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ANiC news
ANiC and ACNA events calendar
June 30, 4pm – Ordination to the deaconate of
evangelist Tom Lo of Good Shepherd, Calgary
June 30, 3pm – Ordination to the deaconate of Marty
Fraser at Good Shepherd, St Catharines, ON
October 21-26 – GAFCon 2 international gathering in
Nairobi, Kenya
October 31 – November 3 – ANiC Clergy Retreat in
New England
November 9 – ANiC’s electronic synod at 1:30pm
eastern time
November 5-7, 2014 – Gathering of ANiC synod at a
location to be determined
Welcoming our newest church: Good Shepherd (South
Asian) in Calgary, AB!
A new church plant, Good Shepherd (South Asian) in
Calgary, Alberta has joined ANiC. The forming congregation is currently let by
rector warden Rajiv Singh, with Bishop Stephen Leung acting as priest-in-charge.
Please pray for this congregation which is ANiC’s
first ministry among the large South Asian community in Canada. Pray
specifically for the search of for a rental venue for Sunday service. Currently,
the congregation meets in Rajiv's home. Also pray for God’s provision for a
priest.
Calgary ranks third in Canada in proportion of
visible minorities, just behind Toronto and Vancouver. The South Asian
community in Calgary, mainly Indian and Pakistani, is the second largest visible
minority group. The vision of this ANiC church plant is to reach out to those
who speak Punjabi, Urdu and Hindi. Many of them miss their cultural and
religious customs – worshipping the Lord in their own language(s) and singing
geet (hymns) and zaboors (psalms) which give them spiritual nourishment.
Ordination and confirmations
On June 30 at 4pm, Tom Lo will be
ordained a deacon (transitional) by Bishop Stephen Leung at Good Shepherd Cantonese) Calgary, 503 - 30 Ave NW Calgary, AB. Please
pray for Tom and the growing Chinese congregation in Calgary. And if you can,
do encourage Tom by your attendance.
Also on June 30 at 3pm, Bishop
Charlie Masters will ordain Marty Fraser as deacon (transitional) at Good Shepherd Church, St Catharines
ON. Marty has served as lay
pastor of the congregation at The Way in Stayner, ON (Wasaga Beach area). Please pray for Marty and for God’s blessing on
the people of The Way.
A confirmation service is planned
at Christ The King (Toronto, ON) on June 23 with Bishop Charlie Masters
presiding. On June 2, Bishop Trevor Walters confirmed eight parishioners at Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford, BC).
And on June 16 Bishop Stephen Leung confirmed
three at St Matthias and St Luke (Vancouver,
BC).
ANiC parish jobs
We have a number of job openings posted. Do you know someone who should apply?
Rector,
Good Shepherd (St Catharines, ON)
Priest-in-charge,
Good Shepherd (South Asian) Calgary, AB
Rector
at Christ the King (Edmonton, AB)
Rector (part-time) at Faith Anglican in Embrun, ON
(near Ottawa)
Parish
administrator at St Peter & St Paul's (Ottawa, ON)
Receptionist
(part-time) at St Peter & St Paul's (Ottawa, ON)
Youth
& family ministry coordinator (part-time) at Emmaus (Montreal,
QC)
Bottom of Form
Executive Director, St John’s Vancouver
Welcoming Jessica back
ANiC is blessed to have Jessica Underdown returning
on July 8 to her former role as Executive Administrative Assistant in the ANiC
diocesan office in Burlington, ON. She left earlier this year to pursue an
opportunity in the corporate world but discovered that that her heart is for
ministry. We missed you Jessica and are so grateful that God is calling you
back!
ANiC council sets dates for future synods, revises
MOUs, deals with canons matters
Meeting in Ottawa June 6-7, ANiC’s Council has
decided to bring several minor changes to ANiC’s canons to the electronic
gathering of synod this fall.
Also, in order to fully align with ANiC’s canons, the
Memoranda of Agreement (MOUs) signed by ANiC congregations has been rewritten. This
will mean that all ANiC congregations will need to review and resign these
revised MOUs. Congregation leaders will receive a letter on this matter in the
next few weeks.
