Fact or fantasy — This Easter, please consider
“You head to the local library looking for a book to read over the long weekend. Something with drama, mystery, intrigue, torture, murder.
You want to read about some allegations of grave robbery, insider plots, religious corruption, political power plays. And you’re keen to spice it up with some angels and demons, astrology, ghostly appearances, the spiritual underworld, ancient signs, the dead coming to life, and claims to divinity.
‘Where will I find something?’ you ask.…”
– Dave McDonald reminds us that “if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14) – at Macarisms.
The Truth of the Cross — free eBook
Ligonier Ministries is giving away the eBook edition of R.C. Sproul’s The Truth of the Cross.
“an uncompromising reminder that the atonement of Christ is an absolutely essential doctrine of the Christian faith…”
Register at their website to download a free copy – or get the Kindle version free from Amazon (just check the free offer is still valid at Amazon).
Overview of Mark’s Gospel — from St. Helen’s
The first of a three-part video overview of the Gospel According to Mark has been posted by St. Helen’s in London.
“St Helen’s Training aims to train and equip bible handlers by sharing our best training resources. We pray that many people might grow in confidence in their bible handling whether they are reading the bible with a friend, leading a small group or preaching.”
Part 1 runs for 9 minutes. This looks to be a very helpful series.
Nathan Tasker’s new album
Nathan Tasker’s new album, The Bell Tower (inspired by the tower at St. Philip’s York Street), is now available. It’s a collection of ‘re-imagined hymns’.
Gare Ware (Mount Gambier Presbyterian) has the details.
St Patrick — The Irish Evangelical
“St Patrick’s Day is a Saint’s day. There is nothing wrong with celebrating saint’s days, though there is nothing particularly right either. As our Apostle says: “One man esteems one day as better than another while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind” (Romans 14:5) …
However, the problems of saints and saint’s days should not stand in the way of remembering with gratitude, those whom God has used in the past to spread the gospel and contribute to the welfare of the world. We are to remember our leaders and in particular ‘the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith’ (Hebrews 13:7).”
– The Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, sets the record straight for St. Patrick’s Day – this Sunday.
Free Easter e-book from John Piper
From Desiring God:
“Today we launch a new devotional eBook, Love to the Uttermost: Devotional Readings for Holy Week. Beginning Palm Sunday (March 24) through Easter Sunday (March 31), we invite you to join us in focussing on the self-giving love of our Saviour.”
– Download from this page.
Chappo’s preaching
“From the day that Jesus saved John, there was no-one more impressive or wonderful for John than Jesus. Did he ever get tired of telling people about Jesus in the gospels, or of stringing together the things Jesus did so you could see his greatness?”
– Another reminder that remembering John Chapman means pointing to Jesus. Simon Manchester writes in The Briefing. (Photo: St Thomas’ North Sydney.)
St. Helen’s Thanksgiving service for Chappo
The video from the Thanksgiving service for John Chapman, held at St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London a week ago (1st March 2013), is now available on Vimeo.
Participants include William Taylor, Dick Lucas, Richard Bewes and Hugh Palmer.
Dick Lucas remembered the first time he met Chappo – and Hugh Palmer preached from Romans 1.
The video runs for 51 minutes and is most edifying.
Create a Contrast Culture in your Church
“Church leaders who stop by our little house of worship in Washington sometimes ask what we have done to produce all the discipling, evangelism, and hospitality they see. What programs are we using?”
– Jonathan Leeman at Capital Hill Baptist Church shares what they do – at The Gospel Coalition.
Page CXVI 7th anniversary giveaway
US-based Christian band Page CXVI formed seven years ago with the aim of making hymns accessible and known again –
“To celebrate our 7-year anniversary of making music, we’re giving away our entire catalog of music for the month of March…”
Saving Eutychus
“A book about preaching that keeps people awake” is the subtitle of a new book on preaching coming soon from Matthias Media. It’s by Phil Campbell (Moore graduate) and Gary Millar (Principal of the Queensland Theological College).
There’s a review here by someone who knows Phil rather well.
Expository Preaching: Charles Simeon and Ourselves
“Expository preaching is the preaching of the man who knows Holy Scripture to be the living word of the living God, and who desires only that it should be free to speak its own message to sinful men and women; who therefore preaches from a text, and in preaching labours, as the Puritans would say, to ‘open’ it, or, in Simeon’s phrase, to ‘bring out of the text what is there’…”
– More than fifty years ago, J I Packer wrote this article on Simeon and preaching – for Churchman. You can now read it here online (PDF file).
Encouragement from Machen for Sunday
”There is just one reason why I may possibly expect you to listen to me. I may expect you to listen to me if I can bring to you a message from God. If I can do that, then the very insignificance of the speaker may in a certain sense be an added inducement to you to listen to him, since it may help you to forget the speaker and attend only to the message.
It is just that I am trying to do. I am asking you to turn away from me and my opinions; I am asking you to turn away from yourself and your opinions and your troubles; and I am asking you to turn instead that you may listen to a word from God.
Where can I find that word?…. Not in myself and not in you, but in an old Book that has been sealed by the seals of prejudice and unbelief but that will, if it is rediscovered again set the world aflame and that will show you, be you wise or unwise, rich or poor, the way by which you can come into communion with the living God.”
– from The Christian Faith in the Modern World, J Gresham Machen – with thanks to Paul Levy at Reformation21.
A small reminder
Yesterday’s spectacular event above Russia (Meteor strike injures hundreds – BBC News) is a small reminder of the unexpected nature of Christ’s return –
“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command….” – 1 Thess. 4:16.
“Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” – Matthew 24:44.
2013 Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference talks online
Video and audio files from the 2013 Priscilla & Aquila Centre conference at Moore College have now been posted online – at the Priscilla & Aquila website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…