‘I am the light of the world; anyone who follows me will not be walking in the dark; he will have the light of life.’ – John 8.12
‘I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me.’ – John 14.6
Welcome to the Fellowship
Welcome to my blog. Through the inspiration of Holy Scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit, my aim is to reveal the life, mission and atoning death of Jesus Christ.
The blog is conservative in ethos but it is not presented from any particular Christian tradition or church denomination. The daily readings are drawn from my own selection.
Colin Markham, Hythe, Kent, England.
Unless otherwise indicated, quotations from Scripture are from the Jerusalem Bible. Copyright 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and Doubleday & Company, Inc. By kind permission of the publisher, FSP quotations from the Jerusalem Bible render ‘Yahweh’ as ‘Lord’.
Quotations marked ‘NIV’ are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version (Anglicised), copyright 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved worldwide. ‘NIV’ is a registered trademark of Biblica Inc. UK trademark number 1448790.
*** Recommended websites for current affairs and Bible prophecy ***
Phyllis Nissila on For Such a Time as This (USA) – evangelical Christian
Dr. Steve Turley on YouTube (USA) – conservative libertarian
LifeSite News (Canada) – traditionalist Roman Catholic
Michael Matt on Remnant TV (USA) – traditionalist Roman Catholic
The James Delingpole Channel (UK) – conservative libertarian
Simon Webb on History Debunked (UK) – putting the record straight
New Culture Forum (UK) – conservative analysis of culture and politics
Moriel TV (UK) – global events in relation to Biblical prophecy
Neil Oliver’s World (UK) – history, society and culture dissected
UnHerd (UK) – alternative voice on politics and culture
John Haller on Fellowship Bible Chapel (USA) – world events and Biblical prophecy
Together Declaration (UK) – upholding fundamental rights and freedoms
Turning Point UK – promoting traditional values and personal responsibility
Political Nerds (USA) – nerdy political guide from Washington DC to Westminster
British Friends of Israel (UK) – solidarity with British Jews
Free Speech Union (UK) – defending the democratic right to free speech
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The Sermon on the Mount (continued)
‘Beware of false prophets who come to you disguised as sheep but underneath are ravenous wolves. You will be able to tell them by their fruits.’ – Matthew 7.15-16
The sacred and the profane
‘It is not those who say to me, “Lord, Lord”, who will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the person who does the will of my Father in heaven. When the day comes they will say to me, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name, work many miracles in your name?” Then I shall tell them to their faces: I have never known you; away from me, you evil men!’ –
Matthew 7.21-23, cf. Psalm 6.8
Read: Matthew 7
Even in non-Christian civilisations, the whole history of mankind indicates that a nation, a religion, a group of any kind remains strong only as long as it adheres to its basic principles and retains the personal and group discipline that this requires. To keep up with the times, legitimate development is needed but this happens gradually. The society runs out of control when the seven capital sins, or some combination of them, take over. A healthy society is one in which principle, sacrifice, hard work, moderation, self-discipline, authority and unity, prevail. When others use their money, might, and power to flaunt these and an unbridled freedom develops, the society goes headlong into destruction like the swine that rushed over the cliff, after Christ drove them out of those who were possessed (Mk 5.1-20).
It seems obvious that our country is headed in the same direction and only the discipline of self-sacrifice and self-control can save us. Competition for money and power in the world have led us to offer the human sacrifice of the Third World; and we seem to have given up the Judeo-Christian principles of morality for a materialistic-relativistic-hedonistic philosophy that is without principle.
Although it is easy enough to make the above judgements, we are not so quick to recognise that we have been carried along by the tide to a great extent. We are less faithful to principle, less faithful to religious observ-ance, less thoughtful of the poor, less inclined to self-sacrifice and hard work, and resentful of authority.
