The Christian servant – caring with self-sacrificial love
En Français, Português John 13:1-20 Jesus is approaching the climax of his life. All his acts of service were about to be culminated and summated in his willing sacrifice on the cross. And it is all motivated by agape love – the love that gives. ‘Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to…
Read More‘Green zones’ for the vulnerable may be a cheap and effective option for preventing coronavirus spread in low-resource settings
En Français, Español, Português US and Western Europe have so far been the hardest hit by the coronavirus with over 80% of cases worldwide – but there’s good reason to think that the Developing World will ultimately suffer most. According to a recent report, 40 million lives may be at risk this year (see my previous…
Read MoreChurch of Christ, wake up!
En Français, Português Shalom, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ! I would like to encourage you, through this message, to become more devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ in these hard times. Indeed, it is no longer necessary to demonstrate that the times we are currently going through are difficult. Since it is said that…
Read MoreBeing willing to suffer in obedience to Christ is our shared destiny with him
En français, Português ‘No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’ Luke 9:62 In 1519 Hernan Cortez set sail from Cuba on a bold mission to conquer Mexico. When they disembarked at Vera Cruz, he promptly ordered some of his 700 men to set fire to…
Read MoreThe Developing World and not the West will bear the brunt of coronavirus – but acting quickly could save over 30 million lives this year
Em Português, русский With 80% of coronavirus deaths in Western Europe the focus of the world’s media has understandably been there. The UK had 260 deaths today and has had over 1,000 deaths overall. But COVID-19 is affecting 199 countries and territories around the world. Among these are 27 countries with between 3 and 40 deaths today…
Read MoreOur prayers against coronavirus are being answered in amazing ways but one essential element is still missing
Em Português Last Sunday night we lit a candle in our front window and joined hundreds of thousands of other Christians up and down the country and throughout the world to pray about the Coronavirus pandemic. We followed the #Praytoendcovid19 prayer points as follows. For God to intervene to stop the spread of the coronavirus from this day forward…
Read MoreCoronavirus and the call to risk
En Français, Español, Português. It’s the early hours of the morning, and I’m standing in a cholera camp looking at the scene around me. There are people everywhere – on beds, on benches, on the floor, even lying in wheelbarrows. Sunken eyes look up at me as I look at the line of IV drips…
Read MoreMost European countries are on a similar coronavirus trajectory to Italy and the projected numbers of deaths world-wide are deeply sobering
Em Português One of the striking features of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the different trajectories of spread in different countries. The epidemic started in China but after 81,000 cases and just over 3,200 deaths there have been no domestically acquired cases there in the last three days. The danger now for China is for…
Read MoreChristianity in a time of plague
En Français, Português. Epidemic infections were a source of terror in the ancient world. They would sweep into the cities of the Roman Empire, causing devastation. The Plague of Cyprian was a pandemic that afflicted the Roman Empire from about AD 249 to 262. From 250 to 262, at the height of the outbreak, 5,000…
Read MoreLeadership in pandemics – six principles to guide us
En Français, Pусский, Português The COVID19 epidemic has thrown nations into complete chaos. Fear and panic have gripped the world. Many nations are struggling with the impact of large numbers of people falling ill and increasing numbers of new infections. Many nations are preparing for this eventuality, but struggling, not knowing what they should be…
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