Are you on the same team as Israel Folau? — Phillip Jensen speaks at Moore College Chapel


Phillip Jensen spoke on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 as a guest preacher at Moore College Chapel last Friday, 3rd May 2019.

This is well worth hearing and sharing. (File photo.)

The heart of GAFCON and the future of the Anglican Church

In a special edition of The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic Steele spoke with GAFCON’s new leaders Archbishops Foley Beach and Benjamin Kwashi.

Among other things, they speak of a new orthodox diocese in New Zealand.

Watch or listen here, and catch the vision of GAFCON.

The Drive to reach Australia

“We all want to reach Australia with the gospel. We want to see our friends, family and colleagues come to know and love the Lord Jesus. That’s a rallying point that we can all get behind.

And yet, at present, we’re facing an increasingly uphill battle. The average church size is no more than 70 across Australia, and ‘No Religion’ is now the fastest growing category of belief in Australia (ABS Census). What’s more, 56% of Aussies say they don’t even know anything about their local church. …”

– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Andrew Heard announces the launch of Reach Australia, and passes on news of their first conference.

God’s multidimensional wisdom

“Do you think that God, the one who created all things, is boring? If you do, it might be because your view of God is one-dimensional. …”

– Encouragement which should lead to praise – from Ephesians 3:9-11 – via Dr Lionel Windsor.

The drawing power of our loving Saviour

“A magnet draws iron to itself. You’ve seen a great magnet held over a little box of sawdust and iron filings? As it comes within a certain range, the air seems electric and the little particles of iron become restless. A movement passes through them … they vibrate and tremble. There’s some strange power possessing them and attracting them. Quite suddenly, they cling together, spring up and attach themselves to the magnet.

A magnet irresistibly draws iron to itself. While the effect is indisputable, the cause remains hidden. The sun draws earth’s moisture upwards into clouds. While the resultant rain is obvious, the way it works is invisible. So Christ draws his people to himself with unmistakable effect, but by all sorts of inexplicable means. Referring to his crucifixion, Jesus said: ‘When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men to myself’ (John 12).

What drew you to Christ? I’d love to hear your story.

I ‘knew’ a man who had quite a past. He was not the sort of bloke you’d expect to come to faith in Christ. He was only 30, but he’d seen so much of the world and had lived such a wild life. …”

– Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, John P Wilson, shares some strong encouragement.

The prisoner lifts his eyes

“Are you a victim?

A few years ago, we discovered someone had stolen the number plate from the front of our car. When we called the police, they told us they were running an official campaign focusing on vehicle-related crime, and so they had certain procedures they had to follow. They sent an officer to meet with us in our home.

When the officer arrived, he asked us to show him the scene of the crime (the street outside). He sat down at our dining table to interview us about the details of the incident (it didn’t take long).

At the end of the interview, with an admirably straight face, he fulfilled his official responsibilities by asking us if we would like to access their program for victim support. …”

– Encouragement from chapter 3 of the Letter to the Ephesians – via Dr. Lionel Windsor. (You can also listen at that link.)

Mark Dever at Nexus 2019 — Let’s Do Evangelism Better — watch

Mark Dever spoke at today’s Nexus 2019 Conference. The vitally important theme was “Let’s Do Evangelism Better”.

You can watch the whole thing at this link. Mark’s session began at around 59 minutes into the video.

His second session begins at 6h 44m, and there is plenty to watch in between.

The entire conference was challenging, encouraging and helpful. Do take the time to watch.

Moore College Graduation 2019 — 107 men and women sent out into the harvest field

“On Monday 11 March, we had the great pleasure of witnessing the graduation of the 107 men and women who most recently completed their courses at Moore College, and who are now serving God in various contexts across the world. …”

– Encouraging news from Moore College.

See Simon Manchester’s address above, on Vimeo.

Ben Kwashi: Pray for the work of Gafcon each day during Lent

Archbishop Ben Kwashi writes:

“Will you pray with me for the work of Gafcon each day during Lent?  

While I was in Dubai for the G19 conference last week, I was moved by the resilience of brothers and sisters who face severe suffering for the sake of Christ. These are praying people and their example reminds us that we are called to be a spiritual movement, determined not only to put the Bible but also unceasing prayer at the forefront of all we do.

During our conference, I was so pleased to witness the tremendous progress the Gafcon Prayer Network has made since it launched in Jerusalem last June.

One of the network’s projects has been to develop a Lent prayer diary which can be accessed via the website, received through daily social media posts (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) or through the recently launched page on the PrayerMate App.

It will provide subscribers with a topic each day… through to Easter Day and beyond to fuel our prayers as we stand together in gospel partnership.”

– Even if Lent is not necessarily ‘your thing’, it is good to heed this call for unceasing prayer. (Screenshot: the GAFCON feed on PrayerMate.)

NEXUS19 on Monday March 25

Don’t forget the coming NEXUS19 Conference coming up later this month.

Mark Dever is among the speakers.

Details here.

Take Heart!

“You should read this book!

Matt Chandler writes clearly and honestly about the society we live in – from the challenges it presents us to the hope the gospel holds for those who live in it. …”

– At Church Society’s blog, Philip Hobbs introduces Matt Chandler’s book ‘Take Heart!’.

Practical tips for sharing the gospel with a stranger

“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?… Faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom 10:14, 17)

How often do we consider the urgency of Paul’s words here? In 2017 McCrindle Research did a nation-wide study of faith and belief in Australia. It found that at least 1.5 million people don’t know a Christian. In fact, 1 in 29 people have never heard of Jesus. But the survey also found that 10 percent of Australians – that’s 2.4 million people – are interested in having a conversation about Jesus.

I once had no Christian friends or family, and I first heard the gospel from a stranger…”

– ACL Council member Mike Taylor shares encouragement and a challenge. At the Australian Church Record.

More on Ephesians

ACL Council member, Dr Lionel Windsor, is continuing to post insightful and encouraging reflections on Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians.

See them at Forget the Channel. (Scroll down to Recent blog posts.)

Taking our biblical rest — Encouragement from Archbishop Glenn Davies

“The rhythm of work and rest is a biblical rhythm, founded in creation and expressed in the fourth commandment. The seven-day pattern of six days of work and one day of rest continues into the new covenant, because the end of the age when we enter God’s Sabbath Rest has not yet arrived. …”

– At SydneyAnglicans.net, Archbishop Glenn Davies encourages a biblical view of rest.

Nexus19 on Monday 25th March — for constructive encouragement in evangelism

The Nexus Conference for 2019 is coming up at Carlingford on Monday 25th March.

For those who can’t be there in person, the event will be livestreamed to sites across Australia.

Read more about the conference – and let Canon Phil Colgan (who also spoke on this topic at the 2018 ACL Synod Dinner) encourage you to keep the proclamation of the saving gospel of Jesus front and centre.

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