Malcolm Cox

Introduction A new thing! Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.'  Malcolm here, and thank you for joining me in January and February for a daily devotional podcast aimed at inspiring our personal times of quiet with God.  In the first few podcast episodes we will set the scene by looking at the entirety of Isaiah chapter 43. Today it is verses 2 to 4. “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.  For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead.  Since you are precious and honoured in my sight, and because I love you, I will give people in exchange for you, nations in exchange for your life.” (Isaiah

Teaching Tip 343 | “Plain Speaking - Introduction” | Malcolm Cox Introduction How would you like to be more effective in your preaching and teaching? If, like me, you want to grow as a speaker of God's word, then I have a resource for you.  It's a new year, so it's time for a new series of Teaching Tips. In a change from the normal approach I will be recording 2-minute tips based on chapters from the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  From the rear cover of the book: “Although many books have been written about preaching and teaching, most of them are addressed to seminary-trained pastors. They're not aimed at the churches that don't use professionally schooled ministers. That's what is different about this book. The New Testament Christians had no seminaries, but they raised up effective preachers and teachers. The Holy Spirit can use ordinary Christian men today to preach and teach just as He did back in the first century. Plain Speaking takes the reader thr

Introduction A new thing! Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' I'm Malcolm Cox. Join me in January and February for a daily devotional podcast aimed at inspiring your personal times of quiet with God.  In the first few podcast episodes we will set the scene by looking at the entirety of Isaiah chapter 43. Today it is simply the first verse. “But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” (Isaiah 43:1 NIV11) We are called to remember the source of our redemption — the LORD.  He created & formed you“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9 NIV11) He e

God is not static. He is involved in his creation. He is actively healing, redeeming and transforming the world and its people. In other words, he is always doing ‘a new thing’. These daily devotional podcasts accompany the teaching and preaching series of the same title for the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford church of Christ. The title of our series comes from this Scripture in the book of Isaiah: “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old. I am about to do a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.” (Isaiah 43:18-19 NRSV) Isaiah reveals God's plan for his people. They will not remain in exile forever. A return to the promised land is prophesied. The people in exile felt a mixture of fear and excitement. For some, living in exile had become comfortable. To uproot and return would be difficult. For others, it was the fulfilment of decades of prayerful expectation. The section of Scripture

A hearty 'thank you!' Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community. Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, practical? Send me your questions or suggestions. Here’s the email: malcolm@malcolmcox.org. If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: http://www.malcolmcox.org. Please pass the link on, subscribe, leave a review. “Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.” (Psalms 100:2 NIV11) God bless, Malcolm

I am a fan of the creativity and music of Carolyn Arends. The material for today's communion is taken from one of her advent reflections called, ‘Probably Not a Silent Night’. Her song on the same topic can be found here: https://youtu.be/I2zuPp0hiaA    I think he cried the way that babies do  I think his mama might have cried a little too  I bet you Joseph didn’t have a clue  What to do—he was new at fatherhood  So I don't think it was a silent night  I kinda doubt that all was calm that night  But there were those who heard about a light  They saw the sight and they understood:  It was a holy, it was a holy, it was holy night  Perhaps you have participated with your children in holding a lit candle at a church service while singing “Silent Night.” We did this many times at my Father’s church during their carol service. When our children were young we tried to keep them quiet during the song. We did not want to disturb the peace. “Silent Night” is a beautiful carol with a wonderful history, but a crying ba

Introduction Where is God taking your preaching and teaching in 2024? Last week we talked about assessing our learnings from this year in the areas by using personal reflection, friendly feedback and taking action. Today we look ahead…….. We will take the apostle Paul as our inspiration in this area. Consider what happened immediately after his conversion. “Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus. At once he began to preach in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were astonished and asked, “Isn’t he the man who raised havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn’t he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?” Yet Saul grew more and more powerful and baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Messiah.” (Acts 9:19-22 NIV11) Note, he ‘grew more and more powerful’. His speaking increased in effectiveness. Granted this resulted in people wanting to kill him (!), and that’s not the desired result of our preac

