Four Priorities for Healthy Churches (Acts 2.42-47)

Introduction

 

When our children were small, we had a chart on the wall, and we marked their height on it from time to time. If you had kids, many of you will have done the same. Our children always looked so disappointed, crestfallen even, if the mark was the same as the week before and they hadn’t grown at all for seven whole days. 

 

Physical growth is usually a bit more gradual than that. But there isn’t anything particularly strange about a child getting taller is there? Everyone knows that if a child is fed a healthy diet, he or she will naturally grow bigger.

 

It’s the same with spiritual growth as a disciple of Christ. Church leaders often get fixated with numbers turning up on a Sunday, but the only number Jesus is counting is the number of disciples. 

 

Every follower of Jesus should be growing in love and faith and wisdom and maturity, year on year. 

 

It’s the same with churches too. Healthy churches grow. Sick churches don’t. Sick churches get weaker and eventually die. You can drive round some of our villages and towns in Britain today and see chapels and churches, once vibrant centres of spiritual life, now converted into homes, community centres, shops, even temples for other gods, sometimes just vacant and dilapidated, with boarded-up windows and graffiti. 

 

And you know why? Revelation 2 and 3 says that Jesus shuts down churches that lose their first love, or that no longer contend for the truth. It’s not the demonic that closes churches down, Jesus does.

 

Because spiritual health really matters to him. When people saw Jesus get upset in the temple they remembered the scripture, “Zeal for your house consumes me.” He still burns with the same passion for the purity and health and strength of his church. 

 

Never forget, Jesus could close King’s Church Darlington down and, if we neglect our love for him and abandon our commitment to the gospel, in time, he will, and he should. So it literally is a matter of life and death for us to examine where we measure up against the standard God sets for the local church in the Bible.

 

Today, I want to take a look with you at the church described in Acts 2.42-47. It’s the earliest ever description of a local church. And it portrays a Spirit-filled community where people gather regularly both publicly and in their homes. 

 

Let’s read what it says. 

 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts [that’s the public space]. They broke bread in their homes [and there’s the smaller group] and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favour of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

Question: Is this just a description of what one church was like ‘way back when’? Or is it in some way a prescription for what all churches should be like? What do you think? 

 

In other words, is this passage just a curiosity, like a faded, black and white photo from the past? Or is it more like a template, a full-colour vision of what every church should aspire to be in the power of the Holy Spirit? 

 

Verse 42 shows that this living, breathing, energetic congregation had four key priorities. It says that those Christians “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” 

 

I believe that every church in every age must reproduce these four things if it wants to be healthy and therefore growing. And I believe that growth is maximised when we, like them, are in the habit of gathering in a large group, and also in small groups.

 

Everything else in this passage (the awe, the signs and wonders, the selling property, the giving, the gladness, the public favour, the conversions and the numerical expansion) flows out from v42. So we’re going to look at each priority in turn this morning. 

 

But first, notice three little words that slip in almost unnoticed at the beginning. “They devoted themselves...” To devote yourself means to pour yourself into something or to be dedicated... Another version says, “They committed themselves.” Another says, “They continued steadfastly.” You might say, they were “all in.” This church was serious, full-on and up for it. 

 

A church leader from the American Midwest, where winters are severe, used to apply what he called the 20/20 test for the members of his church. He would say, “Unless it’s 20 degrees below zero outside or unless there are 20 inches of snow on the ground, I am absolutely counting on seeing you here on Sunday. If you are not ready to commit yourself to that extent, then here’s a list of a dozen really good churches in this city. I encourage you to join one of those instead. God bless you.” 

 

That’s pretty hardcore and I’m not suggesting we adopt that approach at King’s, but I hope you are devoted to the Lord and that you prioritise involvement in your local church as a way of expressing that. 

 

If you’re here today because you’re looking for a church and you haven’t decided where you should settle down, you’re really welcome, take all the time you need and be our guest. I always say, “go where you grow” and if you find you’re growing in faith here, maybe this is the best fit for you.

 

If King’s is your spiritual home – that’s great. The biblical benchmark is “they devoted themselves” so I urge you and appeal to you to be a consistent worshipper and a committed partner. I would love you to use your spiritual gifts to help build up the church’s life and be a regular giver, to be all in. I hope that’s the way you see it too.

 

1) The Apostles’ teaching

 

It is significant that the first priority for this dynamic church is teaching. 

 

Note that the curriculum referred to is quite specific. It’s not just the hottest fads and self-help bestsellers. Charles Spurgeon used to say, “Don’t blame the sheep for eating nettles. Give them some grass!” Nettles maybe stands for trash entertainment, tabloid scandalmongering, celebrity gossip, social media drivel, the latest worldly ideas and secular values. 

