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• THE JOURNEY IS OVER (JOURNAL 90)

  3 June, 2016

  If you were to read our journal entry for this day last year, you would read the following Today's instalment… [more]

• JOURNAL 89

  22 May, 2016

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• JOURNAL 88

  17 May, 2016

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• JOURNAL 87

  13 May, 2016

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• JOURNAL 86

  10 May, 2016

  JOURNAL 86 MOTHER’S DAY Hello sweetheart, I haven’t spoken to our children as to… [more]

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• Today's "Moment with Mark" (72)

  1 February, 2013

  As Jesus was walking through the Temple area, the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders came up to him. They demanded, "By whose authority did you drive out the merchants from the Temple? Who gave you such authority?" (Mark 11:27-28 NLT)

  The issue of authority is a major issue in the Church today. Of course, Jesus' actions in the Temple were hardly  soon forgotten. Word got around like the proverbial wildfire and He was called to account for what He had done.

  I recall late one Sunday evening hearing a knock at the front door of the Manse and when I opened the door, a total stranger stood before me, appearing to be sad and confused. It turned out that he was a Uni. Lecturer whose primary area of expertise was Egypt. After some general chit-chat in which, I suspect, he was checking me out to see if I could be trusted.

  It was then that, quite suddenly, he asked me the same question (in essence) that the religious leaders asked Jesus: "By whose authority do you do what you do?" My guest wanted to know "by whose authority do you Christians  presume to send missionaries to other countries to persuade those who believe otherwise. You are arrogant and presumptuous.

  I stumbled about mentally and emotionally. I was tired. It had been a long but fulfilling Sunday. It wasn't until I my guest had gone that I realised that the answer was so clear. If only I had recalled the answer so quickly.

  "I have been given complete authority in heaven and on earth.  Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations..... (Matt28:18-19 NLT)

  So let's go into our world today as those who have been authorised by the One who had been given all authority - in heaven and in the earth.