David Hathaway

Why did Jesus have to be baptised? / Mark 1 Bible Study (Part 2)

Why did Jesus have to be baptised? While even the greatest prophets in the Bible had to confess their sins, Jesus was the perfect, sinless Lamb of God. Although He didn't need forgiveness, His baptism was an identification with our humanity. We need salvation. Through baptism, Jesus showed us how we receive remission for our sins. Baptism is symbolic of the death and resurrection of Jesus. 

Prepare the way of the Lord / Mark 1 Bible Study (Part 1)

All of us as believers are looking toward the return of Christ. And much like John the Baptist in Mark 1, our duty is to prepare the way of the Lord. How do we today, prepare the way of the Lord? Jesus said that the Gospel must be preached to all nations. 'The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: ‘I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way’ – ‘a voice of one calling in the wilderness, “Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.” (Mark 1.1-3.)

The power of prayer / James Bible Study (Part 15)

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.’ Powerful prayer works! The original Greek of the Bible often uses a special word for power: dunamis – it signifies miraculous, wonder-working power. From it we get the words dynamo (which generates power), and dynamite (the explosive). If you want prayer to work, to change your circumstances, then it must generate power. And it has to be like dynamite. If you put an ordinary explosive against a wall, its energy disperses into space. But dynamite does not dissipate its energy – it pushes the wall down! That’s what our prayer must be like. It’s got to move mountains! We must learn how to talk to God, until our praying will move every mountain, every obstruction, everything that stands between us and the fulfilment of God’s promises.

The prayer of faith shall heal the sick / James Bible Study (Part 14)

'Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil, in the Name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up.' (James 5:14, NIV.)
In my experience from over 70 years in ministry, I believe that the Scripture teaches two different ministries of healing. The first is for evangelism where Jesus said, 'Go into all the world, preach the Gospel, heal the sick.' In this passage, healing the sick confirms the power of the Gospel we preach. But then in the book of James, it is referring to the ministry of healing in the church: being prayed for, and anointing with oil, symbolises the Holy Spirit. 

Patient in affliction and joy / James Bible Study (Part 13)

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near. Don’t grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, or you will be judged. The Judge is standing at the door! Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.' (James 5:7-11, NIV)

The Power of Prayer / April 2023 Donor Newsletter

As I write this, I am about to go to Ukraine. In addition to meeting many church leaders, I shall be preaching in Kyiv. Despite the war the church is full of people praying for their nation! Shortly after my return, I will go to Germany to renew my relationship with our German friends and partners where Eurovision began as a charity in 1988. This time my visit is to hold a powerful Day of Prayer for Ukraine on April 29th in Altensteig. Germany is part of my ‘vision for Europe’ and I want to join with some of the churches to hold further Days of Prayer, not only for Ukraine but also for Germany.

Wait patiently for the Lord’s return / James Bible Study (Part 12)

'Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.' (James 5:7-8, NIV)
The farmer must wait patiently for his crops to grow. The process cannot be hurried. He does not take the summer off. There is much work to do to ensure a good harvest. In the same way, we must wait patiently for Christ's return. We cannot make Him come back any sooner. But while we wait, there is much work to do. Like the farmer, we live in the anticipation of a fruitful harvest.

Our life is but a mist / James Bible Study (Part 11)

The future is in the Lord's hands. What would you like to be doing ten years from now? One year from now?  Tomorrow? How would you react if God rearranges your plans? Yes, make plans and preparations for the future, but first seek God's guidance and submit to His plans. 'Now listen, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.’ Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, ‘If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.’ (James 4:13-15)

Draw close to God and He will lift you up / James Bible Study (Part 10)

'Draw close to God and God will draw close to you. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up' (James 4:8-10.) How can we draw close to God. In this chapter, James gives us several ways. Humble yourselves before God. This means to yield to His authority and will. Commit your life to Him, and be willing to follow Him. We must resist the devil and his evil schemes. Purify our hearts. That is to be cleansed by the Word and the Holy Spirit. This humility before God comes with a wonderful promise. He will lift us up in favour and blessing.  

Desiring to fulfil God’s plans and purposes / James Bible Study (Part 9)

Our whole desire should be to fulfil the plans and purposes of God. As we do so God will answer every prayer. He will work miracles. But first we must submit to Him. Instead of aggressively pursuing our wants and desires, we should humble ourselves before God. Ask Him to remove our wrong motives and trust Him to provide what we need. 'What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.' (James 4:1-3, NIV)

True wisdom comes from God / James Bible Study (Part 8)

We are made in God's image, yet our speech reveals our need for salvation. The Holy Spirit purifies our heart so that our words become good and pleasing to the Lord. 
Just as you can identify a tree by the fruit it produces, so you can evaluate your wisdom by your words and actions. Foolishness produces disorder and discord, whereas wisdom leads to peace and goodness. Are you tempted to escalate conflict, share gossip, or fan the flames of discord? God blesses peacekeepers. Wise, loving words are the seed of peace.
'Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbour bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.' (James 3:13-18, NIV)

Controlling our tongue to build relationships / James Bible Study (Part 7)

A few words spoken in anger can destroy a relationship that took years to build. Before you speak, ask yourself, is what I want to say true? Is it kind and loving? Is it necessary? Is my intention to build up or to put down. 'We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.' (James 3:2-10, NIV)

A friend of God / James Bible Study (Part 6)

Do you want to be called a friend of God?  Writing in the book of James chapter 2, 'Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.' 
While our good deeds can never earn salvation, true faith always results in a changed life and good deeds. Faith brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine. 

Our faith is demonstrated by the life we live / James Bible Study (Part 5)

The faith you have will be demonstrated by the life you live. Our born again experience must be evidenced by obedience to the Word of God. We should have such a reverential fear of the Lord that our greatest desire is to please Him. 'What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.' (James 2:14-17, NLT)

Doers and hearers of the Word / James Bible Study (Part 4)

'Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.' God's commands and promises never change; He is dependable. We are all aware of English weather, we can experience all four seasons in one day; it can start with a beautiful clear blue sky, but by lunch time, it can be cloudy, with the light casting shadows. But the light of God's Word illuminates our lives without shadows. But the key to experiencing the beauty of God's presence is in verse 22, chapter 1: 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.'

Blessed is the one who perseveres / James Bible Study (Part 3)

“Blessed is the man who endures, perseveres under temptation.” We come back to the key thought, perseverance. “Because when such a one has stood the test, when he is brought to Judgement, he will receive the Crown of Life that the Lord has promised to those that love Him.” I don’t hear enough these days about judgement and reward. Whether we are a Believer or unbeliever, every one of us must appear before the Judgement Seat of Christ to be judged on what we have done! Unbeliever to condemnation; to the Believer, the Crown of Life - the Crown of Righteousness, the Crown of Glory! We are clearly promised a reward - if we don’t quit, don’t give up, but finish the job God has given us.