The ‘so what’ of Easter: Part 1

“When it comes to the resurrection of Jesus, most contemporary Christian writing has been centred on its historicity. Preaching often tends to focus on the historical details and the fact that it really happened, rather than its meaning.

As a result, the average pew sitter might have a robust apologetic in response to the historical claim of the resurrection, but be somewhat cloudy when it comes to its theological significance. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite doesn’t want us to miss the point of Easter.

J C Ryle on “Evangelical Religion”

“Since many religious disputes have arisen solely because there has been a lack of accurate definition, I am beginning this paper by explaining exactly what I mean by ‘Evangelical Religion’. …”

– This classic article by Bishop J. C. Ryle is always worth re-reading.

Making Disciples

Here’s a new series of Bible Studies from Colin Marshall – Making Disciples – available from Matthias Media.

“How central should the work of disciple-making be in our daily lives and in our church culture? How do we get there? And what does it actually look like?

The 8 studies in Making Disciples will highlight the work of disciple-making as the very heart of the Bible’s vision for the life of God’s people. They will also:

• guide you as you explore and discuss key Bible passages
• show you what it might look like to be involved in this great work of God
• forge the deep biblical convictions that you will need in order to commit to disciple-making
• address the challenges and potential pitfalls around making disciples of Jesus
• help you see disciple-making as both an enormous privilege and an attainable goal.”

The Illuminated Heart — Lent Reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 6

“In the penultimate video in the series, Dr Jensen explains how God illuminates our dark hearts through the proclamation of the gospel.” – From GAFCON.

T.C. Hammond on Article 19 — The Church

Article XIX Of the Church

The visible Church of Christ is a congregation of faithful men, in the which the pure Word of God is preached, and the sacrament be duly ministered according to Christ’s ordinance in all those things that of necessity are requisite to the same.

As the Church of Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch, have erred; so also the Church of Rome hash erred, not only in their living and manner of Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith.

“It is worth noting that the definition here embodied is limited strictly to the Visible Church. The Language is very carefully chosen. The Article does not say ’The Church of Christ is visible,” but “The Visible Church of Christ is a congregation, etc.‘ …”

– T.C. Hammond on Article 19 of the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion – republished at The Australian Church Record.

Growing godly kids #3: Teaching children to read the Bible

“God grows his children through his word, so teaching children to read the Bible is as important as teaching them to feed themselves.

Let’s see how we could apply a modelling-training-teaching approach to helping children read the Scriptures. …”

– Pete Tong continues his very helpful series – at The Australian Church Record.

11 New Features in PrayerMate 5.11

If you use PrayerMate – or if you don’t – check out Andy Geers’ video showcasing what’s new in version 5.11 of this wonderful free resource.

St. Patrick’s Day

Back in 2013, then Dean of St. Andrew’s Cathedral, Phillip Jensen, wrote an evangelistic leaflet to help Christians share the true message of St. Patrick.

Thankfully, his leaflet, and a St. Patrick’s Day message, are available on his website.

1.) St. Patrick — The Irish Evangelical.

2.) An Evangelistic Leaflet for St. Patrick’s Day.

The Exclusiveness of Christianity — T C Hammond on Article 18

“We have to notice that there is an exclusiveness about Christianity.

It asserts, quite emphatically, that there is only one way of salvation. This is the consistent message of the New Testament.

Peter boldly declared to his interrogators: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other; for there is none other name, under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved.’ This is a vigorous declaration of the exclusiveness of Christianity. …”

– The Australian Church Record continues to republish T.C. Hammond’s theological reflections on The Thirty Nine Articles.

Call for a new newspaper for the British Church

“It is now time for a new newspaper for the British Church, employing professional journalists whose news coverage will investigate the truth without fear or favour, preventing the new publication from being a mere echo-chamber.

Its comment columns should be robustly and persuasively orthodox, putting the revisionist agenda under rigorous intellectual scrutiny. …”

– Julian Mann, who recently explained why he can no longer write for the Church of England Newspaper, calls for a new newspaper.

Stephen Hawking explored the universe: Were the mysteries of his heart newsworthy?

“So here is the question of the day: Does it matter that famed physicist Stephen Hawking was – as best one can tell from his complex and even impish way of expressing himself – an atheist who still had moments when he could hint at doubts?

Does it matter that the mind that probed the far corners of the universe couldn’t handle the mysteries of the human heart and that this pained him? After all, in an empty, random universe, there are no moral laws to explain the physics of love and attachment. …”

– At GetReligion, Terry Mattingly asks what journalists writing about Stephen Hawking might have missed.

The Burning Heart — Lent Reflections from Dr Peter Jensen – Part 5

In the fifth of seven videos during the season of Lent, GAFCON General Secretary Dr. Peter Jensen turns to the burning heart.

Laziness and the young leader

“Knowing Jesus is not just knowing what he’s achieved for me in his life, death and resurrection. It is knowing why he died for me. He died for my sins and he died to redeem my time for his service. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Adrian Foxcroft points out a common danger for young leaders (and older ones too).

New Billy Graham Archive Collections to be opened to the Public

“Today the Billy Graham Center Archives at Wheaton College announced that on March 19, 2018, they will open two new collections that had been embargoed by Graham and the BGEA until his death.”