The gate to the road leading to eternal salvation is narrow; the road itself is rough; and it has few travellers; but it is the only way to achieve the goal. If we want to accept God’s will, we are sure to encounter difficulties and be tempted to think that the way we have chosen is foolish. We shall also find the way lonely because many friends, and even family, will leave us to pass through the broad gate, the one leading to perdition where many are entering. We need to have the courage of our convictions. We should try to persuade others to follow the road to eternal life without assuming that we can win them over by forsaking our principles, which would be akin to giving what is holy to dogs or tossing pearls before swine (v. 6). If we act thus, our would-be friends will look down upon us and cease appreciating our beliefs. When we sacrifice our principles in order to appease the unprincipled, we are no longer of help to them, and furthermore, we can very easily lose our principles too.
It is much easier to speak of faith than it is to put it into practice. With enemies all around, the tendency is to search for compromise rather than to stand in defence of God’s truth. This is the meaning of temp-tation. It can exist in government circles; families seem to have been oppressed in the same way the past many years. Strangely, the last thing that we seem ready to do is turn to the Lord for help. And yet the God of goodness and truth wills that we be holy, that we adhere to his teach-ings, and he stands ready to help us to do so.
That which is missing is prayer (vv. 7-11). But prayer will not do any good if we expect God to work some kind of miracle. We need to pray for the courage to accept God’s truth and to act upon it with conviction. We are God’s agents; he will act in and through us, but he will not take our place. We must fight our own battles – with his help, of course, and not presume that he will do everything for us. The cooperation of our own free will is essential.
God gives us what is holy and so often we show about as much appreci-ation as dogs and swine. That may be an exaggeration but there is much truth in it, as well. We do not usually treat the sacred in a diabolical way, but surely we are careless and lacking in appreciation for what is done for us.
God is faithful; he responds to every prayer. He loves us more than we can possibly love ourselves, and he understands us better than we do. So, surely he will respond to our needs, keeping in mind that he knows our true needs better than we do. Just as a father will not give some-thing dangerous to a child when the child asks for it, God will not give us what will be detrimental in the long run. Although we may be disappointed initially, we will eventually see his goodness.
And we should treat others in the same manner (v. 12). Our primary attitude should be one of goodness and love, but our first allegiance is to God. As a result, our first obligation is to do that which God wills, and therefore, that which is the ultimate good of the person. Jesus asks us to do unto others as we would have them do unto us. We should preface that with the principle that we should do unto others as God does unto us, the idea being that we would want others to act towards us in the same way, as God acts towards us. All three should be the same!
We need to follow the will of God much more rigidly than we usually do. The options open to a person on a human level are many and can be compared to the wide gate that leads to damnation (vv. 13-14). However, some of those options are sinful and comparatively few are according to God’s will. Indeed, since truth is one, only one of those options is ideal in keeping with God’s will. We need to be more careful in our examin-ation of options in life and in the choices we make (vv. 24-27).
John A. Marshall, 1928-1994. Bishop of Springfield, Mass., 1992-94. From What think you of Christ? Ambassador Books, 2003.
‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For the one who asks always receives; the one who searches always finds; the one who knocks will always have the door opened to him.’ – Matthew 7.7-8
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Daily readings for Week 5
Sunday 25th January:
Isaiah 57.14-21 / Psalm 34.9-16 / Matthew 7.1-6
Additional readings for 25th January: The Conversion of Saul:
Acts 9.1-23 or 22.1-21 / Psalm 105.1-9 / Revelation 5.1-10
Monday 26th January:
1 Corinthians 10.1-13 / Psalm 119.169-176 / Matthew 7.7-14
Tuesday 27th January:
1 Corinthians 11.17-32 / Psalm 141.1-5 / Matthew 7.15-20
Wednesday 28th January:
1 Corinthians 12.1-14 / Psalm 34.1-8 / Matthew 7.21-29
Thursday 29th January:
1 Corinthians 13.1-13 / Psalm 145.13b-21 / Matthew 8.1-17
Friday 30th January:
2 Corinthians 1.1-11 / Psalm 33.13-22 / Matthew 9.1-13
Saturday 31st January:
2 Corinthians 1.12-22 / Psalm 103.1-5, 11-14 / Matthew 9.14-34
Captured by Christ
Bless the Lord, my soul, bless his holy name, all that is in me! Bless the Lord, my soul, and remember all his kindnesses: in forgiving all your offences, in curing all your diseases, in redeeming your life from the Pit, in crowning you with love and tenderness, in filling your years with prosperity, in renewing your youth like an eagle’s. –
Psalm 103.1-5
Read: Psalm 103
You remember that I have compared the Saviour to that eagle about which Psalm 103 says, “he renews your youth like an eagle’s.” There are many points of likeness. The eagle rises above the ground, wings his way aloft, and soars skyward. Similarly, the Saviour rose from the grave, ascended to the exalted mansions of paradise, and entered the heights of heaven. In this way the Saviour is aptly likened to an eagle.
