Richard Johnson’s Address to the Inhabitants of New South Wales
This Australia Day, give thanks for the Rev. Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet and first Chaplain to the Colony of New South Wales.
In 1792, Johnson wrote a tract designed to be distributed widely in the Colony. He gives his reasons for doing so:
“My Beloved,
I do not think it necessary to make an apology for putting this Address into your hands; or to enter into a long detail of the reasons which induced me to write it.
One reason may suffice. I find I cannot express my regard for you, so often, or so fully, as I wish, in any other way.
On our first arrival in this distant part of the world, and for some time afterwards, our numbers were comparatively small; and while they resided nearly upon one spot, I could not only preach to them on the Lord’s day, but also converse with them, and admonish them, more privately.
But since that period, we have gradually increased in number every year (notwithstanding the great mortality we have sometimes known) by the multitudes that have been sent hither after us. The colony already begins to spread, and will probably spread more and more every year, both by new settlements formed in different places under the crown, and by a number of individuals continually becoming settlers. Thus the extent of what I call my parish, and consequently of my parochial duty, is enlarging daily. On the other hand, my health is not so good, nor my constitution so strong, as formerly. And therefore I feel it impracticable, and impossible for me, either to preach, or to converse with you so freely, as my inclination and affection would prompt me to do.
I have therefore thought it might be proper for me, and I hope it may prove useful to you, to write such an address as I now present you with…”
Johnson’s warm pastoral tone, and his urgent call to trust Christ and to turn from sin, are clearly evident in this Address.
Download An Address to The Inhabitants of The Colonies Established in New South Wales and Norfolk Island as a PDF file here.
(Photo: Richard Johnson’s Address – copy held by Moore College.)
Indigenous Australians and the Christian Gospel – with Michael Duckett
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“As we approach ‘Aboriginal Sunday’ (19 January) we focus on the progress of the gospel among the indigenous in Australia.
What are the cultural changes and what openness to Jesus Christ among Indigenous Australians?
Where are we seeing growth? What are the roadblocks and opportunities for the growth of the gospel among the indigenous communities? How much has to do with the soil. How much has to do with things that we can change?
Michael Duckett leads the Anglican Indigenous Ministry at Macarthur/Campbelltown in the far south west of Sydney and Chairs the Sydney Anglican Indigenous Ministry Committee.”
– Watch or listen here. Food for your prayers!
Related:
William Cooper – Wikipedia article.
The Lost Coin
“In Luke 15, Jesus tells the story of a woman who has lost a coin and sweeps her entire house looking for it. It’s clearly not a large coin. It’s clearly not laying in the middle of the floor. It’s probably a smaller coin – somewhere in a corner.
Reflecting on that lost coin, I am left wondering about the lost souls in the world today. Particularly those whom none of us are trying to reach. …”
– 9Marks has republished this article by Mark Dever which encourages us to think about how we might reach those in minority language groups.
Related:
A very useful resource – the 5Fish app – from Global Recordings Network.
A Primer on Roman Catholic Apologetics Targeting Evangelicals
“In the late 19th century, liberal theology predicted the end of apologetics as the child of an entrenched, defensive, and doctrinaire faith. It was wrong. Apologetics is alive and well, especially on the web, where initiatives aimed at comparing different interpretations of the gospel (e.g. Roman Catholic, Orthodox, evangelical) flourish.
It can be said that YouTube has become the encyclopedia where one can find apologetic comparisons and confrontations of all kinds. The field that is emerging as a growing reality is that of Roman Catholic apologetics, especially targeting evangelicals. This seems to be primarily a North American phenomenon where religious discourse has always been characterized by religious pluralism, strong passions associated with religion, and multiple changes of religious affiliation in people’s lives.
Traditionally, American evangelicals have been proactive in evangelizing Catholics with a specific intentionality. The result is that so many American evangelicals were born Catholic and became evangelicals later in life, thanks to Billy Graham’s campaigns and the many parachurch initiatives dedicated to evangelism in universities, for example.
This is no longer the case. …”
– At Vatican Files, Leonardo De Chirico alerts evangelical Christians of something relatively new.
Related:
Same words. Different worlds. Reaching Roman Catholics. – On the Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele speaks with Leonardo De Chirico and Rachel Ciano on understanding our Roman Catholic friends and sharing the saving news of Jesus with them.
Image: Leonardo De Chirico spoke at the NSW & ACT CMS Summer School in January 2023.
Hoping Christmas is Good News
“If you regularly preach at this time and if, like me, you have been at it for forty years there aren’t too may Christmas-type verses left to preach on.
For all that, it is hard to beat the account of the announcement to the shepherd by the angel of the birth of the Lord Jesus. …”
– Short but sweet classic advice from Chappo – at The Australian Church Record.
Related:
“Do you really believe the gospel can convert your friends?” – John Chapman.
Photo: Matthias Media.
A wonderful gospel resource you might not have seen
We first posted this in 2022, but it’s worth revisiting since so few people seem to know about this valuable (free) resource:
“Have you ever been in a situation where you would love to leave a gospel message with someone but had nothing with you to give? Or the person didn’t read English and that’s the only language you have available?
Global Recordings Network has a unique solution to this dilemma: 5fish! …
The International Orality Network tells us that 4 out of 5 people in the world communicate primarily or exclusively through oral, not textual means. This means that only 1 out of 5 people are happy when you give them something to read – regardless of whether it is a book, magazine, or tract. Everyone else wants to listen or watch!