Council also set the following dates for synod gatherings:
9 November 2013 – electronic synod at1:30pm eastern
time
5-7 November 2014 – location to be determined
Cuba calling
Bishop Trevor Walters and a small team of ANiC
members recently returned from Cuba where they were exploring opportunities to
partner with Biblically faithful Anglicans in Cuba. Already, ANiC’s Mountain
Valley Mission (Squamish, BC) has partnered with the church in San Pablo,
Hoguin. You can read a report from the trip and see some photos on the Rev
Barclay Mayo’s blog.
For many years, Bishop Charles and Claudia
Dorrington (of the Reformed Episcopal Church or REC) which, like ANiC, is a
diocese in the ACNA) have been working in Cuba where the “harvest is plentiful,
but the labourers are few”. You can see photos of Bishop Dorrington’s ministry
in Cuba on YouTube.
Now ANiC churches have the opportunity to join this
ministry. As ANiC’s coordinator for the Cuban ministry, Barclay+ will be contacting
parishes about opportunities to be part of what God is doing in Cuba. The plan
is to take representatives from at least three more ANiC parishes to Cuba in
January 2014 to see the work first-hand. If this might interest you and your
congregations please email Barclay+ or call him at (604) 815-8309.
Life-changing trip to Israel
October 31 to November 11, the Rev Sharon Hayton is
leading a Shoresh Study Tour to Israel. For information and pricing on the trip
this fall, email Irene Bryant or call 778-440-1677. For a complete itinerary of the
trip, see www.cmjcanada.ca.
The 46 “pilgrims” from Saint Matthew’s (Abbotsford,
BC), who recently returned from a Shoresh Tour in Israel, rave about the
experience. Cathy Bailey comments on how well they were cared for by the
organizers and calls it a “stellar experience” and the “trip of a lifetime”. Bonnie
and Brian Earle write “Shoresh Study Tours provides an experience that changes
the way you read your Bible and hear scripture – it brings it to life! The
history and geography of the Holy Land, especially that from Old Testament
times, is something that we (as cradle Anglicans) had never really studied
extensively. Learning Old Testament history makes the entire New Testament much
more meaningful and walking in the footsteps of Jesus and his disciples
throughout the area surrounding the Sea of Galilee and Jerusalem is so amazing
it has to be experienced…”
Dr Packer challenges our ethic of self-sufficiency
and adulation of strength
Dr J I Packer’s most recently published book is on a
counter-cultural topic. In Weakness is the Way he examines 2 Corinthians, draws on his own experience and that of
others, and teaches us “…the importance of embracing our own frailty, and… [looking]
to Christ for strength, affirmation, and contentment.” It helps us find “…the
path from discouragement to freedom in light of our all-sufficient God.” You
can also read a review of the book here.
Uganda bound
The Rev Geoffrey and Rosalind Dixon, members of
Christ's Church Oceanside (Nanoose Bay, BC) are returning to Uganda for two
months leaving September 3. This is their sixth tour of duty under Africa
Community Technical Service; they
are working with church leaders in a Discipleship Training Program. After
receiving the training, the Ugandan church leaders have taken on the
responsibility of going back to the villages and teaching their own people to
be Christian disciples. Last year, the first course (Life to the Full) was
translated into the local language, making it easier for the leaders to teach
their people. Starting with 24 students six years ago, now more than 500 have
taken the training in the Anglican Diocese of Ankole.
Congratulations Karen!
Karen Stiller was honoured by the Canadian Church
Press and given the A C Forrest Memorial Award for her article “A Visit to the World’s Newest Country”. The
award is presented for excellence in socially conscious religious journalism. Karen
is senior editor for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada’s Faith Today magazine and is married to the Rev Brent Stiller, rector of ANiC’s New Song Church (Port
Perry, ON). You can subscribe to Faith Today online at no cost.
Parish and regional news
Grace Anglican (Calgary, AB) has a newly appointed rector. The Rev Robert
Stringer will take up this ministry effective August 1. While they sought a new
rector, this vibrant congregation has been led this past year by their faithful
associate priest, the Rev Ruthy Lillington.
