Tim Keller’s Last email to John Piper
From Desiring God:
“Based on their last correspondence, what would Tim Keller want John Piper to say to younger pastors (and everybody else)?”
What I need most from my minister
“When we forget that ministry is godliness, we forget that godliness is the goal. Churches can begin to exist simply for the purpose of increasing the number of people coming on a Sunday. Ministers can begin to overlook the sinful habits in their own lives, perhaps even justifying them or rationalising them away, because of the good ‘ministry’ that they are doing. And individual Christians in the church can begin to measure their own Christian walk simply by how involved or active they are. …”
– Tom Habib reminds us of the greatest need we have for the personal lives of our ministers – at SydneyAnglicans.net.
Has there ever been a month like this for BCA? Five Field Staff commissioned in six weeks!
BCA’s NSW/ACT Regional Officer Paul Sampson writes,
“Our good God has heard and answered your prayers. What a joy to attend the commissioning of not one but five Field Staff in five different locations in just six Saturdays during late January, February and March 2023. Each of these ministries is a testament to the graciousness of our God and the faithfulness of BCA supporters who have prayed diligently for many years and generously provided financial support for these ministries. …”
In his The Narrow Road newsletter for May 2023, Paul shares news of commissionings at
- Cowra,
- Broken Hill,
- West Wyalong,
- Cobar and
- Bathurst,
as well as other encouragements.
Download the PDF file here. (Link via the Bush Church Aid Society Facebook page.)
Southern Cross, May – June 2023 now available
The May – June 2023 issue of Southern Cross, the magazine of the Diocese of Sydney, is now available.
Copies can be picked up at local churches, and you can also download it here.
From Russell Powell:
“Southern Cross this month has all anyone needs to know about GAFCON IV, including the Archbishop writing on Why GAFCON matters, as well as
- We sing Getty hymns – now the foremost contemporary hymnwriter is visiting Sydney
- A Mother’s Day special – How my mother shaped my faith by Rachel Chin and Dave Jensen.
- An analysis of clergy stress and burnout.”
May 2023 edition of the North West Network
The May 2023 edition of the North West Network is now available for you to download.
It’s a great way to be encouraged to pray for the people and churches of North West Australia.
Bible Time with Pre-schoolers
“I’m so thankful that my daughter is taught at pre-school by wonderfully experienced Christian teachers… so when a list of recommended Bible resources from one of those gifted and thoughtful teachers finds its way into your child’s book bag, it is something to be treasured!
I come back to this list every time I want to add to our library. Clearly, it’s far from exhaustive (there are so many good things out there) and seasoned pre-school teachers and parents will no doubt be familiar with a lot of these books, but I thought I’d share this treasured list here anyway, with a few of my own favourites added in along the way. …“
– Here’s some encouragement and practical help from Kirsten McKinlay at The Australian Church Record.
The Most Radical Thing I Do
“As I left our small church this morning the crowd sitting outside at the café opposite stared at me. I smiled back and waved. They had no idea of the fundamental treasons I’d been committing, of the revolution I participate in. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Mike Flynn has some counter-cultural encouragement.
What now after Canterbury’s leadership implosion – with Sydney Archbishop Kanishka Raffel
Just released from The Pastor’s Heart – while visiting Bunda Bible College in Tanzania, Dominic Steele speaks with Archbishop Kanishka Raffel.
“Sydney’s Archbishop Kanishka Raffel has responded to Gafcon’s Kigali Commitment which says the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby’s continued leadership of the Anglican Communion is entirely indefensible.
Leaders representing 85% of the Anglican Communion say they have no confidence in the Archbishop of Canterbury or the other instruments of the Anglican Communion.
In his first interview, since the release of Gafcon’s Kigali Communique, Archbishop Raffel sits down with Dominic Steele while on a tour of Anglican Aid projects in rural Tanzania.”
Also much encouraging news on the impact of Anglican Aid.
