The wind and the sun is a well-known parable. The story goes as follows: once the wind and the sun were competing to see who could remove the jacket from a man walking down a country lane. The wind asked to go first. He puffed a strong, icy blast against the man in the hope…
The Highland church needs Christians who are willing to forge a missional lifestyle. What is a missional lifestyle? Here is a simple definition: a lifestyle that is purposefully shaped by the desire to make Jesus present to non-believers. Missional Christians are Christians who see the raw material of life – jobs, communities, hobbies, families –…
Get Excited: God’s Mission is for the Highlands The Highlands needs more Christians who are excited about the mission of God. Too many are stuck in the orb of nostalgia. I have no doubt that the revivals of the past were glorious and that the flame of the Spirit in this land today is but…
Mom, Dad, beware: you have an idol instinct that, if not subdued, will turn your family away from the Lord. Whereas our families are intended to serve the mission of God, this instinct has the power to shift your priorities so that, instead of enjoying the freedom of obeying Jesus, a family ends up…
Contemporary Christianity has nothing to do with surfing the present moment. As preached on Sunday morning, the values of this world were invalidated 2,000 years ago when Jesus died and rose again. On resurrection Sunday Jesus signalled the dawn of a new creation and issued a command to his disciples to follow him by making…
One of the most frequent complaints levelled against the church is that the church is full of hypocrites. People appear to be scandalised by the thought that there are people in the church who struggle with all of the temptations and vices of people outside of the church. The conclusion that generally follows is that,…
Community Groups Are Not Enough The Highland church is waking up to the need for community groups. Church leaders are finally seeing that large group worship is ill equipped to care for the daily needs and struggles of Christians. Whereas in the past, church ministry was restricted to a three course meal of Sunday morning…
The Message of the Cross Is Foolishness The apostle Paul claims that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing (I Cor. 1:18). He’s not joking. The message is indigestible to unconverted minds. There are three reasons for this. First, the content of the gospel sounds like a village fable. God…
Spiritual Friendship Is a Need Do you have a spiritual friend? A spiritual friend is more than a person whose company you enjoy or a person with whom you share a common interest. A spiritual friend is a ‘soul-companion’, a friend to whom you entrust yourself completely so that from him or her you hide…
An Indigestible Idea – Old Testament Tithing Tithing is not what you think it is. Most church people have been taught that tithing is an Old Testament principle by which a person gives 10% of his earnings back to God as a spiritual thank you card. However, in the Old Testament, tithing is more complicated than…