Always Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide?
From Phillip Jensen:
“Some topics are such a universal way of thinking that it is surprising to see how rarely they are mentioned in the Bible. Conscience is such a topic that is critical to our behaviour and mustn’t be undermined, yet the Bible’s teaching on conscience is more connected to its education than its slavish following. This is a tricky subject to explore.”
– Hear Phillip and Peter Jensen discuss, at Two Ways News.
I regret to inform you that Heaven Tourism is back
Tim Challies again sounds a warning on “heaven tourism” –
“I regret to inform you, dear reader, that heaven tourism is back. The genre possibly never went away entirely, but it did at least disappear from the bestseller lists for several years. Sadly, it has returned in Gabe Poirot’s 18 Days in Heaven, which was one of the bestselling Christian books last month and even made its way to the New York Times list of bestsellers—a feat most authors can only dream of. Out of sheer magnanimity (and perhaps a morbid sense of curiosity), I read it so you don’t have to.
Before I tell you what it’s all about, here’s a brief history of heaven tourism. Don Piper kicked off the genre in 2004 with 90 Minutes in Heaven, and it proved a surprise hit that quickly dominated the sales charts, eventually tallying upwards of 8 million copies sold. Todd Burpo’s Heaven Is for Real followed in 2010 with over 10 million copies sold. That same year brought Kevin and Alex Malarkey’s The Boy Who Came Back from Heaven, which sold more than a million copies before Alex recanted his story and the publisher pulled it. …”
– You may never feel tempted to read any of these books, but you can expect that at least some people in your church will, so be prepared.
Blessed Assurance
From Phillip Jensen:
“As Peter and I consider different topics of Christian concern, it is sad to see how often old problems keep on being recycled through our churches. One such issue is that of assurance. Assurance of salvation is such a fundamental blessing of the Christian life and such a litmus test of authenticity. It is both sad and surprising to see it being questioned once more.
I hope this exploration of assurance will assist you not only in believing but also in caring for others who struggle with the gospel.”
– Very helpful. Do you wonder if you are right with God? Take the time to listen to the end.
Related:
The Global Anglican – Church Society.
Targeted and Engaged Evangelism to the Eastern Orthodox — “Certainty for Life: An Invitation to Those in Eastern Orthodoxy” by John Diacos. Reviewed by Archie Poulos. – The Gospel Coalition Australia.
Institutional Captivity
Phillip Jensen writes,
“In this first episode of our series of topics, Peter and I are discussing institutional captivity. Christians, especially evangelical Christians, have been very enterprising and energetic in setting up Christian organisations and institutions. But sadly, we have not been as good in maintaining their focus or original intention.
So many of our organisations have lost their way even to the extent of excluding evangelicalism. In our conversation we try to explore why and how this takes place.
It’s a large topic which hopefully will lead to many discussions amongst our listeners.”
– Listen to this week’s discussion at Two Ways News.
Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne – new books
From Phillip Jensen at Two Ways News –
“Dear friends,
In this episode of Two Ways News, we welcome back Tony Payne, because each of us has published a new book this year.
Tony’s book entitled Let The Word Dwell Richly helps us understand the great importance of ministering the Word of God to one another.
My new book Written on our Hearts seeks to recover the Ten Commandments for those of us who are saved and live by grace.
This episode is not simply an advertisement for these two books, but a discussion between us about the central concepts of our publications. I hope you enjoy the discussion—and that you buy and read the books.”
– Listen – or read the transcript.
Grace in action — 1 Timothy 1:1–11
Here’s a sermon preached a few weeks ago by Lionel Windsor at Coogee Anglican Church – on 1 Timothy 1:1–11.
– Listen, or read the transcript, at Forget the Channel.
Law and Grace
From Phillip Jensen –
“Peter took over our podcast today and uncharacteristically cross-examined me on my belief. The topic is very important: that is, the relationship between law and grace. But I was expecting the doctrine lecturer to take the lead now that we have left 1 Corinthians.
I hope you enjoy the grilling I received. If you did, don’t forget to remind others to listen to our podcasts which are provided free of charge by the generosity of others.”
– Listen to Peter and Phillip discuss – at Two Ways News.
Mentioned (and very relevant):
Written on Our Hearts – The Ten Commandments and the radical life of grace by Phillip Jensen.
“Here is a radical vision of grace-filled living that delights in the law of the Lord and does good to all people.”
Available from Matthias Media.
Money, Men and Manners
From Phillip Jensen –
“It is a preacher’s foible and failing that we like to have alliteration, so today’s heading of Money, Men and Manners is an attempt to unite Paul’s concluding chapter in his first letter to the Corinthians.
There is more teaching and challenge in the scriptures about money than almost any other ethical topic. Our attitude to money is one of those distinctive qualities of Christian life for we know of the impossibility of serving both God and money. However, there is very little teaching in the scriptures that is exclusively addressed to manliness, and 1 Corinthians 16 gives us the challenge to be manly.
As you read [or listen to] this week’s episode, I will leave you to find the importance of manners. I hope you enjoy it—or should I say, please enjoy it.”
– Hear Philip and Peter Jensen at Two Ways News.
See the transcript for the links Phillip mentions.
The Glorious Body — Dust to dust, ashes to ashes.
