Plans and prayers

“‘Just take things one day at a time’. It’s a helpful piece of advice, but inevitably our focus does shift beyond the next 24 hours to those things further ahead on the horizon – the next week, the next month, the next year, and beyond. Of course, it’s impossible for us to have absolute certainty about what lies in the future. …

But how do we actually go about making plans under God? What does it look like in practice? Thankfully the apostle Paul helps us out. …”

– Rusdyan Cocks shares encouragement at The Australian Church Record.

Investment in Preaching

“With the Reserve Bank struggling to contain inflation and households facing cost of living pressure and retirees looking for return on capital, it is a good time to think about investment and preaching preparation.

There are two vital areas of investment which will yield healthy returns. …”

– Encouragement from David Cook at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Ed Shaw: Why I won’t quit the Church of England

“As I wearily return from another meeting (the third this year!) of the Church of England’s governing body, General Synod, I’m preparing to answer two questions:

1.) What’s going on in the Church of England? How do I respond to that question?

There’s total chaos. …”

– Ed Shaw, Director of Living Out, explains why he is staying in the Church of England.

He spoke in the General Synod shortly before the final vote was taken on Wednesday evening.

Image: Ed Shaw at General Synod, 15 November 2023.

Joy comes in the morning

“The result of today’s Synod debate on Living in Love and Faith was not unexpected. Those who had been doing the Synodical maths had been warning that a version of the motion put forward by the House of Bishops would probably go through by a very small majority, and they were right.

However nothing in the nine hours of debate that took place on the Prayers of Love and Faith proposals provided any rational justification for this outcome. …”

– Whatever happens with the Church of England, Anglican theologian Martin Davie reminds us that – when it comes to Christ’s church – the gates of hell will not prevail against it, and that joy comes in the morning (Ps. 30:5).

The Tragedy and the Bigger Picture

In the light of this morning’s vote by the Church of England General Synod to move forward with the blessing of same sex couples, Principal of Moore Theological College, Dr. Mark Thompson, responds:

“It is very hard not to dissolve into a flood of tears as this all plays out in England. We on this side of the world owe so much to the English church and to its evangelical wing in particular.

We have been brought to faith, nourished in faith, grounded for a lifetime of ministry in faith, by the faithful ministries of men like Whitfield, Simeon, Ryle, Stott and Packer (and many others of course) and to watch much lesser men squander that inheritance brings great grief.

When we remember the Reformation martyrs, and the courage of generation after generation of their heirs, we have great cause to thank God and great cause to weep over what is happening now.”

Be sure to read it all below –

“The behaviour of the Archbishop of Canterbury in recent months has been nothing short of scandalous. Not only has he betrayed his ordination vows, as the delegates at GAFCON in Kigali earlier this year recognised, but he has recklessly pursued an agenda contrary to the Scriptures and the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ despite urgent and repeated warnings from the vast majority of Anglicans worldwide not to do so. In this he has been supported by the Archbishop of York. The Archbishop will have a higher Judge than the rank and file of the Church of England, the GAFCON and Global South movements, and even future chroniclers of the history of the church to answer to for this, and, quite frankly, who would want to be in his shoes (James 3:1; Matthew 18:16; Hebrews 13:17)?

The bigger question now, though, is not how can Justin Welby recover from this (short of wholesale repentance I cannot see how he can) but how do faithful men and women within the Church of England continue to pursue the goal of re-evangelising the United Kingdom in the wake of what he, the Archbishop of York, and collectively the House of Bishops have done? This is, after all, the urgent need of the moment. Men and women all over Britain are heading blithely into judgment while ignoring or ridiculing or even openly defying the only one who can save them. How can we sit by and just watch that happen while we fight among ourselves?

It is very hard not to dissolve into a flood of tears as this all plays out in England. We on this side of the world owe so much to the English church and to its evangelical wing in particular. We have been brought to faith, nourished in faith, grounded for a lifetime of ministry in faith, by the faithful ministries of men like Whitfield, Simeon, Ryle, Stott and Packer (and many others of course) and to watch much lesser men squander that inheritance brings great grief. When we remember the Reformation martyrs, and the courage of generation after generation of their heirs, we have great cause to thank God and great cause to weep over what is happening now.