But what can we make of the fact that the eagle is a bird of prey and often a robber? Even in this the Saviour is like an eagle. He bore off his prey when he carried off from the jaws of hell the humanity that he had swooped to take to himself. Yet, he was like an eagle when he led captive to a higher home those he had delivered from the mastery of another lord, the devil. As Psalm 68.18 prophesied of him, “You have ascended to the height, and captured prisoners, you have taken men as tribute”.
Oh, how nobly the Psalmist paints the triumph of the Lord! We know that in the past when kings marched in triumph that the procession of prisoners walked before the chariot of their conqueror. But the Lord enters the heavens not following after, but amid a great glorious band of captives. That band are not led before his chariots, but themselves bear up their Saviour.
St. Maximus of Turin, 380-467
No less than the height of heaven over earth is the greatness of his love for those who fear him; he takes our sins farther away than the east is from the west. As tenderly as a Father treats his children, so the Lord treats those who fear him; he knows what we are made of, he remem-bers we are dust. – Psalm 103.11-14, cf. Psalm 90.3, Genesis 3.19
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The purpose of the Fellowship of St. Peter is to promote Christian faith and spirituality.
The central focus is on the person and work of
Jesus Christ.
Christianity in the modern world
As the number of churchgoers dwindle in the western world, Bible-believing Christians need to overcome their differences and consider a form of unity that recognises their common purpose. It’s time for the faithful remnant to act as a creative minority and voice a unified response. In an atmosphere that is increasingly hostile to Christianity, the goal must be to preserve the orthodoxy of the faith in the face of continuing erosion of religious liberty.
The Fellowship extends a hand of friendship to those who have withdrawn from churches which have aligned themselves with secularism and liberal values, thus fatally compromising the integrity of a faith that is essentially counter-cultural.
We must read the signs of the times. The era is drawing to a close. It is time to stand up and be counted as the people of God. Do not be afraid. The gathering darkness will not enshroud the light of faith nor quench the flame of truth. These will remain, along with all those whose steadfast faith shields them in the coming storm.
And Jesus said, ‘behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’ (Matthew 28.20).
The word of God
The word of God is a powerful force for enlightenment, a necessary counterweight to secular humanism. The Fellowship seeks to recapture something of the simplicity and vitality of the church in apostolic times, before the purity of the Christian message was corrupted by spurious doctrines. The emphasis is on spirituality that supports the life and ministry of Christians everywhere who believe in the power and dynamism of the word of God.
The Bible speaks to the world. All Christians have something of interest and value to share through their witness. The aim of the Fellowship is to promote prayer, Bible study and spiritual reflection which will bear fruit in daily lives. These disciplines can form the basis of a way of life that requires a strategic withdrawal from the mainstream.
Let the word of God fill your hearts and minds, let it guide and inspire you and refresh you like a clear mountain stream. Be still with God in prayer. Be an instrument of his loving purposes, a purveyor of peace, and let your peace rest on all those you encounter. For those in need of compassion and healing, heed their cares and bind their wounds. Live in uprightness and modesty and exercise restraint in your material needs. Guard your tongue, practise discernment, speak only words of counsel and encouragement, the words of Christ.
