Books in Ministry — recommendations from Mark Dever

From The Banner of Truth in Edinburgh –

“We sat down with Mark Dever (a pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist Church and President of 9Marks) to talk books, ministry, and books in the ministry.”

– A very helpful and encouraging 45 minutes.

You will want to have a pen handy to write down some of his recommendations. As well, there are tips on how to read some of the Puritan authors.

Book Review: Honest Evangelism by Rico Tice

“Do you find evangelism hard? Why is that the case when we have the best news to share?

Here lies a common tension—we know people need to hear about Jesus, yet all too often we hesitate to tell them about him. Maybe it’s a fear of the consequences, that relationships might be broken, especially in a world that increasingly sees followers of Christ as the bearers of bad news rather than good. Or maybe this wasn’t always the case, but weariness has set in from repeated rejection when we have shared.

Guilt then sets in as evangelism begins to feel like we’re not doing enough. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Sarah Chew reviews Rico Tice’s Honest Evangelism.

Following in Faith: The Good Shepherd Leads Global Anglicans

“Many global Anglicans face a challenging question: whether and when to join the Gafcon movement.

In this second conversation, Philip de Grey-Warter explains when and why he connected with Gafcon. Such decisions, complex and often costly, rightly begin in prayer, and Philip encourages church leaders to find comfort in their simple obedience to God.

When we follow the Good Shepherd, God will provide the support we need: friends, fellow leaders, genuine spiritual oversight, and strength in the gospel.”

– In the latest Global Anglican Podcast, Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison continues his conversation with the Rev. Philip de Grey-Warter.

Local evangelism and global mission: Maintaining focus on the ends of the earth

“I remember the moment clearly. For several years my wife and I had been weighing up the prospect of vocational ministry. I loved opening the Bible with people and helping them to know Jesus better, but I felt inadequate for the task of pastoral ministry.

Our perspective changed when we received a prayer letter from friends who’d just arrived in a new country for their first term of missionary service with CMS. …”

– Scott Millar writes at The Australian Church Record.

Related:

Dinner helps us pray for global mission – Tara Sing writes at SydneyAnglicans.net.

CityAlight — His Glory and My Good

Here’s a new video from CityAlight.

You Are Not Alone: Standing with the Global Faithful

“Standing up for the authority of Scripture begins in loving obedience to the Lord and all the roles he has given us to play.

For the Revd Philip de Grey-Warter, a Gafcon leader in the UK who stepped out in faith from the Church of England, his joy is evident as he serves first his family and parish, and also gives generously of his time to the growing global fellowship of orthodox Anglicans.

Philip tells how Gafcon has given many worldwide Anglicans a renewed sense of belonging, and he encourages those among us who feel isolated to reach out and serve.”

– Episode 5 of Gafcon’s Global Anglican Podcast has just been released. Gafcon General Secretary Bishop Paul Donison speaks with the Rev. Philip de Grey-Warter.

Very encouraging, and food for your prayers for the faithful – both those who remain in the Church of England, and those who have stepped out and found support and fellowship through Gafcon.

‘The hardest talk I’ve ever given: Loving God’ – with Ray Galea

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“‘God wants all of me to love all of God all the time’ says Senior Pastor of Fellowship Dubai, Ray Galea.

We want our staff and leaders to live and serve in ministry out of an overflow of the love of God for them. Grasping this love properly lifts our service from duty to desire.

As pastors we are so committed and focused on encouraging our congregations to love God with all their hearts, souls, minds, and strengths. But do we stop to consider that our own love for God might be the limiting factor?

The pastor’s love for God will be a limiting factor for the congregation’s love for God. If we do not truly have hearts for God, how could we possibly lead others to the same?…”

– Watch or listen here.

Armidale Preaching Conference Review

From The Expository Preaching Trust:

“On 6-7 May we held a fully subscribed Preaching Conference in St Peter’s Cathedral, Armidale.

The conference was sponsored by the Trust and co chaired by Rod Chiswell, the Bishop of Armidale, and David Cook of the Trust. …”

– Read here.

Showing Christ’s love to children in need

“Are you constantly amazed by the depths of God’s love described in these verses like we are?

