Malcolm Cox

Introduction A new thing! Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' I'm Malcolm Cox. Join me in January and February for a daily devotional podcast aimed at inspiring your personal times of quiet with God. In the first few podcast epis...

Introduction A new thing! Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.'  Malcolm here, and thank you for joining me in January and February for a daily devotional podcast aimed at inspiring our personal times of quiet with God.  In the fir...

Teaching Tip 343 | “Plain Speaking - Introduction” | Malcolm Cox Introduction How would you like to be more effective in your preaching and teaching? If, like me, you want to grow as a speaker of God's word, then I have a resource for you.  It's a new year, so it's time for a new series of Teaching Tips. In a change from the normal approach I will be recording 2-minute tips based on chapters from...

Introduction A new thing! Welcome to your daily devotional podcast anchored in Isaiah 43:19: 'See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.' I'm Malcolm Cox. Join me in January and February for a daily devotional podcast aimed at inspiring your personal times of quiet with God.  In the first few podcast epi...

God is not static. He is involved in his creation. He is actively healing, redeeming and transforming the world and its people. In other words, he is always doing ‘a new thing’. These daily devotional podcasts accompany the teaching and preaching series of the same title for the Thames Valley churches of Christ and the Watford church of Christ. The title of our series comes from this Scripture in...

A hearty 'thank you!' 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. If you’d like a copy of my free eBook on spiritual disciplines, “How God grows His people”, sign up at my website: htt...

I am a fan of the creativity and music of Carolyn Arends. The material for today's communion is taken from one of her advent reflections called, ‘Probably Not a Silent Night’. Her song on the same topic can be found here: https://youtu.be/I2zuPp0hiaA     I think he cried the way that babies do  I think his mama might have cried a little too  I bet you Joseph didn’t have a clue  What to do—he was n...

Introduction Where is God taking your preaching and teaching in 2024? Last week we talked about assessing our learnings from this year in the areas by using personal reflection, friendly feedback and taking action. Today we look ahead…….. We will take the apostle Paul as our inspiration in this area. Consider what happened immediately after his conversion. “Saul spent several days with the discipl...

Introduction “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV) 2024 is round the corner. We have the opportunity to prepare spiritually for the upcoming 12 months. Just as we reflect on the past year, looking forward with faith and intentionality can deepen our relationship with God...

Last Sunday we welcomed my good friend Dr Andy Boakye as a visiting speaker to the Watford church of Christ. He spoke on "The Advent of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy” from Matthew 1:2-6.  Andy observed that four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘the wife of Uriah’. All are questionable as to dignity. The theme of dignity restored to those who have lost it is a...

Last Sunday we welcomed my good friend Dr Andy Boakye as a visiting speaker to the Watford church of Christ. He spoke on "The Advent of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy” from Matthew 1:2-6. Something has stayed with me since Sunday so I thought I would share it with you today.  Andy observed that four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘the wife of Uriah’. All are q...

Introduction What has God taught you this year about preaching and teaching? Today, we're going to discuss three valuable tips for reviewing the lessons God has taught us in 2023, so that we can celebrate our growth and prepare for new lessons in 2024. Tip 1: Personal Reflection Whenever anyone asks for my feedback on their lesson my response is to ask them a question, “What do you think ?” It’s n...

The nativity is close at hand. Our tree is up, decorations festoon the house, most of the Christmas presents have been purchased and carols are playing in the background. “Joy to the world” is one of those songs. It combines the themes of hope and joy. Let’s meditate on the connection between help and joy by reading the traditional lyrics: 1. Joy to the world, the Lord is come! Let earth receive h...

Reflect, Renew, and Rejoice: A Spiritual Review of the Last 12 Months for Christians and Christian Groups Introduction “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. See if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 NRSV) As the year draws to a close, it's the perfect time for us to conduct a spiritual review of the past 12 months. Ref...

Today we reflect on the series. I hope you are not overwhelmed by all the material. The idea is not to become instantly perfect in all areas, but rather to ask God to reveal which area he would wish you to develop. Has something stood out? Let me list the main topics we have covered. The case for expository preaching What’s the Big Idea? Tools of the Trade The road from text to sermon  The Arrow a...

Should we pray with an agenda? “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. A...

Introduction Love is not something God does - it is something he is   “ Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love…And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.” (1 John 4:8, 16 NIV11) 1. Exegesis, John 13.34-35 ““A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. B...

Today we look at the eleventh chapter — ‘A Final Word’. Why are we preaching? Where is the power in preaching? Who are we to believe we can speak for God? As Robinson says in his book, “No one in his right mind who thought about it would ever choose to be a preacher. It's a commitment to the impossible." 168 Let’s reflect on this Scripture for a moment….. “As the rain and the snow come down from h...

One of the characteristics of a refugee is that they carry very little with them. Everything in their luggage or backpack must be vital. There is no place for the unnecessary or superfluous. Many refugees carry all their possessions on their backs, or push them in a cart. They make difficult choices about what to take with them, and what to leave behind. For most refugees they are carrying a tiny...

Today we look at the tenth chapter ‘How to Preach so People will Listen’. A sermon is not a text or an outline, it is thing that only lives as it is spoken. The speaking of it is what makes it real. Therefore the way we deliver it is important. The oft-quoted adage that only 7 percent of a message comes through the words is, I understand, a debatable claim. But, what cannot be denied is that the w...

One of the characteristics of a refugee is that they are unable to return to  the place from which they escaped. Or, at the very least, it is unsafe to do so. Many refugees are fleeing political, racial or religious persecution. To return might be suicide. The yearn to return is strong, however, no matter how dangerous. Israel struggled with this. Christian have a parallel experience. Temptation t...

Introduction 1605 Remember, remember, the 5th of November, Gunpowder, treason and plot. I see no reason why gunpowder treason should ever be forgot. Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent To blow up the King and the Parliament Three score barrels of powder below Poor old England to overthrow By God's providence he was catch'd With a dark lantern and burning match Holler boys, holler boys, let th...

Today we look at the ninth chapter of Haddon Robinson’s excellent book. How is our thinking ‘dressed’? Have you ever dressed inappropriately for an event you went to? It sends the wrong signals, confuses the observers, and embarrasses the wearer. Lessons that are badly dressed draw attention to the confused thought that led to this error. What do we mean by dressing a lesson? Haddon Robinson gives...

In this short series we have been exploring how security in the Father enables our willing submission to him and the difference that makes to our prayers. In the first episode we talked about the way in which we hear our Father’s voice. We considered the example of Jesus, and took inspiration from his ability to hear his Father’s voice in passages like: “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am...

Refugees are running from something. Starvation, oppression, persecution, floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, forest fires, war — the list is long. More than once God’s people found themselves running away from danger. God’s refugee people became expert escapologist - some of the time. However, at others they suffered from not heeding the warnings. What relevance does this have for our relati...