The evil be ever mingled with the good
“‘In the visible church, the evil be ever mingled with the good.’
This is a phrase which comes from Article 26 of the Thirty-nine Articles – which considers the ‘unworthiness of the ministers, which hinders not the effect of the sacraments.’
… But the throwaway line about the presence of evil within the visible church of Christ is what grabbed my attention.…”
– For Church Society’s Formulary Friday, Simon Scott sees the application for today’s church. Related: The Thirty-Nine Articles.
Emotional Preaching — Andrew Sach
In the latest ‘Preaching Matters’ from St. Helen’s Bishopsgate in London, Andrew Sach speaks about preaching on a passage which is truly horrible.
Healed at Last — What promise am I given?
“When we bow our heads and bend our knees in prayer to the God of all creation, we participate in an impossibly privileged activity. To be able to meet with the one whom the Old Testament saints feared even to name, let alone look upon (lest they be consumed by his glory and die), should be a cause for great humility and no small amount of trembling. The Christian holds an astonishing status before God. On any day, at any time of the day, we may approach God to speak with him personally. We are to approach him as his own children—without fear and with confidence, but always in an attitude of reverent awe and deep respect.
Very often, however, it seems we forget that it is a privilege to come before our Father God – a privilege that Jesus won for us by his sacrifice on the cross. Too often Christians exhibit a bawdy familiarity that verges on contempt. Our regular presence in the throne room can cause us to develop a tendency towards carelessness and presumption, and our humble caution turns into disrespect.…”
– In this extract from his book “Healed at Last”, Scott Blackwell looks at how Christians should pray for healing, and what they should expect. But there’s much more to the extract than that.
Read it at The Briefing, and you can order the book here.
From The Dean’s Wife
“Peter tells husbands to live with their wives understanding her physical hardships in life, as one with whom we share an inheritance (1 Peter 3:7). Here is an edited version of an article on the topic that my wife, Helen wrote some years ago for the Equal But Different Journal.”
– Phillip Jensen introduces this article by Helen.
The Church Singing — latest 9Marks Journal
Check out the latest 9Marks Journal –
“In this edition of the 9Marks Journal, we start with singing and the song. Why do congregations sing, what should they sing about, and how can they sing better?
We then think more carefully about the music itself, particularly with two different perspectives on whether or not some musical forms are better than others. Finally we think about what is involved in leading music.”
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God
Evangelism and the Sovereignty of God – one of J I Packer’s most important books – is this month’s free Audiobook download from Christian Audio. It’s read by American Grover Gardner.
Firing Rome’s Canon
“The church at Rome just determined that these two popes exceeded God’s expectations for obedience. These men not only were able to escape the punishment of purgatory, having no need to purge their sins, having already achieved the holiness necessary to enter heaven.
Not only that, but all the merit they achieved which was beyond what was required was deposited, along with the merit of Christ, into the Treasury of Merit. This merit can become yours, via the purchase of indulgences…”
– Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr. looks at the theology behind the canonisation of Popes John and John Paul.
‘Women, Sermons and the Bible’ coming in May
Tony Payne at Matthias Media writes:
“…I’m pleased to be able to announce that on Monday 5th May, Matthias Media will release Women, Sermons and the Bible: Essays Interacting with John Dickson’s Hearing Her Voice (edited by Peter Bolt and Tony Payne).
The collection not only responds to the main arguments of Hearing Her Voice (regarding whether women should give sermons in the regular Sunday gathering), but also bounces off this specific question to consider some larger issues…”
– See the table of contents at the Matthias Media website.
Themelios vol 39, issue 1 now available
The latest issue of the theological journal Themelios is now available for free download from The Gospel Coalition.
Check it out – including Don Carson’s editorial, “Do the Work of an Evangelist”.
h/t Andy Naselli.
Resurrection and Ethics
“Christ’s resurrection from the dead changes the trajectory of human life. In 1 Corinthians 15:32, the apostle Paul hypothesises that if the dead are not raised then ‘we should eat and drink for tomorrow we die’…”
– a (final?) Easter reflection from The Australian Church Record.
Resurrection and Judgement
“It may seem odd to associate resurrection with judgement, especially in a world that considers ‘judgement’ as some kind of swear word, but Jesus’ resurrection actually has much to say about judgement…”
– A third reflection on Easter from The Australian Church Record.
The Flesh and Bones of the Resurrection
“Now the first thing to affirm is that Jesus’ resurrection really was bodily. Thomas was able to observe and touch Jesus’ hands and side (Jn. 20:27). Jesus himself declared that he was ‘flesh and bones’ and not some ghost (Luke 24:39). Jesus was even able to eat (Luke 24:43). And lets not forget that the tomb itself was empty.
In a world that has always been sceptical about the resurrection this great truth must continue to be proclaimed.”
– The Australian Church Record publishes a second article on the significance of Easter.
“Church of the Triune God” — a review
“…I’m thankful for the recent Church of the Triune God: a book in celebration of the teaching and passion of Robert Doyle, a lecturer from Moore Theological College. Edited by Michael Jensen, it’s a collection of excellent essays on the themes he was so captivated by throughout his teaching career: the Trinity and the church.”
– At The Briefing, Sam Freney reviews Church of the Triune God, published by Aquila Press.
(Authors include Mark Baddeley, Mark D Thompson, John McClean, Ashley Null, Peter G Bolt, Benjamin Dean, Rory Shiner, Andrew JB Cameron, Kanishka Raffel, Chew-Chern Morgan and Greg Anderson.)
Sin in the life of a Believer
“Sin in the Life of a Believer is one of the issues that the Jesus Brings… programme brings to the forefront. If Jesus Brings forgiveness, rebirth, holiness and transformation, why do Christians continue to sin? Why do I have such a struggle with sin? Why is the world not becoming a better place as the gospel message continues to grow around the globe?…”
– Dean of Sydney, Phillip Jensen, writes his weekly article for the Cathedral newsletter.
Dimming the Gospel Light: 1. Can we still be Protestant 500 years on from Luther?
“Today I watched a good friend — of more than twenty years standing — consecrated as a bishop in the church of God. It was a magnificent occasion in which we were able to celebrate God’s continued goodness to his people by his provision of godly, faithful and courageous Christian leadership. The sermon was one of the most inspiring challenges I have heard to put first things first and not to flinch when the pressure is on to do what others would be pleased to see us do. Taking his cue from Acts 6, the preacher (Simon Manchester) reminded us of the apostolic commitment to prayer and the ministry of the word.
And then there were the promises my friend made:
Will you instruct the people committed to your care from the Scriptures, and teach nothing (as required of necessity for eternal salvation) except what you are convinced may be proved by the Scriptures?
Are you ready to drive away all false and strange doctrine which is contrary to God’s word; and privately and publicly to call upon and encourage others to do likewise?
Add to these the hymns that were sung. …
The final element making this such a grand occasion was the presence in the congregation of many of the old saints who had served Christians in this city (and much further afield) so very well over such a long period of time …
All of this made me ponder anew on a more general dimming of the gospel light in many churches and church organisations around the world. In some places there seems to have been a discernible neutering of genuine evangelical ministry at a time when it is needed more than ever. So I’ve decided over the next few months or more to prepare a series of posts on questions for which we need a clear, unambiguous, courageous and truthful answer. …”
– Read Dr. Mark Thompson’s whole article at Theological Theology.
What we believe
The message at the heart of Christianity is really quite simple…