The Monotony of the Wilderness: Are you just marking time?


“I’m reading through the Pentateuch. There’s much that happens in these books, especially during the journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Promised Land.

The trip is action-packed, especially at the beginning. Consider the many memorable events: the crossing of the Red Sea, the miracle of manna, water from the rock, the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai, and the Golden Calf incident.

We tend to remember the high and low points, but for most of the forty years it took for the Israelites to reach Canaan, the days were probably pretty monotonous. …”

– At the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, Mike Emlet writes to encourage a heavenly perspective on these times.

God’s concern for greater Sydney

“If you were to look for one sentence that summarises the teaching of the Bible, it would be hard to find a more succinct candidate than the final words of the prophet Jonah’s prayer: ‘Salvation belongs to the Lord!’ (Jonah 2:9).

Jonah is a remarkable book for many reasons. One example is that it contains, in the Hebrew text, only five words of prophecy (3:4), whereas both the minor and major prophets of the Old Testament contain hundreds and thousands of words of prophecy addressed to Israel or the nations.…”

— Archbishop Glenn Davies points us to the message of Jonah and God’s concern for the city.

Supporting Moore College in Challenging Times

“There is nothing quite like a crisis to help us assess the deep desires of our hearts. COVID-19 has certainly led me to ask the question: in what do I trust most in life? If one good thing could come from this terrible pandemic, may it be that all Christians would ask this simple question. And may we honestly assess what our answers tell us about the things in which we trust. …”

– Trevor Cairney, at the Moore College Foundation, writes to encourage you to pray for and partner with Moore College.

June 2020 Southern Cross now online

Southern Cross, the monthly magazine from the Diocese of Sydney, is being published online while churches are not meeting in person.

You can read – and download – this month’s issue here.

Pressing on or Treading Water?

“There is still a strange eerie feeling about the community at the moment. It was present during the bushfires, and it is still here with the coronavirus. If normal life was all about parties, crowds, and living it up, then normality has yet to return. Everything remains disrupted, although to varying degrees.

To some, it all seems rather exaggerated, even manufactured, perhaps a plot concocted by political powers who are seeking to exercise yet more power. To others, it seems that the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse have been let loose, and the end is nigh.

If we are Christians, we are called upon, in the first place, to be faithful, and seek God’s Word for our hearts and minds. …”

– Great encouragement in this message from The Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia.

How to Pray for your Pastor during Lockdown


“If you pray for your pastor, as I hope you do, how will you pray for him during this coronavirus lockdown?

Of course, this global lockdown affects us all differently. We live under widely varying regulations in different countries or even in different counties within the same country.

But there are some things you can pray for your pastor – regardless of his circumstance. Consider these six. …”

– Some encouraging thoughts from Christopher Ash, at 9Marks.

(Photo: Christopher Ash at the 2016 Moore College graduation.)

John Chapman: Encouragement for Evangelism

“Do you really believe the gospel can convert your friends?”

[We posted this in February 2020. The pandemic is an excellent time to be reminded of this encouragement.]

In June and July 1977, the Sydney University Evangelical Union ran a major campus-wide mission. It was a big undertaking for the members of the SUEU, and a great blessing to many at the university.

John Chapman (Director of the Department of Evangelism in Sydney Diocese from 1969) and Paul Barnett (Rector of Holy Trinity Adelaide since 1973, and previously Rector of St. Barnabas Broadway) were the missioners.

Several months before the Mission, SUEU President Adrian Lane asked Chappo to record some words of encouragement for SUEU members. This 6 minute and 34 second tape is the result. We hope you find it a real encouragement.

 

Or right click on this link to download the 3.2MB mp3 file.

Related:

Phillip Jensen on Chappo, March 2013. – The Briefing, Matthias Media.

The preaching of John Chapman – Simon Manchester, The Briefing.

John Chapman – a personal reflection from Mark Thompson.

John Charles Chapman (Chappo) – by David Cook.

