In Our Discipling Relationships, Best-Sellers are Great . . . But the Bible is Best


“Books are tremendous tools for discipling. But with so many good resources out there, we can be tempted to forget the best book on discipleship – the Bible.”

– At 9Marks, Sam Koo has some encouragement for you.

Investing in Preparation

“I am facing the dilemma of all retirees – Australia’s inflation rate continues at between 1 and 2%, at the same time as interest rates are virtually non-existent.

This means that $1 in the bank after a year is worth 98c and there is no gain added from the bank in interest. Bank balances therefore are shrinking. So retirees are looking for return on investment, at least buying shares in Australia’s banks returns 3-4% on investment.

What does this have to do with preaching? In preparing to preach it is important to invest your time where it will pay a rich dividend!…

In his book Why Johnny can’t preach, T. David Gordon says that every sermon must have one idea – what is your sermon about? Is the idea related to the text and are relevant applications offered?”

– At The Expository Preaching Trust, David Cook strongly encourages preachers to invest their time in preparation – and has something which can help you.

Tactics for the Spiritual Battlefield

“If we are to be effective as soldiers of Christ, we need to understand and employ strategies and tactics which will defeat the enemy, seizing his territory and releasing the captives.

In order to do this, we need military-type discipline: unquestioning loyalty and obedience to our King Jesus. We also need sound spiritual-military strategies. …”

– In the February 2021 “Ministry Matters” newsletter of the Church of Confessing Anglicans Aotearoa/New Zealand, Vicar-General, the Rev. Michael Hewat, encourages churches to be ready to adapt methods of proclaiming the gospel.

And it’s a good reminder to pray for the progress of the gospel in New Zealand.

When vice presents as virtue: stopping sin before it’s too late

“Some personal styles can result in highly effective ministries.

If you are task-orientated, decisive, and confident, your ministries will probably be highly efficient. And if you pair your efficiency with some charisma, people will certainly want to follow you.

But there is a challenge for people who fall into this category (and those of us who serve alongside them): could this kind of ‘effective’ personal style inadvertently excuse sin?…”

– Wise words from Nathan Milham at The Australian Church Record.

Make the most of Easter evangelism post COVID

From The Pastor’s Heart:

“Don’t let Easter creep up on you.”

Dominic Steele is joined by Paul Webb, Elliot Temple and Andrew Levy in thinking about how to make the most of Easter this year.

Watch at The Pastor’s Heart.

Also at The Pastor’s Heart, Dominic addresses the tragedy of the recent revelations concerning Ravi Zecharias.

An Introduction to the Homilies

For Lent 2021, Church Society’s Director Lee Gatiss is preaching through a modernised version of the Homilies.

In the first video, he introduces the Homilies and explains their purpose.

Five tips for getting your kids involved in ministry (and why you should want to)

“Do you, like me, worry that your kids might start to see church as just another extra-curricular activity? And how do we go about combatting a consumer mentality to church in our kids? I think an important first step is how we understand the place of children in the church, and then how we communicate that to them. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Jocelyn Lone shares some simple but very practical ideas.

How Christians can guard against the Cultural Milieu

This short video from Carl Trueman encourages Christians to read widely and to ground themselves in biblical and systematic theology.

Published by Crossway, it’s part of a promotion for Dr Trueman’s new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.

Men Meeting the Challenge Conference 2021

This year’s Men Meeting the Challenge Conference is coming up on Saturday 27th March –

“This year’s conference will be held across 5 regional centres; Annandale, Hurstville Grove, Northmead, Rooty Hill and Oran Park.

The conference programme will consist of a mixture of talks that will be delivered either by live stream from another centre, or by speakers who are at the site and are speaking live face-to-face, providing a full day conference experience.”

– Details and registration here.

Preaching the Pastoral Epistles

Lionel Windsor at Moore College has posted a one-hour audio seminar with principles and ideas for preaching the biblical books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus (‘the Pastoral Epistles’).

Listen at Forget the Channel.

The Shepherds who are Sheep

“Speaking in real life terms, shepherds and sheep are independent entities. Sure, you might find them lurking in the same field, but whether from near or afar, you’d hardly confuse them. A shepherd is not a sheep and the four legged cud-chewer is clearly not a shepherd.

But in the stream of biblical thinking the same can’t quite be said.  Shepherds are sheep; and some of the sheep are shepherds.  The category of shepherd – a spiritual leader of the flock – is common parlance throughout the Bible (Ezekiel 34, Jeremiah 3:15, John 21:17, 1 Tim 3:1-2, 1 Peter 5:2, Hebrews 13:17). Christ is the Chief Shepherd and his under-shepherds assist him in sheep care (1 Peter 5:1-4).

Yet this is where the twist comes. The shepherd of Christ’s flock is also part of it. They are one of the sheep who has gone astray (Isaiah 53:6) and part of the number for which the Shepherd died (John 10:15). A man may play the role of a shepherd but he never departs his place in the flock. Like the rest, he exclaims with personal assurance: ‘the Lord is my shepherd’ (Psalm 23:1). …”

– At Unashamed Workman, Colin Adams writes to strengthen shepherds.

Discounted kindle version of Married for God

We understand the Kindle version of Christopher Ash’s book “Married for God: Making Your Marriage the Best It Can Be” is on special at Amazon until February 17.

Carl Trueman writes,

“I heartily recommend it as a book to read and also as a basis for framing and informing pastoral discussions with Christian couples who are looking toward marriage and want a realistic but encouraging picture of what to expect. A great book.”

From Bible to Sermon: 25 Steps

“Don’t be surprised if a sermon takes you a long time to prepare. Most of us take 8-10 hours. If you are starting to preach—or do so infrequently—it will take you longer. And one-off sermons take longer to prepare. …”

– The Gospel Coalition Australia publishes this helpful excerpt from Peter Adam’s short handbook: Local Church Training Program for Potential Preachers.

(Photo: St. Helen’s Bishopsgate.)

Love, grief and identity

“You learn a lot about what a person meant to you when they’re taken away. Separation magnifies all the intricate and beautiful nuances of what you had, and absence pries open memories that may have lain dormant for years. Songs, sights, smells. The faintest hint evokes a cascade of reminiscence. …”

– At The Australian Church Record, Scott Millar has been sharing some very personal reflections on grief and the Christian. Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

The truth about secularism – with Rory Shiner

“Christianity in Australia is in decline. The narrative is we had a few golden years at the start, where 96% of the population identified as Christian, but that has been on a gradual decline for decades.

But if that’s the case:

– Why does Christianity in Australia go up, not down, after Darwin?

– In Australia, why does it go up after WWII?

– If the Church was so strong in the middle ages, why was church attendance so sketchy then?

This week, Rory Shiner joins us to discuss the ways that modern understanding is wrong about secularism. Rory believes we’ve accepted a narrative that isn’t true, and are making massive pastoral and missional mistakes because of it. …”

– A challenging and encouraging episode of The Pastor’s Heart.

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