 

The teaching they devoted themselves to is the apostles’ teaching, that is to say the teaching of the twelve chosen by Jesus to be with him, to listen to him, to be eyewitnesses of his resurrection and to receive authority from him. They transmitted Jesus’ words orally at first and then wrote it down to form the New Testament.

 

Jesus never said, “The words I speak to you are very interesting.” He said, “The words I speak to you are spirit and they are life.” 

 

On a scale of one to ten, one being not at all and ten being very much, how devoted do you think you are to taking on board the teaching of Scripture? Would you say you devote yourself to sound Bible teaching like they did? 

 

After decades of being a Christian, I’m realistic enough to know that some of us here won’t have read a single line from God’s word this week and a few of us probably never do apart from Sunday. Would you have to blow the dust off the Bible on your shelf before opening it? 

 

You are what you eat. Filmmaker Morgan Spurlock ate nothing but McDonald’s for 30 days to make his 2004 documentary film, Super-Size Me. His bodyweight rocketed 10% in just 12 days, and he started suffering from depression, lethargy, mood swings and severe headaches. 

 

It’s really not surprising that what we eat affects our bodies. But what we give our souls to eat affects our spiritual lives too. And here’s what I’ve observed; the most fragile Christians, those most defeated by spiritual attack and crises of faith, are invariably those who open their Bibles least. 

 

This is why we place such a high value on expository Bible teaching on Sundays. But in Life Groups you can go deeper. You can ask questions about things you don’t understand. You can work through how God’s word applies to your life.

 

2) Fellowship

 

The next priority is fellowship. Kathie and I love it when we go on holiday and find another church somewhere. I never understand people who avoid church when they’re away from home. We have found all sorts of churches on our travels. Sometimes it isn’t even in a language we can speak, but there are two words that all Christians say in every language. “Alleluia” and “Amen.” So you can always praise God and know when it’s the end! 

 

But there’s a body language, there’s an understanding, there’s the hallmark of joy and love in a gathering of Christians. And, like a mobile phone picking up a Wi-Fi signal, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit starts when the Holy Spirit in me says hello the Holy Spirit in you, and we’re at home, it’s family.

 

In his book Autopsy of a Deceased Church Thom Rainer takes ten actual churches that had recently closed down and examines their stories to try and find any common denominators for why these churches became sick and died. 

 

Some focused too much on a golden age and were stuck in the past. Some had unhealthy attitudes about money. Many showed apathy towards prayer. But more than any one item, these ailing churches died when they focused on their own needs instead of others. They lost the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. 

 

Fellowship is not just friendship, though the church is a place for friends. It’s more than companionship or relationship. 

 

Sharing the fellowship of the Holy Spirit together is a profound thing. When they wrote the New Testament down they had to pick a word to describe what they saw in the Christian community. There were other words for sharing, community, friendship etc but the only one that adequately depicted what was happening was the word koinonia. 

 

It is the same word they used to describe the condition of conjoined twins, where two individuals share the same bloodstream and even some vital organs. In fact, so dependent are conjoined twins on each other, it can be very dangerous (and is often fatal) to separate them surgically. 

 

I can’t think of one instance in the New Testament where the word “fellowship” describes fun and hanging out. Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot about friendship and joy in the Bible - and the early church was full of both - but that’s not even the beginning of what the fellowship of the Holy Spirit means. 

 

Verses 44 and 45 add some detail. “All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.” 

 

John Stott in his commentary on Acts qualifies these verses as “disturbing.” Maybe, but I think there’s something liberating and exhilarating about not being wedded to accumulating stuff. 

 

On dozens of occasions, I’ve known Christians voluntarily give away books, washing machines, furniture, cars, property – you name it – when they could have kept them or sold them for money. I’ve known Christians struggling to pay the bills checking the mail and finding an anonymous envelope full of banknotes for exactly the sum they needed. And, I’m sure there’s a lot more that goes on that no one ever hears about. 

 

And you can see how effective this fellowship was; by the time we get to chapter 4, it says in v34 that “there were no needy persons among them.” People shared their lives so generously, that no one wanted for anything.

 

No wonder pagan observers of the first Christians are recorded to have said, “Look, how they love one another and how they are ready to die for each other.”

 

Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that being a Christian is just Jesus and me. There is in our reading about self-fulfilment. In fact, surprisingly, the Bible doesn’t anywhere contain the phrase “a personal relationship with Jesus.” That’s not to say you don’t need one – you do. But the focus in the New Testament is on the new community of people of God, joined together and members of one another. 

 

Here’s a test. When you read Paul’s letters do you read the word “you” as “you the individual”? Because most of the letters were addressed to churches. There are 44 “one another’s” in the New Testament. Again, this is why life groups are so important. Where else can you love one other, encourage one another, spur one another on, carry each other’s burdens, accept one another, build one another up, bear with each other and so on? There’s hardly time for that in the large Sunday gathering. 

