The newsletter of IBTM with Douglas Jacoby.
Posts
Why Can't More of Us Perform Miracles? / Reading Jeremiah with the Grain of Scripture / Drawing the Line Somewhere

Why Can't More of Us Perform Miracles? / Reading Jeremiah with the Grain of Scripture / Drawing the Line Somewhere

Douglas Jacoby
March 27, 2024

Good afternoon from London Heathrow Airport!

I’m on the way home after a time of reflection and prayer in Aberdeen, Scotland. (For pictures, scroll to the end of the newsletter.) Taking time out for a personal spiritual retreat, amidst the manic busyness of life, isn’t always easy. But the rewards are many.

In Scotland I had time for reading— books like Deep Work and An Uncommon Retirement. I focused personal reading on 2 Corinthians—Paul’s suffering, including being misunderstood and misrepresented by his opponents—something I have grown to relate to, especially in the past 25 years.

Just enough space in my study to fit the new keyboard

Further, this Saturday I was privileged to join Malcolm Cox and Andy Boakye, British colleagues in the Athens Institute, in kicking off our current unit, Spiritual Life. Our AIM UK-Ireland events are hybrid: in England, a room full of living souls, yearning to learn and grow, joined by others online, on the latest occasion from Scotland, the US, and Turkey.

The past week has also been encouraging as we recovered most of the property taken in last week’s burglary. (Thanks for your concern.) Also encouraging: I bought a keyboard. When we left the US for Scotland in 2020 we sold our piano. (No room for this in the new residence!) But we do now have room for an 88-key keyboard. Tickling the ivories is something I’ve really missed. No more!

Can We All Do Miracles?

Q: Must Christians perform miracles? Doesn't John 14:12 suggest that we should?

A: The passage in question reads Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:12-14).

For an excellent response, please watch the short video by brilliant apologist Tim Barnett.

Reading Jeremiah with the Grain of Scripture

Jill Firth (Tyndale House) takes us on a journey through the book of Jeremiah. To uncover the message of hope woven into a story of rebellion, CLICK HERE

For more on Jeremiah, be sure to check out the back issues of this bulletin. There is a nine-part series, Jeremiah, Jesus, and Us, beginning here.

Drawing the Line

The mini-quote-series drawn from the wisdom and wit of G. K. Chesterton continues today with several astute comments on morality.

The decay of society is praised by artists as the decay of a corpse is praised by worms. – “The Progressive”: George Bernard Shaw
A strange fanaticism fills our time: the fanatical hatred of morality, especially of Christian morality. – “The Moral Philosophy of Meredith,” A Handful of Authors
Art, like morality, consists of drawing the line somewhere.

Photos taken this past weekend in Lancaster (less than 4km from our apartment)

Spring is on the way! (Actually, it’s here, but at these northern latitudes it takes a while to get going.)

Upcoming…

Through this ministry we strive to bring excellent teaching materials to light. Sometimes these are books, audios, or videos Vicki and I have created. Sometimes they are simply spotlighting valuable materials others of produced. Upcoming in April:

Conversation 15, on legitimate (and illegitimate) authority in the church.
A new program on Once Saved, Always Saved, featuring a number of pastors and biblical scholars, analyzing the common evangelical belief in “eternal security.”
“Was Luke Wrong about the Census?” (David Armitage)
“Did Jesus Speak Greek? (Peter Williams)
“Following the Footnotes: The Septuagint” (Chris Fresch)
A rich online New Testament Commentary, covering all 8000-odd NT verses. We hope this will prove a useful reference for us all.

From London with love,
Douglas

Aberdeen pix: