The Eclipse of Freedom
“Like most in my generation, I recoil from Doomsday preaching. the announcement of impending disaster, the prediction of the widespread persecution of Christians just around the corner, the naming of this or that group as the antichrist or as an enemy set upon the absolute destruction of Christianity, still makes me wince.
… The dilemma for Christian communities is not to be alarmist while at the same time identifying clear trends in the public debate and the legislative programs of governments in the West. …”
– Mark Thompson writes at Theological Theology.
Stay in Noah’s Ark — or get into the lifeboat?
“I’ve just completed four years of training for ministry in the Church of England, and, God willing, have ahead of me many years of gospel ministry in the Anglican Church.
However, there seems to me to be more pressure than ever to doubt the integrity of that position. How can an evangelical who takes seriously his stewardship of revealed truth, ever with a good conscience take office in the Church of England? …”
– At The Church Society, Oak Hill graduate Matt Graham asks if it’s worth sticking with the Church of England. (PDF file.)
Related: Audio files of talks from the Junior Anglican Evangelical Conference.
Free ESV Study Bible web app
Crossway are giving away free access to the web version of The ESV Study Bible, in celebration of their 75th anniversary. It’s a companion module to their ESVBible.org.
Be sure to sign up before the end of November 2013 to get it free.
Your spiritual appetite
“This day was the best that I have seen since I came to England.… After Dr. Twisse had begun with a brief prayer, Mr. Marshall prayed largely two hours, most divinely, confessing the sins of the members of the Assembly, in a wonderful, passionate, and prudent way. Afterwards, Mr. Arrowsmith preached an hour, then a psalm … Dr. Twisse closed with a short prayer and blessing.”
‘So wrote Robert Baillie, one of the Scots commissioners at the Westminster Assembly, about one of the best days he had in England.’
– Food for thought. Read the whole post by Jeremy Walker at Reformation21 for a challenge, and then, over at the Proc Trust, see Adrian Reynolds brief words.
(Image: University of Glasgow.)
Chapel Messages from the RTS
Lots of helpful and encouraging Chapel Messages from the Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson (including the John Reed Miller lectures – speakers include Mark Dever, Steve Lawson, Kevin DeYoung).
Don’t go it alone!
“It is no accident that so many of the commands given in the New Testament letters involve ‘one another’:
welcome one another; care for one another; bear with one another; forgive one another; submit to one another; admonish one another; exhort one another, and so on. Don’t judge one another, deprive one another, lie to one another, speak evil of one another, envy one another…etc, but do comfort one another, encourage one another, edify one another, and – above all – love one another.
The reason for all these injunctions is quite obvious: clearly, we need one another! …”
– William Philip at The Tron Church in Glasgow with a great reminder about the importance of church. (Photo: Russell Powell.)
At 95, Billy Graham’s ‘last’ message is the same as his first
“Come to the Cross, by repentance and faith.” – Billy Graham’s Message.
29 minutes. Watch it and pass it on.
This is currently being shown across the United States in a national outreach as Bill turns 95.
Remembrance Day resources
Remembrance Day is Monday November 11th.
The Defence Anglicans website has resources which may be useful for you.
Why we are contributing to Greenfields land
Through the Sydney Synod, the Anglican churches of Sydney have resolved to work together to purchase land in ‘Greenfield’ areas.
If we don’t get in early, it will be too late to purchase land to build centres where Christ’s people can gather and be beacons of light in their new communities.
Dominic Steele at The Village Church Annandale has kindly shared this video he made for his own church. He speaks with Stuart Starr at Oran Park. It’s ideal to show in your church to help everyone get behind the vision.
Render unto Caesar or unto God? Government funding and the crisis of Conscience
“There is truth in the claim that Sunrise Children’s Services, along with thousands of similar organizations and institutions, will have to face a hard choice: serve Caesar or serve God. This becomes inevitable once an entity becomes dependent on financial support from the government …”
– Albert Mohler writes about a local (to him) example of the crisis coming to many Christian organisations.
How can Systematic Theology enrich and energise preaching?
Canon James Packer spoke recently for The Charles Simeon Trust in the US.
Classic Packer. Set aside an hour and be encouraged and strengthened in your preaching (or in encouraging others in their preaching).
On Vimeo. (h/t Justin Taylor.)
9Marks Journal on Evangelism — part 2
The latest 9Marks Journal is free to download. It’s packed with articles of interest to Sydney Anglicans as we plan for the ‘Jesus Brings’ outreach… articles include:
Evangelism in the Workplace
Reaching the “Converted”
Evangelism across Economic Boundaries
How can Churches Evangelise their Neighbourhoods?
Three Lessons for Cross-Cultural Evangelism
Evangelising the Nations at Home
The Gospel for a Gay Friend
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).
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…