The Gardener — What is our work?
From Phillip Jensen:
“Apart from sleeping, we spend more of our life working than anything else we do. But what is God’s plan for our work? Indeed, what is work? And how does it differ from doing good works, or does it?
After responding to a letter from one of our subscribers, Peter and I explore what Genesis means by our gardening. At the end of our transcript are details of a talk on the subject of work.”
– Listen here at Two Ways News.
Andrew Heard: The Case for Goal-Driven Churches
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“Andrew Heard says ministries cannot be other than outcome-focused in their work – the question is will those outcomes be good or bad? Conscious or unconscious? Specific or vague?
He addresses critics who confuse having Biblical goals with adopting secular business practices.”
In praise of catechisms
“No names, no identifying details but in a Sunday School of mostly church kids the teacher asked ‘what is a Christian?’ And answer came there none.
Which got me thinking – maybe we need a catechism.
That’s a fancy word for a teaching document – often in Q and A form. The word Catechism is from the Greek katechein, which means ‘to teach orally or to instruct by word of mouth’…”
– At The Other Cheek, John Sandeman praises the idea of using a catechism in helping young people – and older ones – to know the Scriptures and know what Christians believe.
Of course, he’s not alone:
In 2012, Tim Keller made the case for catechesis –
“…in the evangelical Christian world today the practice of catechesis, particularly among adults, has been almost completely lost. Modern discipleship programs are usually superficial when it comes to doctrine. Even systematic Bible studies can be weak in drawing doctrinal conclusions. In contrast, catechisms take students step by step through the Apostles’ Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Lord’s Prayer – a perfect balance of biblical theology and doctrine, practical ethics, and spiritual experience.
Catechesis is an intense way of doing instruction. The catechetical discipline of memorization drives concepts in deep, encouraging meditation on truth. …”
Our own Mark Earngey wrote in The Australian Church Record 18 months ago –
“Catechesis is the necessary bridge between the baptism of children and their later confirmation in the faith. The Book of Common Prayer baptismal service concludes with the explicit (and lengthy) command to godparents that they would teach the children the Apostles’ Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Decalogue. Indeed, that the child would be ‘further instructed in the Church Catechism set forth for that purpose.’ The Church Catechism in the BCP is explicitly subtitled: ‘An instruction to be learned of every person before he be brought to be confirmed by the Bishop.’…
The decline in catechetical emphasis and the disappearance of the traditional catechetical elements (e.g. the Decalogue) would have surprised the theologians of the Reformation. …”
and back in 2010, J I Packer and Gary Parrett spoke with Michael Horton at The White Horse Inn on their book Grounded in the Gospel: Building Believers the Old-Fashioned Way. (The interview is well-worth hearing.)
It’s a very real challenge for churches and all of us as 21st century Christians.
On Preaching
David Cook introduces –
Simon Flinders recently spoke to our preaching club at Abbotsford on preaching.
Simon preached and then spoke about preaching, the following are his thoughts:
“Preaching has many detractors these days. There are many who question its place or its relevance, this is not new, it may be that the detractions come more frequently these days.
The attacks may come from bored and resentful pew sitters; from educators who are moving toward more student directed learning; from learning style advocates who argue for more varied presentation methods; from the social media generation who are not used to sitting and listening unless the content comes in super short grabs, YouTube hits and Insta reels; from those who value God’s voice in another form, like direct words of prophecy or dream revelation; from evangelists who may question preaching which they think may seem unattractive and even alienating to the visitor at church.
Why then should we persist with preaching? …”
– Read it all at The Expository Preaching Trust.
Does it matter how much a pastor preaches?
“The latest edition of the ACR includes the results of a survey we conducted in order to investigate how frequently senior ministers are preaching in relation to the number of full-time staff and adult church attendance.
On the whole, there is a negative correlation between the number of full-time staff and the amount a pastor preaches.
On average, a minister serving as the only full-time staff member of a church (35% of responders) preaches 4.3 weeks out of 5. For those serving in a staff team of two full-time equivalents (50% of responders), that average drops to 3.5 weeks out of 5.
What is notable, however, is that this trend flattens out as the size of the staff team increases, stabilising at about 3 weeks out of 5. For a staff team of three (26% of responders), the average is 3.2 weeks out of 5. For a staff team of four (13% of responders), the average is 3 weeks out of 5. For a staff team of five or more (27% of responders), the average slightly increases back up to 3.1 weeks of out 5. This indicates that pastors have a general preference to preach no less than 3 in every 5 weeks.
This, however, prompts the question: Does it matter how much a pastor preaches? Or more specifically, does it matter to God how much a pastor preaches? …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Charles Cleworth explores the question.
Certainty for Eternity launches YouTube channel
Mark Gilbert at Certainty for Eternity reports they have launched a YouTube channel with the aim of better equipping people to speak about Jesus with their Roman Catholic friends.
