April 2009 Australian Church Record online
Latest issue of The Australian Church Record is now online – at the Church Record website. Included in this issue are some interesting nuggets of information recently discovered about the first Chaplain to Botany Bay, the Rev. Richard Johnson.
Issue number 1896 of The Australian Church Record is available as a 700kb PDF download.
Leon Morris on worship
“In some quarters today there is a suspicion of doctrine. Men think that religious experience is all-important and put their stress on “the life of the Spirit”. Theologians are held to be dry-as-dust fellows who do their best to fossilize living religion…”
– Forty seven years ago, Churchman published this article on “Christian Worship”, by Leon Morris.
It’s now republished on the web in PDF format (direct link).
A Conversation with Death on Good Friday
Hello, Death, my old enemy. My old slave-master. Have you come to talk to me again? To frighten me?
I am not the person you think I am. I am not the one you used to talk to. Something has happened. …
– from John Piper.
Peter Jensen’s Easter message 2009
Archbishop Peter Jensen’s 2009 Easter Message
We are a bit short of hope today.
People are asking, what is there to look forward to?
The good times are over and we fear the future.
Poor President Obama was described in one headline as ‘the hope of the world’.
But we only ever had one Messiah that good.
And it’s a bit hard to live up to Jesus.
Australia used to be such a hopeful nation.
What’s come over us?
Well it’s hard to go past the fears we all feel about the Global recession.
In the midst of the pain many of us are feeling, we need help and we need hope.
Hope keeps you going.
Try to live without hope and you may as well be in your grave already.
Now the funny thing about real hope is this — it was born in a grave.
They consigned Jesus Christ to his grave after they did away with him.
They sealed the grave.
They set soldiers to watch the grave.
But it was no use.
He broke the power of death and came out of the grave to show us that it can be done.
After all, what is the end?
What’s the worst thing?
To die.
To die without having made peace with God.
To die and to pass into eternity with no one to be a friend.
That’s hell.
But no-one has to do that.
There is someone who died for you and who passed through death for you.
When it comes to your present and your future, when it comes even to death and
judgement, Jesus will stand by you, stand for you, stand with you.
Do you want to connect with Him?
You only have to ask.
Dr Peter Jensen, Archbishop of Sydney
Greek & Hebrew Reader’s Bible
Greek a little rusty? See the helpful new online Greek & Hebrew Reader’s Bible by John Dyer.
And read his background to the project.
Life to Death: Death to Life. Easter 2009
Two terrific short videos from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.
(h/t Between Two Worlds.)
Connect09 idea — ‘postcards to God’
The website of the Diocese of Canberra & Goulburn has this story about a simple initiative in the Wagga Wagga parish of St. Paul’s Turvey Park. Certainly worth considering!
Carson on the Psalms
Todd Shaffer at Faith by Hearing has provided links to four addresses by Don Carson on the Psalms – given at the recent UCCF Staff Conference. Each puts the Psalms (Psalm 1, 2, 40, 110) in its Biblical-theological context.
As always: clear, thoughtful, and Christ-honouring.
Biblical theology of Christian Assembly
Back in October 2008, Trevor Cairney, Master of New College at UNSW, posted some thoughts on and a summary of the Sydney Doctrine Commission’s report on “A Theology of Christian Assembly”.
It’s worth reading his summary as a reminder to think about why we meet for church. At the Just in CASE blog.
Opportunity to connect this Easter
It’s been announced that a one hour excerpt from John Dickson’s new documentary, The Life of Jesus, will air across Australia on the Seven Network on Good Friday, 10th April. In NSW, the programme will be broadcast at 1:00pm.
Produced by the Centre for Public Christianity and Anglican Media Sydney, it’s an ideal way to start conversations about Jesus over Easter.
See the programme’s website for a preview – lifeofjesus.tv
Different by Design 2009
Don Carson’s two talks from last month’s mini-conference, Different by Design 2009: A Crucial Call to Faithfulness on Gender Issues, are now available from The Council on Biblical Manhood and Womanhood.
Shepherds’ Conference 2009 audio
The Shepherds’ Conference at Grace Community Church, Sun Valley, California (where John MacArthur is senior pastor) was held earlier this month. The talks covered a variety of topics relevant to preachers. John MacArthur, Al Mohler and Phil Johnson (pictured) were among the speakers.
Todd Shaffer at Faith by Hearing has a summary of the main talks and a link to free mp3 audio file downloads. (You need to set up a free account to access them.)
God’s wide plans
Tasmanian Anglican has posted online audio files from CMS Summerview 2009 held at Port Sorell in January. Ajith Fernando, Director of Youth for Christ in Sri Lanka, and Simon Manchester, gave the main talks.
(Photo: Ajith Fernando, courtesy Tasmanian Anglican.)
Never let the gospel get smaller
“Here is a simple exhortation that I have been trying to implement in our family: Seek to see and feel the gospel as bigger as years go by rather than smaller. …”
– John Piper has encouraging advice – at Desiring God.
Latest 9Marks eJournal: Advice for young pastors
The latest 9Marks eJournal has been released – with a focus on help for ministers who are new to a church. Topics include:
Is this a hill worth dying on? – Matt Schmucker
What I can and cannot live with as a Pastor – Mark Dever
Love the church more than its health – Jonathan Leeman
Should Pastors change anything in the first year? – Phillip Jensen
Worth downloading – from 9Marks (592kb – pdf direct link).
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…