Reading the Bible in 2013

As he has done in previous years, Justin Taylor has posted links to resources to help us, and our congregations, read the Bible consistently. (As well there are reading plans available from YouVersion.)

Of course, you don’t have to read the Bible on an electronic device – these plans can be used in conjunction with a printed Bible too!

Related:

How Not to Read Your Bible in 2013. (Gospel Coalition.)
Bible Reading Plans for 2013 (Ligonier Ministries.)

Amazing Grace — a hymn for the New Year (1773!)

John Newton wrote his most famous hymn, Amazing Grace, 240 years ago.

Over at The John Newton Project, you can read his original words, as well as extracts from his diary for 1st January 1773. He wrote the hymn to accompany his sermon on 1 Chronicles 17. See the video (2:18) here.

Archbishop Peter Jensen’s Christmas message 2012

With thanks to SydneyAnglicans.net.

And here is the text of the message formatted to A5 (two-up on an A4 sheet) – perhaps you could use it as a church newsletter insert. (180kb PDF.)

Reminder: Carols from St. Andrew’s Cathedral rebroadcast

Last year’s Christmas Eve Celebration from St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Sydney is being replayed this year on Christmas morning.

ABC 1 at 7:00am Christmas Day

Let your friends and neighbours know – and you could watch it over breakfast before heading to church.

If you enjoy it , you could contact the ABC to thank them for broadcasting it again.

Making the most of Christmas

“Here are a few rough and ready suggestions I jotted up for our church about “making the most of every opportunity” (Col 4:5 NIV) for the gospel from the Christmas season…”

– Sandy Grant shares some good ideas at The Briefing.

Peter Adam on Powerful Preaching

Dr Peter Adam was interviewed at St. Helen’s in London for their video series ‘Preaching Matters’.

Most encouraging. (h/t Paul Levy.)

Don Carson at Geneva Push – talks online

Don Carson’s talks from this week’s Geneva Push conference (Multiply ’12) are now online.

A new old translation

A newly digitised text of The Revised Version of 1885 has been added to the Bible translations available at YouVersion. The RV was a key precursor to the RSV and the ESV.

It might not be for everyone, but Dr. Broughton Knox, who would often be seen carrying his battered copy of the RV, would be pleased.

Luke’s Acts as a Historical Source for Paul

“The Acts of the Apostles is critical to historians for establishing (a) the connection between Jesus and earliest Christianity, and (b) a chronology of the life of Paul and its relationship with his letters. In this brief paper we will direct our attention to (b). …”

– Bishop Paul Barnett explores New Testament historicity – at his blog.

Oak Hill magazine – Winter 2012-13

The latest Commentary magazine from Oak Hill in London is now on their website – it’s downloadable as a 12MB PDF file. Individual articles are also available – from this page.

Well worth a read.

Assisted suicide: No room for error!

Bishop of Tasmania John Harrower writes –

“Sobering, indeed frightening letter (I have bolded some text for clarity): Friday, December 7, 2012.” – See why here.

How evil was Herod the Great?

“Tony Reinke has a helpful podcast interview with Dr. [Paul] Maier about the paranoid tyrant who ended up killing three of his sons on suspicion of treason, putting to death his favorite wife (of his ten wives!), killing one of his mothers-in-law, drowning a high priest, and killing several uncles and a couple of cousins.

They also talk about Herod’s plot to kill a stadium of Jewish leaders, and whether there are any doubts in Dr. Maier’s mind about the historicity of the slaughter of the innocent male children recorded only in Matthew 2 — and why there isn’t any collaborating evidence in the historical record.”

– Justin Taylor draws attention to an illuminating interview. In addition, John Piper speaks about his Hope for the Hurting This Christmas video.

Feed My Lambs

“Simon Peter, you will recall, was a fisherman, not a shepherd by training. He was used to nets and boats and water. Now he is called to feed sheep. These are very different tasks. The fisherman does not stay up at night, protecting his fish from slaughter. He does not lovingly tend the fish, knowing that they will surely perish without a fisherman. As a matter of fact, the fish should rightly fear the fisherman, who hardly takes their personal welfare to heart.…”

– At today’s Commencement of Ministry service at Southern Baptist Seminary, Albert Mohler will remind graduates of the nature of Christian pastoral ministry. Here’s the text of his charge.

Preaching resources from Tassie

The Diocese of Tasmania has posted some new preaching resources on its website – most recently a section to help a local church incorporate Scripture Union’s E100 Bible reading challenge into a twenty week preaching programme.

Proc Trust Autumn Ministers Conference 2012

The Proclamation Trust has made available the audio files from its 2012 Autumn Ministers Conference (12-15 November). Speakers were Doug Moo, Vaughan Roberts, Adrian Reynolds and Prof. Glynn Harrison. Downloads here.

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