The evangelistic conversation

“Evangelistic conversations can be tough. Really tough. They can be so tough and discouraging that, after having a few, many people give up and never try again.

However, there are things we can do to allow a tough situation to become enjoyable – and more importantly, effective.

So, what’s a good way to engage in an evangelistic conversation? …”

– Here’s some encouragement from Dave Jensen at GoThereFor.com.

‘The Most Reverend The Primate and Patriarch of The Southern Hemisphere’

‘The Most Reverend The Primate and Patriarch of The Southern Hemisphere’ – that’s how John Newton addressed Richard Johnson, Chaplain to the First Fleet and the fledgling colony of New South Wales.

Marylynn Rouse, at The John Newton Project, just in time for Australia Day, has posted a number of letters and new material relating to Richard Johnson – including letters to him from John Newton.

Richard Johnson:

“In the evening of the 23rd September 1786, I was asked by a friend, if I had got the spirit of a missionary, or, if I wished to go abroad. I smiled, and replied – No – I had no inclination or thoughts of ever leaving my native country.

On the 30th of the same month, I received a letter from another friend, informing me that a colony was going to be established in New Holland, or New Zealand – that a chaplain was wanted – that application had been made to him, to know whether he knew of any proper person for and willing to undertake such an arduous work – and that if I chose to accept of, he could secure me the appointment. …”

See what’s new at The John Newton Project.

See also: Richard Johnson – First Chaplain to Australia.

Lift Your Eyes: Introducing Ephesians

“Our family lived for several years in Durham, in the north east of England.

One day, through my son’s primary school, we were offered some cheap tickets to see a Premier League football match in nearby Sunderland. Since we’d never seen a Premier League game, my son and I decided it would be great to go.

I knew that our neighbour Patrick, who’d grown up in Durham, was a huge football fan. So I asked Patrick if he had any advice for us on the best way to get ourselves to the match. Patrick told me there was a bus to the game that stopped right outside our house. The day arrived, and my son and I hopped on the bus with Patrick. …”

– Sunderland supporter Dr. Lionel Windsor calls us to open our eyes to the wonders of God’s plan unfolded in Ephesians.

Five tips for reading daily Bible reading and prayer

“The most important resolution you can make this year is to read your Bible and pray each day – this, along with meeting with God’s people, is what makes a Christian’s heart beat.

However, by this point in January most of our resolutions will have failed – including our daily quiet time. We’ve started to get busy, missed a few mornings and it’s starting to feel like 2019 will be very similar to 2018 after all. But just because you didn’t read your Bible yesterday, doesn’t mean you need to give up.

So here are my top five tips for starting and maintaining a regular quiet time in 2019…”

– These tips from Tom Habib might be just what you need. At The Australian Church Record.

Also from the ACR: Biblical mentoring: its pattern and place – Mike Leite.

Rich and Getting Richer

“They used to call them financial advisers or even simply bank officers; now they are wealth managers. Having adequate money is so yesterday. We want to have wealth. We think of ourselves managing our resources to become first, rich, and then even richer. There are no votes for the party that promises that under its leadership citizens will become poorer!

Yet that is exactly what Jesus did! His milieu was opulence, glory, splendour and supreme power over everything that exists. The whole universe was under his thumb, yet he chose to make himself nothing and become the lackey of humanity. …”

– Written and published in time for Christmas, this reflection by Bishop Trevor Edwards in the diocese of Canberra & Goulburn should turn our hearts to thanksgiving.

An Unexpected Friendship

“A few weeks ago, after the funeral for President George H.W. Bush, it was reported in the news that the President had sponsored a child through Compassion International.

During a Christmas concert many years ago, when the Ministry of Compassion International was presented and the audience was asked to consider sponsoring an impoverished child, Bush raised his hand and volunteered to sponsor a 7-year-old boy in the Philippines.

Out of concern for the boy’s safety, it was decided that the president’s identity as his sponsor should be kept secret. But the president and the boy became regular pen pals for more than a decade. …”

– Of course, there are some great sermon illustrations in this story, but – more than that – it’s a story to turn our hearts to the Lord. From Reformation21. Photo: Compassion International.