 

Simon Bikersteth has done studies which show that 85% of people who join a church are unlikely to still be there a year later. Why? Why do so many leave? The answer is to do with fellowship. His research shows that that 90% of new members stick if they: 
1) make about six friendships with others in the church
2) belong to a midweek group 
3) learn to talk about their faith. 

 

I would say that Life Groups are the most single important way of growing fellowship and I hope that if you are not yet in one, you will seriously think about joining one. 

 

3) Breaking bread

 

The third thing (and I’m going to go quicker now) is what Luke calls the breaking of bread. Is this just a reference to sharing meals or does it mean the Lord’s Supper? The answer is… “Yes.” Because in the early church the two overlapped. They would eat meals together and then breaking bread and pouring out wine to remember all that Jesus did for them at the end. 

 

It says, “they ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” So there was a great atmosphere but dignity and reverence as well. 

Twice in this short passage Luke mentions eating food together – something they learned from Jesus, who sat down to eat with sinners and disreputable people. 

 

Verse 46 says, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes.” 

 

So, as I said earlier, they intentionally gathered not just in the place of public worship, but also, more intimately, in their homes, in smaller groups, sometimes round a meal table. 

 

In our Life Group, we do a summer barbecue and Christmas party every year. We also share a simple communion together once a month, 

 

Communion reminds us about what is really important. At the heart of the early church was a regular habit of going back to the cross to remember what it’s all about. Jesus, in laying down his life, opened up direct access to God for us, won our salvation, forgave all our sins, defeated the principalities and powers, secured peace with God for us and much, much more. The cross says it all. It’s got to be at the heart. 

 

4) Prayer

Finally, “They devoted themselves to prayer.” As evangelist J.John says, “If we prayed as much as we worry, we’d have a lot less to worry about.” 

 

The health of a church is measured not in the elegance of its buildings or the effervescence of its activities but in the priority it gives to prayer. The earliest Christians “devoted themselves” to it. That was key to their spiritual strength and growth and without prayer we would not have The Acts of the Apostles in the form we have today.

 

In 1665 the bubonic plague resulted in an estimated 100,000 deaths in London. Within a year, the fearsome Great Fire of London swept through the city bringing large scale destruction and homelessness. Over 13,000 houses went up in flames. 

 

That year, there was a serious drought and the Thames was reduced to a trickle. The whole nation at that time was in serious moral decline and spiritual decay. The poet John Dryden wrote a poem entitled Annus Horribilis about the misery and suffering of that time. 

 

But on 10 October of that year, King Charles II ordered a Day of Fasting and Humiliation. The whole nation fell to its knees in repentance and prayer, asking God for mercy. That very night it began to rain and it didn’t stop for ten days.

 

Healthy churches put their trust in the Lord and pray together. And when they do that, God reveals his will, Christians get fired up, things happen and the kingdom advances. 

 

It’s great to join together in passionate, believing prayer – and we do that monthly of course but, once again, Life Groups are an ideal environment to grow in confidence in prayer. One of the members of our Life Group prayed out loud for the first time this week; it was lovely. I remember my first prayer out loud also happened in a someone’s living room. I was petrified and tere’s no way I would have stepped out to do that if Sunday worship was the only game in town. 

 

Ending

As I end, let me remind you that the biblical template is devoting yourself, committing yourself, with others, to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to breaking bread and prayer, both in this public space and in smaller groups. Are you up for it? 

 

Because the alternative to Acts 2.42-47 looks pretty miserable. Listen to the alternative that will not change the world.

 

Occasionally they spent some time half-listening to the apostles’ teaching. When they could, they met for fellowship, and for the breaking of bread and for prayer. Awe came upon precious few. To be honest, there was a conspicuous absence of signs and wonders. All who believed lived pretty separate lives kept themselves to themselves. They would hoard their possessions and goods and show indifference to any who had need. Day by day, they went about their own lives as individuals, perhaps drifting in late at the temple if they got round to it. They broke bread at home alone and ate their food with cold and empty hearts, giving token thanks to God. No one in the community really noticed them. And daily their numbers dwindled for few, if any, were getting saved.

 

The Lord is looking for people who are serious about engaging with his word. He wants to raise up a generous and loving community. He calls us to eat together, to share bread and wine together, to be Christ-centred, passionate, believing, praying people. Zeal for his house still consumes him. Are you in? 

 

Let’s pray...

Sermon preached at King's Church Darlington, 11 January 2026

What I Read in 2025

 

Here’s a review of my reading material during 2025. I got through thirty books altogether, including the Bible.