Be sure
to email your parish news to Marilyn
Jacobson. During the summer months, the newsletter will be
issued monthly, so please provide your parish news well in advance. Thanks!
Anglican
Church in North America (ACNA) news
Read ACNA’s magazine
online
The latest edition of our
Province's magazine, The Apostle, is now online. It features
stories on Anglican Chaplaincy, a new Anglican publishing house, and ARDF’s
work in the Congo.
Church planting regional gatherings
Anglican1000, ACNA’s
church-planting catalyst, is holding seven regional events around North America
beginning in mid-summer in Seattle and ending spring 2014 in Toronto. “There
will be tracks for church planter assessment, training and coaching as well as
leadership development, congregational development, youth ministry, campus
ministry, global mission, and more.”
Check the dates and
locations below and plan to attend the one nearest you. For more information,
see the Anglican1000 website.
Seattle, WA – August 5-10
Boston, MA – September
16-21
Houston, TX – October 7-12
Phoenix. AZ – January
13-18, 2014
Atlanta, GA – Feb 10-15, 2014
Chicago, IL – March 10-15, 2014
Toronto, ON – May 20-24, 2014
ACNA DVD entertains while effectively explaining
Anglicanism
The ACNA is promoting a DVD of a “.., delightful
one-act play… [that] answers the question “What is Anglicanism?” The 45-minute
drama, which is getting excellent reviews, is entitled Surprising Merrily. The
storyline focuses on a television talk show host’s “…prickly interview of historical Anglicans Thomas Cranmer, Richard Hooker,
and C S Lewis.” Dr J I Packer has given the production his stamp of
approval, calling it, “Sound, stimulating, satisfying. A first-rate introduction to real
Anglicanism.”
The DVD was produced by
Hollywood professionals and is said to be accurate and entertaining without
being “churchy”. It is intended to help ACNA members understand the
distinctives and be able to explain Anglicanism to others. The DVD is suitable for viewing at home or by entire Church
congregations. You can read more and see a trailer on the ACNA website.
Anglican House
Publishers, the ACNA’s newly created
publishing company, will gift one copy to churches which promise to screen the
play for their congregation. To request your free copy, send an email to merrily@ahpub.org. For
those congregations which might be interested in staging the one-act play
themselves, it is available in print (hardcover) on Amazon.
ACNA leadership meetings this week
Please pray for God’s hand
on the meetings this week of the Archbishop’s Executive Cabinet, ACNA’s
Executive Committee, the Provincial Council and the College of Bishops.
The Falls Church (Virginia) denied appeal
The Virginia Supreme Court has denied the petition of The Falls Church, which is one of the largest
congregations in the ACNA, for a rehearing. This leaves intact the original
decision which took away most of their substantial properties – both land and
funds.
Ancient Future conference
Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA
recently hosted the Ancient Evangelical Future Conference . Video of the keynote sessions is available on AnglicanTV.
Tornado relief
Please continue to pray for the people of St James
in Oklahoma City as they spearhead ACNA's efforts to bring aid to the victims
of the tornadoes which devastated the Oklahoma City area. St James is part of
ACNA's International Diocese under Bishop Bill Atwood. More information is on the ACNA website. Also Bishop Atwood writes about the disaster and relief efforts on the American Anglican Council
website. And in light of this tragedy,
Dr Albert Mohler discusses the "Goodness of God and the reality of
evil".
Anglican
Communion
Archbishop of Canterbury meets Pope Francis
Archbishop Justin Welby had an audience with Pope
Francis in Rome last week. Archbishop Welby is reported to have told Pope
Francis that “It is only as the world sees Christians growing visibly in unity
that it will accept through us the divine message of peace and reconciliation.”
The pope urged the Archbishop to promote the sacredness of human life and the
importance of the traditional family unit. The pope also thanked Anglicans for trying to understand the creation
of the Anglican Ordinariate within the Roman Catholic Church and said he hoped
it would result in Anglican liturgy becoming more widely known and used by
Catholics worldwide. The full addresses of
both Pope Francis and Archbishop Welby are on the Anglican Communion’s news website.
