In peace I will lie down and sleep
“It was another night of lying on the floor in the dark, my arm raised awkwardly through the cot so my daughter could hold my hand against her face, her favourite (and seemingly only) way to fall asleep.
How many minutes had we been like this now? Five? Ten? Twenty? You start to lose track of time when lying still for so long, night after night after night, kept awake only by the ache in my hips reminding me of the need to do more exercise. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Kat Cowell ponders the Lord’s love, power and presence.
Evangelism for Introverts and other Encouragement
“Street vendors fascinate me. I’ve refused them time without number — but it hasn’t been personal. Deep down, I admire them. I wish I were more like them.
They seem unafflicted with the fear of man. They step into the middle of the walkway, make eye contact, smile, and then thrust their perfumes or cellphone covers upon you. They know we don’t want to hear, yet they speak anyway. One woman snared me recently with her heavy accent. She lifted her voice, and when she saw me pause, she knew she had me. She smelled fear. Before I knew what had happened, my children held massive balloons in their hands and toys in their arms, and she was asking them which ones they liked best. She was insistent that I hear her message.
Why don’t I share the gospel like that?…”
– At Desiring God, Greg Morse writes to encourage us to speak the news people need to hear.
Related:
The Forgotten Evangelists: Mobilizing Ordinary Members in Everyday Evangelism – 9Marks.
“Something concerning is happening in many faithful churches today. The gospel is proclaimed from the pulpit. Prayers are lifted. Mission trips are put into the budget and scheduled for the year. And yet week after week, many church members fail to evangelize the lost.
It’s not usually because they don’t believe in evangelism. I would bet that most church members genuinely want their friends and neighbors to know Christ. But when it comes to speaking up, they freeze.
What’s holding them back? …”
Double the number of reformed evangelicals in Australia over twenty years
From The Pastor’s Heart:
“In a bold move, a meeting of movement leaders from across Australian Reformed Evangelicalism has resolved to work together to see their numbers double over twenty years, through seeing sinners saved.
Leaders gathered for a mini summit organised by The Gospel Coalition Australia at Sydney’s Moore Theological College last week.
Gospel Coalition Australia Chair Rory Shiner says given the unparalleled theological and missional unity between the different organisations there’s a significant window of opportunity to work productively together for God’s glory.
They agreed to work towards an effective target of growing five percent per year through conversion growth. …”
– Rory Shiner, Sarah Kuswadi, Andrew Heard and Gary Millar join Dominic Steele.
On Preaching
David Cook introduces –
Simon Flinders recently spoke to our preaching club at Abbotsford on preaching.
Simon preached and then spoke about preaching, the following are his thoughts:
“Preaching has many detractors these days. There are many who question its place or its relevance, this is not new, it may be that the detractions come more frequently these days.
The attacks may come from bored and resentful pew sitters; from educators who are moving toward more student directed learning; from learning style advocates who argue for more varied presentation methods; from the social media generation who are not used to sitting and listening unless the content comes in super short grabs, YouTube hits and Insta reels; from those who value God’s voice in another form, like direct words of prophecy or dream revelation; from evangelists who may question preaching which they think may seem unattractive and even alienating to the visitor at church.
Why then should we persist with preaching? …”
– Read it all at The Expository Preaching Trust.
Alistair Begg Farewell Service
Alistair Begg, who spoke at this year’s NSW/ACT CMS Summer School, was farewelled from Parkside Church in Cleveland Ohio on Sunday. (Alistair has served at Parkside since 1983.)
2025 Moore PTC Graduation – Occasional Address
From Moore College:
“Building Christ’s body through truth and love – Ephesians 4:7-16.
At the 2025 Moore PTC Graduation, Dr Lionel Windsor urged us to build up the church by speaking the truth in love and furthering unity and maturity in diverse ways to fulfill God’s purposes. From Ephesians 4, this is a powerful encouragement for all who serve Jesus.”
– Watch here.
The heart of God for children
“Children have a unique way of humbling us. From the joys of first steps to the frustration of sleepless nights, children shape our experiences in profound ways. But beyond our personal encounters, what does God say about children? How does he view them, and what should our response be? …”
– Charles Cleworth, who teaches Theology, Philosophy and Ethics at Moore College, writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.
We are on mission with Jesus
“ ‘Jesus is in the midst of his people as we pursue the mission on which he has sent us,’ Archbishop Raffel has told church leaders and evangelists from 57 countries and territories who gathered in Berlin last month. …”
– Russell Powell at SydneyAnglicans.net has this report on the European Congress on Evangelism in Berlin – organised by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association.
