Latest North West Network (August 2024) now available


The latest North West Network (dated August 2024) – from the Diocese of North West Australia – is now available to be downloaded as a PDF file.

Use it to inform your prayers for the men and women, boys and girls, of the North West, and for the churches seeking to share the saving news of Jesus with them.

Plenty of encouragement.

– Download here. (1MB PDF file.)

Why read John’s Gospel?

“I hope to remind us of old truths, perhaps prompt some new thoughts, but above all stimulate us to read and preach this wonderful part of God’s word.

Here are five reasons to read John’s Gospel for your consideration.…”

– St. Andrew’s Cathedral is hosting a reading of the entire Gospel of John, and AFES is using that Gospel in its Meet Jesus campaign.

Helpfully, Bill Salier shares the first in a series of reflections on the Gospel of John, at The Gospel Coalition Australia.

Sharpened and Refined: a missionary journey – Kylie Zietsch

From Moore College, an interview with Kylie Zietsch:

“Despite my education degree, the volunteer work I was doing in Johannesburg, ministering to students and the homeless, lacked the firm foundation of theological education. So in 2010 I came to Moore College intent on studying for a year. But I soon realised I wanted to go deeper into the word and grow skills in how to approach ministry, so one year grew into four, and I finished the Bachelor of Theology.

I am really thankful for my time at Moore. I was surrounded by women with whom I could walk the journey of life and ministry, with whom I could think through future plans, and who encouraged me in my faith. Looking back now, the student body were formative in encouraging me in mission and sharpening me, preparing me for the mission field.. …”

– Read it here.

NEPAL: Understanding the Bible

“In February, 145 pastors, leaders, and theology students from Nepali Anglican parishes gathered at the Anglican Training Centre in Kathmandu for a three-day training course. Supported by Anglican Aid, the course taught the church leaders to read and teach the Bible well. …”

– Encouraging news via Anglican Aid in Sydney.

Visit the Sick!

“Friends in Christ, in Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus taught us via the parable of the sheep and the goats.

It reminds us that heaven and hell are on the line in our response to Jesus’ teaching. The evidence of our faith in King Jesus and his message will be revealed by how we treat others, especially brothers and sisters in Christ.

Today I want to focus on one example from this parable in Matthew 25 …”

– In his Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant has some simple, practical, encouragement.

Good to read and good to share with others in the church.

A wonderful gospel resource you might not have seen

We first posted this in 2022, but it’s worth revisiting since so few people seem to know about this valuable (free) resource:

“Have you ever been in a situation where you would love to leave a gospel message with someone but had nothing with you to give? Or the person didn’t read English and that’s the only language you have available?

Global Recordings Network has a unique solution to this dilemma: 5fish! …

The International Orality Network tells us that 4 out of 5 people in the world communicate primarily or exclusively through oral, not textual means. This means that only 1 out of 5 people are happy when you give them something to read – regardless of whether it is a book, magazine, or tract. Everyone else wants to listen or watch!

The Australian Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey in 2006 that informs us that approximately 7 million (46%) Australians aged 15 to 74 years did not reach the minimum standard required for individuals to meet the complex demands of everyday life and work in the emerging knowledge-based economy. Almost half of the Australian population would struggle to read and understand the Bible if you handed them one.”

– At AP (The Australian Presbyterian), Global Recordings Network’s Christine Platt makes a case for 5fish.

Watch the 75 second video below to see how 5fish works.

Consider sharing the video, and links to 5fish, with members of your church.

(We understand the app will soon be updated to add even more functionality.)

Reflections on Preaching Conferences

“Preachers around our city, country and world stand up each Sunday to echo God’s life-giving and powerful Word to gatherings of sheep. They stand before people in need of nourishment, in need of encouragement to press on in Jesus’ footsteps, in need of assurance that trust is rightly placed in Him, in need of a clear word to call them back from straying, in need of a seeing again the Lord God, Father, Son and Spirit in all His glory, love, wisdom and grace.  They’ve laboured in the text and on their knees, with the Spirit to guide, and made use of some tools to understand what God says and to bring it on Sunday with conviction and engagement.

Sometimes they go home on Sunday, gladly spent from their labour and love for the flock, not just this day but the hours in their study, in prayer, and at kitchen tables and hospital bedsides.  They’ll start again tomorrow …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, Janet Riley reflects on the value and encouragement of Preaching Conferences.

Image: Rod Chiswell and David Cook at one of the recent preaching conferences. (There’s one at Wahroonga coming up.)

Faithful listening

“What to do if we find the preaching we’re fed Sunday by Sunday is biblical, yet quite standard, and maybe a bit dull? … When we hear nothing really new to us, except the old, old story of Jesus and his cross?

Are we so well fed, that these become meals we feel we can skip as we feel like it?

Here’s an old hymn (#49, Olney Hymns) by John Newton, of ‘Amazing Grace’ fame. He often wrote a new hymn each week, while ministering in the parish of Olney!

But these days I doubt anyone is singing this one! …”

– In the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Newsletter, Dean of Sydney Sandy Grant draws attention to a little-known hymn by John Newton. (Sadly, we don’t hear many new Christian songs like this one!)

The hymn may be found on page 386 of the PDF version of Olney Hymns published by Christian Classics Ethereal Library. (Click on Download, then select PDF.)

