What do you want to become? (Ephesians 5:5–7)

“What do you want to become? When you close your eyes and picture yourself in 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, what will you have become? What do you hope for, pray for, and plan for? …”

– Don’t be deceived, Lionel Windsor at Moore College has some encouragement for you from God’s word.

Books of the Reformation: An Interactive Exhibition

On Monday, 28 October 20129, from 6:30 pm, Moore College is running a free event as part of the NSW State Library’s Sydney Rare Book Week.

Booking here.

Dr Peter Jones on The Arrival of the Post-Secular Age

Reformers Bookshop in Stanmore is hosting an event with Dr. Peter Jones, Executive Director of TruthXChange in Los Angeles, on Monday 21st October at 7:00pm.

Details here.

Dr. Jones is also speaking at the Australian Christian Lobby’s “Not Ashamed” 2019 National Conference in Sydney on Saturday 19th October. See the short video of Dr Jones on this page.

Crowd Madness and The New Religion of The West

“ ‘There are 2 gunman at the university – tell your friends on campus’.

The text arrives from a friend, who knows I’m often on campus. But I can’t believe it: surely this is spam?

So I ring my friend to confirm. Yes, the text is legit: A collegue of his has a contact at the university.There really are gunmen at Southern Cross University in Lismore.

I well up with anxiety. My head starts racing. Is this really happening?…

But the herd mentality isn’t limited to stressful rumours about active shooters (as bad as they are). Any idea can lead to herd mentality, as it spreads among a population.”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Akos Balogh draws some helpful ideas for Christians from a new book about western culture.

Submission on the Religious Freedom draft laws

Associate Professor Neil Foster shares his personal submission on the Government’s package of draft laws on Religious Freedom – at Law and Religion Australia.

If you would like to make your own submission, you have until 5:00 pm on Wednesday 2nd October 2019.

The Moon is Always Round

“In one of those wonderful gifts of God in the midst of darkness, I received a copy of Jonny Gibson’s book The Moon is Always Round only a day before hearing that the New South Wales parliament had failed to protect the most vulnerable in society and had passed its Abortion Bill.

Though the Bill received some significant amendments, its basic thrust remains and we have descended further into a culture of death where life has no intrinsic value, only what we decide to give it. If you want this child, that’s OK. Go ahead and carry the child to full term and share your life with her or him. But if you do not want this child, for whatever reason, then this life is expendable, disposable. It was a tragic piece of news to hear that this Bill had been passed. The darkness encroaches even further.

Enter Jonny Gibson’s book. …”

– Moore College Principal Dr Mark Thompson commends a book about a sensitive and important topic.

It’s available locally from Reformers Bookshop.

David Ould also has a review.:

“In The Moon is Always Round Jonathan Gibson has given us a fine gift – the tragedy of the stillbirth of his daughter turned into a book to help children process suffering.

Illustrated beautifully by Joe Hox, Gibson takes us through the story of that loss through the eyes of his son Ben, using the waxing and waning of the moon as an illustration of something that we can’t always see but we know is always there.”

Freedom for Faith submission on the draft Religious Discrimination Bill

“Freedom for Faith has released its submission to the Commonwealth Government on its Exposure Draft Religious Discrimination Bill. …

I recommend it as an excellent overview of the Bill, with a good summary of its good points and some areas where it could be improved. …”

– See Neil Foster’s latest post to download a copy of the submission, along with previous comments – at Law and Religion Australia.

Practical tips for sharing the gospel with a stranger

“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?… Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Romans 10:14, 17)

How often do we consider the urgency of Paul’s words here? …

– At GoThereFor.com, Mike Taylor shares some very helpful ideas for sharing Christ. Read, and be spurred to action.

God in the Rainforest by Kathryn Long — Review by Wei-Han Kuan

“There are few stories in the English-speaking evangelical Christian world that have had greater impact than that of the Auca Five. Five young North American men, full of the promise and potential of the post-WWII generation, speared to death in equatorial Ecuador as they sought to bring the Gospel of Christ to a hitherto unreached, reclusive, jungle tribe. …”

– CMS Victoria State Director Wei-Han Kuan looks at an important and sobering book, God in the Rainforest: A Tale of Martyrdom & Redemption in Amazonian Ecuador by Kathryn Long,

Men Praying for Moore

The next Men’s Prayer gathering to pray for Moore College is on Saturday 21st September.

Details and RSVP here.

Seeing God at Ground Zero: an Aussie’s testimony from 9/11

“A meteorologist would tell you there were sprawling areas of high pressure, but to me it was simply a picture-perfect day for my last full day in New York, and an opportunity to explore the tourist hot spots.

First on the list was the viewing observatory inside the World Trade Center’s South Tower. It was Tuesday, September 11, 2001. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Anthony Phillips reflects on his experience, and the lessons he learned from that day in New York.

Latest Northwest Network – fuel for prayer

The latest Northwest Network, from the Diocese of North West Australia, is now available for your encouragement to to fuel your prayers for the people of the north west. Dated August 2019.

900kb PDF file.

Australian Church Record Journal for Spring 2019 now out

Download your copy of the latest Australian Church Record Journal for Spring 2019 here.

Contents:

Thank God for Ordinary Pastors
Mark Earngey

Wangaratta Defies National Church
Kanishka Raffel

The Opened Eyes of Wilberforce
David Ould

Evangelism in the Upper Mountains
Jon Guyer

Gospel Growth through ANeW
Sam Broadfoot

New Life in an Ancient Parish?
Ben Wilkinson

Contending side by side
Tom Habib

Some Observations for Ordinary Pastoral Ministry
Archie Poulos

The Christian and His Worship
D. Broughton Knox.

Archbishop urges Anglicans to join the Stand for Life Rally

“Archbishop Glenn Davies has warned of the dangers of the Bill which allows abortion up until birth, urging Christians show support for the life of the unborn before the Upper House considers the Bill. … Dr Davies urged promotion for the ‘Rally for Life’ on Sunday afternoon, 15 September in Hyde Park.”

– SydneyAnglicans.net.