The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey in 2006 that informs us that approximately 7 million (46%) Australians aged 15 to 74 years did not reach the minimum standard required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy. Almost half of the Australian population would struggle to read and understand the Bible if you handed them one.”
– At AP (The Australian Presbyterian), Global Recordings Network’s Christine Platt makes a case for 5fish.
Watch the 75 second video below to see how 5fish works.
Consider sharing the video, and links to 5fish, with members of your church.
(We understand the app will soon be updated to add even more functionality.)
The Increasing Value of Christian Testimonies
“Traditionally, apologetics has been concerned with defending and commending the truth claims of the Christian faith. In the 1990s Christian apologist Alister McGrath, in response to changing social attitudes, suggested that apologetics should not just be interested in establishing the truth of the Christian faith, but also its relevance. People wanted to know whether the Christian message had any impact on their lives.
Today, the world has moved on again and we find ourselves needing to address a new situation: the view that Christianity is harmful. We now need to commend the Christian faith in terms of its truth, relevance and its goodness. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Stephen Liggins has a helpful suggestion for our own personal interactions – and for church gatherings.
How to be fun and not boring in Christmas preaching?
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Planning Christmas Preaching.
What we are nervous about? What we want to get right? What has worked best? What hasn’t?
And how do we leverage the cultural moment?”
Dominic Steele speaks with Nigel Fortescue at Christ Church St. Ives and Pete Stedman at Norwest Anglican Church.
Chappo – Jesus claims to be the only way to God
In July 1979, John Chapman spoke at a one-off evangelistic meeting for the Sydney University Evangelical Union. His topic was “Jesus Claims to be the Only Way to God”.
John had a heavy cold, but that didn’t stop him preaching Christ with his characteristic clarity and humour.
Hear his 40 minute talk (9.7MB mp3 file). The audio quality is poor, but this recording will bring back many memories of a dear brother.
It’s also a great talk to pass on – and there are many road-tested illustrations which you could use yourself!
(1980 Photo: AFES. This is a re-post.)
From the Archives: Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane remembers the beginnings of the SUEU
From our archives:
In 1980, Archbishop of Sydney Sir Marcus Loane (1912 – 2009), addressed the Sydney University Evangelical Union’s End of Term Service.
In his 19 minute address, Sir Marcus recalls the beginnings of the Evangelical Union, fifty years previously.
Photo: Marcus Loane as Vice Principal of Moore College, 1950.
J. C. Ryle’s Revival Lessons — Andrew Atherstone
From Church Society’s Fellowship of Word and Spirit Conference –
“Andrew Atherstone examines the lessons on revival to be learned from J. C. Ryle’s writings and ministry– at the 2024 FWS Conference.”
Fascinating, encouraging and well worth hearing as we seek to reach Sydney for Christ.
– Listen here.
Lausanne – with Mark Thompson and Chris Edwards
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“5,000 believers gathered from more than 200 nations last month in South Korea.
It is 50 years since Billy Graham and John Stott first launched the Lausanne movement in Switzerland.
Anglican Bishop of North Sydney Chris Edwards has described the congress as like an all you can eat buffet – ‘where some parts tasted amazing / fantastic and I kept wanting more and yet other parts even a mouthful made me feel nauseous’.
Principal of Sydney’s Moore Theological College Mark Thompson says there were some great highlights including a presentation by Vaughan Roberts on sexuality but also areas of concern.”
Related:
The photo of Billy Graham and Jack Dain mentioned in the conversation can be seen here on the Lausanne website.
Read the original Lausanne Covenant here.
Update:
The challenges of mid-life – a spiritual buffet for a 50-year-old – Bishop Chris Edwards at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Phillip Jensen on The national soul – 1 Timothy 2:1-7
Phillip Jensen spoke at Moore College chapel last Friday.
He turns to one of the most controversial passages in the New Testament, 1 Timothy 2:1-7.
Do take the time to watch – and share the link with others in your church.
– Watch here.
Highlights from the Seoul Statement at Lausanne 2024
“Just before the opening ceremony of the Fourth Lausanne Congress for World Evangelization—a gathering of more than 5,000 church leaders from around the world—the Seoul Statement was released. Each time the Lausanne Congress has met, a document has been published: the Lausanne Covenant in 1974, the Manila Manifesto in 1989, and the Cape Town Commitment in 2010.
The Seoul Statement builds on the good work of those previous documents while addressing several challenges facing the church today. The preface reiterates the need for urgency in evangelism and calls for the church to ‘nurture the faith and discipleship’ of believers by responding biblically to ‘trending social values and to distortions of the gospel, which have threatened to erode the sincere faith of Christians and to destroy the unity and fellowship of the church of the Lord Jesus.’
The 13,000+ word document seeks to give voice to the call of this Congress: Let the church declare and display Christ together! The Statement is worth reading as a whole, but here are some highlights. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition, Trevin Wax shares some highlights from the Seoul Statement at Lausanne 2024.
Evangelism encouragement from Bishop Dudley Foord
Bishop Dudley Foord spoke to the ACL’s 1988 Annual General Meeting.
The topic he chose was “Reaching Out In Difficult Situations”.
While many things have changed since 1988, the need for men and women to hear the gospel and be saved has not. Be encouraged and challenged. In our Resources section.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…