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (John 4:9-10)

God loved us by sending his son Jesus into the world, who laid down his life for us. And as the Apostle John writes, this truth gives us a powerful reason to love others.

We love because he first loved us! (John 4:19)

All around the world, Anglican Aid’s partners are taking these verses to heart. …”

– At Anglican Aid’s website, Anna Grummitt shares some encourgement and also a way you can help.

The church as our village

For Mother’s Day, SydneyAnglicans.net has published a version of a talk Jocelyn Loane gave  the Mothers’ Union Sydney conference in March:

“During COVID lockdowns I started collecting memes about parenting to get the vibe of how the internet portrays being a mum.

I came across memes that played on the old African proverb that it takes a village to raise a child. One said this: ‘They say it takes a village. I believe it also takes a vineyard’. Which might tell you something about how people found those months of home learning! …”

– Read it here.

Evangelism in Bathurst Diocese – Sharing Jesus for life

A very encouraging editorial from The Australian Church Record:

“Through the goodness of God, combined with the kindness and service of his people, the Anglican Diocese of Bathurst has experienced renewal in recent years. Fresh vision, boldness, and a firm grip upon biblical preaching and teaching has spread through its churches. Evangelism has been at the forefront of the minds of its leaders and very much within the hearts of its people.

Ultimately, there is nothing new under the sun when it comes to evangelism. It is simply sharing Jesus for life. Therefore, Bathurst Diocese has no new fancy technique to report. This diocese has modelled its evangelism from Scripture and has ‘just got on with it’.

The determination and drive of Bishop Mark Calder at the helm, consecrated and installed in late 2019, has given a very clear path forward which is bearing fruit in lives won for the kingdom, and the church of God is flourishing. Bishop Calder came to bring gospel change, has maintained this objective, and by the grace of God, many have joined with him in sharing Jesus for life. As I pause with others to reflect upon our evangelism, some key principles have emerged as being very significant for us. …”

– Read it all here. Food for Prayer.

The risen Lord of life and ministry: A sermon on John 21

Moore College’s Lionel Windsor preached on John chapter 21 in the College chapel earlier this week.

Outline: John 21: A strange commissioning

1–3 The in-between time.
4–14 Trying to catch fish? – Jesus has it sorted.
15–17 Feeling a failure? – Jesus has just the job for you.
18–23 Suffering & out of control? Jesus knows all about it.
24–25 The things we really need to know.

Watch or listen here.

How not to lose heart in Ministry — Ed Loane

The Rev Dr Ed Loane gave the occasional address at the 2024 Moore College Graduation on March 26th and the College has just made his talk available.

Ed spoke from 2 Corinthians 4 on ‘How not to lose heart in ministry’.

– Watch or listen here.

And read about the graduation at the Moore College website.

Four Reasons to Preach the Psalms as a Book

“Since the 1980s, scholarship has devoted serious attention to the shape of the Psalter. While viewing the Psalms as a book has not filtered into popular consciousness yet, pastors and preachers may have discovered this argument in recent commentaries, such as James M. Hamilton’s excellent volumes.

Preaching the Psalter as a book might at first seem like a difficult task, but it’s well worth it. Here are four reasons why. …”

– At 9Marks, Davy Ellison in Northen Ireland points to a helpful way of reading (and preaching) the Psalms.

Saving ‘The Quiet Time’

Joshua Bovis at St. John’s Tamworth shares this message he wrote for his parish newsletter. We hope you will find it an encouragement to read and pray:

Saving ‘The Quiet Time’

I was introduced to the practice known as ‘The Quiet Time’ not long after I became a Christian. As someone whom has not been given the gift of silence by our Heavenly Father, (still working at it), quiet times were not often practiced. Turns out ‘The Quiet Time’ refers to the practice of spending time alone with God in prayer and in His Word. Yet over time, I had noticed that although the term ‘quiet time’ does not appear in the Holy Scriptures, these two seemingly benign words on their own often engender enormous guilt in the Christian’s life.

Of course, we all know (and should know) that time with God in prayer and His Word is vital, and we are all cognisant of the blessings and benefits that will entail.

