Dick Lucas and The Proclamation Trust
Here’s an encouraging and enlightening video about the origins of The Proclamation Trust.
Finding security in an insecure world
“A year ago today, the brutal terror attacks on a Christchurch Mosque gave rise to shock, fear, and deep insecurity in our world.
One year later, as efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic ramp up, we are yet again faced with the reality of how fragile and uncertain our lives and communities are. And we are, yet again, faced with the question of security.
I wrote the following reflection on security following the Christchurch shootings, but it is equally relevant to our current situation. …”
– Dr Lionel Windsor at Moore College calls Christians to know the rock-solid security they have in Christ.
Freedom from Fear
Here’s a word on the novel coronavirus outbreak from the American Anglican Council:
The Dutch Christian writer and Holocaust survivor, Corrie Ten Boom, said, “Worrying is carrying tomorrow’s load with today’s strength – carrying two days at once…Worrying doesn’t empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength.”
Dear friends, this speaks to the season we are now in, and it’s not just worry about Coronavirus. It’s political battles and elections, cultural shifts and revolutions, environmental fears, and economic downturns. This new disease was planted right in the middle of it all, and no matter how mild or severe it really is, the anxiety may prove more endemic than the virus itself. Fear can spread as fast as this new virus.
The leaders of the ACNA, along with medical professionals and government officials, have already advised wise caution. In addition to other practical advice, spiritual leaders tell us to pray, and medical leaders tell us to wash our hands. Together, they help stem the tide of both fear and sickness in very real ways. And while there are many sources of good advice, both for worshippers and non-worshippers, we want to contribute a word on dealing with this equally malevolent and fast-spreading disease of the soul – fear. As phone calls come in announcing school closures, emails flood our inboxes from church leaders and businesses offering advice, and the news reveals economic troubles, how do we push back on a growing sense of anxiety. Or, if you’re a bit more skeptical of it all, the gnawing doubt that perhaps, you need to be more worried, if you aren’t already?
First, it’s important to reiterate that prudence and fear are not the same thing. Wash your hands. Stay away from crowded public events. Do not unnecessarily interact with those who are sick. Submit to those in authority over you, both those in charge of your souls and those who govern your physical bodies. Pray for protection from this disease. And then, strive to put worry aside and keep on living your life, doing what you are able in order to answer the call of God: love Him with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind, and all your strength; and love your neighbor as yourself.
No doubt, fear will still creep in to try and move you from prudence to panic. A voice may whisper, “Did God really say, ‘Do not be afraid’?” What then?
We must do as the leaders of our churches have told us to do – pray. Not only for protection from the virus, but also for protection from fear, worry, and anxiety. Protection from the virus is momentary. Protection from fear, which implies strengthening our trust in God, has eternal value. Fear is the greater enemy and robs us of eternal benefits – peace, joy, contentment, and trust. Coronavirus, and any disease like it, robs us of what is temporary, whether school, jobs, or even our very lives. Conversely, the God who bids us to ‘Fear not’ lives beyond these things which, though good, should not distract us from the freedom He provides – freedom from the fear of losing what is temporary in order to gain the joy that comes from embracing that which is eternal.
So, this Lenten and Coronavirus season, let us pray not just for protection from physical disease but from the disease of worry about the future which robs us of our strength today. Let us take each day as it comes and do what we need to do to get through each day while still striving to love God and those around us. After all, school and public events may get canceled, but His commandments never do, and His promises endure forever. Let us avoid useless talk that leads to unnecessary worry and speculation based on information that comes from second-hand worriers and social media warriors. Instead, let us focus on trusting in the One who exists beyond these ever-changing and ever-perilous times that affect our dark age. Let us pray for what matters more deeply than our health – a trust in God which alone vanquishes fear.
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours
of this day, so that we, who are wearied by the changes and
chances of this life, may rest in your eternal changelessness;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dear Christian, when the Pandemic hits, This is our Time
“Dear Christian,
I’m guessing you’re starting to feel a little nervous.
The Coronavirus situation seems to be escalating day by day.
Yes, people are still in good spirits – and even making light of the situation (as seen by trending hashtags such as #ToiletPaperApocalypse). But the increasing numbers of empty rows at the supermarket is getting a little unnerving. …”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Akos Balogh reminds Christians of the privilege we have of holding out the Word of Life to those around us – and how we can give hope to those who are afraid, and are wondering what’s going to happen.
I gave my life to Jesus – Glen Scrivener
In his latest video, Glen Scrivener points us away from ourselves and our efforts – to the Lord Jesus.
Quite a challenge to a lot of preaching. 7 minutes.
Building a Culture of Evangelism takes time
“Evangelism isn’t just for the ‘professionals‘ – pastors, ministers, Bible teachers, and all the rest. Instead, the New Testament teaches that evangelism is the whole church’s job.
But asserting the ‘whole church’ does evangelism can be a bit confusing. What does that mean? Is there some special evangelism program hidden somewhere in the pages of the New Testament? Furthermore, what, if any, relationship exists between our personal evangelism and our church’s outreach ministry?…”
– An encouraging article from 9Marks. Read it, and be sure to watch ‘The Gospel Blimp’ if you haven’t seen it before.