Phillip Jensen writes –
“Dear friends,
People’s attitudes towards their bodies can be quite diverse: from those who are embarrassed, to those who are proud; from those who hide their appearance behind excessive clothing to those who glory in their display of flesh.
Within the ancient world, and still amongst ‘super spiritual’ people, there has been the desire to be free of our bodily limitations. Yet Christians boldly proclaim the resurrection of the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and more than that, of our future hope of the resurrection of our own bodies.
But the obvious question comes about the nature of our future resurrection bodies—will I still be limited by my imperfections, or at a geriatric age? Paul was addressing the doubters in 1 Corinthians 15 when he spoke of our glorious body which will be like unto Jesus.
I hope you enjoy this discussion on this vital teaching of Christians about the resurrection.
Yours,
Phillip.”
– Hear (or read the transcript of) Phillip and Peter’s conversation at Two Ways News.
Jesus exceeds
Michael Leong writes at The Expository Preaching Trust –
“ ‘Jesus is like the lifeguard who pulls you out of the rip at the beach, rescuing you from danger.’
’Jesus is like the parachute instructor who used his body to cushion the impact for his student, giving His life for yours.’
’Jesus is like the Son of the King who vouches for you, so that you can be adopted into His family.’
All of these illustrations are fine for helping our people understand the person and work of Christ – they use categories that are familiar (rescue, substitution, advocacy) to help us grasp what Jesus has done for us.
At the same time, though, I’ve been challenged recently in my preaching to go further than simply saying Jesus is like something in our world. I call this principle ‘Jesus exceeds’ – it’s the truth that, while Jesus might be like certain things in our world, He is also better than all of those things. …”
Inconsistent Faith
From Phillip Jensen:
“Dear friends,
Two Ways News is freely available and we encourage our subscribers and regular listeners to advertise it freely amongst their friends and associates. It is freely available because it is provided by the generosity of others. If you would like to share in being generous, the details on how to contribute to this ministry are found at the foot of this transcript.
Today, we are looking at 1 Corinthians 15:12–34, which talks about the inconsistency of those who want the gospel of Jesus without his resurrection. It is a vital passage to see the significant and important consequences of Jesus’ resurrection for life now as well as the future.
Yours,
Phillip.”
– Hear this week’s episode with Peter and Phillip Jensen.
Abuse in Christian Marriage – with Darby Strickland
From The Pastor’s Heart –
“How might we better (as pastors) better come alongside victims of domestic abuse?
Abuse in Christian marriage is easy to miss—and even easier to minimise.
How can pastors recognise what is happening behind closed doors and help our churches become places of refuge for the oppressed?
Counsellor and author Darby Strickland joins us to discuss domestic abuse, the entitlement that drives it, and the patterns of control that can be hidden beneath an appearance of Christian respectability.
Darby Strickland is a counsellor and faculty member at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation (CCEF), and author of Is It Abuse? A Biblical Guide to Identifying Domestic Abuse and Helping Victims.
We explore how to listen carefully and ask better questions.
We consider how Christ’s sacrificial love shapes our care for those living with oppression and fear.”
– Watch or listen – and find links to useful resources.
The Victory
Phillip Jensen writes:
“Last week, we started our series in the Resurrection Chapter, 1 Corinthians 15. Naturally, we started at the beginning, but today, we are jumping to the end. For the Resurrection is the end to which the world is heading, and we don’t want to wait until after the doubter’s arguments before hearing the great proclamation of the victory of the risen Lord Jesus.
Don’t forget to mention this podcast to your friends—it is provided free of charge by the generosity of others.”
– Hear Philip and Peter discuss!
9/11 Twenty-Five Years On
John Mason reiterates and expands his reflections on the horrible events of 11 September 2001 –
“Twenty-five years ago Judith and I were living three short blocks south of the Twin Towers in Downtown Manhattan. I had received an invitation from Timothy Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church New York City, to set up a gospel-focused Anglican Church to complement the ministry of Redeemer Church in the city.
On Tuesday morning, September 11, we had awakened to see from our apartment clear blue skies and the sparkling waters of New York Harbor. But it was not to last. …”
– Many ACL members know John well. He’s ministered in Sydney, Canberra and New York. He founded the Anglican Connection in the USA and also served as Commissary to the Archbishop of Sydney in the USA.
Read his reflections at Anglican Connection.
Or listen to them here:
Related:
The Day the World Stood Still – Phillip Jensen spoke at St. Andrew’s Cathedral on the tenth anniversary, 11 September 2011.
Seeing God at Ground Zero: an Aussie’s testimony from 9/11 – Anthony Philips, published by The Australian Church Record, 10 September 2019.
The Gospel Foundation — The hope of worms?
From Phillip Jensen:
“This week we start a 4-week series on one of the pivotal chapters in the Bible: 1 Corinthians 15. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is not an afterthought of the gospel. It is not a tidying up of the events of Jesus’ death at Calvary. The resurrection is the gospel; it is foundational to the Christian understanding of Jesus’ mission and the world’s future.
In this episode of Two Ways News we look at the first 11 verses which are on the truth of the gospel. As we recall the message that was preached, in the coming weeks we will see the significance of doubting the resurrection as well as the marvellous implications of our confidence in Christ’s resurrection.”
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…