Bishops continue dialogue “with great hope”
The Anglican Journal reports that 18 bishops from around the communion completed a fourth meeting intended
to promote reconciliation and healing divisions in the Communion. The Anglican
Church of Canada has taken the lead in organizing these meetings and reports
that while divisions over sexuality remain, friendships among the bishops are
forming. This latest meeting focused on – and seemingly attempted to position
as synonymous – reconciliation efforts in the context of: South Africa’s
apartheid (South Africa): Canada’s mistreatment of First Nations peoples; and the
divisions within western Anglican churches resulting from differences in
theology and morality. Future meetings are planned.
International
news in brief
Canada
Diocese of Rupert’s Land – The Church of England Newspaper reports that the Anglican Church of Canada diocese has “…release a protocol for
the pastoral practice of blessing same-sex unions… in response to a 2012
request by synod…”
The Vancouver Sun reports that a three-day national convention of polyamorists recently concluded
in Vancouver. Building on the logic that resulted in legal legitimization of
same-sex marriages, the polyamorists – people with multiple partners, who try
to distinguish themselves from polygamists because religion plays no part in
the arrangement – are demanding the same legal recognition as other “couples”. A
spokesperson said, “It would be nice...to have households where our spouses are
equal under the law, and… in terms of pensions, and inheritances and property
division”.
Vancouver, BC Voices Together event
– On July 1 at 5pm Christians from all over the Metro Vancouver area will
gather in Rogers Arena for worship and praise to God. Tickets $12.
United States
South Carolina - A Federal Court judge has thwarted the Episcopal Church's (TEC) attempt to move its dispute with the
now independent Diocese of South Carolina from the state court to the federal
court. Judge Weston Houck ordered that the case be returned for adjudication to
South Carolina state court - where legal precedent would seem to disadvantage
TEC's case. See canon lawyer Alan Hayley's legal analysis here. Writing in the Church of
England Newspaper, George Conger discusses recent contradictory court rulings on church property cases in the
US.
South
Carolina - VirtueOnline reports that "The retirement
savings of more than 80 non-clergy employees of the Diocese of South Carolina
and its parishes are being held hostage by their former pension plan at the
Episcopal Church (TEC)."
Conformity - Anglican
Ink reports on a TEC proposal that would vet
episcopal candidates based on
their conformity to TEC "political orthodoxy".
England
Women bishops – The Church of England’s House of
Bishops has crafted a new legislative proposal to enable women to become bishops. This will be debated by General
Synod in July. Forward in Faith responded saying the proposed legislation “sweeps away existing legal security”
for those who cannot accept the oversight of female bishops and called for
General Synod to “…choose a way forward which build on the existing
arrangements rather one which destroys them.”
Commentator, Julian Mann says the House of Bishops proposal imposes “a uniform, secular model of
leadership on parishes” and suggests that “The liberal establishment is desperate
to get this legislation through the General Synod… because it is terrified of
the [political] backlash from… the British Parliament”. In its statement, Reform said the proposal was the “least generous” of the available
options and “would leave many evangelicals in an impossible situation”,
excluding many from ministry in the Church of England.
Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali believes that, if the Queen signs a same-sex marriage bill, she would be breaking
a promise she made in her coronation to "uphold God's laws".
Same-sex marriage legislation – As legislation
allowing same-sex marriage was debated in the House of Lords, Archbishop Justin
Welby gave a speech which, while opposing the legislation, is widely regarded as
disappointingly weak-kneed and a missed opportunity. The blog Christian Medical Comment notes that the Archbishop’s speech failed to “…mention God, Jesus Christ, the
Bible or even the historic position of the Church of England. Nor does it
explain how the Christian concept of complimentary heterosexual marriage is a
creation ordinance for all mankind … Welby’s speech was a wonderful opportunity
to speak for Christ and Christians and to explain why Christians believe that marriage
is so precious and should not be redefined. Sadly, for both church and society,
it was an opportunity he largely missed and some of the concessions he has made
are very worrying indeed.” Canon Phil Ashey of the American Anglican Council expresses similar concerns.
