Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1 Tim 4:13)
In this fourth post, we turn to think about the implications of devotion to the public reading of Scripture for readers and congregations.
Category Archives: Scripture
Are we devoted to the public reading of Scripture? Part 3: ‘Devotion’ in elders and preachers
Pastoral Ministry
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1 Tim 4:13)
In this third post, I would like to start exploring what ‘devotion’ looks like in general, but particularly for elders and preachers.
Are we devoted to the public reading of Scripture? Part 2: It’s not that difficult to change
Pastoral Ministry
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. (1 Tim 4:13)
In my first post, I asked whether there is a disparity between our esteem of Scripture, and our devotion to seeing it read publicly. In this second post, I’d like us to explore some easy ways to restore church life to be reflecting this imperative, if not encapsulating it just yet.
Are we devoted to the public reading of Scripture? Part 1: A mirror held up before our eyes
Pastoral Ministry
In 1 Timothy 4:13, Paul instructs Timothy as follows: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching”.
In a series of posts, I’d like to explore what this verse might mean and look like in our lives. Similar to my post on whether we believe in the clarity of Scripture, I’d like to take a look at the difference between what we may think we believe, and what our practice actually testifies to. Like previous posts, I can only speak of my experience of church life: that of Sydney Anglicanism. I trust, however, that this will be of benefit to others.
Word and action
Thought, Sola Panel
How do you react when you notice that you or your church has a dull, dry, inactive faith, even though you are committed to God’s word? Elvis, in his song, A Little Less Conversation, gives us a model for one way that we could try to solve the problem:
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A prayer request from an Aussie living in the Mother Country
Life, Sola Panel
I was listening the other day to a satirical comedy show on British Radio. The presenter was making a point about human relationships. The bulk of his satirical piece consisted of a reading from Genesis 2:18-25, in full, from the King James Version of the Bible (“And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him …”). He read it slowly and theatrically in a fake American accent. During the reading, the audience laughed uproariously. When the reading was finished, the skit was effectively over; the point was made. The show moved on to the next topic. (more…)
Did the Apostle Paul invent Christianity?
The Apostle Paul been called everything from “the genius of hatred” for misrepresenting Jesus to the “second founder of Christianity”. But are these accusations justified? Paul Barnett investigates. (more…)
Countercultural rebellion
Life, Thought
Podcast: Countercultural rebellion: An interview with Carl Trueman
Audio
Paul Grimmond catches up with Carl Trueman, Academic Dean and Professor of Historical Theology and Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary, to chat about the local church, evangelism, ministry training, evangelicalism, the uniqueness of Scripture and Anglicanism (MP3).
Why I’m still sayin’ nuttin’
Thought, Sola Panel
Does your church believe in the clarity of Scripture?
Pastoral Ministry
I’ve noticed in recent years that, although we can make good and well-intentioned ministry decisions, when combined with other good ministry decisions, these decisions produce a poisonous gas that threatens the wellbeing of our churches. In other words, the way we’ve chosen to work out the implications of our theological commitments can come at the expense of other theological commitments. (more…)
Fixed NIV fixed by fixers with a New new NIV
Life
The New International Version (NIV) translation of the Bible was good. Really, really good. So good that even the bits that weren’t quite as good were still pretty good. I used mine as my regular daily Bible for many years. (more…)
The most dangerous excuse for avoiding a conference
Pastoral Ministry, Sola Panel
What’s the most dangerous excuse for avoiding a conference?
I reckon it’s the one that says, “I’m not going to that conference because I’ve heard what they’re going to say before”.
Maybe you don’t go because because the particular conference speakers are not going to say anything new! But I go because the conference speakers are not saying anything new!
The Bible doesn’t say
Up front, Sola Panel
A few weeks ago, Bobby died. It happened quite quickly. On Thursday, he was sitting merrily on his perch. On Friday, he was shivering and looking pretty unimpressed with life. On Saturday morning, he was standing on the floor of the cage with his eyes half open, rocking back and forth. At lunchtime, when the kids and I took him to the vet, he had decided it would be best to have a little lie down. The vet was kind, but decisive. (more…)
In defence of doctrine
The whole business of doing ‘doctrine’ has become quite unfashionable in the Christian world. But, as Michael Jensen argues, nothing is more important and essential because the gospel itself demands it. (more…)