Malcolm Cox

Today’s Teaching Tip is a shameless plug to join me and my friends for a day of happy homiletics.  On Saturday, the 16th of September, I will be having fun learning how to move from text through context into content and application. Our format will include teaching, discussion, Q&A and small-group work. The event will be in person and online simultaneously. We start at 10 am and finish at 3 pm with lunch provided. Our venue is the West Watford Free Church, Tolpits Lane, Watford WD18 6NU. We are offering this module half price and will work with anybody with financial challenges to make sure that they can participate.  Please join us if you can. Whether you are a staff church member, a leader of a small group, or someone who might share a talk about the Lord's supper or conduct a family devotional, this module is for you.  Learn how to be confident that you may be what Paul called Timothy to be, someone who “does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15 NIV1

Perhaps it is inevitable, but our granddaughter’s arrival gave me a refreshed perspective on one of my favourite descriptions of God. Let me set the scene.  Two days had passed since our granddaughter, Talaya, came into this world, and I was about to meet her for the first time. I confess I was tingling as I stood outside the hospital ward, waiting for my chance to hold her. I knew that this moment would change my life.  I entered the room and was greeted by the sight of our precious two-day-old Talaya. She was tiny, her eyes still adjusting to the world around her. My daughter and son-in-law offered Talaya to me and I gingerly picked her up.  Automatically, without thought, I began to hum a traditional nursery rhyme to her. Talaya's tiny eyelids grew heavy. She settled into my arms and fell asleep. It was magical.  In that moment, I couldn't help but recall a passage from Zephaniah: "The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love, he will no lo

What does Ephesians tell us about Christian unity?  Read Ephesians before watching the class — or at least skim the book. 1. How might we use our gifts to nurture the unity that God has created? 2. What is the place of honesty in unity? 3. How might we navigate the causes of disunity in our communities? https://www.thamesvalley.church/ Admin@thamesvalley.church  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](mailto: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](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

Do you have a framework to help you with the practical side of your preaching and teaching? In today's short tip, I offer you one from of old. It comes from a book given to me by my friend Harry Hardy, written by a church of Christ minister over 100 years ago. Do you think it is still relevant? The book is Christian ministry by Joseph Rotherham and contains the following framework taken from Dr. Stalker’s “The preacher and his models”. “Begin low; Proceed slow; Rise higher; Take fire; When most impressed Be self-possessed; To spirit add form; Sit down in a storm." Note: No framework is meant to be a formula or employed rigidly. If you do make use of this framework, be sure to be flexible. What frameworks do you have in mind already? Please share them here so that we can learn from one another. 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 suggesti

Would you like to freshen up your approach to prayer? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last few weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. We conclude the series this week by putting it all together. First, however, a point of clarification. Point of clarification As I did in the first episode, I should mention that this framework is not meant to be a formula. Nor do I consider it superior to any other framework. It is simply one of many.  Security; Submission; Supplication I have used this framework every day for the last several weeks. It does not cover the totality of my prayers. I have also enjoyed some set prayers from a prayer book connected to Lindisfarne, a Church of England prayer app, and other extemporaneous times of praying. However, I have discovered that using the same framework day after day has deepened my understanding of the connection between security,

The link you need is: https://www.aimukandireland.com Email: courses@aimukandireland.com Homiletics You might well ask, “What on earth is homiletics, and why does it matter?” Homiletics comes from a Greek word meaning to converse, or talk with someone. In the Christian context, it refers to preparing and presenting God’s Word to other people. “Ah, you mean sermons.” Well, it includes sermons, but much more. Whenever we talk about the Scriptures with fellow humans we are being homiletical. All of us do this in different ways, including welcoming people to a church service, sharing thoughts about the Lord's supper, preaching a sermon or teaching a lesson, doing a family devotional, teaching the children in children's ministry, doing a class for the youth ministry, and so on.  Knowing how to prepare well and how to present well are vital to healthy growth. Paul tells Timothy to, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the wor