Atheism and barbarism – The Chief Rabbi in Britain
Lord Sacks wrote a profound article published in The Spectator (and reprinted in the National Post) which both exposes the superficiality of the New Atheism and the
vulnerability of a society, like Britain, which has abandoned its moral compass
and compromised the ethical foundation upon which it was built. His comments
include:
“The history of Europe since the eighteenth century
has been the story of successive attempts to find alternatives to God… After
this cost humanity two world wars, a Cold War and a hundred million lives, we
have turned to more pacific forms of idolatry …
“In one respect the new atheists are right. The
threat to Western freedom in the twenty-first century is… from a religious
fundamentalism combining hatred of the other, the pursuit of power and contempt
for human rights. But the idea that this can be defeated by individualism and
relativism is naive almost beyond belief… The barbarians win. They always do.
“The new barbarians are the fundamentalists who
seek to impose a single truth on a plural world. Though many of them claim to
be religious, they are actually devotees of the will to power. Defeating them
will take the strongest possible defence of freedom, and strong societies are
always moral societies. That does not mean that they need be religious. It is
just that, in the words of historian Will Durant, “There is no significant
example in history, before our time, of a society successfully maintaining
moral life without the aid of religion.”
“…I have not yet found a secular ethic capable of
sustaining in the long run a society of strong communities and families on the
one hand, altruism, virtue, self-restraint, honour, obligation and trust on the
other. A century after a civilization loses its soul it loses its freedom also.
That should concern all of us, believers and non-believers alike.
France
LifeSiteNews reports that up to 1 million people marched in Paris, France to express their
displeasure at same-sex marriage being legalized in that country. Protests
throughout the country have been ongoing despite surprisingly arbitrary and brutal
police actions including arrests, beatings and gassing.
Scotland
The BBC reports that “The
Church of Scotland's ruling General Assembly has voted to allow actively gay
men and women to become ministers.”
Tanzania
Archbishop Justin Welby joined a reported 3000 worshippers at the enthronement of the newly elected
Primate of Tanzania. Unfortunately, the election was beset by scandal and
charges of outside interference and bribery.
Eritrea
Persecution of Christians in Eritrea – a
country known to be among the worst in the world and sometimes called the
“North Korea of Africa – is reported to be getting worse. An estimated 3000 Christians are imprisoned, many
in metal shipping containers without ventilation or sanitation.
South Sudan
The Anglican Communion News Service
reports that more than 2000 South
Sudanese Anglican Christians were confirmed in just eight days recently as
Bishop Moses Deng Bol toured his diocese. The bishop reported that most were
adult converts to the faith.
Malaysia
Around 3300 young people attended the Diocese of Sabah’s recent youth camps. These camps are offered in
English, Chinese and Bahasa Malaysia. Bishop Albert Vun (Sabah) was a speaker
at ANiC’s regional assembly in Vancouver last April.
Soul
food
Resources
Persecution of Christians – Monsignor Silvano Maria
Tomasi, a top Vatican official, reports that 100,000 Christians are killed every year around the world because
of their faith. He cited the Middle East, Africa and Asia as the worst places
for the deaths but added that “Christians were also forced to leave their homes
and see their churches destroyed in some parts of the world, and were often
subjected to rapes, kidnappings and discrimination”.
Abortion – ACNA Bishop John Guernsey writes his diocese, urging all to take action on abortion and infanticide. He suggests:
prayer for the abortionist, supporting Anglicans for Life,
“discovering God’s gracious forgiveness and healing for those affected by
abortion, staying informed, volunteering at a Christian crisis pregnancy
centre, and joining Marches for Life.
Weariness in ministry – Tim Challies recommends the book Serving Without Sinking.
Sexual assault victims – Tim Challies also recommends the book Rid of My Disgrace, calling
it “…a frank and powerful book that is completely drenched in Scripture.
It interprets the ugliness of sexual assault in light of the Bible and offers
the deepest healing and restoration through the gospel of Christ's completed
work”.
Seduction of sin – The Blazing Center blog lists and refutes five seductive lies Satan uses to entice us to sin.