Yet I have met so many of God’s people when I ask them how they are going when it comes to prayer and the Word, a common response is one of discouragement and guilt, with the added embellishments such as:

“I don’t know what to read”; “I cannot seem to get into the rhythm”; “I run out of things to pray for”; and there is the big one,

“I don’t have the time!”

Being an Anglican vicar, the context of which I asked this question is an Anglican one. Yet what I find interesting and rather sad is that so many Christians (who attend Anglican churches) are unaware of a practice that I have found to be so helpful in my own life, and that is the practice known as The Daily Office.

So what is the Daily Office? 

The Daily Office or Divine Office, to put it simply, is a time during the day where Christians pray and read the Bible.

It is based on the ancient practice of prescribed daily times of prayer. The name comes from the Latin officium divinum meaning “divine office” or “divine duty.” Although it seems that liturgy is not in vogue or used by many parishes, the Prayer Book has a daily service in the morning and evening for this very purpose, (in fact did you know that the Book of Common Prayer prescribes this practice for clergy?) These services are accompanied by daily Scripture readings which include a reading from the Psalms, Old Testament, the New Testament, and a Gospel reading. The Daily Office includes prayers for morning and evening. 

The late J.I Packer stated:

“None of us will ever find a better pattern for private prayer and Bible-reading anywhere than that offered by the Prayer Book’s own daily offices.”

God’s people who struggle with their ‘quiet times’ need to struggle no longer, there is a great resource available to be used, if only they were made aware of it.

I was first introduced to the Daily Office when I was an ordination candidate in the Newcastle Diocese. Although I was an Anglican Christian, I had not even heard of this practice let alone engaged it in. So at first I found it to be foreign, dull, repetitive and pedestrian. But after doing it every morning and every evening with my supervising Rector, I realised that my prayer life and Bible reading was changing.  My relationship with my Heavenly Father was deepening. No longer was I dependent on how I felt on any given day when it came to pray. Time was no longer an issue as it was a scheduled non-negotiable part of my day.

Many years ago at a Clergy Conference in another diocese I heard it said that human beings are repetitive. Think about the hand you use when you talk on your mobile phone. Have you ever tried using your other hand? Or your other ear? It feels wrong doesn’t it? It is the same when you brush your teeth with your other hand. It feels wrong. With exceptions of course, generally there is no biological reason why we cannot use the phone in the alternate hand/ear. It is because we are creatures of habit. We all have rituals, and routines, and a place where we put things (as the saying goes, “a place for everything and everything in its place).

This is why I find the Daily Office such a helpful thing. It gives me the rhythm and routine that I am made for and at the same time makes prayer and the word part of that rhythm and routine.

The  Daily Office is also helpful in that sooner or later when the day will come when you will not be able to pray in your own strength. On that day the liturgy will pray for you.  There have been times and are times when I simply did not and do not have the words to pray.

What do you need?

• A set time – this way, the Daily Office will become part of your routine, your life rhythm, and before you know it will become a time that you look forward to.

• A place – your study,  the chapel in your church, or somewhere nice and quiet, indoors or outdoors.

• A Bible – For me I use the ESV. It has been my norm for ages.

• A Prayer Book – for me it is mainly the BCP 2019 , though for years I used the original and  best (BCP 1662).

• A Smartphone or iPad – this may seem like a weird thing to recommend but along with the BCP 2019, ACNA (The Anglican Church in North America) has produced an excellent App called The Daily Office. I find this app to be brilliant. It contains the Morning and Evening Prayer Services with the Collects (special prayer for the week) for every day of the year. It even has what is known as Compline (which is a service one uses before lights out for the night It even has a Midday Prayer (which I love to do each day). The Bible Translation is from the ESV (which is what we use here at St John’s) and the Psalter are the Miles Coverdale Version, which utilises English beautifully.

Anything else?

No. That is it. Just go for it. Take your time, enjoy God enjoy his Word, and abide with Christ. You may be sceptical, you be tempted to think what I think about the sport section in the Sydney Morning Herald, “Oh how dull”, but if you are struggling with your quiet times, it is certainly worth giving the Daily Office a go. Up until recently Anglican Christians have been doing it for a very long time. And before you know it, the next time your Vicar or anyone else asks you, “How is your quiet time going”?, you can smile and give an answer that is encouraging (and will give cause to give thanks and praise to God!)

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