Societas 2016
This year’s Societas (the magazine of Moore College’s students) is now ready for your enjoyment and edification.
Download it (a 10MB PDF file) from the College website, or read it online.
Printed copies are also available.
It’s a great way to get a feel for what is happening at Moore College, and is a good resource for prayer.
Also from the College: Moore breaks boundaries of geography with its newest course.
“After 75 years of supporting lay ministry, Moore College is pleased to announce its first fully-accredited online course for laypeople, the Diploma of Biblical Theology (DBT). In development over the past few years the College will launch the DBT in Semester 1, 2017. …”
How Noosa is growing its church attendance
The Anglican Parish of Noosa is featured in the latest Brisbane Diocese magazine, Focus, as the beginning of a series on growing churches.
Moore College graduate Mark Calder is asked about the growth –
“Any growth here has been due entirely to the grace of God and answered prayer. In his kindness, the Lord has brought new people … We see clear Bible teaching as a key to people growing in their love for God and their understanding of his purposes for the world and in their lives.”
An encouraging article, from page 16 of October/November 2016 edition (PDF file).
A Plea for Hymn Books
“It has become fashionable to dispense with hymn books, but they have a number of advantages over screens. Here are three …”
At Church Society’s blog, Liam Beadle wonders what we are losing when we just project the words on a screen.
The church and its mission: visible and invisible
“What is the church for?
In chapter three of his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul reveals his understanding of the purpose of the Church. He doesn’t look at this in sociological terms, from a human perspective, but from a supernatural, spiritual viewpoint.
The primary purpose of the church is to be like a ‘broadcasting tower’, a means of making known to invisible spiritual powers the wisdom of God – wisdom which is described in most familiar translations as ‘manifold’ but which literally means something like ‘multi-faceted’ or ‘variegated’ (Ephesians 3:10).
Ephesians is a contextual theology, explaining the Gospel to people living in a culture very aware of, even fearful of and obsessed by, spiritual powers. Paul, following the rest of the teaching of the Bible and the life of Jesus himself, recognises the existence of these invisible forces, which include angels and demonic spirits…
So it’s not just the church’s traditional position on sexuality which looks totally “weird and odd” (to use Archbishop Justin’s language). The whole project of the Christian faith and the Church is defined in the Bible in ways that are unintelligible to those on the outside, especially with a secular worldview. …”
– At Anglican Mainstream, Andrew Symes reminds us why the church is here.
Persevering with the Desperate
Simon Manchester’s exposition on 1 Kings 19 at the recent Evangelical Ministry Assembly in London is a great encouragement to all in pastoral ministry.
(The theme of this year’s EMA was ‘Leaders who last’.)
(He also spoke on Persevering with the disobedient, Exodus 34; and Persevering with the dull, Mark 6.)
Archbishop preaches at Moore College Chapel
Archbishop of Sydney, Dr. Glenn Davies, was the guest preacher this morning at the Moore College Chapel.
He spoke on Hebrews 12, godly disciple, and the reality of suffering in the Christian life.
Listen to the 22 minute sermon (11MB mp3 file) here.
Homesick for heaven?
At The Next Level conference in Sydney, two weeks ago, Professor D A Carson spoke on Revelation 7:9-17 and the need to be ‘homesick for heaven’.
Sober, Christ-honouring, and very encouraging.
George Whitefield College intro video
The team at George Whitefield College in Cape Town, South Africa, recently released this encouraging 5 minute video to introduce the college to a wider audience.
Many of our readers well know that Dr Broughton Knox was the founding Principal of GWC. He and Ailsa travelled to South Africa in 1989, after a long and fruitful ministry in Sydney at Moore College.
George Whitefield College has grown wonderfully under the hand of the Lord over the last 27 years.
Please be encouraged to pray for the College: the faculty and students, and their influence for Christ throughout Africa and around the world.
