Malcolm Cox

Introduction Before we can talk about change, we have to ask a question. Do we believe we can change? Do you believe you can change? 1. God is the change-agent “…are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18 NRSV) We are in an ongoing, life-long process of change. The glory we grow into is from the Lord, the Spirit. Spiritual change is challenging, but it is not all about us. God empowers the change, our part is to cooperate with him. If we fully accept that God is the change-agent, then we will have no difficulty believing that we can change. So, God changes us, but what is the goal? 2. Change goal “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NRSV) Is the goal transformation? Yes, but, what is the key element that makes that goal possible? What are we aiming at? “…the goal of Christian spiritual formation is intima

Introduction What is your picture of the gospel? If we are to fully embrace all that it means to be a new creation, we need a clear and compelling vision of the gospel. In the previous class we explored the fact that the gospel is good news, as well as the way Jesus defined the good news, and how we can cultivate a healthy view of the gospel. Today is part 2 of two classes designed to refresh and expand our view of what the gospel is, and what it means for us today. A skinny gospel of forgiveness and going to heaven needs fleshing out into the full picture of what Jesus was teaching, demonstrating and offering. Before we get into the main points, just a reminder that the gospel (new good news) is the coming of the kingdom. Mark 1.14-15 “Now after John had been taken into custody, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”” What are some of the implications of the arrival of the Kingdom fo

Teaching Tip 362 | “Plain Speaking - five things that can spoil an otherwise good sermon” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  As a delicious dish can be ruined by one lousy ingredient, so a good lesson can be spoiled by small distractions. What might seem a minor detail to you as a speaker may appear majorly problematic to your hearers. Bercot offers us five issues to consider.  Mispronunciation. The odd word here or there is no big deal. However, if it is crucial to your topic it is a big deal. Mispronouncing an important word destroys your credibility and leads to significant distraction. Imagine a doctor mispronouncing the name of your medical condition. How would you feel? Poor Posture and Distracting Movements.  Stand and move in a manner appropriate to your context. Some church contexts suit more movement than others. How people are seated, the sight lines and amplification system w

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 518 | New Creation Series — Part 10 | “New Creation - New Learning” | Malcolm Cox Introduction  A new creation! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to this series on ‘A new creation’. Today, the connection between being a new creation and learning.  Learning to Learn  I was very impatient when learning to drive. I wanted to take as few lessons as possible. Partly because I wanted to drive without somebody else in the car (in my space!), and partly because I was an impoverished student at the time. After I passed my test I enjoyed driving solo. However, I had no conception of how much more there still was to learn about driving. The first evidence of that was when I ran out of petrol on the M20 while driving my then girlfriend to Dover Castle (Penny eventually forgave me!). To follow Jesus is to take on the identity of a life-long learner. However much we learn about him this side of glory, we have only touched the edge of all that we could learn. A disciple - the word mathetes means stu

Matthew 6.26 “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” Life makes us question whether God cares 1. Jesus Needed God's Care Luke 3.21-22 “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”” Luke 9.34-36 “While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.” Wilderness angels Mark 1.13 “and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animal

Teaching Tip 361 | “Plain Speaking - Speak With an Interesting and Clear Voice” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  It is crucial to know what we are talking about and present it with confidence and conviction.  However, what difference does the quality of our voice make? Bercot makes this observation: “In daily conversation, we seem naturally to know how to make our voice pleasant and interesting. We rarely speak in a monotone when talking to friends. but somehow when we’re in front of a congregation we forget to do what comes naturally. That’s why every speaker needs to consciously speak with modulation.” 85 What does this look like? Modulation. We’re talking about variety in pitch, volume, tone and emphasis. Read one of the parables. Can you imagine Jesus sharing it with no variation in his voice? A monotone? I hardly think so. Where do you think he might have placed emphasis—speaki