Your eyes, hands and impulses should be those of Christ. Pray always for strength and enlightenment. Praise and thank God and place into his care your needs and those of others.
Bible. Prayer. Witness. These are the three principles on which the Fellowship is founded.
By his divine power, he has given us all the things that we need for life and for true devotion, bringing us to know God himself, who has called us by his own glory and goodness. In making these gifts, he has given us the guarantee of something very great and wonderful to come: through them you will be able to share the divine nature and to escape corruption in a world that is sunk in vice. But to attain this, you will have to do your utmost yourselves, adding goodness to the faith that you have, understanding to your goodness, self-control to your understanding, patience to your self-control, true devotion to your patience, kindness towards your fellow men to your devotion, and, to this kindness, love. If you have a generous supply of these, they will not leave you ineffectual or unproductive: they will bring you to a real knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But without them a man is blind or else short-sighted; he has forgotten how his past sins were washed away. Brothers, you have been called and chosen: work all the harder to justify it. If you do all these things there is no danger that you will ever fall away. In this way you will be granted admittance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1.3-11).
Why Peter?
Peter represents Everyman in all his frailty, vulnerability and confusion. He was headstrong yet inspired, well-meaning but impetuous. His heart was in the right place but he didn’t always live up to his own rhetoric. He triumphed over his weaknesses by the grace of God and saw the perfect vision of Christ and what that vision meant for the church and the world.
Peter was a leading figure during Christ’s walk on earth. He occupied a position of seniority amongst the disciples. He was there at all the major events during Christ’s ministry and in the final days leading up to the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension into heaven. It was to Peter and his fellow apostles that Jesus entrusted the legacy of truth enshrined in his teachings, the keys of the kingdom. After Pentecost Peter and his companions went out to the world to proclaim the Gospel.
Acts of the Apostles. Peter became a leading light in the early days of the church, the apostle to the Jews living in the diaspora. His authority in the nascent Christian community has to be viewed against the ascendancy of Paul as apostle to the Gentiles, a position that gave Paul equal authority in the direction of missionary work.
In terms of Peter’s primacy of leadership, however, “….one should not look in Peter or in the primitive church for the developed conception of the primacy which appears no earlier than the third century. The development of power possessed by the church and by Peter into monarchical leadership lies outside of biblical theology.” (John McKenzie, Dictionary of the Bible)
The Gospel of Mark. The church historian Eusebius (d. ca. 339) wrote: “Mark, who became Peter’s interpreter, wrote accurately, though not in order, all that he remembered of the things said and done by the Lord. For he had neither heard the Lord nor been one of his followers, but afterwards followed Peter, who used to compose his discourses with a view to the needs of his hearers.”
1 and 2 Peter. Of the two letters that bear Peter’s name, the first seeks to encourage and strengthen early Christian communities suffering persecution, reminding them of their heritage. The second has more to do with the dangers of heresy and how Christians can have confidence in the truth of Scripture. These encouragements and warnings resonate with us living in times of moral decline and religious indifference.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
(1 Peter 1.3-5).
Peter was martyred in Rome during the Neronian persecutions, probably in the year 64.
Jerusalem Cross
There are various interpretations of the symbolism. The four smaller crosses are thought to denote either the four gospels or the way the Gospel spread to the four corners of the earth. In terms of God’s revelation and world history, the city of Jerusalem is of huge political, religious and symbolic importance. The focus is highlighted in the gospels and in the emergence of the first Christian communities described in the Acts of the Apostles. It was from Jerusalem that the apostles scattered to proclaim Christ.
The spiritual life
We must keep the Bible open before us. It is our enlightenment, our source of consolation, our prayer book. It contains the revelation of God’s purposes in salvation history. It is the well-spring of all the truth, goodness and wisdom that God wishes to transmit to human beings who he ordained to administer the complexities of the natural world and to carry forward knowledge of salvation history with its outcome in the incarnation of Christ.
