Why it’s not enough to be a ‘Bible teaching Church’

“When my appointment to St Andrew’s Cathedral was announced about 18 months ago, a godly old Methodist minister wrote to me. He kindly thanked me for my ministry in Wollongong but added this note of caution: ‘Don’t let your boast be, “We are a Bible teaching church”. But rather, like St Paul… “We preach Christ, and him crucified”.’

Was my older Methodist colleague right? …”

– Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

(Also published in the current Southern Cross magazine.)

Preaching Hope on Good Friday

“The late Professor Chris O’Brien, after whom the Life House is named at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital said, ‘Everyone needs hope, we live on hope’.

We normally associate hope with resurrection and so preach hope on Easter Sunday, but this year I am going to preach hope on Good Friday.

The Christian life is full of hope because hope is based on promise, and God reveals himself as the God who makes promises to his people. His promises are the basis of our hope. …”

– David Cook has this encouragement for preachers at The Expository Preaching Trust.

Photo: David Cook at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in August 2022.

A prayer for the NSW State election

From Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant:

Almighty God and Loving Heavenly Father, we humbly ask you to direct the hearts of those who seek election to our state parliament, and of us as we exercise our democratic freedoms.

May we vote unselfishly for the common good.

Protect politicians from the temptation of self-serving. Enable them to make realistic promises and help them keep their word.

Uphold those elected to serve in the new Parliament through all the heavy demands that come upon them, that they may serve with integrity.

May the decisions of our parliaments, state and federal, lead to the safety and welfare of this country, so that peace and happiness, truth and justice may be established among us. Amen.

March — April 2023 issue of Southern Cross now out

The March — April 2023 issue of Southern Cross magazine, produced by Anglican Media Sydney, is out now.

Copies will be available in churches.

As well, you can download a PDF version, or read online, at sydneyanglicans.net/about/southerncross.

Moore College welcomes back Peter Jensen to launch his latest book on The Life of Faith

“On Tuesday night Matthias Media held a book launch for Peter Jensen’s new book The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine at Moore College. The event was a resounding success, drawing an engaged and enthusiastic audience of over 80 people.

Peter’s book is the fruit of his more than thirty years of teaching Christian doctrine. Many graduates during Peter’s time as Principal of Moore College can testify to the brilliance of his teaching and the invaluable resource his lecture notes have been over the years. These are now, freshly edited, available more widely. …”

– Full report and photos at the Moore College website.

Photo: Archbishop Kanishka Raffel, Carmelina Read and Archbishop Peter Jensen with the new book. Courtesy Moore College.

How can we best support gospel growth beyond our church? — with Mikey Lynch

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“How might our church best relate to other organisations (churches, denominations and parachurches) who are also engaged in the grand cause of reaching the world for Christ?

What is the difference between a church and parachurch and how might they best interact? …

Mikey Lynch is a Director of Reach Australia and is the new editorial director for the Gospel Coalition Australia. Mikey leads the Australian Fellowship of Evangelical Students staff team doing ministry in Hobart at the University of Tasmania.

Matthias Media have just released his new book ‘The Vine Movement – supporting gospel growth beyond your church.’…”

– Watch or listen here.

And also note how you can support the coming “Heart of GAFCON” broadcasts from Kigali.

How to Organise an Epic Bible Reading

Last week we linked to an article by Simon Camilleri on Epic Bible Reading at your Church.

In a follow-up post, he shares some practical tips on getting your church involved:

“In a nutshell, I recommend that before you break up a book of the Bible for a sermon series or a Bible Study you should gather together and read through the entire book—out loud from start to finish in one session.

In this article I am going to give some tips from my own experience, for the eager and the apprehensive, on how you can run an Epic Bible Reading at your church. …”

– Read it here.

If lost people matter to God…

“…if lost people matter to God, then they should matter to us as well. After all, we were lost in our sin, till we put our trust in Christ. So as someone once said, evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find food.

But are we as keen to share the good news of Christ Jesus, as we are to share our best back remedy?”