The Christmas Preacher

“There are numerous benefits of preaching at Christmas. 

But Christmas preaching comes with particular challenges too. Here are some things to keep in mind …”

– Helpful reminders from Mike Raiter. (GAFCON photo.)

Christmas message from GAFCON General Secretary Peter Jensen

Dr Peter Jensen, soon to retire as GAFCON General Secretary, has recorded this Christmas message.

Christmas: Satan’s field day?

“Now the title of this article might appear a little too shocking for the ‘merry’ Christmas season… but let me highlight some of the ways that the great deceiver tries to take our minds off Christ during the Christmas period, before suggesting some ways to respond.  …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Mike Leite encourages you to swim against the tide this Christmas.

North West Network December 2018

The latest issue of North West Network, the newsletter of the Diocese of Northwest Australia, is now available for download from their website. (1.1MB PDF file.)

Be encouraged, and be encouraged to pray!

Biblical friendship (part 3): Cultivating friendship

“In part 1 and part 2, we looked at what a true friend is, and how Jesus is the ultimate friend. Now we’re going to think about how to cultivate biblical friendships through the lens of one of the great friendships recorded in the Bible: Jonathan and David.

We won’t look at their story in any depth here, but I’d encourage you to read it for yourself in in 1 and 2 Samuel. It takes place in the midst of royal jealously, violence and manipulation. You would not be remiss to mistake it for the plotline of a soap opera, probably The Bold and the Beautiful if I had to pick one.

Jonathan and David’s friendship faced great trials and tribulations. Jonathan’s father, King Saul, tried to kill David no fewer than eight times. Jonathan saved David’s life twice. Although their friendship was greatly threatened, it stood firm right up until Jonathan’s death. And their friendship affected how David lived out the rest of his life. …”

– Caitlin Orr concludes her series on Biblical friendship at The Australian Church Record.

Paul Harrington: My Conversion

Paul Harrington shares his story. At The Gospel Coalition.

“By the time I got to university I was an agnostic or an atheist. I had no interest in whether God existed or not and was convinced that spirituality was a waste of time. Fun, sport and a law degree on the side occupied my life for the first three years on campus.

In my third year at uni, the girl I was going out with became a Christian. …”

Biblical friendship (part 1): What is a friend?

“Over the past few years several studies have shown that social isolation and loneliness poses a bigger risk to our health than smoking or obesity. Loneliness has the same effects on your body as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It increases your chances of heart disease by 29% and stroke by 32%.

Loneliness is on the rise and churches are not immune. I’ve had numerous conversations with people about how they have no friends at church and as a consequence are thinking about going elsewhere. They are craving friendship. …

Our world is a bit confused about the idea of friendship. But what is friendship according to the Bible?”

– At The Australian Church Record, Caitlin Orr shares the first in a series on biblical friendship.

Real Faith

“The simple goal of evangelism is for people to believe in Jesus and be saved. This is our mission.

Whether it is through our personal relationships, large-scale events, evangelistic courses or the regular preaching of the word on Sunday—we want to see people come to faith in Christ and remain in Him.

But if we want people to come to faith, we must first be clear on what real faith is. We may have gathered a crowd or filled a church, but have we made real disciples with real faith? Real evangelism must seek real faith. …”

– Tom Habib writes in the most recent issue of The Australian Church Record’s Journal.

Teaching and Learning in the Bible: An Interview with Claire Smith

“Claire Smith is a graduate of Moore Theological College and a well-known speaker and writer.

In 2012 she recently published a detailed and internationally recognised academic monograph on teaching and learning in New Testament churches—the result of her doctoral studies [Pauline Communities as ‘Scholastic Communities’: A Study of the Vocabulary of ‘Teaching’ in 1 Corinthians, 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus (Mohr Siebeck, 2012)].

We thought we’d chat to her to see what we can discover about teaching and learning in Christian life and ministry today. …”

– You can read the full interview with Claire at The Australian Church Record.

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