Chappo’s contribution to the Anglican Diocese of Armidale – Tim Stevens.

Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane remembers the beginnings of the SUEU – ACL.

(1980 photo: AFES.)

Partnership is a special gift of God

“Our world is in great need. That is more obvious every day. People are lost without Christ and they do not even realise it. A culture that is moving at breakneck speed away from its gospel heritage is unravelling and doing immense but unrecognised harm.

We need more men and women who are deeply immersed in the Scriptures, whose lives and teaching consistently re ect God’s truth and his gracious, loving character, and who are gifted and thoroughly prepared for the joys and challenges of this moment and the moments to come.

We cannot afford to take shortcuts in preparing people for a lifetime of word ministry in the world and among God’s people. There is too much at stake, and Christian leadership in this form is under constant assault from the evil one. …”

– Moore College Principal, Dr. Mark Thompson, writes about the great value of gospel partnership in the latest (Autumn 2020) Moore Matters.

Read online or download the PDF file.

(Photo courtesy The Pastor’s Heart.)

Fireside Songs — Colin Buchanan Online Concert for Adults Thursday 7th May

The Gospel Coalition Australia is partnering with Colin Buchanan to host an online concert for adults this Thursday, 7th May, at 7:30pm AEST.

Sounds like a great idea.

Never Alone – Using our isolation for the sake of eternity

“If we had not understood the word ‘isolation’ before now, then we have all had a heavy dose of this experience in the past month! The Government’s restrictions on movement have impacted us all, with the strong message: ‘Stay home!’.…”

– Archbishop Glenn Davies writes in the current issue of Southern Cross.

Mincaye is now with Jesus

“On Tuesday afternoon, Mincaye, the former warrior who in 1956 speared to death Nate Saint and Ed McCully, two of the five missionary martyrs in Ecuador, passed from this life to the next. A member of the once fierce Huaorani tribe, Mincaye had come to Christ, and was a transformed man, a delightful brother who was a joy to be with. …”

– Randy Alcorn shares the news.

May 2020 Southern Cross now online

Anglican Media Sydney has released the May 2020 issue of Southern Cross – only available online – to read in your browser or as a PDF download.

Lots of encouraging articles.

For your prayers, there’s also a report (pages 9 and 10) on the coronavirus outbreak at Newmarch House at Caddens.

[Anglicare CEO Grant Millard] said the COVID-19 outbreak was “unprecedented and traumatic”. “Nothing actually prepares you for the trauma that our staff and residents and families are dealing with,” he said. “Please keep our residents and their families in your thoughts and prayers, especially those who are grieving the loss of their loved ones.”

North West Network May 2020

The May 2020 edition of North West Network is now available at this link. (3.3MB PDF file.)

Fuel for your prayers for the Diocese and people of North West Australia.

Meditating on the glory of Christ

“In an earlier post, I suggested that the confinement of the COVID-19 crisis might provide Christians with an opportunity to recover the art of meditating on Scripture to prepare ourselves for our greatest act of faith – coming to terms with our finitude and ultimately handing our bodies over to Christ in death.

Doing this requires the cultivation of habits and disciplines on our part. At the very least it involves setting aside time, removing distractions, turning off the technology, together with prayer and patience.

A while back a friend and I tried to set aside a couple of hours individually each month for this, and then got together to compare notes together afterwards. …”

– Dr Andrew Leslie at Moore College writes in The Australian Church Record.

Anglicans and pandemics: 101 years on

“This is not the first time that the ACR has seen a pandemic.

From 1880, the Church Record, as it was known, reported on all the news relating to the Anglican Church in Australia and New Zealand. So I did a bit of research and trawled through the archives to find out what the Church Record said about the 1919 influenza epidemic.

I discovered that the ACR has ‘seen this movie before’ and has some wise advice for us today. …”

– Bronwyn Windsor shares the encouragement she discovered. At The Australian Church Record.

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