Many years ago now I heard a sermon on Matthew 6—the section where Jesus tells his disciples to pray behind locked doors to ensure that they pray to God and not to men. It was, in many ways, an unremarkable sermon. It was clear, faithful and challenging, like much of the preaching that, in God’s kindness, I get to hear. But, like most sermons, it was destined for the dustbin of my mind. Except for one thing: it was the first time I had ever heard a preacher ask, “Have your deeds of righteousness become so secret that not even God can see them?” The question stopped me in my tracks. (more…)
Monthly Archives: January 2009
The Swedish Method
Everyday Ministry
For 19 years, I worked in Argentina in a context where many university students were unaccustomed to reading. Bible studies in that country (with its strong Catholic influence and practices expressed in the current evangelical style) were often an exercise in glancing at a text and then using ‘authorities’ to prove a point. For example, a youth group would typically read a passage of Scripture, close their Bibles to discuss it, and then one student would then say, “My pastor says ‘X’”. Then another would reply, “But my pastor says ‘Y’”. The argument would then escalate as one and then the other would pull in higher authorities from around the evangelical world to justify their points of view. From rallies, television or radio programmes, they would cite evangelical ‘celebrities’ such as Yiye Avila, Carlos Annacondia, Luis Palau, and then, to clinch the argument, Billy Graham. What they were doing was a Protestant version of Catholicism: they appealed to a higher human authority to win an argument. (more…)
Blood, sweat and tears
Pastoral Ministry
There is a joy in pulpit preparation—a sense of expectation which spurs us on. But work is needed:
Review: “Vintage Jesus” by Mark Driscoll
Review
Vintage Jesus: Timeless answers to timely questions
Mark Driscoll and Gerry Breshears
Crossway Books, Wheaton, 2008, pp. 256.
It is easy to like Mark Driscoll. How can you not like someone who founded a megachurch in his 20s, who has the flare of a stand-up comedian, and who can speak for an hour without wearying his audience? Minor differences aside, he is the poster boy for 21st-century Evangelicalism. And having spent considerable bandwidth downloading his sermons, I am constantly impressed at his sparkling use of language and his passionate conviction of the centrality of Christ. (more…)
So you think you can spell?
Up front
The Higher School Certificate (the final school exams before university entrance in New South Wales) is a strange beast: apparently it is the biggest test you will ever face in your life. Whoever got that rumour going among the high schools has obviously never tried to understand a mobile phone contract. But the rumour lives on, and it can be used to generate pressure on the students—sometimes a pressure that is too great for them to bear. It is sad to see such high hopes placed upon one exam. It is even sadder to see those high hopes end in tragedy. (more…)
Just how sovereign is God?
Up front, Sola Panel
I believe that every particle of dust that dances in the sunbeam does not move an atom more or less than God wishes—that every particle of spray that dashes against the steamboat has its orbit as well as the sun in the heavens—that the chaff from the hand of the winnower is steered as the stars in their courses. The creeping of an aphid over the rosebud is as much fixed as the march of the devastating pestilence—the fall of sear leaves from a poplar is as fully ordained as the tumbling of an avalanche.1
In one of his sermons, John Piper tells the story of a couple who approached him one day and shared that they had learned more about God’s sovereignty during six months at his church than in their whole Christian lives previously. Some time later, their family went through a time of terrible suffering. The mother thanked Pastor John with tears in her eyes, saying that they could never have made it through this time without the conviction of God’s sovereignty. (more…)
10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry
Interchange
I was blown away by ‘10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry’. As I sat to peruse The Briefing (a useful and godly delaying tactic instead of tackling the housework), I began reading point 10: ‘Keep your home messy’. It was like an arrow to the heart. I had never looked upon my shortcomings as a housewife in that way. As I surveyed each horizontal surface laden with clutter, I was horrified and challenged. Thank you for such a blunt and thought-provoking article. (more…)
We need more shack time
Interchange
I appreciated Paul Grimmond’s critique of The Shack: it is needed. You might want to check out William P Young’s connections to C Baxter Kruger and his Perichoresis Ministries, especially given their November speaking tour of Australia. Kruger’s fascinating re-frame of the gospel is the next ‘evangelical’ gospel aberration requiring a vigorous response, I suspect. The novel is marinated in his theological perspective—a perspective which is intensely appealing. (more…)
The image of Jesus?
Thought
At first glance, most Christians would dismiss this as blasphemous. The idea that Jesus was controlled by the unjust prejudices of his culture, that he did not understand God’s compassionate love and that he needed a Canaanite woman to teach him God’s ways is an attack on the incarnate Son of God. (more…)
Is church for evangelism?
Interchange
I wonder if Tony Payne has created a reductionist focus in pointing the church to act like a “fellowship of the redeemed” when it gathers (Briefing #362, ‘Is church for evangelism?’). In the descriptive ministry of Jesus, he turned effortlessly to the mix of his listeners (Luke 12). Paul could ask his readers to “examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith” (2 Cor 13:5). (more…)
10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry
Interchange
Thank you to Carmelina and Karen for their excellent article ‘10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry’. Speaking in the negative gave so much more scope for explaining what encouragement looks like—and it also gave us a chance to laugh at ourselves. I appreciated it. Thank you! (more…)
Doing little things well
Up front
Recently I have observed this phenomenon: there is an inverse relationship between dreaming great visions and faithfulness in the little things. The people who have the grandest, most sweeping plans and strategies for the future are likely to be unreliable and untrustworthy in the smaller, short-term tasks and responsibilities. They talk about the great things they want to achieve for God in the years to come, but right now they tend to drop the ball in significant ways. (more…)
Is the gospel still for the Jews?
Interchange
Yesterday evening I had a terrific time at a University Christian Union giving some insights into why and how Christian students can/should share Yeshua with their Jewish friends. It was a well-attended evening seminar. (more…)
The power of God’s word – Interview with Robert Cole
Everyday Ministry
Imagine not having access to a Bible. Imagine being unable to read it in your own language. Unfortunately these are realities for many Christians around the world. Tony Payne speaks to Robert W Cole, President of Bible League, about the extent of the need and what we can do about it. (more…)
10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry
Interchange
‘10 ways to discourage your husband in ministry’ was one of the most profoundly discouraging articles I have read in my 17 years of being a ‘ministry wife’. At first, I wondered if I’d lost my sense of humour. But I found many others were equally discouraged. (more…)