This unity (Ephesians 4:2–3)
“Maintaining the unity of the Spirit is intimately connected with the way we live our daily lives with one another. That’s why Paul says at the start of these verses: ‘Walk with all humility and littleness, with patience, putting up with one another in love’. …”
– Dr Lionel Windsor continues his journey through Ephesians.
Giving thanks for BCA at their Centenary
One hundred years ago, on 26th May 1919, the Bush Church Aid Society was formed in Sydney.
Be encouraged to learn more at this link – download the Centenary videos – and give thanks to Almighty God for this work of his gospel.
(You can also download BCA’s latest Prayer Notes and The Real Australian.)
Caring for single mums at church
“Church is a place of labels. Some are useful – for example, we wear name tags so we can more easily engage with others in fellowship, or sometimes we’re categorised into groups so we can be pastored more easily.
But some labels are burdensome to the bearer and scary or embarrassing to the reader – unless you know what to do with them. Then these labels can become a signal for knowing how to love and care for that person.
‘Single mum’ is just such a label. …”
– At The Australian Church Record, Ruth Baker shares some encouragement for you and your church.
Tim Keesee and the priority of prayer
Tim Keesee (from Frontline Ministries, and the man behind the Dispatches from the Front book and film series) recently spoke in Melbourne about the progress of the gospel around the world — and about the central place of prayer.
A most encouraging 48 minutes with a clear reminder that the Lord is sovereign.
The Book your Pastor wishes you would read (But is too embarrassed to ask)
“While there are thousands of books meant to teach pastors how to serve their churches, this is the only book I know of created specifically to teach churches how to serve their pastors. In a sense it’s the most obvious topic in the world, yet one that remains largely unexplored, at least as far as I know. …”
– Tim Challies provides a brief review of Christopher Ash’s new book The Book Your Pastor Wishes You Would Read (But Is Too Embarrassed to Ask).
News update George Whitefield College
“The first quarter of the year has seen much progress for the College, both here in Muizenberg as well outside of South Africa. Locally speaking, our larger than usual group of first years have shown great desire to knuckle down and do all that is required of them. Outside the country, our Explore team (of which I was a part) visited Accra in Ghana and spent a week there engaging almost 50 people in facilitator training. …”
– Dr Mark Dickson at George Whitefield College in Capetown writes in their latest newsletter (PDF). Fuel for prayer.
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
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
“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.)