From Sydney to the World

If you missed out on seeing From Sydney to the World on Saturday (15th August), you can now watch the full presentation here.

It’s an important online event focussing on the raising up of the next generation of labourers for the harvest. Most encouraging. And do consider sharing the link.

What if there’s a place with no crying, mourning or pain?

“Crying.
Mourning.
Pain.

Though we desperately try to avoid them, we also accept them as a part of what it means to be alive.

But what if life could be lived without them? What if a place existed where there was no crying, no mourning, no pain – would you want to go there?…”

– Steven Kryger at Communicating Jesus has a great question to share.

In times of crisis

“In times of crisis what holds your world together? Perhaps some diagnostic questions would help. What is your worldview? Do you even have one? If you do, what are the limits of its capacity to sustain you through crisis?

At least four things are crucial to every worldview: origin, meaning, morality and destiny. Miss one of these and you will have a worldview that cannot sustain you in a crisis. …”

– Bishop of Armidale, Rick Lewers, writes in his regular column on the diocesan website.

Have No Fear by John Lennox – review by Ed Loane

“This little book has been produced to help Christians have the confidence and tools to witness to those around them about Jesus Christ. Lennox, as a leading apologist, has written a simple and clear account of the why and how of personal evangelism. …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Dr Ed Loane provides a brief and encouraging review of Have No Fear by John Lennox.

Plus, Alex Keen reviews Sharing the Gospel with a Jehovah’s Witness by Tony Brown.

(Both books are available from Reformers Bookshop and The Wandering Bookseller.)

Evangelism: Why and How? — Rico Tice

In the midst of the pandemic, we can lose sight of what’s really important.

Here are some strong challenges and encouragements from Rico Tice.

Watch the video here.

See also:

A conversation with Rico Tice — Evangelism in Lockdown.

and

the video to which he refers, COVID-19 Spiritual Health Check.

How could you use it?

A Despairing Sigh, or a Sigh of Relief?

“If you are person who would like some stark honesty about life, Ecclesiastes is the book for you.

If you look around our world and are confronted by its confusing nature and you find yourself almost accidentally responding with a despairing sigh, then Ecclesiastes is the book for you. It is a disturbing read and deliberately so.

Its sigh is the sigh captured in the words, ‘meaningless, meaningless, all is meaningless.’ This book is an analysis of life designed to help a person consider life, lived under the sun, without God.…”

– Here’s the latest helpful article from Bishop Rick Lewers in Armidale.

Lennox

“The name Lennox means ‘From the field of elm trees’. It is Gaelic in origin and both the name of a character in Macbeth and the name given to my newly born grandchild.

He will not simply be a character in a play, he will be a life lived across a moment of time, a time that the more pessimistic of grandparents may consider concerning.

Who would think that a child born into an educated and materialistic western society would arrive at a time of such civil unrest, where historical divides and the anarchist heart of humanity remains and the atheistic humanist’s dream lies dead?…”

– Bishop of Armidale Rick Lewers writes this article for his local paper.

The One Thing Needful

“Whenever the four horsemen have been riding – pestilence, sword, famine, and death – they should lead finite creatures like us to ponder the shortness of our earthly stay.

Threats of dislocation and death do not change the human condition; they merely run a highlighter through it.

As Dr Johnson famously commented: ‘Depend upon it, sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.’ At least it ought to. …”

– Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, draws us back to what is most important.

(Photo: Dr. Barnes at a Banner of Truth conference.)

Queen’s Birthday Conference 2020 — free livestream — Monday 8th June

From Two Ways Ministries:

‘2020’ usually speaks of clear vision but this year ‘2020’ speaks of cancelled plans and a very uncertain vision for our future.

The self-assured confidence of our wealthy culture has been dealt a body blow that has finally raised big questions of life which have been ignored for generations.

The social isolation of staying at home forces society to slow down, spend time in family or long-term relationships, even make friends with neighbours and reach out electronically to old friends and distant relatives. We are forced to think about our lives.

We do not know what life post coronavirus will be like – but it will be different, and we want to make it different.

Resilient people always turn a crisis into an opportunity.