 

Absolutely outstanding *****

Very good ****

A decent read ***

Hmm, OK but nothing special **

Don't bother * 

Providence - John Piper *****

Shortly before publication of Providence, John Piper said, "This book is the most comprehensive statement of the things in Scripture that I regard to be most important for worshiping and living and dying." At a whopping 752 pages, this feels like Piper's magnum opus; a forensic survey from Genesis to Revelation, from before creation to infinite eternity, of God's purposeful sovereignty over all things, in all places, and at all times. In what feels like our increasingly man-centred age, this book is a heavyweight counter-punch that, to my mind, leaves all talk of human autonomy absolutely out for the count. Providence left me on my knees, in awe of God's omnipotent greatness.

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space - Adam Higginbotham *****

At 576 pages this is not exactly a quick read either, but it succeeds as a thorough and rigorous account of the Challenger space shuttle tragedy nine-miles up into the upper atmosphere, in which all 7 crew were killed, 70 seconds after lift off. Given what we now know the people who authorised the launch knew, the explosion was all but inevitable. Adam Higginbotham explores the lives of the crew and their families, their selection process, the conception and design of this incredibly complex spacecraft, the politics and culture at NASA and its contracted suppliers, the single issue that caused the accident, the attempted cover up and the damning investigation report. With the exception of recording temperature values in Celsius as well as Fahrenheit, it’s hard to see how the book could be improved. Outstanding.

Straight to the Heart of Psalms: 60 Bite-Sized Insights - Phil Moore ***

Psalms is the second-longest book in the Bible, and is actually an anthology of five collections of songs. Phil Moore says that each collection has a distinct perspective or tone, and that the individual psalms are ordered in a particular way, so that many of the songs relate to the previous one. I don’t find either claim very convincing to be honest, but this is a good devotional accompaniment to the Psalms, with much helpful cross referencing to the lives of those who wrote them. Singing to the Lord from the heart, Phil Moore says, about every season of life and about every emotion of the day, is music to God's ears. And that, I do agree with.

The Secular Creed: Engaging Five Contemporary Claims - Rebecca McLaughlin ****

The five claims are ‘black lives matter,’ ‘love is love,’ ‘gay rights are civil rights,’ ‘women’s rights are human rights,’ and ‘transgender women are women.’ (It never ceases to amaze me how so many cannot - or will not - see that claims 4 and 5 are self-evidently contradictory). In this book, Rebecca McLaughlin examines each claim in turn with her characteristic clarity and logic, often turning the tables like when, for example, she shows that Christianity, so long contemptuously associated with with the rich, white West (by sections of the rich, white West), is actually the most racially and culturally diverse movement on earth. I love Dr. McLaughlin's customary biblical soundness, drawing on real life observations, while all the time communicating non-aggressively. This relatively short book draws on much interesting and eye-opening statistical research to support the biblical assertions made. I listened to this book on Audible, narrated by the author. To be honest, I would have much preferred a paper copy as I found I needed to properly chew, taste and swallow the material before being spoon-fed another rich paragraph, even at 0.7x speed.

1966 and All That: My Autobiography - Geoff Hurst (with Michael Hart) ***

Published in 2001, Geoff Hurst's autobiography was written when he was the only man to have scored three goals in a World Cup final, a feat that has now been equalled (though Mbappe's in 2022 contained two penalties and Hurst's was the perfect right-left-head hat trick). Even as an Arsenal man, I have always looked admiringly and appreciatively at West Ham, not least for their trio of players who captained and scored all four goals in the only England team to lift the World Cup, an achievement reached when I was 4 years old and that I don’t expect to be repeated in my lifetime. If ever (in the men’s game at least). This autobiography is interesting enough (for English football fans anyway) but it rarely sets the pulse racing, even describing what it was like to star in the historic high water mark of the English game. 

 

Patriot: A Memoir - Alexei Navalny ****

A nightmarish descent into Vladimir Putin's mafia state, where all opposition is eliminated; poisoned, shot, jailed, or - what are the chances? - involved in a fatal “accident”. The sham elections, state media fictions, totally corrupt justice system, and the siphoning off of the nation's wealth by oligarchs like Roman Abramovich, controlled by the Kremlin, is all documented here. Alas, it all goes largely unchallenged. For who is courageous enough to denounce it all? Only a few, like Alexei Navalny, killed in prison for speaking out, knowing full well what his fate would be. But such is his love of his country and his willingness to lay down his life so that his wife, children and fellow citizens might one day live in a better place. This book is therefore as inspirational as it is depressing. Navalny’s immense intelligence, extraordinary cheerfulness and dark humour all shine brightly in this part memoir, part prison diary. It's fascinating to me that he became a Christian believer from atheism after the birth of his daughter, and he memorised the entire Sermon on the Mount in Russian, English, French and Latin whilst in prison. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

The Book of General Ignorance - John Lloyd and John Mitchinson **

Based on the TV show QI, this book, as with the show, seems somewhat pleased with itself for unmasking generally accepted untruths, but it pedals a fair few of them itself, sometimes by making assertions from silly and pedantic technicalities, sometimes by simply getting its facts muddled. A few of the entries sent me online to check facts at source (for example, the Number of the Beast in Revelation is apparently 616, not 666 - in fact, there is just one obscure and disputed fragment which has this variant reading amid dozens). And, lo and behold Mr. Fry and Ms. Toksvig, despite your clever and confident assertions supplied to you by your scriptwriters, it ain’t necessarily so.