How the Original Languages can benefit the African Church
“It’s very important in our promotion of the original languages not to make people think that they cannot trust their translated versions. However, I have personally experienced the joy and value of reading the Bible in the original languages. This is something I wish for many more to experience for themselves. …”
Ikho Poswayo serves at George Whitefield College in Capetown.
Charles Simeon: a model for preachers
“Charles Simeon was the pastor of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Cambridge from 1782 to his death in 1836 – a period of 54 years. It is difficult to find anyone before Charles Simeon who set about so systematically to teach people to preach.
By 1832 Simeon had published what he called a ‘skeleton’ or sermon outline on the entire bible – over 2,500 in all! They are quite detailed – a lot more flesh and blood than you might expect on a skeleton. But the skeletons were perhaps an outworking of his own experience as a preacher where for the first 7 years he said he ‘did not know the head from the tail of a sermon’.
JI Packer says that the genius of the skeletons was that they showed the preacher how to make sure that it was the text that did the talking throughout the sermon, rather than the preacher loading up the text with his own ideas. They also encouraged the preacher to find and stick to the one big idea of the text. …”
– Encouragement for preachers from Stuart Coulton at The Expository Preaching Trust.
Family, Being and Home
“Many people have expressed much care and concern for Elizabeth and myself knowing we have left many close family and friends on the other side of the country to come and live and serve in the North West. …”
– Recently-installed Bishop of North West Australia Darrell Parker writes of being ‘home’.
“The church world has changed because of GAFCON IV”
George Conger shares his experiences of GAFCON IV at Anglican Unscripted.
Spoiler: Very positive and encouraging.
The Kigali Commitment — the statement from GAFCON 4
“After a horrible few months in the Church of England, in which we feel that we have been punched in the stomach and kicked in the teeth by our own bishops, it’s really great to be here in Rwanda, where we experience the warm embrace of brothers and sisters in Christ from around the world. …
As Kanishka Raffel told us, ‘the GAFCON Primates and GAFCON branches have been attacked and ridiculed and criticized but they have stood up and stood alongside those who were defamed and isolated for the sake of holding to the truth of God’s word.’ But it is clear that we stand together in unity here. How good and pleasant that is! (Psalm 133)…”
– Read all of Lee Gatiss’ report from GAFCON IV at the Church Society website.
ACR Journal Autumn 2023 now available
There’s much worthwhile reading in the just-released copy of the Autumn 2023 ACR Journal –
Editorial: Taste and see that the Lord is good – Mike Leite
The law of the Lord is perfect – Andrew Leslie
Created male and female: Reflections on Genesis 1-3 – Gav Perkins
God’s goodness in 1 Timothy – Lionel Windsor
Interview: William Taylor – Micky Mantle
How to preach truth yet teach falsely – Mike Leite
A God worth trembling before: Isaiah 66 – Craig Schafer
Preaching a good and powerful word – Paul Grimmond
Will we be teachers who tremble at His Word? – Phil Colgan
Reflections: An interview with Phillip Jensen – Ben George
Displaying God’s love daily: School chaplain interviews – Stephen Tong
This is the Word of the Lord: Thanks be to God – Mark Earngey
You are enough, and other lies we like to swallow – Jocelyn Loane
Richard Johnson: Chaplain under fire – Stephen Tong
From the vault: The evangelical heritage – Archbishop Howard Mowll
From the vault: The cross and the resurrection – John Stott
Book review: Eager to serve by Ray Galea – Ben Pfahlert
Book review: The Doctrine of Scripture: An Introduction by Mark Thompson – Andrew Leslie
Book review: The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine by Peter Jensen – Sandy Grant
Book review: Biblical critical theory by Christopher Watkin – Rory Shiner.
Download your copy from The Australian Church Record.
Book launch – Peter Jensen’s The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian doctrine
Moore College has now uploaded the video of the launch of Peter Jensen’s new book, The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian doctrine.
Do watch the full video – Peter speaks about his purpose in the book, and explains his use in the lecture room of some of the books he brought along. Very encouraging.
Get your copy of The Life of Faith: An Introduction to Christian doctrine from Matthias Media.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…