The Lord guides and strengthens us, keeping us firmly rooted in the faith. Throughout all the trials we endure in this troubled world, Christ is with us. The word of God inspires us in various ways, and through the Holy Spirit we gain knowledge, wisdom and discernment, maturing in the faith as citizens of the Kingdom of God.
Remain within the confines of God’s kingdom. Stay on the straight and narrow path that leads to salvation. Do not look with longing towards the sunlit hills at every temptation. Too many have trodden the path to destruction, too many have fallen by the wayside.
The Christian life is about being transformed by Christ, being absorbed by him so that his teachings and his very presence guide our every motivation and action. Christ’s love is mediated through us in the power of the Holy Spirit. We follow the leadings of the Spirit in order to renew and deepen our faith.
There is a wonderful symmetry involved in the divine-human relationship. Christ, the sinless one, is the embodiment of human perfection. Through his very nature as Son of God he brought mankind nearer to the Father. Through Christ, God shared in our humanity and he also made it possible for us to share in his divinity. Christ underwent the ultimate sacrifice to reconcile man to his creator, making it possible for God’s plan of salvation to be brought to completion, inaugurating a New Covenant with mankind. We need to keep before us the astounding truth of his victory over evil on the Cross, through which mankind gained forgiveness and the freedom to live the gospel life infused with selfless love (cf 1 Corinthians 13.1-13).
Christ established a new reality, that to be justified by faith is a sacred identity. We are identified as Christians when we accept and appropriate the fullness of Christ. This requires a heroic response from human beings because it runs counter to human pride, the instinct for autonomy. The response must be underpinned by contrition and humility and it is brought to perfection by obedience. Once we take hold of Christ we become his disciples. Discipleship is a life-long commitment, a transforming friendship with Jesus. (Luke 9.23-26; John 15.14-17).
Christ’s death and resurrection brings to mankind redemption and salvation to eternal life. Christ has opened the way for us to follow him to the perfect vision, far superior to the limitations and imperfections of our earthly existence. To consolidate the New Covenant with man, the Father has sent us the power to sustain us on our journey through the snares and pitfalls of this troubled world. This power is the Holy Spirit (John 14.16, 26). Christ’s presence is manifested in the Holy Spirit. The Spirit reminds us of his teachings, works in our conscience when we fail, grants us perception when we read Holy Scripture, inspires us in our prayers and meditations, whispers to us in our silent spaces, strengthens us in times of adversity and provides us with prophetic speech. The Spirit empowers us in our various ministries and impels us to rise above the banalities and temptations of a world that is hostile to our sacred calling. (Mark 13.5-13; Romans 12.3-9; 1 Corinthians 12.4-11; Ephesians 4.7-13; James 1.16-18, 3.13-18; 1 Peter 3.13-17, 4.7-19).
The worldwide community of faith
Christians across the world have a common purpose: striving to live the Gospel life in the face of both widespread indifference and open hostility to the teachings of Christ. The Christian faith is essentially counter-cultural yet many churches are now aligned with secular humanism, thus inflicting upon themselves the fatal wound of apostasy. The enemy is no longer at the gates, he is within the citadel.
For our Spirit-filled life to succeed we are to distance ourselves from the corrupt influences of modern culture (1 John 2.15-17, 5.18-20). There are to be no half measures, no compromise with evil in any of its forms, no accommodation with other religions. This detachment is crucially important to safeguard the integrity of the Christian faith. These are perilous times. Christianity is under assault from atheistic humanism, the dominant force in social and political culture. Faced with this threat there is to be no weakening on our part. We are to profess the faith and demonstrate in our lives the true destiny of humankind, the freedom to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind and with all our strength, and to love our neighbour as ourselves. There is no higher ideal for man to attain (cf Mark 12.28-34; Romans 13.8-10).
Discipleship
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) appears to portray Christ as the new Moses, but he far exceeds all the prophets and patriarchs of old by his uniquely divine provenance and his destiny as Saviour of the world. He is not only the promised Messiah, he is also Priest, Prophet and King. His teachings lead us into the Kingdom of God, into a realm of love, creating a priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2.1-10). We yearn for the promised homeland above where our labours will be rewarded by eternal peace (2 Peter 3.8-14).