Powerful Leaders? When Church Leadership Goes Wrong and How to Prevent it - Marcus Honeysett ***

There has been a growing awareness in recent years of abuse of power in leadership generally, and in the church in particular. This book examines how leaders become 'wolves in shepherd's clothing' to quote a memorable phrase from the book. Honeysett explores differing levels of toxicity on a sliding scale and how leaders, local churches, church 'tribes' alike can identify, challenge and correct behaviour that is becoming more autocratic, less transparent and less accountable. I have to say I have not personally experienced much of this at all, though I don't deny it exists and is a problem. In my time, I have seen much more in the realm of mischievous and spurious accusations of school teachers and pastors from troublemakers which this book only mentions briefly and is weaker for it. 

The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town - John Grisham **

I thought this was going to be another legal thriller from the master of the genre but in fact it is the true story (Grisham's first work of nonfiction) of a man falsely accused and convicted of rape and murder, sent to Death Row for eleven years, and exonerated on DNA evidence. The innocent man, Ron Williamson, suffered irreversible psychological damage in prison and died shortly after his release. In fact, he suffered from very poor mental health before his conviction and should never have been tried. It is an uncomfortable read that highlights many weaknesses of the US judicial system. Truth be told, I prefer Grisham's works of fiction.

Coming to Faith through Dawkins: 12 Essays on the Pathway from New Atheism to Christianity - Denis Alexander and Alister McGrath (ed) *****

I absolutely loved this book and devoured it in no time. A diverse collection of testimonies, from a daughter of a university professor to the son of a bricklayer, documenting journeys of discovery on matters of faith and science. No story is very like another; each has a unique starting point and each points to a different trigger that began a disenchantment with the substance and/or style of The God Delusion, or similar polemics from other celebrity atheists. The apologetics of William Lane Craig and John Lennox are cited by some as being particularly helpful travelling companions on the way out of atheism and, though some still speak of not having everything resolved, all testify to being in a better head space and with renewed zest for life after coming to faith in Christ.

Straight to the Heart of Galatians to Colossians: 60 Bite-Sized Insights - Phil Moore ****

This guide through Galatians, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon and Philippians (the order is chronological based on the order in which Paul probably wrote the letters) focuses on the insight that Paul's concern in all of them was to show the churches he wrote to that Christ brings an experience of God on the inside; free on the inside (Galatians), new on the inside (Ephesians), strong on the inside (Colossians and Philemon) and joyful on the inside (Philippians). As ever, there's a lot of historical detail that brings the text alive and no shortage of vivid anecdotes (which are great additions to my extensive preaching illustration database!) 

Dying Well - John Wyatt ****

John Wyatt is a medical doctor who has become a real gift to the church on the ethics of end of life care. This book contains much wisdom on thinking through the practical, pastoral and theological aspects of death for patients, relatives and pastors alike. It made me realise just how little thought and preparation we give to what is, after all, an inevitability for us all, unless the Lord returns first. There were some excellent suggestions for those coming towards the end of their lives such as writing letters to family members to be opened on special birthdays or wedding days in the future. I loved best the penultimate chapter on the resurrection of the body and the biblical term falling asleep; first-class Bible exposition. Oh - and what a lovely book cover by the way.

Spirit and Sacrament: An Invitation to Eucharismatic Worship - Andrew Wilson ****

...Unlike this one - but, as the saying goes, don't judge a book by its cover. Andrew writes so intelligently and his chapter on Grace in this book is up there with the best things I read all this year. There is plenty here to mull over. My church could, and should, do communion better than we do. I suspect those of a more catholic (small c) persuasion will be just as uncomfortable reading Andrew's excellent commendation of charismatic experience as those from newer church streams will be by his plea for creeds, liturgy and sacramental expression. I felt (now representing the latter, but coming from the former) that Andrew is more persuasive arguing for spiritual gifts and spontaneity than he is for sacramental tradition, though I get it - too many babies have been ejected with a lot of bathwater in my kind of church over the years. 