Queen’s Birthday Conference gives Christians an opportunity to think through the implications of this present crisis.

What is God’s part in this crisis?
How should we respond to the crisis?
What are the lessons Christians should learn from the crisis?
What can and should we say to our society?
How can we take this opportunity to proclaim Christ to His rebellious world?

Monday 8th June 2020, 2:00 pm – 4:30 pm.

Talks and Q&A with Phillip Jensen.

To receive the link for the livestream, register with Two Ways Ministries. Please note that registrations to receive the livestream link will close at 8pm on Sunday night.

‘Repent or You will Perish’ — COVID-19 and God’s Gracious Judgments

“Every death, every disappointment, every illness, any suffering, any frustration, any loss, any regret, any pain that we experience is a gracious judgment of God. And every one of God’s gracious judgments is a message from God, a wake-up call from God. For every one of them:

Are not each of these messages that we desperately need today? These gracious judgments can equally well be described as ‘severe mercies’. …”

– Read and share the whole article by Peter Adam at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

(Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

John Chapman: Encouragement for Evangelism

“Do you really believe the gospel can convert your friends?”

[We posted this in February 2020. The pandemic is an excellent time to be reminded of this encouragement.]

In June and July 1977, the Sydney University Evangelical Union ran a major campus-wide mission. It was a big undertaking for the members of the SUEU, and a great blessing to many at the university.

John Chapman (Director of the Department of Evangelism in Sydney Diocese from 1969) and Paul Barnett (Rector of Holy Trinity Adelaide since 1973, and previously Rector of St. Barnabas Broadway) were the missioners.

Several months before the Mission, SUEU President Adrian Lane asked Chappo to record some words of encouragement for SUEU members. This 6 minute and 34 second tape is the result. We hope you find it a real encouragement.

 

Or right click on this link to download the 3.2MB mp3 file.

Related:

Phillip Jensen on Chappo, March 2013. – The Briefing, Matthias Media.

The preaching of John Chapman – Simon Manchester, The Briefing.

John Chapman – a personal reflection from Mark Thompson.

John Charles Chapman (Chappo) – by David Cook.

Chappo’s contribution to the Anglican Diocese of Armidale – Tim Stevens.

Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane remembers the beginnings of the SUEU – ACL.

(1980 photo: AFES.)

Gospel Presentation by Bishop Rick Lewers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjS0eLlv5ys&feature=emb_logo

Bishop of Armidale Rick Lewers shares the heart of the Christian faith.

Give thanks for bishops who know and tell the gospel!

Good news in the COVID-19 season

“This COVID-19 season has been intense. Everything is changing, anxieties are raised, people are suffering and death is having an impact on all of us. And significantly, it is not something that we can escape. In close to the last hundred years, there has not been a single thing that has plagued all of society without bias. COVID-19 does not play favourites or politics; it does not care about the first world or the majority world. There is nowhere on the globe that humanity can escape to where COVID-19 is not having an impact. And if it is not the case already, there will soon be no one who has not been negatively impacted by this disease.

But in this bleak reality, we who know the Lord Jesus Christ and the good news that he brings to a world in need of saving, have a real opportunity. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Ben George has some encouragement for Christian believers.

Easter preaching online during COVID19 with Sam Chan & Mike Raiter

From Dominic Steele:

“The zeitgeist has changed profoundly in the last month. Our 2020 vision calendar has been ripped up. We can’t predict what will happen next week, or even tomorrow.

As we prepare online presentations for Good Friday and Easter Sunday in this tumultuous context, two of Australia’s leading Chistian communicators  Mike Raiter and Sam Chan join Dominic Steele to talk about how COVID-19 has changed our task.”

– Watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart.

Phillip Jensen on how COVID19 changes evangelism

“This week on The Pastor’s Heart we talk big COVID changes: individualism and community, autonomy and submission, free press & censorship, materialism, wealth and its assumptions and the seriousness of life.

Plus the massive advantages for ministry and evangelism in a society which has much more time on our hands and is much more aware of the reality of death.

Plus we ask Phillip how Christian leaders can honour Jesus, loving the flock and reach the lost in the Corona season.”

– A very helpful episode of The Pastor’s Heart.

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