– In the latest Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant shares some encouragement after reflecting on a recent Church Record post.

Things would never be the same again

“In his Pensées Blaise Pascal, the 17th century French mathematician and philosopher wrote, ‘Everyone seeks happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. They will never take the least step but to this object…’

John the Gospel writer tells us of a woman at a well in Samaria two thousand years ago who would have agreed. …”

– At The Anglican Connection, John Mason turns to John chapter 4 and the longing for happiness.

Epic Bible Reading at Your Church

“I am very glad that many evangelical churches in Australia preach through the Bible, book by book, chapter by chapter and verse by verse. Over weeks or even months, a theologically-educated preacher helps their congregation to dig deep into Scripture—grappling with each section of the book in depth before moving on to the next section.

But imagine if we watched movies this way. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Simon Camilleri has some encouragement for you.

A related question: Why do some evangelical Anglican churches only have one Bible reading in a Sunday gathering?

Complementarian Ministry in small group leadership – with Kara Hartley and Tony Payne

This week on The Pastor’s Heart:

“How do we work together in complementarian ministry as we lead small group bible studies/growth groups/community groups

Small groups are the heart beats of our churches, where we wrestle together on how God might have us live.

Most groups have a male and female leadership paired together in leadership. But how do those two people work together?…”

– Kara Hartley and Tony Payne discuss with Dominic Steele.

See also last week’s discussion, where Dominic speaks with Bishop Robert Forsyth and Assoc Professor Neil Foster:

– Supreme Court clears pastor of defamation.

The Life of Faith – Peter Jensen Book Launch

From Moore College:

“Moore College invites you to attend the launch of Peter Jensen’s latest book, ‘The Life of Faith’.

Date: 14th March 2023
Time: 7:00pm – 8:30pm – supper will be provided afterwards
Location: Moore Theological College, Marcus Loane Hall

This event will be a wonderful opportunity to hear from Peter Jensen himself as he discusses the themes and ideas behind his book, as well as answer any questions you may have.

About the book:
An introductory-level systematic theology from one of the evangelical world’s most influential theologians, perfect for the keen layperson but with enough depth and stimulation to be relevant and interesting for full-time gospel workers. The Life of Faith sits within the tradition of books like In Understanding Be Men by TC Hammond and Concise Theology by JI Packer, written for today’s audience.”

– Book to attend via the College website.

Anglican Aid’s Prayer Diary 2023

Anglican Aid’s Prayer Diary for 2023 is now available to download from their website.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet — 2023 State Election Faith Groups Town Hall

The NSW Premier, Dominic Perrottet, was a guest at the 2023 State Election Faith Groups Town Hall in Parramatta on Wednesday night (22nd February 2023).

You can watch the meeting as the Premier responded to questions in the run up to the State election.

In response to a question on ‘conversion therapy’, he said,

“There is no place for harmful practices in our state. Since this issue was raised, people have raised with me examples of food deprivation, electroshock therapy. Well, those practices are wrong, and we will move to outlaw them…

At the same time, we will not ban prayer, we will not ban preaching. That is fundamental to freedom of religion in this state and in this country. We can do both. We can ban harmful practices and we can protect freedom of religion in our state…

It’s not one or the other, it’s respecting everyone’s perspectives in relation to this and having a balanced approach.”

A similar event with the State Opposition Leader, Chris Minns, is planned for next week. We’ll aim to post a link to that event as well.

– Watch here. Thanks to Freedom for Faith for the video link and for the quote from the Premier.

Discipling

“Making disciples is the central direction of the great commission of Matthew 28.

I have lived long enough to see this endeavour go through some name changes. …

Many Christians of my vintage can testify to the value of the Navigator’s 2:7 course and to the Navigator’s emphasis on Scripture memorisation. …

I am not sure what it is being called today but I notice a growing emphasis for those in ministry to make ourselves more accountable by having a mentor.”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook writes to encourage ministers to take advantage of several opportunities for discipling / mentoring / help in preaching.

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