The King of Torts - John Grisham ****

That’s better. A proper Grisham legal thriller with several subplots that all converge together and with s surprising twist at the end. This one involves a low-paid public service lawyer who, through an unsolicited meeting with a shadowy source, is propelled to multi-millionaire status within a year by settling with a big pharmaceutical company, whose drug is discovered to produce unintended and damaging side effects. Other megabuck lawsuit settlements follow but each is increasingly risky, and the consequences of losing any one of them are certain financial ruin. A book that, while not moralising at any point, has much to say on what really has true worth.

Last Boy of '66: My Story of England’s World Cup Winning Team - Geoff Hurst ****

Published twenty-three years on, this is much more up to date than 1966 And All That, and it’s a better book. On the death of Bobby Charlton in 2023, Geoff Hurst became the last survivor of the only England football team to win the World Cup, though a few squad members who did not play in the tournament are still alive at the time of writing. Pen portrait recollections of each of the 1966 team and the manager are interspersed with chapters on how the tournament unfolded, family, life after football and mortality. The final chapter is a kind of running commentary from Hurst's personal perspective on the 1966 final while watching it again on YouTube, in which he sees much that, with the passing of time, he had remembered somewhat differently. This is an enjoyable and at times quite moving memoir.

12 Ways Your Phone Is Changing You - Tony Reinke ***

There is no doubt that this is a well-written, thoroughly researched book. I wondered if it might be a bit sanctimonious, but Tony Reinke is actually a fan of smartphones, uses his all the time, and even plays frivolous games on it. That's not quite what I was expecting. Despite all that, he writes, with plenty of statistical analysis to back him up about the effect smartphones have on attention spans, literacy, humanity towards others, mental health and on our spiritual health. There's lots to take in and reflect on, but somehow, it's just not a book I can say I really enjoyed. Perhaps because I read it as a download... on my phone.

Straight to the Heart of 1 and 2 Chronicles: 60 Bite-Sized Insights - Phil Moore ****

I believe that this is the last Straight to the Heart that Phil Moore wrote, completing his series of devotional commentaries on the entire Bible. This one focuses on the many subtle but important differences the later books of Chronicles contain compared to 1 and 2 Kings, noting that the details are important and intended, and that the Lord is the God of small things. This book traces the fortunes of the many kings (in Hebrew, messiahs, anointed ones) of David's line, all of whom end in disappointment in various ways, leaving us yearning for a true and better Messiah. Chronicles, of course, is the last book in the Hebrew Bible, so following on with Matthew in the New Testament immediately carries on with the genealogical theme, leading to the King of kings and the true temple, where heaven meets earth, (another key theme of Chronicles).

John Stott: A Portrait by His Friends - Chris Wright (Ed.) ****

How do you sum up a man who excelled as an apologist, author, diplomat, evangelist, mentor, ornithologist, pastor, preacher, statesman and theologian, and is, after Billy Graham, surely the foremost evangelical figure of the 20th century? This book of brief recollections by a selection of those who knew him best covers all that, but also helps distill the essence of the man. Though from an upper class background and educated in an elite school, he lived very simply in a small flat with few luxuries. The portraits agree that he was above all Christlike, generous, always self-effacing, extraordinarily self-disciplined, prodigiously hard-working, a man of deep and disciplined prayer, with an almost miraculous memory for names, a gift for speaking with clarity and persuasiveness, a winsome sense of humour and who, though a lifelong bachelor, was brilliant with children. I thank God for his remarkable legacy.

Living in the Light: Money, Sex & Power - John Piper ***

This is an exploration of three of the most powerful forces shaping human life and society, referring at regular intervals to Romans 1 and how humans tend to exchange the glory of God for created things. Piper says that while money, sex and power are good gifts from God, they all get distorted by sin. On money, Piper emphasises that wealth tends to fuel self-sufficiency, or exploitation. Freedom comes when money is a tool for generosity and service, not a measure of worth. On sex, Piper underlines its sacredness as a covenantal gift to express marital love and reflect the union of Christ and the church. Misused, sex enslaves through objectification and broken relationships. On power, Piper warns against the human tendency to dominate or manipulate others. Power is meant to be modelled on Jesus’ self-giving leadership. A good book but a bit repetitive and if you've read Piper before you'll often have a sense of deja vu.