The Beatitudes (Matthew 5.1-12) are a concise presentation of the Christian ethos, describing the blessed virtues essential to life in the Spirit. They are the supreme ethical and moral guide to Christian life and discipleship, illuminating our path in the human maze. They set out the Christian way of life, lived in response to Christ through faith. We strive to uphold values intrinsic to human dignity, stable family life and the maintenance of social order: humility, gentleness, compassion, justice, peace, integrity, courage and witness. All the blessings of the kingdom are encapsulated in the Beatitudes.
Christ came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5.17-19). The validity of the Ten Commandments remains (Exodus 20.1-17) and in the Beatitudes Christ describes the spirit in which the Commandments are to be lived out in both church and society. They exemplify Christian discipleship. They are echoes of the divine, revealing Christ in his perfection. They define the inward motivations of integrity and love that characterise discipleship, as well as the blessed rewards of faithful service in Christ’s name. Our acts of charity and mercy spring from a heart filled with selfless love founded on the teachings of Christ and energised by the Holy Spirit.
The teachings of Christ are uncompromisingly radical. They are employed to combat philosophies that erode the dignity of man: consumerism (money and possessions bring happiness); relativism (there is no absolute truth); secularism (a world view without God); existentialism (life has no purpose). In the midst of these evils the Gospel shines like a beacon of truth. And through it all we persevere in the name of Christ, despite the difficulties we encounter on our journey of faith (1 Peter 4.12-19). God will restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us in times of adversity (1 Peter 5.10-11).
Our faith is a wonderful gift to possess and convey to others, and discipleship places on us a sacred responsibility. It is a joy and a holy privilege to walk with Jesus, to be in his loving presence in a life of Christian service (Luke 10.23-24; John 15.1-17; Ephesians 4.7-16).
Further reading
Dale C. Allison
The Sermon on the Mount: inspiring the moral imagination. Herder & Herder, 1999.
Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt
The love that is God: an invitation to Christian faith. Eerdmans, 2020.
Carl E. Braaten and Christopher R. Seitz
I am the Lord your God: Christian reflections on the Ten Commandments. Eerdmans, 2005.
Walter Brueggemann
The Bible makes sense. Westminster John Knox Press, revised edition, 2001.
Rod Dreher
The Benedict option: a strategy for Christians in a post-Christian nation. Sentinel, 2017.
Live not by lies: a manual for Christian dissidents. Sentinel, 2020.
James P. Eckman
Biblical ethics: choosing right in a world gone wrong. Crossway, 2004.
Mark Hitchcock
The prophecy collection: three works in one – The end times survival guide; The coming apostasy; Russia rising. Tyndale Momentum, 2021.
Gerard W. Hughes
God of surprises. Darton, Longman & Todd, Third edition, 2007.
Howard Clark Kee and Franklin W. Young
The living world of the New Testament. Darton, Longman & Todd, 1960.
Cameron Lee
Unexpected blessing: living the countercultural reality of the Beatitudes. IVP, 2004.
Eric Liddell
The disciplines of the Christian life. SPCK, 1985.
Hal Lindsey
The late great planet earth. Zondervan, 1970.
There’s a new world coming: a prophetic odyssey. Coverdale House, 1973.
Roger Mohrlang
Paul and his life-transforming theology: a concise introduction. Wipf & Stock, 2013.
Glen H. Stassen and David P. Gushee
Kingdom ethics: following Jesus in contemporary context. IVP, 2003.
Teresa Turner Vining
Making your faith your own: a guidebook for believers with questions. IVP, 2001.
Christopher J. H. Wright
Knowing Jesus through the Old Testament. Monarch, 1992.
Brother Yun (Liu Zhenying)
Living water. Edited by Paul Hattaway. Zondervan, 2008.
Fellowship of St. Peter 