Robert Atkin - A collection of essays and other writing by Robert Atkin

Home Groups #1 – What is a home group?

To start the series it will be a good idea to define what we mean by the term 'home group'. The first time I was involved with this type of group was at university. There was a Christian Union meeting in my Halls of Residence. Every week we would gather as a whole body for an hour or so corporate worship before breaking up into small groups to study the Bible and pray. We met in the group leader's room, so the term home group wasn't really appropriate, but it still contained many of the elements that we will look at over this series. Read more »

Home Groups and How to Run Them

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Home groups, house groups, small groups, cell groups, clusters. They are known by a variety of names, but most churches have them and they can be a tremedous help for Christians wanting to study the Bible together and build community. Leading a home group can seem like a daunting task, but it need not be. I’ve been involved with home groups for 25 years. Mrs A and I are currently taking a [...] Read more »

Advent and the Mayan Apocalypse

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Well, today is the 21st of December 2012 and this is the day a surprisingly high number of people believe the world will end. Up to 1 in 10 of the population are worried about the possibility according to some sources. The date is the apparent end of the “long count” calendar of the ancient Mayan civilisation. Groups have gathered at Mayan ruins in Mexico awaiting the end, while others in China, [...] Read more »

YHWH, Jehovah, Yahweh, The LORD. The divine name of God.

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When Moses first encountered the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the desert God revealed his name to Moses. The account is recorded in Exodus 3. Moses had fled Egypt because he had killed an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew slave. He was now living with his father-in-law, a priest of Midian called Jethro, and tending to his flocks in the wilderness. When Moses arrived at a place called Horeb he [...] Read more »

Drawing from Jesus’ ministry as portrayed in the Gospels and contemporary practices, what is the place of healing and deliverance in advancing the Kingdom of God through missions?

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At the beginning of his public ministry, Jesus went to the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the prophet Isaiah: 4 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the [...] Read more »

Describe the notion of a missional community as a site for engaging in outreach, ministry of presence and liberation today. Draw from Paul’s Epistles, the Pastoral Epistles and contemporary literature to describe Biblical and current strategic approaches to ministry.

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“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”[1] Thus the writer of the Gospel of John records how God became incarnate, that is he took on human form, as Jesus Christ, and began a ministry of reconciliation between God and man. Jesus, quoting from the prophet Isaiah, explained that his purpose was “to proclaim good news to the poor … to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to [...] Read more »

How far and in what ways is it possible to read OT narrative texts as Christian Scripture? Illustrate your discussion with reference to a specific text.

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Numbers 20:1-13 describes an episode in the life of Moses, while he was leading the Israelites out of captivity in Egypt, during their forty year journey. As a consequence of his actions at Kadesh, Moses, the man of God[1] and faithful servant, who spoke with God face to face[2], was not permitted to enter the Promised Land. This story, as part of the Old Testament narrative, had meaning for its original Israelite [...] Read more »

In the synoptic gospels Jesus speaks repeatedly of the ‘Kingdom of God’. What does he mean by this expression?

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The writer of the Gospel of Mark introduces the ministry of Jesus by describing how “Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”[1] The phrase the ‘kingdom of God’ (which in Greek is hē basileia tou theou), or sometimes in Matthew, the ‘kingdom of heaven’ (hē basileia tōn ouranōn), is central [...] Read more »

In what ways do Jesus and his followers affirm and/or redefine the symbols or cardinal tenets of Jewish faith during his ministry?

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Jewish faith in the first-century was defined by belief in one god (monotheism), Yahweh, whose presence was in the Temple, which was surrounded by the Land that had been promised to Israel. N.T. Wright explains, “Temple and Land were regulated by the Torah, which formed the covenant charter for all that Israel was and hoped for.”[1] Wright continues, “Israel’s belief in one god… was held in close conjunction with her belief that [...] Read more »

What sort of saviour or messiah was Israel expecting according to diverse Old Testament traditions?

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Every king of Israel and Judah was known as “anointed one”, which in Hebrew is “messiah”, because the prophet or high priest anointed him, usually with olive oil, at the time of his enthronement. The anointing symbolised being set apart and made holy so that the king would represent his people before Yahweh, their God.[1] The line of kings came to an end with the exile of Judah to Babylon. Over time [...] Read more »