I found thearticles by Martin Foord and Simon Manchester in December’s Briefing very helpful. It’s always good to be reminded of the seriousness of sin both in our own relationship with God and in speaking to others. However, shortly afterwards, I read two other articles by Jim Packer and Ray Comfort that made me wonder if there was something missing from what Martin and Simon had said. (more…)
Category Archives: Gospel
Review: “The Gospel and Personal Evangelism” by Mark Dever
Review
The Gospel and Personal Evangelism
Mark Dever
Crossway, Wheaton, 2007, 128pp.
There is much to commend about The Gospel and Personal Evangelism. It is warm, engaging and theologically accurate, and it left me encouraged to speak to friends about Jesus. However, it also left me with questions about the best way to mobilize us for this task. (more…)
The gospel and the quiet time
Life
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…)
Dread, joy and Morning Prayer
Up front, Sola Panel
Standing on the 5th tee at St Michael’s in Sydney’s East, the golfer experiences a mixture of nervousness and dread. Here (with some translational notes for non-golfers) is what it’s like. (more…)
Bus evangelism
Up front
I couldn’t help but eavesdrop. The speaker was a tall, retired man in a suit, addressing a younger bearded man who may or may not have had some religious interest, but who had a great deal to say about the Pope, the Roman Catholic church, and the recent Roman Catholic World Youth Day (WYD). They were talking about the re-enactment of the route to Jesus’ crucifixion that happened as part of the WYD celebrations. The older man, who spoke broken English with a heavy Armenian accent, had this to say about it: “Jesus say after he die, three days later he wake up. I say, ‘Why you no show the wake-up?’” (more…)
Apologetics and idiot drivers
Couldn't Help Noticing
What is the gospel?
Thought
Confessions of an ex-Roman Catholic
Interchange
On the dangers of Christian shorthand: ‘The gospel’, ‘gospel work’ and ‘gospel workers’
Pastoral Ministry
Continuing our series of articles on Christian shorthand and its dangers, Christopher Ash explains why we should be careful of talking about the ‘gospel’ too much. (more…)
Social involvement and evangelism (Part I): Two strong cases
Thought
Let me introduce Albert. Albert calls himself a post-evangelical. He says there are many good things about the evangelical church in which he grew up, but he himself has grown out of evangelicalism’s narrowness. Like his postmodern friends, he is wary of truth claims and instead he wants to emphasize symbols and images. This makes him much more comfortable with social involvement than evangelism. Evangelism makes him uneasy because, as he puts it, ‘we are all on a faith journey’ and he thinks that evangelism among the poor is simply manipulative. His catchphrase is ‘don’t force your truth on others’. Instead we should walk with the poor, care for them and help them on their faith journey while expecting them to enrich our own faith journeys.
Assumed evangelicalism: some reflections en route to denying the gospel
A promising start to a new series
Review
The Christianity of Costello
Review
The Reverend Tim Costello is famous. Not simply because he’s the brother of the Australian Treasurer, but for a ministry of social action which in its own right has had a wide influence and enjoys a good reputation. From legal practice and street ministry in St Kilda, to being the Mayor of that same city, to having an increasing national voice on social issues, and now as the President of Australian Baptists, Costello’s responsibilities and profile have grown. He is actively sought out by the Australian media for his opinion on a whole range of issues, religious and social. With this high profile, Costello is able to speak passionately and articulately about issues such as gambling, and so bring attention to the damage and injustice that are taking place in the name of ‘progress’. For this we must be thankful. (more…)
Getting the cart before the horse
Everyday Ministry
Ever since accountants have ruled the world, we have been getting the cart before the horse. Accountants count money, and because we all like money, we end up forgetting what produced the money, and we chase the money itself. The end result is that we neglect our ‘core business’ (as the management textbooks call it).