Related:
One to One vs Course Evangelism – Sam Hilton & Tony Wright on what’s best for your church – The Pastor’s Heart.
Nexus20 — How to Save a City
The Nexus20 conference is set for Monday 23rd March at a new location: Moore College – and at a new time: 2:00 – 8:00pm.
From the Nexus website:
“No matter where God has placed us – in the suburbs, in the inner city, in a regional or rural area – our task is to bring the message of salvation to the people we’ve been given to serve.
At this year’s Nexus conference, we’ll be thinking about what it means to be part of God’s extraordinary saving purpose in the particular place we’ve been given to reach, how important the local church is in that purpose, and how God uses decidedly ordinary people and methods to do extraordinary things.
Our focus this year will be on how to bring salvation to our particular city (of Sydney) and the challenges we face in our gospel fellowship (that is, among Sydney ministry workers, many of us Anglicans).
But as always, we’ll be having this discussion with one eye on the broader fellowship around Australia (and beyond) who tune in to Nexus via Livestream. Our hope is that by talking honestly and theologically about our own patch, we can encourage, challenge and stimulate everyone to do the same, wherever God has placed us.”
– Watch the promo video, and register, at the Nexus website.
Archbishop Sir Marcus Loane remembers the beginnings of the Sydney University Evangelical Union
Forty years ago, members of the Sydney University Evangelical Union were thanking God as they remembered the founding of the SUEU in 1930.
They marked the jubilee by proclaiming Christ in ‘The Jubilee Mission’.
As part of the preparations, on 30 April 1980, then Archbishop of Sydney, Sir Marcus Loane spoke at the SUEU’s End of Term Service.
In his 19 minute address, Sir Marcus recalls the beginnings of the Evangelical Union, fifty years earlier.
Listen on this page in our Resources section.
Most encouraging.
Pursuing Sanctification – God’s work or ours?
“John Owen says Christians need to ‘be killing sin, or it will be killing you.’
Yet from my experience most Christians aren’t employing everything they have at their disposal to kill sin or to pursue sanctification in any regard. The most I hear about this is the throwaway line, ‘I’m struggling with X sin’ but upon further questioning often those who say this aren’t struggling at all with a sin; they’ve often simply identified that they have a persistent sin, and yet do nothing about it.
Then when I reflect on my own fight with sin, I’m ashamed to realise I too often fall into the same trap of identifying sin without fighting it. I started to consider why this is the case for me. Why is it that I know about my sins, but I don’t fight them? And I have come to the conclusion that I (and I suspect many others) don’t fight sin because I don’t know what my role is in sanctification.
In order to figure it out I had to understand three things …”
– Daniel Bishop writes on what should be of vital interest to every Christian – at The Australian Church Record – Part 1 and Part 2.
Showing your church the beauty of 1 Timothy 2, with Simon Manchester
“Simon Manchester explains to Dominic Steele how he prepares to teach at a major conference and how to show your congregation the beauty of 1 Timothy 2. …
Simon is opening the Bible this week … at the Church Missionary Society Summer School in Katoomba in Sydney’s bushfire impacted Blue Mountains.”
– Watch or listen at The Pastor’s Heart.
2019: A Ground-Breaking Year for GAFCON
“A lot has happened during 2019, and we give praise and thanks to God for His faithfulness to this growing movement of Global Anglicans. Watch our round up of 2019 here and we hope that you will stand with us as we move forward into the new year …”
– Encouragement from Chairman of the GAFCON Primates Council, Archbishop Ben Kwashi.
‘Tis The Season to Be Jolly, So What If I’m Feeling Sad?
The song playing in Target will tell you “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”, but you might feel like screeching back “For who?”
A light up display on Santa’s belly in Kmart will tell you how many sleeps are left, but to you it might feel strangely reminiscent of a ticking time bomb.
And if you’ve managed to suppress all that by the time you get home, you may be fortunate enough to have a three-year-old who regularly shouts “Hey Siri! How many days ‘til Christmas?” to refresh your memory/increase your blood pressure. …
– At The Australian Church Record, Jocelyn Loane considers what we mustn’t forget at Christmas.
Our Times are in God’s Hands
“As Christmas 2019 approaches, many of us have a sense that the world has almost tilted on its axis. There are droughts and bushfires in the natural sphere, and in the civil sphere we have seen the widespread acceptance of abortion, euthanasia, and same-sex relationships. Furthermore, there is a perceptible coarsening and hardening of public and private life. …”
– Moderator-General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, the Rev. Dr Peter Barnes, shares great encouragement this Christmas.
Rejoice that He is with us
“Emmanuel is, for me, one of the most precious words in the New Testament.
The Greek word is a transliteration of the Hebrew phrase, meaning “God with us”. Although only occurring once in Matthew 1:23, where it is a translation of the Hebrew phrase that appears in Isaiah 7:14 and 8:8, it is rich in meaning and has become regularly associated with both Advent and Christmas carols. Jesus is our Emmanuel (or Immanuel to reflect the original Hebrew).”
– Archbishop Glenn Davies shares this Christmas reflection. At SydneyAnglicans.net.
North West Network – Nov 2019
The latest North West Network is full of encouraging stories and fuel for prayer.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…