Preachers hungry to be mentored
“[A] growing number of pastors are seeking to develop their skills through mentoring networks like that offered by the Centre for Biblical Preaching.
The Centre and its programmes are run by Mike Raiter, a passionate local and international preacher, former missionary and former Principal of Melbourne School of Theology and former Head of Missions at Moore College in Sydney…”
– Story from Eternity Newspaper.
An unavoidable truth: the doctrine of sin today
“The heart and wellspring of all evangelical theology is the cross of the Christ. It is in the light of the cross that we truly understand God and truly understand ourselves.
It demonstrates God’s deep and determined love and it demonstrates God’s deep and determined love for sinners (Rom 5:8). I cannot avoid the reality and seriousness of my sin when I attend to the awful glory of what happened outside the walls of Jerusalem 2000 years ago. I cannot avoid the determined and loving purpose of God when I consider who it was who died there. …”
– Mark Thompson writes at The Briefing.
10 Tips for your next Hospital visit
“Pastors should be prepared to minister when they step foot in a hospital room. With someone under your care in frail condition, this is no time to wing it. Visiting someone is not just about what you do once you are in the room, it is about being prepared before you arrive…”
– Maybe this ought to be common sense, but it’s a good reminder (h/t Tim Challies).
Probably few use the Prayer Book’s The Order for the Visitation of the Sick these days, but if you haven’t read it lately, take the time to do so. Here’s the 1552 version. And the 1662 version.
Related: A visit means more than a text – Jean Williams.
J.C. Ryle on Sickness, and Some Thoughts on Affliction, by Neil Prott (both on the old part of our website).
Phillip Jensen & Kel Richards in The Chat Room — The Bible, Old & New Testaments
In the latest edition of The Chat Room, Phillip Jensen & Kel Richards talk about the Big Picture of the Bible, and the perils of reading it without seeing that bigger picture.
33 minutes. Well worth showing in small Bible Study groups, for example.
Related: At The Proclamation Trust, Adrian Reynolds has been blogging about “The New Testament Use of the Old” – Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5.
‘Strange Fire’ Conference audio now available
Two weeks ago, the Strange Fire Conference, organised by John MacArthur, was held to “evaluate the doctrines, claims, and practices of the modern charismatic movement”.
Speakers included John MacArthur, Conrad Mbewe, Joni Eareckson Tada, R.C. Sproul and Steve Lawson.
As expected, this unique conference generated quite a bit of interest. Tim Challies blogged summaries of each of the main messages, and the audio and some video have now been made available.
Effective personal evangelism
Over at Reformation21, Jeremy Walker has been writing brief encouragements relating to ‘Effective personal evangelism’.
So far he’s written: Introduction, Love, Tenacity, Boldness, Consistency, Understanding and Prayer.
“Could it be that one of the reasons why, with our children, friends, colleagues and communities, we are less effective than we wish to be is because we have not proved to be men and women of earnest, pleading prayer, borne of a love for God that seeks his glory above all else and a love for people that longs to see them saved from sin?”
New Directions in Assisted Reproduction: How did we end up here?
Dr Megan Best spoke at a workshop at the Gospel Coalition 2013 National Conference in Florida in April.
Very enlightening and pastorally helpful.
56 minutes / 52MB mp3 file via this page.
(Photo: Matthias Media.)
The Spiritual Reformation
Just in time for Reformation Day (31st October), you can hear last Sunday’s sermon from St. Andrew’s Cathedral by Phillip Jensen – on ‘The Spiritual Reformation’.
Good to hear and to pass the link on to others.
Reformation Day
Back in 2011, Justin Taylor posted some resources for Reformation Day (observed on 31st October in many places, to remember Martin Luther’s nailing of the 95 Theses to the Wittenburg door on 31st October 1517).
Though the video links no longer work, there are plenty of other useful links to help in understanding what it was all about.
See also: Why the Reformation Is Not Over.
Blessing same-sex relationships in the Church of England?
“I have now confirmed from a number of sources what the Pilling Report is going to recommend. The final draft is ready and it will propose that the Church of England introduce some form of liturgy that will bless same-sex relationships. There is absolutely no doubt that this is what the outcome of the committee’s deliberations will be…
Once that happens we will have formally declared same-sex unions to be holy. In the Church of England our liturgy is our doctrine and the moment we have a rite that in any way affirms same-sex relationships then we will have fundamentally changed what we believe. …
The entire College of Bishops, not just Diocesans but every Suffragan as well, will meet on 27 January 2014 to discuss the report. This is likely to be an emotional event but it will be the first collective opportunity for Evangelical and Anglo-Catholic Bishops to clearly, gently but firmly say that they will have no part in this.”
– The Rev. Peter Ould in the UK sounds an ominous warning.
Background:
“05 January 2012. The membership of a group to advise the House of Bishops on the Church of England’s approach to human sexuality has been announced. The Group will be chaired by Sir Joseph Pilling…” – The Church of England website.
Don’t make The Reformation History
“…The Reformation did more than reform the abuses of organised religion.
It was a recovery of the gospel that transformed the very nature of the church. Thus it became the foundation for our Protestant pattern of church life.
We cannot truly understand ourselves without a proper grasp of the events of the Reformation.”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen writes on the crucial need to understand the Reformation today.
Integrity ejournal – A journal of Australian church history from Moore College
“Students in their fourth year of the Bachelor of Divinity degree at Moore Theological College have the opportunity to research and write a 6,000 word essay in Church History on some aspect of evangelicalism in Australia or Britain (post-1600).
The excellent quality of some of these essays has encouraged the Church History Department to seek a way to share the fruits of the research and writing of these students with a broader audience. This is the reason for the launch of this new journal Integrity.”
– Download the first issue here.
St. Helen’s Training: Bible Overview
The next two videos (3 & 4 of a total of 6) in the St. Helen’s Training series on getting a Bible Overview are now online.
GAFCON 2013 and Authority in the Church
GAFCON 2013 begins in Nairobi tomorrow, so now would be a good time to uphold in prayer this significant gathering.
This 2008 theological resource paper by Dr Mark Thompson is a good reminder as to why GAFCON is committed to the authority of the Bible.
We’ll be posting news from GAFCON as it comes through.
Catching Eggs
“When my father-in-law fell on an escalator in a shopping mall, he was proud of his ability to catch his carton of eggs. “Not one of them broke”, he told me from his hospital bed. A true son of the Depression, breaking eggs was more significant than a damaged back.
But as he stayed in hospital, two competing attitudes were expressed by staff and visitors. …”
– Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen, writes in his weekly column.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…