My sheep get my downloads: Musings on prophetic language

I’ve been reflecting recently on the language we use when talking about prophecy, and have noticed a trend which has given me pause for thought. How many of these phrases have you heard (or used) recently? I received a download from heaven Getting an upgrade in the prophetic Tuning into the frequency of heaven God…

The Good News of God

We can often imagine that God is distant and disinterested, just waiting for us to find our way to him. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. On Sunday I kicked off a new series at Oxford Community Church, by looking at Paul’s sermon in Acts 17 and showing six pieces of good news…

A tale of two desert roads: a further reflection on Acts 8

While preparing a talk on Acts 8, the story of Philip and the Ethiopian Official, I was struck by something I’d never noticed before. It wasn’t strictly relevant to the talk, so it didn’t make the cut (despite how much I wanted to keep it in. Gotta keep killing those darlings!) But here it is……

Ready for Revival (Acts 8.26–40)

On Sunday I had the privilege of preaching at the Advance Celebration, a gathering of all the churches in the Salt and Light Advance family of churches. We met in Oxford for a wonderful morning of worship, we welcomed in a new church to the family, and I spoke on being ready for revival, based…

Standing in the Gap (Genesis 18–19)

This Sunday I continued our series on the life of Abraham by looking at Genesis 18–19. A challenging passage, but one that gloriously points to the gospel! “The Lord announced his judgment on the city of Sodom, but Abraham intervened, pleading with the Lord for mercy. In this talk, Liam considers the theme of intercession,…

The Promised Child (Genesis 15)

This Sunday I preached at our Baby Dedication service on Genesis 15. Perhaps not the natural choice – Abraham cutting animals in two as he makes a covenant with God! But it did connect nicely with testimonies shared at the service about disappointment, faith, and trusting God’s promises. We considered how covenants worked in the…

God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics

By now you will have heard the stats, I’m sure. The Quiet Revival report from Bible Society indicates that church attendance in the UK has risen by over 50% in the past 6 years, with the most dramatic growth coming from 18–24 year olds. And with that has come an enormous increase in people turning…

A God-given Name

There’s a moment I love in the story of David, when he and Bathsheba have a child, who would go on to become Israel’s wisest king and build the Temple for God’s presence. His parents named him Solomon, which is a solid name. It’s related to the Hebrew word shalom, so it means in essence:…

A Living Community

At Oxford Community Church we are currently in a series on Community Groups, and this Sunday I co-preached on one of my favourite gospel stories in Mark 2 Four men bring their friend to Jesus, seeking healing. When faced with a crowd blocking their way, they take a courageous choice to do whatever it takes…

Venom and Antivenom: A Gospel Metaphor

Tim Friede has been bitten by snakes more than 200 times and received 700 injections of venom. Now his blood could save hundreds of thousands of people. It’s an imperfect gospel metaphor to be sure, but it’s not bad.   The Seed and the Serpent From its opening pages to the closing ones, Scripture uses…