Sound Doctrine: The Foundation for Faithful Ministry

There’s never been a greater need for sound biblical doctrine in our churches,

That’s the theme of the latest 9Marks Journal.

Read or download here.

Q&A with Phil Colgan

From Tony Payne –

“A broad-ranging chat with Phil Colgan about the opportunities and threats we face, about being proud of the gospel, about the two books everyone should read, and more.”

– Listen, or read the transcript, at The Payneful Truth.

(Image: Phil Colgan on The Pastor’s Heart, August 2018.)

Nexus Refresh — Friday 03 December 2021

Nexus Refresh is set for 10:00am on Friday 3 December 2021 at Village Church Annandale.

“We’re looking forward to getting together in person for a day to pray, be refreshed for ministry by hearing from God’s word, sing the praises of our great God and of course to eat together.”

Watch Chris Braga encourage you to be there.

Should I Choose a Church for its Pastor?

“If you are looking for a good church, the role of the preacher of God’s Word is the most important thing to consider.

I don’t care how friendly you think the church members are. I don’t care how good you think the music is. Those things can change.

But the congregation’s commitment to the centrality of the Word coming from the front, from the preacher, the one specially gifted by God and called to that ministry, is the most important thing you can look for in a church. …”

– In this extract adapted from Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, Mark Dever shares some advice on choosing a church. At Crossway.

Launch 2022 — A camp for School Leavers keen to live for Jesus

This is a great time to urge school leavers who are planning on going to university next year, to consider Launch 2022.

Dates: 31 January — 3 February 2022
Venue: KCC Conference Centres.
Speakers: Phillip Jensen and Richard Chin.

The main aims of the Launch conference are:

See all the details and registration at phillipjensen.com/launch.

(Do you know someone who would benefit from going to Launch 2022?)

Recruiting women for vocational Christian ministry – with Kara Hartley and Jane Tooher

“How are we going as a network of complementarian churches at raising up women for ministry?

How do you develop a culture in your church that is really positive to women exercising their gifts and hence stepping forward for full time ministry roles?

What should our vision be for raising up women in ministry?  What progress has been made?  What are next steps? …”

– Here’s the latest from The Pastor’s Heart.

Preaching Clubs — update from the Expository Preaching Trust

David Cook shares some details of the Expository Preaching Trust’s Preaching Clubs for 2022 –

“If you are a preacher do come along and join in the supportive fellowship, you will get to preach twice each year and have your sermon critiqued.

The size of the club is limited to 14 members, we enjoy good coffee and food. …”

– Read all the details here.

Remembrance Day resources

Running a Remembrance Day service?

Here are some resources you might find helpful – from Defence Anglicans.

The Path to Life…

“Have you ever been resentful of people whose lives seem successful? They’ve achieved recognition; they have beautiful children, and they enjoy material riches. The very thought of them strips any sense of happiness from you.

Now there’s nothing wrong with being successful, having a great family or having money. The question is how do we value them? Do they represent what life is about or is there more to life?

Today we come to a second Reflection on Psalm 1. The Psalm is important for it lays the foundation for the whole Book of Psalms. As it progresses it identifies our two life-choices – a road to nowhere, or a path to life. …”

– John Mason continues to publish helpful and encouraging reflections for Anglican Connection. Here’s the latest.

Bishop Grant Dibden on Defence Sunday

From Defence Anglicans – and a great reminder to pray.

Related:

Running a Remembrance Day service on Thursday?

Here are some resources.

Maxims for Maximum Impact: ‘Maxims of Conversation’ and Preaching

“In theory, preaching is easy. Just get two things right: truth and clarity. But, as with many things, the practice is harder. …

I recently came across ‘Grice’s Maxims of Conversation’. Paul Grice (1913-1988) was a British philosopher of language, best known for his ‘co-operative principles’. Simply stated, these insist that people should communicate in a co-operative, helpful way. While Grice was applying them to everyday conversation, his maxims apply to any speech act – including preaching. …

As I work through my sermon and, again, when I’ve finished, I continue to ask myself important questions. Grice’s four maxims would be four good questions for us preachers to ask ourselves:”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Mike Raiter has some real help for preachers.

(Image: GAFCON.)

Friendship: The Foundation of Paul’s Global Ministry

“One of Paul’s most consistent values may surprise us: friendship. Paul valued friendship with fellow Christians. He worked to establish and maintain friendships.

Consider how often Paul says something like: ‘I thank my God always when I remember you, because I hear of your love for all the saints’ (Gal. 1:15, Col. 1:4, 2 Thess. 1:3, Philemon 4).

Consider how in nearly every letter, inspired by the Holy Spirit, he devotes space to greeting specific believers, who are by now long dead. In what sense are those names useful to the man of faith today, if not to teach us the importance of Christian friendships?…”

– Here’s encouragement from Caleb Greggsen, writing at 9Marks.

Defence Sunday 7 November 2021

This Sunday is Defence Sunday, and Grant Dibden, Anglican Bishop to the Australian Defence Force, has recorded a 3’30” video message.

A copy can be downloaded from the Anglican Media Sydney Vimeo account for use in church services – and do pray for this important ministry.

Southern Cross November 2021

In December, printed copies of Southern Cross, the magazine of Sydney Diocese, will again be available in churches.

The November issue is online-only, and is now available. Download your copy at magazine.sydneyanglicans.net

Be sure to read “Christians speak out against assisted suicide” –

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has urged Christians to speak up against the assisted suicide bill, which he calls “a momentous shift in medical practice and community expectation”

The bill, introduced into the NSW Parliament in October, uses the terminology of “voluntary assisted dying” but the Archbishop says it goes beyond the physician-assisted suicide it would legalise.

“It marks the final abandonment of one of the cornerstones of Western civilisation: the sanctity of life,” the Archbishop says. “Advocates of Voluntary Assisted Dying – a deeply misleading cluster of words – have emphasised not the sanctity of life, but quality of life as subjectively experienced, and the primacy of autonomous choice.”

The Archbishop, senior bishops and Christian medical groups have pointed out several ways the bill would not provide extra choice, as proponents argue, but would have a flow-on effect to all those battling terminal illness. …

– Read it all on page 5.

The Tyndale Bulletin goes open access

“Tyndale House is pleased to announce the relaunch of the Tyndale Bulletin as a newly open access journal, available at tyndalebulletin.org.

The Tyndale Bulletin is a peer-reviewed academic journal for biblical scholarship and related disciplines. Since it was established (initially as the Tyndale House Bulletin) in 1956, it has established a reputation for high quality scholarship, publishing the work of over 500 scholars.

Fully open access 
As of October 2021, the Tyndale Bulletin is now a fully open access journal. Articles are initially released online on a rolling basis, with an annual print volume also being produced, including all articles from the previous year. …

Tyndale House Research Fellow in Old Testament and Ancient Near East and Editor of the Tyndale Bulletin, Dr Caleb Howard, said: “We are delighted with the launch of the new open access Tyndale Bulletin. While it will maintain its commitment to scholarly excellence and peer-review, its editorial process will be more efficient and authors’ work will be more freely available on the new fully indexed website.”

Digital archive 
The Tyndale Bulletin is committed to preserving the scholarly research published throughout its history. The journal website currently includes all articles from 2004 onwards; earlier issues will also be added progressively. …”

← Previous Page — Next Page →