Church Society Podcast — Psalms 1-41

From Church Society:

“Lee Gatiss hears from Ben Sargent, author of the new Hodder Bible Commentary on Psalms 1-41.”

– Listen here.

The Spiritual Discipline of Sleeping

Mark Powell at AP, the Australian Presbyterian journal, writes about sleep and the gospel –

“It should go without saying—but ironically, it needs to be said—that the reason we can sleep at all is because of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Saviour’s great promise to all who are weary and burdened is to come to Him and He will give us rest (Matt. 11:28). Contrast this with the tragic, and indeed horrific, fate of unbelievers as described in Revelation 14:11, which says that there is ‘no rest for the wicked’ and ‘the smoke of their torment rises forever and ever.’…”

– Read it all here.

King’s Birthday Conference 2026 talks are now available

The Two Ways Ministries Team shares the news that the King’s Birthday Conference 2026 talks are now available:

“We had a wonderful afternoon at the King’s Birthday Conference 2026, with 302 people attending and exploring the important topic of Prophecy Today.

Great news – the talks are now available on our website phillipjensen.com.”

– Watch or listen at these links:

KBC Talk 1 – Prophecy Today
KBC Talk 2 – Today’s Prophecy
KBC 2026 Full Conference.

Good to learn and good to share.

Freedom of Slavery

From Phillip Jensen –

“Dear friends,

Slavery is one of the ancient world’s most common practices. The notion that chattel slavery would be banned around the world was unthinkable until relatively recent times; yet today in our society, it is chattel slavery itself that is unthinkable.

All slavery is a restriction of freedom, and so our title ‘Freedom of Slavery’ is intentionally paradoxical. But then, Paul’s attitude to slavery in 1 Corinthians 9 is something of a paradox. For in this freedom, he chooses to enslave himself for others that they may enjoy the freedom of the gospel. It is in this context that we have one of the great passages on cross-cultural evangelism.

I hope you enjoy this episode of Two Ways News. If you want to contact us with a comment or question, please email us at respond@twm.email.

Yours,

Phillip”

– Listen at Two Ways News.

The Hidden Cost of Avoiding Theology

At The Gospel Coalition, Jacob Perry argues for the importance of theological clarity in churches. As part of his conclusion, he writes –

“Theological clarity isn’t a burden pastors impose on their people, but a gift. By teaching doctrine clearly, a shepherd protects his sheep from wolves in sheep’s clothing, from predators who speak in the sheep’s own language. Doctrine is an expression of love for Christ’s body. By teaching it, pastors help their congregations know what they believe and why it matters. …”

– Read it all here.

Why do young people leave the church, and what do we need to change to help them stay? Ruth Lukabyo

From The Pastor’s Heart –

“New research suggests that around 70% of those who attended church regularly at age 11 are no longer attending by their late twenties, with the most vulnerable years stretching from around age 10 through to 25.

Dean of Students at Youthworks College Ruth Lukabyo explores why young people disengage, how inherited faith becomes owned faith and what churches can do to better navigate the critical transitions from childhood to adulthood.

We discuss the practical changes pastors, parents and churches can make to help more young people keep following Jesus for the long haul.”

– Very helpful.  Watch or listen here.

My Rights — Freedom, life, and liberty?

From Phillip Jensen –

“Today we are looking at freedom from slavery in the beginning of 1 Corinthians 9, but we decided to call this episode ‘My Rights’, for the way the passage has been translated raises the question of ‘rights’. The passage is really about the authority of the Apostle—an authority he does not use in his concern for other people’s salvation.

It is an extraordinary explanation of the nature of Christ’s work of salvation, preached in the apostolic gospel and lived out by the Apostle Paul.”

– Listen (or read the transcript) at Two Ways News.

(You can also join the Supporters Club – scroll down at this link.)

Nine Questions every Pastor should ask about their Church’s music

9Marks has republished this 2014 article by Keith and Kristyn Getty, excerpted from their book Sing!: How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church –

“The one thing we have learned above all others as we have traveled with our music these last ten years is this: Good congregational singing begins with the pastoral leadership.

Whatever the denomination, musical style, or cultural background, the singing is directly proportional to the senior pastor’s or leadership team’s care for the subject. It is not primarily the music, or the musical leadership, or the budget. Just like parents can’t blame their child’s ballet teacher if she behaves badly through the week, so the leader of the church, and not the music leader or team, is ultimately responsible for how well the congregation is singing.

With that in mind, here are 10 questions we encourage every pastor to ask. …”

– Read it here.

Last week we linked to Liv Chapman Leggett’s review of the book at The Australian Church Record.

Have we preached the word richly, but failed to let the word dwell richly among us?

From The Pastor’s Heart this week –

“Have we preached the word richly, but failed to let the word dwell richly among us?

Tony Payne provocatively argues that while evangelicalism has successfully recovered expository preaching and every-member ministry, we have not adequately recovered every-member word ministry.