This painting of John Newton by John Russell hangs in the CMS building in Oxford. Photo © Marylynn Rouse / The John Newton Project, used with permission.

On Reading and Studying as a Pastor

“Protestant pastors don’t read or study very much these days, and most churches don’t encourage them to do so. There are fewer pastor-readers than ever before (and surfing the web, dabbling in this oddity and that, doesn’t count!).

Church members and even officers sometimes have a hard time appreciating how much time a good message from God’s word takes to develop, and furthermore don’t see the importance of the pastor studying for anything other than preaching and devotions. There is a strong dose of anti-intellectualism in our circles and it doesn’t encourage a man to do the hard work of developing the mind and expanding his knowledge.

But precisely because our people are bathed in trivial information in this day and age, they need a shepherd with real knowledge, much discernment, and a nose for truth.…

Furthermore, Paul gives Timothy a sterling example of studiousness from his own practice and priorities.”

– Ligon Duncan at Reformed Theological Seminary encourages pastors to sound learning. At 9Marks.

Meet Jesus: A Mid-Year Progress Update

 

“After a pastor prayed for his friends, one of them rang him up the next day and said: ‘I’m not really sure why I am ringing you, but I thought I would touch base’. The pastor replied: ‘I know why you are ringing me. It is because I prayed for you’. And he shared the gospel with his friend over the phone!

A student in Sydney used sausages at her frisbee team’s BBQ to draw the pictures from Two Ways to Live … and explain Jesus to her friends. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Richard Chin shares some encouragement from the AFES-initiated “Meet Jesus” mission.

Photo: Richard Chin speaking at Moore College earlier this year.

A way back from disillusionment and disappointment in ministry — The Pastor’s Heart

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Disillusionment is one of the great threats to the Christian life and to Christian ministry

A wise man said the worst thing in ministry was not a pastor who quits, but a pastor who doesn’t quit, but who keeps going when they’ve given up.

Sydney Missionary and Bible College Karl Deenick shares his own experience of hitting a major wall after seven years of pastoral work.

We unpack how ministry challenges can lead to a sense of disillusionment, especially among millennials, plus a way back.”

– Many will resonate with this one. Watch or listen here.

Related:

Gathered Together by Karl Deenick. (Matthias Media.)

Peter Adam’s talks at the 2001 Proclamation Trust Senior Ministers Conference:

The Making of a Man of God – 1.
The Making of a Man of God – 2.
The Making of a Man of God – 3.

A culture of winning souls for Christ

“In 1 Corinthians 9:19-22 the apostle Paul famously gives insight into one way Jesus’ love drove him to create deeply meaningful, personal connections to bring people the gospel:

Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.

Key to Paul’s strategy is using culture – understanding and adapting himself to others’ life patterns – to win souls for Christ. Moreover, this is not for Paul alone. He also calls on the Corinthians to “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor 11:1). All Christians are to become all things to all people, so that by all possible means we might save some.

Understanding culture is vital for Christians. However, it can also seem daunting – reserved for quirky, safari-suited academics studying strange tribal rituals in a remote place! I want to give a simple, accessible description of culture I’ve found very helpful in putting 1 Cor 9:22 into concrete, real-life practice. …”

– Here’s some encouragement from The Rev. Dr. Dan Wu at Moore College. (via SydneyAnglicans.net.)

Savour Christ in Every Psalm

“For the greater part of church history, Christians have viewed the Psalms through the lens of fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

In particular, they have read the Psalms as the songs of Jesus — songs sung by Jesus in his life on earth, and songs in which the risen and ascended Jesus still leads his church in singing on earth. …”

– At Desiring God, Christopher Ash encourages us to do what millennia of Christians (including centuries of Anglicans) have done.

Archbishop Kanishka Raffel on The upside-down kingdom

“The world into which Jesus was born was a world that was harsh to live in and often deeply harmful to children. Jewish parents regarded their children as a blessing and a gift from God. Parents and rabbis were involved in training children and passing on to them the knowledge of God. But outside the Jewish community, those kinds of protections and advantages were non-existent.

I’m sure ancient parents loved their children, but they were not sentimental about childhood in the way we are, and they were not shaped by the Bible in the way their Jewish counterparts were. Roman fathers had lawful authority to kill their children if they were mentally or physically deformed, or if they were unwanted or unable to be cared for. In the first century, only 50 per cent of children lived to be five years old. Of them, only 40 per cent would make it to 12.

It was into this world that God chose to come – incredibly, as a child. Jesus had a real childhood. …”

– Archbishop Kanishka Raffel writes at SydneyAnglicans.net of how  “Jesus’ kingdom is an upside-down kingdom. God has chosen what is weak and foolish to shame the wise and the powerful”.

(Also in the June-July 2024 issue of Southern Cross.)

Root Not Fruit

“The news that the prominent Atheist Richard Dawkins is now claiming to be a cultural Christian, should not surprise.

Many of us know parents who send children to Christian schools because they like the product of such schools, yet insist they don’t want their children to be religious.

In my first parish I would meet C.E. Christians. I was told I could only expect to see them at Christmas (C) and Easter (E). So called ‘cultural Christians’ see no need to believe the supernatural elements of the Faith, they are Christians without the C and the E. …”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook reminds us why we must keep on preaching the Word.

Photo: David Cook preaching at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in 2022.

← Previous Page — Next Page →