Introduction What is your picture of the gospel? Doubtless it is affected by your personal spiritual biography and formative spiritual experiences. Is it possible that your view could contain an incomplete or even distorted view of the gospel? For many, the gospel is mostly about forgiveness, going to heaven, and avoiding hell. Is that all? Today is part 1 of two classes designed to refresh and expand our view of what the gospel is, and what it means for us today. 1. Good News The gospel is not 'the gospels' which are the first four books of the New Testament detailing the life of Jesus as recorded by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The English word gospel comes from Old English 'godspel' meaning 'good news'. The ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’ (from the Greek, euangelion). The Scriptural idea is encapsulated in this verse:  Isaiah 52.7  “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, “

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 517 | New Creation Series — Part 9 | “New Creation - New Spirit” | Malcolm Cox    Introduction: Reflecting on Our view of the Spirit  “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 11:19 NIV11) Ezekiel made this remarkable prophecy many centuries before the time of Jesus. On the day of Pentecost, Peter sees a connection between these prophecies, the words of Joel and what is taking place in his time:  ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17 NIV11)  Transformed people who look like Jesus don't develop out of sheer willpower. They grow because God's Spirit is in them and at work. We might start in the right place, but where are we right now?  “Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to fini

Teaching Tip 360 | “Plain Speaking - Speak With Life” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  What does it mean to ‘speak with life’? Well, does your lesson have ‘life’ in it? Does it contain a spark? If so, it will fly from your mouth to your listener’s heart and set it aflame. What does life look like in a speaker? Enthusiasm.  Bercot shares three healthy expressions of enthusiasm in a preacher. Gestures. Our bodies naturally move when we are excited about something and talking about it with a friend. As such, we should not really concern ourselves too deliberately as to our gestures. A lack of movement is likely a sign that we lack enthusiasm for our subject. No artificial use of gestures will fix that. However, pay attention to distracting movement (watching yourself on camera will reveal any problems in that area), and consider any points in your lesson that would be helpfully highlighted

 Quiet Time Coaching Episode 516 | New Creation Series — Part 8 | “New Creation - New Picture of the Gospel, Part 2” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction  A new creation! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to this series on ‘A new creation’.  Introduction: Reflecting on Our view of the Gospel  What is your picture of the gospel? Doubtless it is affected by your personal spiritual biography and formative spiritual experiences. Is it possible that your view could contain an incomplete or even distorted view of the gospel? For many, the gospel is mostly about forgiveness, going heaven, and avoiding hell. Is that all?  Good News  The ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’ (from the Greek, euangelion). The Scriptural idea is encapsulated in this verse:  “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” (Isaiah 52:7 NAS95)  The image is someone running from the battlefront, bringing good n

Teaching Tip 359 | “Plain Speaking - Listening to your Listeners” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  In the previous episode, we explored eye contact. What does this have to do with listening to our listeners? As Bercot says, ’When you make eye contact with your listeners, you’ll soon find that they’re communicating back to you.’ 75  How does this help our speaking effectiveness? Let’s discuss what to look out for and how to respond. Confusion. When you see frowns and puzzled looks you may not be explaining your point well. It might be time to try a different approach. You could use a fresh illustration, take a different angle, or simply stop and ask ‘Am I making myself clear?’ By the way, the question needs to genuine. I have heard speakers say, “Does that make sense?”, but from insecurity rather than a genuine desire to hear an answer. Disagreement. Occasionally, you might see shaking

Sean St. Jean brought us a deeply moving and assuring lesson based on: Matthew 6.27 ““And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life?” As he said, "Life is fragile. Anxiety is inevitable. Worry is not." 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

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 515 | New Creation Series — Part 7 | “New Creation - New Picture of the Gospel, Part 1” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new creation! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to this series on ‘A new creation’.  Introduction: Reflecting on Our view of the Gospel What is your picture of the gospel? Doubtless it is affected by your personal spiritual biography and formative spiritual experiences. Is it possible that your view could contain an incomplete or even distorted view of the gospel? For many, the gospel is mostly about forgiveness, going heaven, and avoiding hell. Is that all? Good News The ‘gospel’ means ‘good news’ (from the Greek, euangelion). The Scriptural idea is encapsulated in this verse: “How lovely on the mountains Are the feet of him who brings good news, Who announces peace And brings good news of happiness, Who announces salvation, And says to Zion, “Your God reigns!”” (Isaiah 52:7 NAS95) The image is someone running from the battlefront, bringing good news of a military victory