Tony argues that the Reformation remains unfinished, that we haven’t fully thought through the implications of the priesthood of all believers, and that passages like Ephesians 4, Hebrews and especially 1 Corinthians 11-14 may need to be read rather differently than many of us have assumed.

Tony asks, have we trained people to serve on teams, but not trained them to speak God’s word to one another?

It’s a challenge that reaches into some of our most fundamental assumptions about Christian ministry.

We discuss prophecy, the ministry of women, the role of the pastor-teacher, preaching and discipleship, and what it would actually look like for the word of Christ to reverberate through a congregation rather than stopping at the pulpit.”

– Watch or listen here.

Related:

Let the Word Dwell Richly — by Tony Payne – post 03 June 2026.

Five Foundations for Ministry to Children — Colin Buchanan

“I want to share something of my story to encourage you to consider that God is in the midst of your story, working it out and equipping you. I want to encourage you that your ministry techniques can rise out of your story, but more importantly, can rise out of the scriptures and your understanding of the Bible.

Here are a few things I’ve learnt from my time in ministry to children. They are principles that have arisen out of my personal experiences and the scriptures. These are just a few foundations, five ministry “stones” I have learnt over the years. …”

– Colin Buchanan shares this encouragement – from a talk he gave at the SMBC 2026 Children’s Ministry Conference.

The love that builds up

An important and practical topic from Phillip Jensen –

“Dear friends,

‘Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up’. What a challenge Paul gives to us in the first verse of his answer to the Corinthians’ question about food offered to idols.

As we continue our discussion of this part of 1 Corinthians, I hope you will share with us the wonder of thinking lovingly about knowledge. For knowledge, especially the knowledge of God and his ways, is very important. But knowledge, like many good things, can be used for evil as well as for good. Without love, our knowledge will be used for our benefit instead of the benefit of others. And so we will fall under the condemnation of being puffed up instead of building others up.

It is just so fascinating how Paul’s discussions of particular problems in 1st century Corinth open up for us such permanently important topics.”

– Hear Phillip and Peter discuss, at Two Ways News.

Book Review: Sing! — reviewed by Liv Chapman Leggett

At The Australian Church Record, Liv Chapman Leggett reviews Keith and Kristyn Getty’s Sing! –

“Netflix’s animated smash hit K-Pop Demon Hunters has been watched over 500 million times worldwide, its songs streamed to the top of the charts, and its stars rocketed into global fame. Amid the flashy animation, insanely catchy tunes, and moments of genuine humour runs a surprisingly clear and powerful message: what you sing shapes you. It’s not surprising that millions of young people have accepted this to be true. As Christians, this offers a timely invitation to reflect more deeply on our own convictions about music, and to consider how deliberately and carefully that formative truth is carried—and protected—within our church’s music ministries.

Sing! How Worship Transforms Your Life, Family, and Church by Keith and Kristyn Getty is the perfect companion for this journey. …”

– Read and be encouraged here.

Find the book here – The Wandering Bookseller and Reformers, among others.

Nothing in my hands…

From the Dean of Sydney, Sandy Grant,

“Dear Friends, sadly, diphtheria has been in the news again, due to the outbreak of this serious bacterial infection interstate. …

Diphtheria was a common cause of death in Australian children until the 1940s. Today, cases are rare due to high vaccination rates. …

The impact of diphtheria was brought closer to my consciousness when I served in the Parish of Kurrajong. The minister’s residence had a cemetery right next door.

The saddest graves were a family plot near the entrance. In it were buried George and Henrietta Jaffray, and four of their children. …”

– From the St. Andrew’s Cathedral Sydney newsletter for 4th June 2026.

In addition, he shares, “P.S. On a different note, here is one of the most helpful articles I’ve read all year… by a tradesman, not an academic.”

– Both at the link.

Photo: Cemetery of the former Presbyterian Church in Cranbrook, Tasmania.

How to Create an Online Presence for Local Churches — Church Society podcast

From Church Society –

“Tony Cannon, Regional Director of Church Society, talks to Jo Lewis, from Hailsham Parish Church, about how a local church can create an online presence, ideas for presenting the gospel and drawing people in, and some of the pitfalls to watch out for. Jo has a whole range of creative and practical ideas.”

– Listen here.

Self-control in preaching

Encouragement from Michael Leong at The Expository Preaching Trust –

“One of the most common requirements of an elder, overseer, or pastor is that he be self-controlled (1 Tim 3:2; Titus 1:8). Self-control is the opposite of self-indulgence; the word implies that there are things about us that are unsavoury or shameful, and they should not be let out to run riot in our families, churches, or public lives.

Self-control goes against the grain of our culture. Our world encourages us to ‘trust your feelings,’ ‘follow your heart’ or ‘you do you,’ a way of living called Expressive Individualism in Christian circles. Some workplaces encourage their employees to ‘bring your whole self to work;’ Christians who understand their own sinfulness know that this is destructive and harmful, rather than helpful.

Preachers should certainly not ‘bring their whole self’ to their preaching. Our preaching must be conditioned by the text we are preaching from, the sound doctrine entrusted to us, and the needs of the people under our care. …”

– Read it all.

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