Equal: What the Bible Says about Women, Men, and Authority - Katia Adams ***

I began to read this in preparation for a sermon which in the end was postponed, but I'm glad I did anyway. Katia Adams gives a spirited and passionate defence of the egalitarian view of women in church leadership. I found her treatment of Genesis 1-2 and the complex passages in 1 Corinthians 11, 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2 well-researched and, in places, enlightening. However, when it comes to eldership (1 Timothy 3), marriage (Ephesians 5, 1 Peter 3) and the Trinity, this book fails to convince. For example, Katia writes at length about headship in marriage through the distorting lens of 'superiority' and 'subordination', but she doesn't once mention the nature of the husband's love as being costly, and sacrificial, requiring (as for Jesus) the laying down his life for his bride. Katia's approach generally will not connect with complementarians as it repeatedly uses the unhelpful language of 'hierarchy.' Complementarians do not argue for hierarchy, but for vital, life-giving interdependence. Every complementarian I know believes in equality. But Katia argues for something more like interchangeability in both marriage and ministry, and I think, though there are many things I take on board from this book and am thankful for, Equal forces the overall sweep of biblical revelation into a suit of clothes that doesn't fit.

50 Crucial Questions: An Overview of Central Concerns about Manhood and Womanhood - John Piper and Wayne Grudem ***

This is a republishing of the opening chapter of Recovering Biblical Manhood and Womanhood, (which I read a few years ago). I read this, not quite in the order it is written in, but rather at the end of each chapter of Equal, to review the complementarian approach to the issues raised there, one-by-one. 50 Crucial Questions was written before Equal, but most of Katia Adams' arguments are raised and discussed. As will be clear from the review above, however unpopular in our Western post-Christian civilisation, I think the complementarian position, properly presented, aligns most comfortably and naturally with scripture, especially when applied to eldership and marriage, and this small book is a sound (though not at all comprehensive) introduction as to why I think that is the case.

An Utterly Impartial History of Britain: Or 2,000 Years of Upper Class Idiots In Charge - John O'Farrell *****

I haven't laughed so much reading a book... possibly ever. John O'Farrell has gifted the world with both a very informative and readable history of Britain from 50 BC to 1945 AD and a comedy classic. Here are three short excerpts that I found particularly hilarious:

"The third blow knocked him [Thomas Becket] to the ground where, according to the witness, the Archbishop said, 'For the name of Jesus and the protection of the Church I am ready to face death.' Though you have to wonder if it wasn't more likely that he just said, 'Ow!' When his skull was split open and his brains spilt out on the floor of the church the knights headed for the door, stopping on the way to pick up a leaflet about the Alpha Course."

"Awareness of this period of history was raised in the mid-1990s with the release of Mel Gibson's Braveheart, a film based on the battles of the Scottish knight Sir William Wallace, and a movie that couldn't have been any more historically inaccurate if they had added a plasticine dog and called it William Wallace and Gromit."

"The Tudors ruled as individual dictators, with counsellors and advisers who either agreed or disagreed with the monarch, depending on whether they wanted a new dukedom or their kidneys nailed to the gatepost."

550 pages of valuable learning and top entertainment with a whimsical reflection at the end on what it is in our national character and values that, over two millennia, has distinguished the British from the rest of the world. 

The Surprising Genius of Jesus: What the Gospels Reveal about the Greatest Teacher - Peter J. Williams ****

Peter J. Williams, a member of the ESV Translation Oversight Committee, is no slouch when it comes to biblical scholarship and this short book is a brief but thoroughly illuminating study of Jesus as genius storyteller. A genius comparable with Aristotle, Einstein, Mozart and Da Vinci. Williams shows how Jesus appeals brilliantly to the hoi polloi while, at the same time, challenging the hard-hearted religious experts with allusions only they will get, all with extraordinary simplicity and economy of words. I thought I knew a lot about the parable of the Prodigal Son, having read it dozens of times, heard multiple sermons on it and been dragged through rather too many lame devotional reflections on Rembrandt's hugely overrated painting of it in my time. But I learned loads that I had never seen before when reading this book. A real treat. Only four stars, because (not to mention the unattractive cover design) it's so short. At 113 pages, I had just finished my hors d'oeuvre!

The Vanishing Conscience: Drawing the Line in a No-Fault, Guilt-Free World - John MacArthur ****

I have never been drawn to cessationist, dispensationalist, suit-and-tie pastors who gravitate to the King James Bible. John MacArthur was one such, (he died this year), but the title of this book arrested my attention. The laid back attitude to serious sin, and countless examples of Christian leaders revealed to have been secretly living in it, (all too prevalent in too many evangelical churches) is disturbing. How have the fear of God and the pursuit of holiness become optional extras? MacArthur's exposé of contemporary (mostly American) culture and exposition of passages like Romans 1 are both devastating and compelling. But he would have done well to define what he means by “self-esteem,” which he writes about at length and sees as very much a bad thing. If he means inflated ego and the narcissistic overlooking of personal flaws, basically self-adulation, I agree with him 100%. But self-esteem (as in self-respect) in creatures created in God's image, made a little lower than the angels, and loved by God, surely has a healthy aspect too and is not incompatible with loathing our sin.

