One of the job hazards associated with working as an editor is that you sometimes have to read things faster than you would like to in order to make a quick and dirty assessment of it. Peter Bolt’s Living with the Underworld (Matthias Media, Sydney, 2007) suffered this treatment recently when, as a matter of conscience, I flicked through it at a great rate of knots to determine whether or not I could recommend it to people who asked about it.
Archives: gordon-cheng
Visions of God
Couldn't Help Noticing
All sorts of people have claimed to see visions of God, of Christ, of Mary or of the saints over the centuries. And, from time to time, the Roman Catholic church has endorsed such visions and used them to encourage people in their allegiance to the Roman church. But Martin Luther, the great Reformer and opponent of Roman Catholic teaching, also saw visions— sometimes in considerable detail. Here he describes one such appearing:
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Podcast: Preaching and personal ministry
Audio
Tony Payne and Gordon Cheng reflect on the differences between the USA and Australia in the area of personal ministry (MP3).
Nine reasons to work at one-to-one ministry
Couldn't Help Noticing
With the help of The Reformed Pastor (written by Richard Baxter) and the Bible (written by God), and in no particular order, I have thought of nine good reasons why Christian leaders and preachers should work hard at one-to-one ministry.
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Starting with God: The Bible’s guide to ministry training
Everyday Ministry
There are a range of different opinions on how people should be trained for gospel ministry. But, as Gordon Cheng reveals, the right starting point for ministry training is God and his gospel.
How should Christians be trained in gospel ministry? Some churches are happy to leave the details of this and all related questions to their denominational authorities. As long as their minister is duly appointed, the manner of his training is of secondary interest. Whether it has involved Bible college, some other theological training, or just a lot of practical experience, the question of how they are trained is not an issue that raises a lot of concern. As for going further and training the non-ordained church members, the very suggestion seems alien and out of place. On this view, the job of church members is not so much to be trained as to turn up at church, receive ministry and contribute money. (more…)
Let’s abolish lay ministry
Everyday Ministry
There has been much talk of the difference between ‘professional’ ministry and ‘lay ministry’. But are such distinctions helpful? Gordon has a better suggestion.
A slightly arbitrary definition of ‘lay ministry’ is ‘unpaid ministry in the church performed by nonprofessionals’. The idea of ‘laity’ comes from the Greek ‘laos’, meaning ‘people’, distinct from any priestly class. Lay ministry is often associated with church work that is necessary but unpaid. Such unpaid ministry may or may not be formally recognized by a denomination or church, but it is certainly recognized by God. (more…)
The surprising face of Hillsong
Thought, Sola Panel
Tony Payne and Gordon Cheng report from Hillsong Conference, 2006.
The sound hits you like a wave. The bass is throbbing. The drums kick through your diaphragm with each beat. The guitars thrum and swell. The lead singer is a good-looking guy with unkempt hair and stubble. He stands, arm raised, head thrown back.
Firing up for evangelism
Pastoral Ministry
How can a pastor get evangelism going in his church? To ‘evangelize’ literally means to ‘proclaim news’. Thus, when the President of the IOC stands to say, “The games of the 33rd Olympiad in 2012 are awarded to the City of London”, he is evangelizing. To do Christian evangelism is to tell the news that “Jesus Christ is Lord”.
Should we tell our kids about hell?
Everyday Ministry
Why ministry is hard: The suffering minister
Pastoral Ministry
In last month’s column, I looked at the bad experiences of the Old Testament prophets. I noted summary statements made by Jesus and Stephen about how every single Old Testament prophet was persecuted and attacked for his message. Ultimately, they were being attacked for the gospel message, because their message was one of judgment and salvation, both from the hand of God.
FAQs on the resurrection
Why do you think the resurrection is important?
Without the resurrection the only thing that lies ahead of us is death. What’s more, it would mean that Jesus, whom we believe to be God, is also dead. Small wonder that Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15: “If Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith”.
Dear Briefing: Should Christians have children?
Life
Twenty years ago, many people got married and had kids, if not, got married to have kids, but these days people seem to shack up and have dogs. Should a Christian couple’s plans include children?