We understand that the Archbishop’s address will be published in the next Southern Cross.
Photo courtesy Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, with thanks to Russell Powell.
Anglican Heroes: Richard Hooker — Church Society podcast
In the latest Church Society podcast, Dr Ros Clarke speaks with Nigel Atkinson about Richard Hooker (1554 – 1600).
Why should we know about Richard Hooker today – and how has he been misrepresented (by Cardinal Newman, for example)?
Did he really turn his back on the Reformation? (Answer: No.)
This may be a revelation to many Anglicans.
Did Melbourne just see a sign?
Murray Campbell at Mentone Baptist Church in Melbourne reflects on events in Melbourne, including the election on Saturday of Bishop Ric Thorpe as the next Anglican Archbishop –
“Melbourne needs more churches. Melbourne needs 100s more Christ-centred, Gospel-believing and preaching, people-loving churches.
I’m not an Anglican so feel free to take my observations with the same volume of water found in a baptismal font (bad joke). My Melbourne Anglican friends are overwhelmingly encouraged and thankful for all candidates and the outcome, even as the Diocese looks over troubled waters. Like all our Christian denominations, much deep work of theological and spiritual reform needs to take place. Theological liberalism and moral progressivism is like sand in the car after a day at the beach …”
Exposition
“Along with the many students who studied at Moore College under the Principalship of Dr. Broughton Knox, I have deep gratitude for his twice-weekly lectures to first year students, Doctrine 1.
What struck me most was Dr. Knox’s determination to test all things against Scripture. We studied using T.C. Hammond’s, In understanding be men, and Dr. Knox would even correct that fine book, in minor areas, when he believed it to be inconsistent with the Bible.
In 2 Timothy, Paul’s last letter in the New Testament, Paul reminds his young mentee, Timothy, of the nature of Scripture. …”
– David Cook reminds us of the essential place of faithful and engaging expository preaching. At The Expository Preaching Trust.
Image: Dr. Broughton Knox.
Adults are becoming Christians every day
“One of the questions we commonly get asked at Evangelism and New Churches is how the evangelism process worked for people who became Christians as adults.
People want to hear about what happened and why it was so effective. Many of the people asking these questions don’t know people who became Christians as adults – perhaps because many of them are younger in age.
I want to tell you that people become Christians as adults in Australia every single day. It happens all the time. …”
– A brief word of encouragement from Dave Jensen – at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Image: Dave Jensen speaking at Nexus25.
Have your heart warmed for global mission
We’ve previously mentioned the work of Dr Tim Keesee, founder of Frontline Missions, and his Dispatches from the Front documentaries.
“Dispatches from the Front is a series of documentary films that highlight the marvellous extent, diversity, and unity of Christ’s Kingdom in our world. The journal format of each episode underscores the daily unfolding of God’s activity on the ‘frontlines,’ bringing viewers up-close with sights and sounds from distant corners of the Kingdom.”
While the films are still available on DVD format (remember that?), in the video linked above, Tim Keesee explains that the videos are now available to stream at no charge.
These would be ideal to show in a home group.
Go to frontlinemissions.info/dispatches and scroll down to click on each title.
Under “Add DVD to cart”, there’s now the option to “Stream for Free”.
John Piper writes:
“Beware of watching these Dispatches films if you don’t like being moved and inspired and shaken out of the ruts of your life. My wife and I were riveted in watching the frontline reports of God’s work as recorded in the Dispatches from the Front series. This is the sort of information that builds faith in the present providence of God over His mission and stirs up action for the sake of lost and hurting people near and far.”
There’s also a companion book by Tim Keesee – “Dispatches from the Front: Stories of Gospel Advance in the World’s Difficult Places” available from Reformers Books.
Preach the Word
At the recent gathering for the 50th Anniversary of Campus Bible Study at the University of New South Wales, Phillip Jensen speaks to remind and encourage his hearers to Preach the Word.
– Listen here. (The audio quality improves greatly after the first few minutes.)
Very much worth your time, and good for your heart.
Related:
Giving thanks for Campus Bible Study — 50 years on – The Pastor’s Heart.
Southern Cross May – June 2025
The latest issue of Southern Cross magazine (May – June 2025) is now downloadable from SydneyAnglicans.net.
If you attend a Sydney Anglican church, you should be able to pick up a printed copy there.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…