Getting church right
The Liturgical Panel of Sydney Diocese has been working on new resources to help those involved in planning and leading contemporary-style worship gatherings.
While it’s a work-in-progress, their helpful website is now up and running, and features a ‘Service Builder’. It’s at bettergatherings.com. Thanks to all involved!
Related: Bishop Robert Forsyth’s column at SydneyAnglicans.net. and Thinking about what we do in church (i).
Chappo and the Hallway challenge
Much loved evangelist John Chapman has recorded a two minute video to encourage you to pray for your unsaved friends, and to use the resources available for Connect09.
The video is available at SydneyAnglicans.net and would be ideal to play in church.
As always, Chappo reminds us what it is really all about:
“People who are apart from Christ are lost. Their plight is desperate. They need to be forgiven. And they need to find Jesus as a Friend – as a Saviour. They need to know that he’s died so their sins can be forgiven.”
Tip: You can download the video files from SydneyAnglicans.net, but if you have problems playing them (we did), the 76MB mpeg4 file can be downloaded from Vimeo. You’ll need to register with Vimeo if you haven’t already, and then on this page, the download option is on the very bottom right (“Download Quicktime version”).
Our thanks to the team at Anglican Media Sydney for making these videos available.
Understanding the Pentateuch
In 2005, James Robson, Tutor in Old Testament and Biblical Hebrew at Oak Hill College in London, gave a series of evening lectures on the first five books of the Bible, the Pentateuch.
The course ran for 8 weeks, with two lectures each week. They are available as mp3 files courtesy of Oak Hill and would be suitable to listen to on your iPod on the way to work. Each one is about 50 minutes long.
Pray the Bible
Ligon Duncan and Dan Arnold, in conjunction with the Alliance of Confessing Evangelicals, have produced an online prayer resource based on Matthew Henry’s book A Method for Prayer.
Ligon Duncan writes that in the book, “Henry lays down an outline of a plan for prayer (Adoration, Confession, Petition, Thanksgiving, Intercession, and Conclusion) and supplies the contents of prayer from the Scriptures themselves.”
The website follows this same pattern. It’s available at matthewhenry.org. (h/t Tim Challies.)
John Newton: Ministry on My Mind
“Over a period of 8 months, following a conversation with friends, John Newton found himself increasingly drawn to the work of the ministry. So for the six weeks which led up to his 33rd birthday (when he resolved he would make a decision) he wrote down some ‘miscellaneous thoughts’ on the subject, which have come to be published in this 25 page booklet. …”
– Paul McFarland reviews previously unpublished writings from John Newton’s private journal as he contemplated calling into pastoral ministry.
As well, former MP Jonathan Aitken commends the booklet in this video on YouTube.
‘Ministry on My Mind’ is available from The John Newton Project in the UK.
A Hymn for ordinary Christians — Great is Thy faithfulness
“Our church as been trying to memorize one hymn a month for the past ten months. This month we’re working on Great is Thy Faithfulness. I had the opportunity to introduce the hymn yesterday morning and was moved by its history. Here’s what I shared. …”
– Bob Kauflin briefly recounts the story of Thomas Chisholm.
Worship God conference audio online
More audio resources: Justin Taylor has links to the mp3 files from last weekend’s WorshipGod09 Conference, organised by Sovereign Grace Ministries.
Speakers included John Piper and Thabiti Anyabwile.
In reflecting on the conference, Thabiti Anyabwile writes:
The folks at Sovereign Grace put together the best conference I know of for folks involved in leading public praise. The conference blends both concentrated attention to the word of God and workshops addressing almost every imaginable topic involved in leading worship, songwriting, playing instruments (everything but the Oboe according to C.J.), and a host of other things. It’s a wonderfully refreshing time.
Our English Bible
Church Society has reprinted a 1936 article by Harold Smith on the origins of the English Bible. It’s an introductory article covering the period before Wycliffe to the Revised Version of 1885.
It’s available as a PDF file from Church Society.
Australia — whose land?
Dr. Peter Adam, Principal of Ridley College in Melbourne, last weekend delivered the John Saunders Lecture for 2009. His topic was ‘Australia – whose land?’.
“So all lands belongs to God, and he distributed them to many nations, setting the time and places where they would live. The land is God’s land. To respect and honour God is to know that he made Australia, and to treat the existing indigenous peoples who were here in 1788 with respect. The appalling theory of terra nullius treated people as if they had no significance. This was an insult to them, and an offence against God their maker. …”
The text of his lecture has now been made available on the Ridley College website (PDF – direct link).
The Narcissism Epidemic
In last weekend’s edition (August 2nd 2009) of the White Horse Inn, Michael Horton spoke with Dr. Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me, and co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement.
It’s worth hearing – at the White Horse Inn website.
New Christian newspaper planned
Two well-known Christian media men, John Sandeman and David Maegraith, have teamed to produce a mass market monthly Christian newspaper — Eternity.
They say, “Eternity will produce news with a Christian worldview, drawing on the resources of Christians and churches around Australia. The paper is independent of denominations and is privately operated.”
The first issue is planned for October 2009 – see details at their website.
What Men need in a church
“Most of all men need another man. If a man builds a real friendship within your church body, good things happen. A man with a ‘brother’ will be a better man at home and at work. …”
– David Moore reflects on what is helpful for men in church.
Insights from B.B. Warfield
Carl Trueman is giving the annual Eliza Ferrie public lecture at the Presbyterian Theological Centre in Burwood on Wednesday 12th August. His topic? “The Essence of Christianity and the Cross of Christ: Insights from B.B. Warfield.”
Details of this and the Confess or Die Conference (7-8 August) at the PTC website.
Free audio book for August 2009
For something rather different, this month’s free audiobook download from Christian Audio is Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy.
The 11 part download in mp3 format comes to 357MB and is available at www.christianaudio.com/free – use the code AUG2009 at the checkout to get it free.
New Sovereign Grace album preview
A preview of the forthcoming album ‘Sons & Daughters’ from Sovereign Grace is now online at their website.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…