“God made me for China” — Eric Liddell beyond Olympic glory
“Those who have seen Chariots of Fire well remember how it ends, with the magnificent and sentimental music of Sir Hubert Parry’s anthem ‘Jerusalem’ and William Blake’s famous words: ‘Bring me my Bow of burning gold; Bring me my Arrows of desire: Bring me my Spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my Chariot of fire!’
Then the screen fills with these words in text:
‘Eric Liddell, missionary, died in occupied China at the end of World War II. All of Scotland mourned.’
The end.
But in those few words was the real story of Eric Liddell…”
– Have your heart warmed to the true story of Eric Liddell – in this new post from Albert Mohler. (Photo: Wikipedia.)
Simon Manchester on Preparing to Preach
In the latest Preaching Matters from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate, North Sydney’s Simon Manchester speaks about Preparing to Preach.
“What are the priorities we need to have in good preaching?
Preaching Matters welcomes Simon Manchester this month, asks him what his sermon preparation looks like, and he gives us some examples of why handling the text rightly is so crucial for good preaching. Simon talks to us about being sailors and divers, and preaching Jesus not just the Bible.”
Watch it here. Most encouraging.
A Sovereign Protector I have
“The book of Esther is another reminder that God is in control of all things, not just some things. God is well able to use peoples’ evil intentions to bring about His good purpose.
Joseph’s brothers; the evil Prime Minister of Persia, Haman; the weak Roman Governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate; the able Jewish lobbyists, who demanded the death sentence for Jesus; and later the deacon Stephen, are all examples that the Sovereign Lord ‘rules the peoples justly and guides the nations of the earth’ (Psalm 67:4).”
– in his latest message, Presbyterian Moderator-General David Cook calls believers to remember who is in control – the One to whom every knee will bow.
(Image: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Twelve marks of excellent pastoral ministry
“John MacArthur has had a long, faithful, fruitful ministry unblemished by great scandal. For decades he has maintained a tight focus on teaching the Bible verse by verse and book by book.
In 2006 he taught through 1 Timothy 4 and there he saw Paul providing his young protégé with ‘a rich summary of all of the apostle’s inspired instruction for those who serve the church as ministers, as pastors. And it all begins with the statement, a noble minister, an excellent minister, a good servant of Christ Jesus.’
What are the marks of such a man? MacArthur reveals twelve of them…”
– An excellent summary, and full of godly encouragement, from Tim Challies. (Photo: John MacArthur.)
‘Don’t Drift!’ — exhortation
At the SMBC Centenary Service on April 15th, David Cook preached from Hebrews 1 and 2, with the theme of “Don’t Drift!”.
“When I was Principal here, I received an invitation … to go to a conference in Cape Town, in South Africa, and the invitation was addressed to ‘The most dangerous person in the Church’. It was a conference for the Principals of Bible Colleges and Theological Colleges. The most dangerous people in the church.
That, historically, is an accurate description. If a denomination moves away from the truth, invariably, it is because its denominational College has moved from the truth…”
Audio of David’s sermon is now available (18MB mp3 file) on the SMBC Centenary web page. Encouraging.
Related: In his weekly column, David writes about Chappo and the need for evangelists.
Reflecting on Fifty Years of Expository Preaching in Australia (1965–2015)
“I was a new convert when I attended the CMS Victoria Summer School at Belgrave Heights in January 1965, when John Stott gave those studies in 2 Corinthians. It was the first time I had heard expository Bible preaching.
My response was, ‘That is how to preach the Bible, and that is what I want to do!’
I knew that such preaching would grow churches, and when I went to London in 1972 and visited All Soul’s Langham Place and St Helen’s Bishopsgate, I saw that it worked!”
– At The Gospel Coalition Australia, Peter Adam remembers the impact of expository Bible preaching, as exemplified by John Stott. (Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)
Endurance Needed: Strength for a slow reformation and the dangerous allure of speed
Several people have told us of the encouragement given by Mark Dever’s exhortations on Endurance in Pastoral ministry – at the Together for the Gospel Conference 2016.
Strong encouragement.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…