Introduction  Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded.  “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Today, we review the series and draw some general conclusions.  Point of clarification  It is not healthy to be paranoid about our effectiveness, nor can we ever measure it empirically. Still, there is a place for considering whether we have set ourselves and our listeners up for success. We have been exploring how to be ‘effective’ — not just skilled or accurate — in these episodes.  The Plan  Our material has been based on an article you can find here: https://www.douglasjacoby.com/the-ten-commandments-of-teaching-by-brian-fontaine/  We have explored the following ‘commandments’:  1st Commandment: Know thy content, b

Would you like to freshen up your approach to prayer? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last four weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. In the previous two weeks we have explored security and submission. We continue this week with supplication. First, however, a point of clarification. Point of clarification Supplication is a fancy word for ‘request’. The point is not the length of the list or the total amount of words — “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” (Matthew 6:7 NIV11) We are not talking about offering God our shopping list of requests, but we are talking about telling him what we need and what we perceive other people need. With these thoughts in mind, let’s consider the example of Jesus. Supplication: Supplication is meaningful because it is built on security with God and sub

10th Commandment: Tests aren’t just for students. Introduction Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded.  “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Point of Clarification Teaching and preaching are dynamic skills that require continuous refinement. We are never done learning. It takes humility for a student to learn, and it should take no less humility on the part of us who teach and preach for us to improve in our effectiveness. To place yourself in a position of learning can be a little scary. Don't let that put you off from discovering how to grow. Your security in God is what matters, not what your students think of you.  12 Tips for teachers to grow 1. Self-Reflection: Set aside time regularly to reflect on your

Introduction Unity is always a vital topic, but even more so now than usual.  The church continues to spread, expand and develop. This is all good but it means we must pay more careful attention to our unity.  These lessons will discuss attitudes and actions that can strengthen our unity. Today's lesson is focussed on examining one example of how Jesus built unity, and one example of how the early church built unity.  - - -  1.  Jesus Prays for unity “I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” (John 17:22–23 NIV11) - Jesus in the Father is the model for us Teaches on unity ““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) How did Jesus maintain unity? Example “They ca

Would you like to freshen up your prayer life? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last three weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. Last week we discussed security. This week we continue with submission. First, however, a point of clarification. Point of clarification Submission is, for some people, a troubling word. It carries connotations of oppression, abuse and control. Richard Foster in his book Celebration of Discipline states, “Revolutionary submission commands us to live in submission to human authority until it becomes destructive.” Demands for submission to human authority can be destructive, but when God calls us to submit to his will, he invites us into a constructive life. If you fear full submission to God, you are a normal human. Don’t worry. Just invest in what we talked about last week. Security in God’s love is the antidote to anxiety over submitting to

Introduction Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded. “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Point of clarification We are limited in knowing how much our listeners learned. God does not give us miraculous insight into the mind and heart of each person who hears our teaching. We must trust that the Holy Spirit is at work. Our humility is tested in this. We are not in control. However, there are things we can do which will give people the best possible opportunity to learn. Three Tips 1. Ask Questions. You may have noticed that this tip comes up in several of the commandments. It is a crucial technique for helping people learn. It allows them to reflect on what they have heard and put it into their own words. Jesus d

You have found a teaching class for the Thames Valley churches of Christ. This week we take one of Douglas Jacoby's lessons and add some questions to facilitate personal and group reflection on the message of the challenging book of Jude. 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](mailto: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](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

Would you like to freshen up your approach to prayer? I want to share something I have developed that has done just that. It’s a three-step prayer framework I’ve been experimenting with for the last two weeks. Those three steps are 1. Security, 2. Submission, 3. Supplication. We start this week with security. First, however, a point of clarification. Point of clarification Dangers exist regarding frameworks. What may start as a refreshing framework can descend into formulaic dryness. Frameworks exist in the Scriptures. Examples include the Lord’s prayer in Matthew 6.9-13, some of Paul’s prayers in his Epistles (1 Thessalonians 5.23-24), praying through Psalms, or that majestic hymn about Jesus (Philippians 2.6-11). All of these can be used as frameworks. But none of them should be seen as something to be repeated rote as if in the very act of repetition something spiritual magically happens. It is with that clarification in mind I offer this framework. Security: Finding Strength in God’s Presence Before