Europe at War 1939-1945: No Simple Victory - Norman Davies *****

I learned so much reading this book. At 490 pages, plus footnotes etc, it was yet another big read. Historian Norman Davies challenges conventional narratives of the European theatre of World War II by offering a broader perspective than the one I grew up with, which was centred on British-US heroism in the defeat of Nazi Germany. Davies contends that this conflict was far more complex and morally ambiguous than that. In fact, the war’s decisive battles and heaviest losses occurred in Eastern Europe, not between Normandy and Berlin. The turning point of the war according to Davies, was not D-Day (which does not even make the 'top ten' battles in terms of casualties). The pivotal event was rather the Battle of Kursk in the Soviet Union, which I would guess most British people have never even heard of. Davies insists that the Soviet Union bore the overwhelming brunt of Nazi aggression, suffering catastrophic casualties and devastation, yet its victory came under Stalin’s regime which was just as wicked as the Third Reich, guilty of comparable atrocities, and indeed on a more horrific scale. Thus, the conflict was not a straightforward struggle between good and evil, but overwhelmingly a clash between two monstrous dictatorships. Davies also critiques the selective memory of postwar histories that celebrate Western democratic triumphs, while playing down Soviet crimes (they were our Allied partner, lest we forget) including mass deportations, rape, summary executions, and the ruthless annexing of Eastern Europe. He devotes much space to the millions of civilian victims, the scale of whose suffering defies military or ideological objectives. "The death of civilians at the front line was often put down to bad luck… being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were not. It was the armies that were in the wrong place at the wrong time." Quite.

The Great Divorce - C.S. Lewis *

Well, sorry, but I just found this boring and impenetrable. Framed as a dream, and as a rebuttal to William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell, it's about a weird bus journey that explores the themes of where we end up in the afterlife. It's got ghosts, spirits, unicorns, a pet lizard and a long conversation with a Scottish Yoda-like character called George MacDonald. There are occasional quotable lines that shed a bit of light on these great eternal themes - but not many. All too few in fact. I just couldn't relate to it at all and found it quite a chore to finish it.

Developing Prophetic Culture: Building Healthy Churches that Hear Jesus Clearly - Phil Withew ***

This is a decent starter on how to grow prophetic expectation and experience in a local church. It's quite chatty in style, replete with exclamation marks and charismatic buzzwords (flowing, season, breakthrough, release, encounter, partnering...) but if you can rise above that there's plenty here to take away. Phil's style is very anecdotal which shows he's a practitioner and not just a theorist. I would have liked a bit more substance to his biblical underpinning but there is the occasional eye opener. There are one or two weird bits too though (like his claim that many angels are named in scripture so we should ask them their name if we should encounter one. In fact, only two angels are named in the entire Bible). But don't let that put you off. There are too few books like this on the market and there's a lot more that's wonderful than weird in this book.

God with Us: 25 Advent Reflections - J.John ****

Very light but edifying reading for a busy and exhausting time of year. Evangelist J.John works through all the characters in the Christmas story; Elizabeth, Zechariah, Herod, Mary, Joseph, Caesar Augustus, Simeon, Anna, the presumed emergency midwife, the shepherds, the wise men and so on. Two short pages a day offer some simple but illuminating thoughts, with a prayer and thought to ponder at the end. This is a short and sweet Advent booklet for everyone.

Straight to the Heart of Ezra and Nehemiah: 60 Bite-Sized Insights - Phil Moore ****

The timeline between the exile to Babylon and the closing of the Old Testament canon has always been a bit of a fog for me; where do Daniel, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Ezra and Nehemiah all fit together with the different kings of Persia, and how does the staged return from exile fit with the geopolitical landscape of the day? This book really helped me get a grip on it all and it greatly increased my appreciation of Ezra and Nehemiah as a result. It proved to be therefore one of the most helpful volumes in this series for me personally. The main focus of this book is how to build with God, a challenge that was worked out literally at this time in Jewish history, but which is also highly applicable to today's church, given its ruinous state in many parts of the Western world.

The Bible (New International Version) *****

After a year using the New Living Bible, I was back to my trusty NIV this year and I much prefer it. The word of God is so relevant, so powerful, so unerringly sharp. This year, the day after I was told about a woman I know being discovered in an adulterous affair, and who hardened her heart against repentance, filing for a divorce which broke her family in two, I opened Proverbs 2 which just happened to be my daily reading for that day. "Wisdom will save you also from the adulterous woman, from the wayward woman with her seductive words, who has left the partner of her youth and ignored the covenant she made before God. Surely her house leads down to death and her paths to the spirits of the dead. None who go to her return or attain the paths of life." That was the saddest and most sobering thing I read all year. But I'm glad God tells the bitter truth about sin as well as the beautiful truth about salvation.