10 out of 10 people die
Here’s a 5 minute video from New Zealand on why the gospel needs to be preached. (h/t Tim Challies.)
Bishop JC Ryle’s new book
Bishop J C Ryle has a new book.
Well, sort of – it’s a collection of previously uncollected tracts entitled Distinctive Principles for Anglican Evangelicals, published by Church Society.
See the details here. We hope it will be available in Australia in due course.
“If you are ordering from Europe or overseas, please email us with your order, and we will send a link for you to make the payment.”
CMS NSW Summer School underway
CMS’ NSW Summer School is now well underway, with John Yates leading the main Bible Studies on Romans 1-8.
If you can’t be there, or missed the first two talks, CMS has made them available here.
Lord Carey ‘wrong to support State-sanctioned suicide’
“Apparently the UK is ‘closer than ever’ to introducing legislation which will permit the terminally ill to end their lives at a time and place of their choosing. Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill simply will not die: it is deemed to be the virtuous and noble solution to the problem of unbearable suffering; the only ethical and justly moral response to a heartless society which insists on sustaining lives which simply no longer wish to be lived. We treat dogs better.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey is amongst the signatories to a letter demanding that the political parties pledge to giving this Bill parliamentary time after the General Election, in order that the issue might be finally resolved. By “resolved”, they mean, of course, that the Bill must be passed, or the issue has not been “resolved” to their liking and will simply need to be revisited until Parliament votes correctly. The only settled conclusion that is acceptable is the one which concludes a settlement in favour of ‘assisted dying’. The argument is teleological; the trajectory is locked…”
– UK Christian blogger ‘Archbishop Cranmer’ weighs in on the hot issue of ‘euthanasia’.
Related:
On the elimination of the suffering – Dr Megan Best. (SydneyAnglicans.net.)
Euthanasia lives again – Social Issues Executive of the Diocese of Sydney.
From Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower:
Euthanasia resources.
Depression, disability & ‘safe’ euthanasia.
A Response to Giddings & McKim’s euthanasia proposal.
Advancing the Gospel on the Front Line
As many gather for CMS Summer Schools around the country, this interview with Dr Tim Keesee, the man behind the Dispatches From the Front video series and book, is appropriate.
This interview is an extract from Ligonier Ministries’ Tabletalk magazine. The January 2015 issue is available as a free download, and is packed with encouraging and worthwhile articles, as well as a Bible reading guide on the theme of Wisdom.
This isn’t Rocket Science either
“Prior to Christmas, I shared the statistic that 58% of Australian church websites weren’t displaying Christmas service times. …
So I set out to discover what would happen if I emailed each church and asked for the Christmas church service times. In the 2 weeks before Christmas, I emailed the same list of 100 churches (regardless of whether or not they displayed service times on their website) and asked them a simple question…”
– Steve Kryger at Communicate Jesus does us all a service. Read it all. (What will be the results this Easter?)
Related: It’s not Rocket Science.
C.H. Spurgeon — Morning and Evening
This month’s free audio book from Christian Audio is C.H. Spurgeon’s Morning and Evening.
Five reasons to plant your life in a church and stay there
“Not every pastor has the option to stay in the same church for a long time. God might call him somewhere else, a church filled with unregenerate or unresponsive members might force him to leave, or health needs of family members might dictate a move.
I do not mean to lay false guilt on those who have legitimate reasons to leave a church or go elsewhere. I do, however, mean to encourage pastors to default to staying rather than leaving, even in the face of problems. Here’s why…”
– At The Southern Blog, Hershael York encourages ministers to consider a longer pastorate.
Looking for help in praying regularly in 2015?
Looking for help to pray regularly in 2015?
A number of apps for smart phones and tablets are now available to help you pray. One of the best is PrayerMate from the UK.
“Prayer is an amazing privilege, but it’s also really hard work (the apostle Paul compares it to a wrestling match!). PrayerMate is a Christian prayer app that seeks to help you actually pray for all the people and causes you care about.
PrayerMate brings all your prayer points together. Whether its your personal prayer points for friends and family, regular updates from some fantastic mission organisations, or the latest PDF prayer letter that just arrived in your inbox, PrayerMate puts it all together in one place and helps you get on and pray.”
It’s a free download for iOS and Android, and is recommended by people we know and love. Take the time to learn about it here.
More Bible reading plans for 2015
In addition to those reading plans mentioned earlier by Tim Challies, R.C. Sproul’s Ligonier Ministries has also compiled a comprehensive list.
Also see: How not to read the Bible in 2015 (SBTS).
Getting Justification by Faith right
It’s vital to understand Justification by Faith correctly.
At The Australian Church Record, Matt Olliffe seeks to clarify the issues after a response to an article he posted on the ACR website.
“This essay seeks to vindicate the teaching that according to Paul, we are not justified before God at the judgment by our faithfulness, but by faith as ‘trust’, ‘reliance’, or ‘dependence’ on God and his promises for final salvation in Christ.”
– Read it here (PDF file) from The Church Record.
What is Your Bible-Reading Plan for 2015?
Tim Challies provides links to a number of different Bible-reading plans.
Check them out, and be encouraged to commit to regular reading of God’s word in 2015.
(Photo: Smithton Church.)
Oak Hill Commentary magazine Winter 2014-15
The latest issue of Commentary, the twice-yearly magazine of Oak Hill College in London is now online.
Lots of good reading – the articles by Nick Tucker on A Confessing Church (page 11), Levi Booth on Identity in Japan (page 14), and David Potter on Philosophy (page 17) are good places to start!
The Best Possible Gift — the case for theological education
“Theological education is a costly business. Whether you are raising your own support, or whether it’s being funded by the church, it’s expensive to be trained for ministry. There’s a personal cost, too. Giving several years of your life to theological education is sacrificial. …
This short film looks at the case for theological training and features short interviews with people who are currently in training or who are now doing ministry in a wide range of contexts in the UK and Ireland…”
– A new resource from Oak Hill College in London.
A mind soaked with Scripture: Samuel Marsden
“Marsden was probably born in 1765 and grew up in the Yorkshire area of England. …
Whatever led to Marsden’s call to ministry is not known but the financial means came through the Elland Society – a group of evangelical clergy who met to support one another and who began to fund suitable young men who were considering the ministry.
Marsden trained in Cambridge, being influenced by older men such as William Romaine, John Newton, Rowland Hill, William Wilberforce and his mentor Charles Simeon. … He cut short his theological studies when the invitation came to become the assistant chaplain in New South Wales…”
– Tomorrow marks 200 years since Samuel Marsden preached the first Christian sermon in New Zealand. Bible Society Australia has this article from Simon Manchester.
Related: “Hundreds of people are expected to gather at the small Northland beach of Oihi on Christmas day to commemorate the first Christian service on New Zealand whenua.” – Radio New Zealand.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…