So what is the way ahead? Who am I to tell my English brothers and sisters what they should do? It is up to them now, the faithful remnant within the Church of England joining cause with those who over recent years have left for refuge elsewhere, to find the way to put the things that matter most back at the centre of the agenda. We need to do that here too, of course. We can all let the heartache at God’s word being trampled by those charged with preaching it and defending it distract us from the victory of Christ, the urgency of his call to faith and repentance, and the clear, gracious yet insistent preaching of the gospel and its implications. But we cannot afford to do so.

When we stop talking about Jesus, we stop talking about the gospel. When we stop loving his word, we stop loving his people and the world over which he wept. So let’s not fall into that trap, even as we respond in tears to what has been done by the leadership (so-called) of the Church of England. Let’s get back to the core truths and hold on to them even more tightly. Our world is lost because we have sought to determine for ourselves what is right and what is wrong without reference to God, let alone in humble obedience to him. The only hope for every man and woman is the Saviour who came among us to exhaust the judgment we deserve and triumph over every consequence of our sin (John 3:16). In his generosity he calls on all to “come to me” and to “find rest for your souls” (Matt. 11:28–30). But it is only those who do come to him in faith, abandoning the empty, disappointing allegiances of their life without him, and taking hold of the rescue only he can provide, who will be saved (Rom. 10:9, 13). Most wonderful of all, he promised “whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).

So what has happened is scandalous and the last day will unmask its perverse folly. But what lies ahead is a magnificent challenge. This is still the age of gospel proclamation. It is only when the gospel of the kingdom has been “proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to the nations” that the end will come (Matt. 24:14). The sheer brilliance of that gospel will not be seen if, for whatever reason, we soft-pedal on the truths our world finds unpalatable. So our excitement at the challenge must be matched by a courage not to budge even a millimetre from the truth taught in Scripture. Nevertheless, I dare to dream of a new reformation, not just in the Church of England, but in churches throughout the world.”

– First published at Theological Theology.

Rethinking retirement to avoid the sin of the sluggard — with Mike Raiter

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“The concept we now know as retirement is a 19th century invention and not a Christian concept.

Former Missionary, Bible College lecturer and principal Mike Raiter says the idea that we should stop work at 65 and enjoy 20 or 30 years of rest is not biblical.

How should we think about the stage of life that starts at 65.  What are the ministry opportunities available? What are the sins and temptations that the over 65’s are prone to? And how can younger pastors speak to those who are older?”

– Watch or listen here.

Gospel-Led Regeneration: Questions

“In his post, ‘Unherd’, on September 24, 2023, Peter Franklin comments on a new book, The Great Dechurching, by Jim Davis and Michael Graham (August, 2023). They observe that in recent years some 40 million Americans have stopped attending church.

Now it’s easy to say this is not surprising – perhaps because of the shocking abuses perpetrated in various churches, and also the trickle-down impact of the secular liberalism of influential universities, denying the existence of the divine.

However, it seems the reasons are not that simple. …”

– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason has some suggestions you might use to help family and friends consider what’s really important – with the promise of more next week.

A unique memorial: The John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore College

This Remembrance Day, learn a little about the John Francis Cash Memorial Chapel at Moore Theological College –

“John Francis Cash was the first Sydney civilian to volunteer for the RAAF after the outbreak of World War 2, and the chapel built in his memory may be considered to honour the memory of all the young Australian men killed in that conflict but have no grave or other memorial. …”

– in 2020, Erin Mollenhauer, Senior Archivist and Special Collections Librarian at Moore College’s Donald Robinson Library, penned this introduction.

(Click the image for a larger version, courtesy of Moore College.)

Church Planting — One step at a time — 9Marks Journal

9Marks has released their latest online journal Church Matters – this one is about church planting.

Editor Jonathan Leeman writes:

“Several themes emerge throughout this volume. Let me mention two.

First, church plants and planters are sometimes treated as something other than churches and pastors. They’re not. Plants are churches, planters are pastors. Say it twice if it will help you remember.

The reason to emphasize this is, the whole world of church planting literature, programs, assessment tools, and workshops over the last few decades too often takes its cues from the business world rather than the Bible. Yet we want your church to think about those would-be planters like you would a would-be pastor—according to the qualifications and competencies highlighted by the apostles. …”

– Read or download via this link.

