Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 4078 The relationship between the filling of the Spirit and intercessory prayer is one of the more neglected connections in practical pneumatology, despite the fact that the New Testament draws the two together with some consistency. Intercessory prayer — praying on behalf of others — is not simply a spiritual discipline that believers undertake…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 04092 The nineteenth chapter of 1 Kings is one of the most psychologically and spiritually rich passages in the entire Old Testament. Elijah, the prophet who had called down fire from heaven on Carmel and executed the prophets of Baal, is found forty days later under a broom tree in the wilderness begging to…
Reading Time: 3 minutesQuestion 04053 In a world where spiritual counterfeits are not merely possible but repeatedly warned against in the New Testament, the gift of discernment of spirits is not a luxury. It is one of the Spirit’s provisions for protecting the church from deception. Understanding what this gift actually involves, and how it differs from ordinary…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 60104 Twice in the opening chapters of Revelation, Jesus singles out a group called the Nicolaitans — once commending the church at Ephesus for hating their deeds (Revelation 2:6), and once rebuking the church at Pergamum for tolerating their teaching (Revelation 2:15). The fact that Jesus mentions them by name, and that He hates…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 6009 Every genuine Christian wants to overcome sin. We hate the way it dishonours God, damages our relationships, and disrupts our peace. But how? We have tried willpower and failed. We have made resolutions and broken them. We have promised God we would do better, only to fall into the same patterns again. Is…
Reading Time: 5 minutesQuestion 7006 Few passages in Scripture have caused more anxiety among believers than Jesus’ solemn warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. People have come to me over the years, sometimes in tears, convinced they have committed this sin and are beyond hope. Before we even begin to unpack what this sin actually is, let…
Reading Time: 6 minutesQuestion 0031 The comparison between doctrine and an immune system is remarkably apt, and Scripture itself uses similar language. Just as our physical bodies possess an intricate defence system designed to recognise, resist, and destroy harmful invaders, so sound doctrine operates within the believer’s soul to identify error, resist deception, and preserve spiritual health. Paul…
Reading Time: 8 minutesQuestion 0012 Paul’s warning to Timothy about false doctrine in 2 Timothy 2:17 employs one of the most visceral metaphors in Scripture. Writing from his Roman imprisonment, likely in the damp and disease-ridden Mamertine Prison, the apostle reaches for medical language to convey the devastating nature of heretical teaching. The image he selects, gangrene, would…
Reading Time: 4 minutesQuestion 8000 Angelology is the study of angels, and demonology is the study of demons. Together, they form the branch of theology that examines what Scripture reveals about the spiritual beings God created, both those who remained faithful to Him and those who rebelled. While our culture is fascinated by angels and demons through films,…