Introduction “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV) 2024 is round the corner. We have the opportunity to prepare spiritually for the upcoming 12 months. Just as we reflect on the past year, looking forward with faith and intentionality can deepen our relationship with God and guide our journey ahead. In Philippians 3:14, Paul encourages us to "press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." In this class, we'll explore two ideas to help you and your group prepare spiritually for the next 12 months. We are going to do this today by looking at two sets of words that come up more than once in Scripture: Grace, mercy and peace; faith, hope and love. 1. Relationship with God It is healthy to focus on our relationship with God before we attempt to achieve anything for him. Has God been getting your attention in an area of connection with him? Conside

Last Sunday we welcomed my good friend Dr Andy Boakye as a visiting speaker to the Watford church of Christ. He spoke on "The Advent of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy” from Matthew 1:2-6.  Andy observed that four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘the wife of Uriah’. All are questionable as to dignity. The theme of dignity restored to those who have lost it is a theme in Matthew’s Gospel. Especially when it pertains to women.  ‘Jesus affirmed the dignity of women by accepting them as disciples and treating them with a respect that was considered scandalous in his patriarchal culture.’ Four views on women in ministry  Jesus came to restore the dignity of the disregarded and the forgotten. We see that in his treatment of any who are marginalised including by race — Matthew 15.22, the Canaanite woman. Please add your comments on this week’s topic. We learn best when we learn in community.  Do you have a question about teaching the Bible? Is it theological, technical, pract

Last Sunday we welcomed my good friend Dr Andy Boakye as a visiting speaker to the Watford church of Christ. He spoke on "The Advent of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy” from Matthew 1:2-6. Something has stayed with me since Sunday so I thought I would share it with you today.  Andy observed that four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘the wife of Uriah’. All are questionable as to dignity. The theme of dignity restored to those who have lost it is a theme in Matthew’s Gospel. Especially when it pertains to women.  ‘Jesus affirmed the dignity of women by accepting them as disciples and treating them with a respect that was considered scandalous in his patriarchal culture.’ Four views on women in ministry  Jesus came to restore the dignity of the disregarded and the forgotten. We see that in his treatment of any who are marginalised including by race — Matthew 15.22, the Canaanite woman.  ‘We have endured traumatic histories and the almost daily assaults on our dignity, lik

Introduction What has God taught you this year about preaching and teaching? Today, we're going to discuss three valuable tips for reviewing the lessons God has taught us in 2023, so that we can celebrate our growth and prepare for new lessons in 2024. Tip 1: Personal Reflection Whenever anyone asks for my feedback on their lesson my response is to ask them a question, “What do you think?” It’s not a test to see if they produce the ‘right’ answer. Rather, it is an opportunity for them to grow in their ability to assess their own teaching and preaching. Why is this important? Because they hear their own preaching and teaching more than any member of their congregation ever will. We can become our best sources for feedback if we train ourselves to think this way.  How do we do this? We take time to pause and think deeply about our experiences, successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. By reflecting on our personal experiences, we can identify what has worked well and what needs adjustment. We can a

The nativity is close at hand. Our tree is up, decorations festoon the house, most of the Christmas presents have been purchased and carols are playing in the background. “Joy to the world” is one of those songs. It combines the themes of hope and joy. Let’s meditate on the connection between help and joy by reading the traditional lyrics: 1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King! Let every heart prepare Him room, and heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n and nature sing, and heav'n, and heav'n and nature sing. 2. Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns!  Let men their songs employ, while fields and floods, rocks, hills, and plains repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy, repeat, repeat the sounding joy. 3. No more let sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make His blessings flow far as the curse is found, far as the curse is found, far as, far as the curse is found. 4. He rules the world with truth and grace, and makes the nations prove the glories o

Reflect, Renew, and Rejoice: A Spiritual Review of the Last 12 Months for Christians and Christian Groups Introduction “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV) As the year draws to a close, it's the perfect time for us to conduct a spiritual review of the past 12 months. Reflecting on our personal and congregational spiritual journey can deepen our relationship with God, provide valuable insights, and help us discern to will of the Spirit for the future. In this class, we'll explore two ideas for conducting a spiritual review that will help you and your local group to grow in Christ. Before we dig in to those three areas, we might take a moment to consider if this kind of reflection has Scriptural warrant. I believe it does. For example, Paul’s letters are tools of the Spirit to help the congregations he writes to reflect on their spirituality, what God has been teaching them, and