Getting the time right

“It’s awful when you get the time wrong. Missing a meeting, a party, a flight. I’ve done all those things at various points and it’s not a nice feeling!

It’s important to get the time right. There’s no point applying for a position which has already been filled, or waiting for a bus which has already gone.

But imagine getting the time wrong, not just for little things like that, but for your lifetime: living one’s whole life prioritising one thing, when actually the purpose of that lifetime was something else entirely. It is something which is very possible to do and many, many people have done it. …”

– Annabel Nixey writes at The Australian Church Record.

Southern Cross magazine November – December 2023

The latest issue of the Diocese of Sydney’s Southern Cross magazine for November – December 2023 is online. Download it here.

Printed copies will also be available in churches.

John Newton’s 1767 Diary

“Some authors wait a long time to see their work reach publication. In Newton’s case, the wait for this one has been 256 years!

Rhys Bezzant, Dean of the Anglican Institute at Ridley College, comments: ‘1767 was a remarkable year in the life of John Newton, not least because he travelled extensively and subsequently moved into a new rectory. In his Diary of this year we learn about his aching soul, his busy schedule, his pastoral heart, and his prodigious correspondence. Here we meet no detached preacher elevated above his congregation, but someone who wrestled with the meaning of a text and engaged honestly with his parishioners concerning his own future in Olney…’

In 1767 John Newton kept a small pocket diary of the sort we might buy today, with one page for recording the week’s events and the opposite page for keeping a record of accounts. You would be excused for thinking that the transcript would be brief, but somehow this has morphed into an illustrated 72-page A4 edition, augmented with illustrations and illuminating footnotes, published by The John Newton Project. …”

– Marylynn Rouse at the John Newton Project in the UK has been working to open windows into the life and thinking of someone who has had a huge influence worldwide.

Read about it at AP, the national journal of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

The Diary for 1767 is available from johnnewton.org/shop.

See also:

Lord hast thou not a time for these poor benighted souls? – John Newton’s prayer for ‘poor benighted souls’ on the other side of the world.

Howard Guinness and the beginnings of evangelical university ministry in Australia

At an event at Moore College on 1st November, Dr Ruth Lukabyo spoke on the legacy of Dr Howard Guinness –

“Dr Howard Guinness, of the well-known Irish brewing family, was sent to Australia in 1930 by Inter-Varsity Fellowship to develop Christian student groups on university campuses. His visit was the catalyst for the establishment of Sydney University and Melbourne University Evangelical Unions on the basis of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

During his later parish ministry in Broadway and Vaucluse, his ongoing involvement in EU missions has left a lasting legacy in university campus ministry.”

– The video is now available to watch. (At time of posting, the event begins 37 minutes and 30 seconds into the video, though the video might later be edited.)

At the end of Dr Lukabyo’s presentation, Mary Jones, Howard’s daughter, shares recollections of her father.

Related:

Remembering Howard Guinness.

Defence Sunday — 5 November 2023

Defence Anglicans has a video and some resources to help us pray for Defence Chaplains and those they serve.

This year, Defence Sunday can be observed on Sunday 5th or 12th of November.

Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, Grant Dibden, asks local churches to partner with the chaplains in prayer, and financially if possible.

A heart issue and skill deficit – addressing deep problems in Mission and Maturity – with Andrew Heard

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“A few weeks ago on The Pastor’s Heart we talked with Zac Veron and Raj Gupta about issues confronting Sydney Anglicans.

The National Church Life Survey shows a drop in newcomers from 9% in 2011 to 5.4% in 2021 – a more than ten year trend of fewer people joining church.

Plus there’s been a 7.5% drop in attendance between 2015 and 2019.

But it’s not just the Sydney Anglicans that need a wake up call. It’s most of us in Australian Evangelicalism.

And if you are a senior pastor watching from around the world – it’s highly likely that there will be a massive overlap between your problems and our problems.

Andrew Heard leads the large and influential EV church on the Central Coast of New South Wales. He’s also the key person behind the influential Reach Australia movement. And is a leader in the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches.”

– A wake-up call. Watch here.

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