In the first video posted, Mark speaks with Leonardo De Chirico on Learning about Roman Catholicism from Pope Francis’ Funeral.
– Watch here.
The Two Trees
From Phillip Jensen:
“In the middle of the garden, full of beautiful trees, there are 2 trees in particular. What is the importance of the tree of life? What is it telling us about God’s plans for humanity? Why is it singled out for special mention?
The other, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, seems to be even more important in establishing the drama of life in the Garden of Eden and subsequently the storyline of the rest of the Bible. But what does it mean to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?
I hope our discussion prompts more discussion among you and your friends.”
– Listen to the latest stimulating podcast from Phillip and Peter Jensen as they continue to think through the early chapters of Genesis.
Anglican Heroes: Richard Sibbes — Church Society podcast
From Church Society:
“In the next instalment of our podcast mini-series featuring great Anglican theologians and reformers of the past, Emily Lucas tells Ros Clarke why the work of Richard Sibbes is so important to her personally and pastorally, as well as why he remains significant for the Church of England.”
– Listen here – with links to resources from Mark Dever.
We neglect it at our peril
“We know that prayer is a crucial discipline for the individual believer, but how often do we consider that it is also a crucial discipline for the assembled church?
The Bible prescribes only a few elements for local church worship, but among them is prayer. …”
– A brief exhortation from Tim Challies.
Gafcon photo.
Reimagining Science Fiction
“In our increasingly secular society, the phrase ‘Christian fiction’ probably elicits more discomfort than it does excitement, even for Christians. Often rightfully criticised as clunky and overly tactless in its messaging, the ability to hammer home biblical truths without altogether breaking a good story seems to be a lost art!
Perhaps this is why the work of C.S. Lewis often stands out in my mind. …”
– Isaac Kwong commends C S Lewis’ first foray into science fiction, Out of the Silent Planet, as an exciting and challenging read. At AP.
Image: The first close up picture of Mars, 15 July 1965.
Godly Tracts and Spurgeon’s Example
At AP, the Presbyterian online journal, Troy Appleton has some encouragement concerning gospel tracts:
“Some Christian commentators have argued that tract giving is a useless activity; that times have changed. True, many a tract may end up unread and crumpled up in the trash bin. Yet, we must trust in God’s providence. It is likely you will never be able to meet every person in your neighbourhood or even on your street – they are unlikely to ever hear the Gospel told to them in their lifetime. The giving of a tract may be the seed that God uses in His providence to cause them to come to Christ. We may never know this side of eternity. …”
– Read here. (And yes, Matthias Media also has various kinds of tracts.)
Image – a home-made tract distributed at the University of Sydney in the late 1970s.
Survey results: How often do Rectors preach in the Sydney Diocese?
“In January 2025 the ACR emailed out a survey to all Sydney Anglican Rectors – numbering just over 250. The survey was short and uncomplicated to ensure a good number of respondents. Below are the results for the survey and the questions that were asked.
The catalyst for the survey followed some anecdotes about preaching frequency amongst our Rectors, especially amongst those Rectors who serve in what might be called a large church.…”
– Mike Leite, Editorial Director of The Australian Church Record, shares the results of the ACR’s survey.
The heart of God for children
“Children have a unique way of humbling us. From the joys of first steps to the frustration of sleepless nights, children shape our experiences in profound ways. But beyond our personal encounters, what does God say about children? How does he view them, and what should our response be? …”
– Charles Cleworth, who teaches Theology, Philosophy and Ethics at Moore College, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Creating warm and deep church gatherings
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“How can we create gatherings that are both warm and deep? How can we avoid gatherings that are superficial or dry.
How do we embed gospel culture in our church gatherings.
How do we emphasize grace, forgiveness and a welcoming atmosphere?
And how to encourage authenticity and emotional intelligence in gathering leaders. Plus how do we evaluate.
A Pastor’s Heart episode to watch with your staff team.
Toby Neal is Senior pastor at Vine Church in Sydney. And Liv Chapman Leggett leads the gatherings aspect of the ministry at Vine Church.”
Was the Garden Paradise?
From Phillip Jensen:
“Peter and I love gardens but hate gardening. However, all the good things about the garden are set out in Genesis 2.
In today’s podcast, we explore God’s generous provision symbolised in the Garden of Eden. To what extent was the garden paradise that we need to regain? To what extent is the paradise promised to the thief on the cross something greater than the Garden of Eden?”
Related:
Two Ways Ministries’ 2025 King’s Birthday Conference is coming up at Moore College next Monday 9th June.
“From Feminism to motherhood, from animal rights to toxic masculinity, from racism to euthanasia, Australia is in an ethical turmoil on many issues. Christians often feel in the crossfire of these culture wars. Do Christian ethics apply to non-Christians?
This year at the King’s Birthday Conference, Phillip Jensen is going to look at how becoming a Christian takes us back to the universal morality of Creation.” …
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…