Today we reflect on the series. I hope you are not overwhelmed by all the material. The idea is not to become instantly perfect in all areas, but rather to ask God to reveal which area he would wish you to develop. Has something stood out? Let me list the main topics we have covered. The case for expository preaching What’s the Big Idea? Tools of the Trade The road from text to sermon  The Arrow and the Target The Shapes Sermons Take Making Dry Bones Live Start with a Bang and Quit All Over The Dress of Thought How to Preach so People will Listen A Final Word In re-reading the book for the AIM homiletics module and this series, the area that God has pointed me to is a combination of the “Big Idea” and the “Arrow and the target”. I am seeing the value in simplifying more of my messages to ensure they have one main idea and a clear target. The result has been tighter, shorter lessons (on the whole). What is your main takeaway?  We have two more teaching tips left in 2023. Next week we will reflect on tea

Should we pray with an agenda? “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”(Matthew 6:5-8 NIV11) Introduction Is it acceptable to pray with an ‘agenda’? I ask because of something I experienced not too long ago. I was part of a prayer gathering online. The event had an agenda — a healthy one. We were praying for unity. I am glad I was there, and grateful to the person who planned the meeting. However, two incidents bothered me, and I have been trying to work out how important they are. Hence this

Introduction Love is not something God does - it is something he is  “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:8, 16 NIV11) 1. Exegesis, John 13.34-35 ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”” (John 13:34-35 NIV11) A. New — love one another Lev 19.18 / Mark 12.28-34 “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbour as yourself. I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 19:18 NIV11) “One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with al

Today we look at the eleventh chapter — ‘A Final Word’. Why are we preaching? Where is the power in preaching? Who are we to believe we can speak for God? As Robinson says in his book, “No one in his right mind who thought about it would ever choose to be a preacher. It's a commitment to the impossible." 168 Let’s reflect on this Scripture for a moment….. “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater,  so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11 NIV11) Over 40 years ago I read this section of Isaiah. It spoke to me then, it speaks to me still. I trust it to be true. While not about preaching per se, it does convey the right sentiment about the efficacy of God’s Word. In the final chapter of his book, Haddon Robinson emphasises the sig

One of the characteristics of a refugee is that they carry very little with them. Everything in their luggage or backpack must be vital. There is no place for the unnecessary or superfluous. Many refugees carry all their possessions on their backs, or push them in a cart. They make difficult choices about what to take with them, and what to leave behind. For most refugees they are carrying a tiny proportion of their worldly belongings. There are parallels here with the people of Israel and followers of Jesus. Let's consider this passage in 1 Corinthians chapter 5. “Your boasting is not a good thing. Do you not know that a little yeast leavens the whole batch of dough? Clean out the old yeast so that you may be a new batch, as you really are unleavened. For our paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the festival, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Corinthians 5:6-8 NRSV) No Yeast  When the Israelites

Today we look at the tenth chapter ‘How to Preach so People will Listen’. A sermon is not a text or an outline, it is thing that only lives as it is spoken. The speaking of it is what makes it real. Therefore the way we deliver it is important. The oft-quoted adage that only 7 percent of a message comes through the words is, I understand, a debatable claim. But, what cannot be denied is that the way we speak a sermon has a significant influence on the way it is received. Below I lay out the structure of the chapter in Haden Robinson's book. I will not go through it in detail – better that you buy the book! What I will do today is share some observations based on my experience.  The outline in Haddon Robinson’s book Grooming and dress Movement and gestures: spontaneous gestures; definite gestures; varied gestures; properly timed gestures Eye contact Vocal delivery: pitch; Punch; progress; pause Rehearsal Feedback  First, some examples from Jesus. Jesus Gesture - “Pointing to his disciples, he said, “He

One of the characteristics of a refugee is that they are unable to return to  the place from which they escaped. Or, at the very least, it is unsafe to do so. Many refugees are fleeing political, racial or religious persecution. To return might be suicide. The yearn to return is strong, however, no matter how dangerous. Israel struggled with this. Christian have a parallel experience. Temptation to Return The Israelites were quick to forget their slave status in Egypt. Fear messed with their thinking. Their pre-Moses memories faded in the face of frightening news.  “Why is the LORD bringing us into this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will become plunder; would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:3 NAS95) Leaders are no less prone to this temptation than anyone else. I expect you can think of Kings who violated this command, “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LOR