Teaching Tip 358 | “Plain Speaking - Eye Contact” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  In the previous episode, we explored conversational preaching. What part does eye contact play? As Bercot says, ’None of us enjoy conversing with someone who rarely looks at us.’ 72  How do we maintain healthy eye contact? Look at people. Make eye contact with specific people - briefly. Don’t stare at someone.   Move around. Look at people in the front row, the back row, the balcony, the left, the right—neglect no part of the room.  Include the camera. If the lesson is being streamed live to people online, look directly at the camera from time to time.  What else do we need to consider? Screens. If you are reading text from a screen, take your eyes off the screen periodically to look at the people in the room. Notes. It is OK to look at your notes, but do not do so for long. Aim for a glance. 

Stefan gives us the reasons behind why it's important that we are a new creation. 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

Quiet Time Coaching Episode 514 | New Creation Series — Part 6 | “New Creation - New Picture of Self” | Malcolm Cox Introduction A new creation! I'm Malcolm Cox. Welcome to this series on ‘A new creation’.  Introduction: Reflecting on Our Inner Image Have you ever seen yourself on video? I first saw myself on film during a preaching training session.  Questions flooded my mind: Did I really stand like that? Was my face contorting in such a way? Why was I staring at the floor while speaking? It was an eye-opening experience. However, our internal view of ourselves is more significant than physical behaviour.   1. The Critical Importance of Self-Perception Often, we carry unhealthy scripts in our minds, oscillating between "I'm not good enough" and "I'm the centre of the universe." As Christians, it's vital to develop a healthy view of ourselves because our growth into a new creation hinges on cooperating with God's transformative process (2 Corinthians 3:18): “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seein

What is my picture of myself? Introduction - Do you like how you look? Have you ever seen yourself on video? How did you react. I'll never forget the first time I saw myself on film. We had a preaching training session. Each of us gave a short presentation while being videoed. We received immediate feedback from the people present, but were asked to watch ourselves on the video later. I was shocked. Did I really stand like that? Was my face actually contorting in that way? Why was I staring at the floor while speaking?! It was an eye-opening experience. - However, our inner view of ourselves matters much more than wether we have an accurate picture of our physical behaviour. - Our picture of ourselves is shaped by our picture of God. Correcting the latter is vital before attempting to heal the former. - Common to have unhealthy scripts in our heads - either "I'm not good enough" and/or "I'm the centre of the universe". Most of have both, but at different times in different circumstances. Why is my pictu

Teaching Tip 357 | “Plain Speaking - Speak Conversationally” | Malcolm Cox  Introduction Here is your 2-minute tip based on the book, “Plain speaking: How to preach and teach effectively" by David Bercot.  In the previous episode we explored being ourselves when speaking. As Bercot says, ’The ultimate expression of being yourself is speaking conversationally.’ Why does this matter, and how do we do it? Domination is deadly. Have you ever been at a party where you’ve been cornered by a bore? You know the kind of person. The one who speaks at you, does not recognise social cues, tells you everything they want you to hear, but shows no interest in you or your interests. Perhaps you’ve even been that person! No one enjoys that experience. Inconsiderate preaching can be like that - but it doesn’t have to be and should not be. Congregations that are talked at switch off. What a tragedy! Conversation is connection. Good conversation connects people. ‘We’ are talking, not one person. Most blocks  of Jesus’

Exploring Our Picture of God What is your picture of God? We're diving into deep stuff today: Our impressions of God and how they affect us. Let's take a stroll down memory lane and see how our views of God have evolved over the years. Childhood Impressions Remember when you were a kid? For me, God seemed distant and holy, except when I thought about Jesus. He made God feel closer, more like a friend than a distant deity. As I got older, the hymns and anthems I sang at church started making God seem more majestic, like a huge, powerful, creative force. Why Does Our Picture of God Matter? A.W. Tozer said, "What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us" It's so true, isn’t it? Our image of God shapes who we are and how we relate to others. If we see God as loving, we're more likely to be loving ourselves. But if we see Him as angry or distant, it can mess with our heads. Dallas Willard put it this way: "The single most important thing about us is our idea of Go