen to reveal that Jesus acts with the power of God.

Many believe Mark drew heavily on Peter's firsthand memories — the fisherman with the big personality and the bold voice. You can feel that energy in the writing. It is vivid, urgent, and full of movement. Mark is a master storyteller, stitching one event to the next so that you barely catch your breath. His aim is clear: to show that Jesus is God's promised one, full of divine authority, yet also the humblest Servant who ever lived.

A Gospel for Busy Romans — and for Us

Mark's main audience was Roman readers — people who admired strength, decisiveness, and leadership. But they also knew that the greatest leaders were those who served others. So Mark presents the Lord Jesus as the perfect Servant‑King. He has all authority, yet He stoops to help the weak, touch the untouchable, and teach the crowds with compassion.

Are you afraid of growing old?

 

All photos are courtesy of Unsplash.

We know that life is constantly changing and that nothing lasts forever. In many ways, this is a harsh and sad reality. Most of us find it hard to accept that we will grow old, that loved ones will pass on, and that children will grow up and leave home. You know the types of things that I am talking about. Sad but true!

Please read on, as I have good news for you. The Bible teaches that God made us with an eternal soul. The soul is the real person, the real you. Although the body stops living upon our physical death, the soul lives on. Many people don't believe this anymore. The late Stephen Hawking, a British Physicist and author, dismissed the notion of an afterlife. He once said 'I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken-down computers. That is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark'. 

This argument sounds very feasible, especially when proposed by such an intelligent man. However, it ignores that we are not just biological computers. It ignores man's consciousness, which the best of brains have grappled with but have to admit is beyond their explanation. Consciousness cannot be defined in purely physiological terms. Add to this the evidence for the supernatural and the spiritual, and you have many questions that we will struggle to answer unaided.

 

Let me remind you of the book, which has for generations provided answers that could not find their source solely in the mind of a human being - the Bible. It is easy to dismiss the Bible as purely the writings of men, but that would not be doing justice to its information, origins and the consistency of its message. The Bible has an inbuilt prediction and fulfilment testing system, which either stands or falls on the substantive evidence of archaeology, science, history, geography and social development. There have been no developments to date in any of these disciplines which have produced evidence that undermines the truthfulness and integrity of the Bible.

If all of this is true, may I suggest we pay more attention to what the Bible teaches about life, death, the afterlife, God, etc.? For example, one of the books of the Bible (John's gospel) explicitly states that it was written 'that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name'. 

I pray that this will be the outcome if you read the Bible for yourself.

I invite you to read more articles about how to have peace with God.

The lessons from a humble egg

All photos courtesy of Unsplash

When travelling through the countryside in the past, I often saw notices outside farms, houses and cottages, announcing ‘New Laid Eggs for Sale’. Today, there seem less notices offering eggs in this way. The whole business of delivering the humble egg to the home or food factory has developed into a major industry. Most people don’t realise what is involved in the journey of the egg from the chicken to the dining table.

Nowadays most eggs are purchased from supermarkets or shops or delivered in bulk to food producers; they are not bought on a country road. To supply millions of eggs constantly, there is a whole industry working day and night to meet the demand.  

In 1951 in Lincolnshire, a man started his egg business with one hundred and fifty chickens and eight acres of land. In those early years eggs would be taken round to people on a pushbike or sold on a stall in local markets. Over a period of seventy years his family have grown the business until it has become one of Britain’s largest suppliers and packers of eggs. They now have two million free range and organic birds producing millions of eggs each week. In fact, each week around six million eggs are supplied to one of the biggest supermarket stores in Britain. All of this is supported by 40 rearing farms and the business’s dedication to both the quality and welfare of the birds. A nutritionist helps with the provision of an enriched feed diet. This includes paprika and marigold that gives the yolks a deep, rich orange colour.

Reflections on Elections

         

All photos courtesy of Unsplash 

 

Election Choices

 

Are you excited about the local elections? Many people are, it seems. Politicians and their followers vigorously promise and pledge while criticising the opposition, the media endlessly comment and analyse, and leaflets and flyers are dropped through our letterboxes. It’s all very intense just now!

 

When polling day comes, each person has to make up their own mind, choosing who or what they think is best for them and for the country by putting a cross in the appropriate space. But afterwards, when people find out that they did not get the choice they made, they are disappointed or even become angry. Their chosen candidate is not elected because another one got more votes.