Introduction Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded.  “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Point of clarification I vividly remember my wife telling me after church one day, “I don’t like it when you shout”. At the time I argued the point claiming that I was not shouting, simply excited. On reflection (and listening to the tape - yes, it was that long ago), I had to agree with her. What in my ears was ‘enthusiasm’ was in her ears shouting. I was confusing volume with enthusiasm. The two are not the same. There is a place for shouting — “My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you, I whom you have delivered.” (Psalm 71:23 NIV11) — but it is rarely in preaching. Public speaking is a conversation more than

The more I study the Bible in detail, the more I realise I need a better handle on the big picture.  As I mentioned in last week’s episode, several things have come together recently to help me make the decision to read the entire Bible in 12 months. The two sources of inspiration for this decision are my good friend Douglas Jacoby who has been doing this for years, and the fact that studying texts in detail has required me to look at the rest of the Bible's teaching on the topics raised there.    Is this something you might consider? If you would like further motivations for reading the Bible in 12 months, here are some given to me by chat GPT! See what you make of these…    1. Spiritual Growth: Engaging with the Bible regularly allows individuals to deepen their spiritual understanding and connection with their faith. It provides insights into the core beliefs and teachings of their religious tradition.      2. Comprehensive Understanding: Reading the entire Bible in 12 months ensures that you cover both

A sermon for the Watford church of Christ. 1. Huldah, vv14-20 A. What was an Old Testament prophet? QUESTION: Definition? A ‘covenant enforcer’ B. One of a few female prophets The others: Miriam, Deborah, and Isaiah’s wife (Exod 15:20; Judg 4:4; 2 Kgs 22:14; Isa 8:3). No sense this wrong No sense should be a man Contemporaries: Jeremiah; Nahum; Zephaniah; Habakkuk C. Knew the Bible Knew the book - even though lost Knew it was Scripture Knew how to interpret into her time 2. Josiah, vv8-13; 23:1ff A. Strikes against him Evil grandfather and father - 2 Kings 21:6; 21:20-22 Tragic family - 2 Kings 21:23-24 Evil societal religious culture - 2 Kings 23:6, 7, 10, Evil leadership culture - 8/4 His elders and betters had got it wrong Not a victim B. Spiritual Integrity Enquire of the best person - even if not conventional. Wants to know how much authority this book has Wants to know what it means for him C. Renews covenant & Passover 23:1-3, 21-23, 25 Urgent, thorough, self-motivated, brave Consequence

7th Commandment: They won’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. Introduction Do you ever wonder if your teaching is effective? Do you sometimes sense your preaching might not have the impact you had hoped? If so, you are like 99% of the speakers I know. The other 1% are deluded.  “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Greeks believed.” (Acts 14:1 NIV11) Point of clarification A church leader once contacted me asking for advice. They had someone in the congregation who was a good student of the Bible and an able presenter. He liked to preach and teach. He taught accurately and with conviction. However, the congregation did not warm to his speaking. The problem as it was explained to me was that this person turned up late to meetings, did not engage with the fellowship, and was not connected relationally to the rest of the congregation. Those he spoke to did not sense he cared. I won’t make

You have found a teaching class for the Thames Valley churches of Christ. This week we take one of Douglas Jacoby's lessons and add some questions to facilitate personal and group reflection on the message of the wonderful little book of Philemon. 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](mailto: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](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

The more I study the Bible in detail, the more I realise I need a better handle on the big picture.  Several things have come together recently to help me make a big decision. What is that decision? To read the entire Bible in 12 months. This is part one of a two-parter on the topic.  Perhaps this decision does not seem such a big deal to you. Indeed, many years of my Christian life I have read the entire Old and New Testaments within 365 days. But I haven't done that for some time. Why? Partly because it got stale. Partly because I found myself needing to study Scripture in more detail. The amount of time involved focusing on a book of the Bible or a topic seemed to get in the way of more voluminous reading. Of course, detailed study and extensive reading or not necessarily mutually exclusive. However, my perspective has changed. Why? For two primary reasons. The first is spending more time around my good friend, Douglas Jacoby. He has read through the entire Bible almost every year of his Christian life.