Congregational worship – Saying the “sound” of
corporate worship should be the congregation singing, Justin Taylor, writing on
the Gospel Coalition blog, offers three criteria of congregational worship:
• If we, the congregation, can’t hear ourselves, it’s
not worship
• If we, the congregation, can’t sing along, it’s not
worship
• If you, the praise band, are the center of
attention, it’s not worship
Homosexuality and genetics – “Eight major studies of identical twins in Australia, the U.S., and Scandinavia during the
last two decades all arrive at the same conclusion: gays were not born that way.”
The conclusion is that sexuality is overwhelmingly determined by one’s
experiences and reactions to those experiences. Read more here.
Homosexuality and the Church – Dr Albert Mohler calls the Church to courageously defy political correctness. He concludes, “We
sin if we call homosexuality something other than sin… This great moral crisis
is a Gospel crisis. The genuine Body of Christ will reveal itself by courageous
compassion, and compassionate courage. We will see this realized only when men
and women freed by God’s grace from bondage to homosexuality feel free to stand
up in our churches and declare their testimony–and when we are ready to welcome
them as fellow disciples. Millions of hurting people are waiting to see if we
mean what we preach.”
Pornography – Covenant Eyes,
which advises and supports those wanting to resist online temptation, offers 33 reasons to flee
pornography. Tim Challies discusses the theological
implications of pornography and concludes by citing 1John 3: 6, 8, 9 &10
which begins, “No one who abides in Him keeps on sinning…” He says:
Pornography desecrates the one thing in all of
creation that God values above all [human beings]; pornography makes a mockery
of that great portrait God has given us of Christ's faithful, compassionate
love [marriage]…
Funerals – Consolation or catharsis?
A Pateos article contrasts two types
of funeral services: one which centres on the departed and indulges emotional
anguish; and the other which centres on God’s Word which acknowledges grief and
channels it into contemplation and prayer. The author writes:
“The dead person’s only hope is the life, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ. That is the only hope of the grievers at the
funeral, who, having been forced to confront the reality of death, tend to be
uniquely receptive to spiritual truth.
“My pastor would deflect attention from the person
who died to the Person who died and rose again. He would preach Jesus — the
cross, the atonement, the imputation of His righteousness, the resurrection —
as the victor over death, hell, and the grave.
“He would not preach this into a vacuum, but into
the hearts of the grieving family and friends. He would connect Christ’s
resurrection to the resurrection of their loved one and to theirs.”
Suffering – Professor Don Carson, in a recent lecture, offers six pillars of the Christian worldview which support us as we go
through suffering.
Creative evangelism – The Australia Bible Society
hands our free Gospels of Matthew to show-goers at the Sydney opening of Jesus
Christ Superstar. You can see a short video here.
Young atheists – The Atlantic features a fascinating article about how and why young people left religion and embraced atheism. After
extensive research, the author concluded:
| • |
Ages 14-17 were decisive |
| • |
Most of the young atheists had attended church and
were reacting to the shallowness of the Christianity they witnessed. They
longed for authenticity but were disillusioned. |
| • |
They respect Christians who take the Bible
seriously and believe it so passionately they actively engage in evangelism. Said
one, “Christianity is something that if you really believed it, it would change
your life and you would want to change [the lives] of others. I haven’t seen
too much of that.” |
The author concludes “…these students were, above
all else, idealists who longed for authenticity and having failed to find it in
their churches…”
Gospel Coalition conference – Video is now posted from the 2013 Gospel Coalition national conference – themed “His
Mission: Jesus in the Gospel of Luke”. Audio of the translated talks are also available
in a selection of languages, including Mandarin, Farsi, French and Spanish.
Hymn – The website Cripplegate.com reports that the well-known hymn, “I have decided to follow Jesus” originated
in India. This hymn, long associated with evangelistic meetings, was birthed
from the martyrdom of a recently converted Indian family in the late 1800s.
When confronted with death if he did not recant, the husband/father was reported
to have said,“I have decided to follow Jesus,
and there is no turning back.” When his children were murdered before his eyes,
he reportedly said, “The world can be behind me, but the cross is still before
me.” And after seeing his wife pierced by the arrows, he said, “Though no one
is here to go with me, still I will follow Jesus.” A prominent Indian
evangelist of that day took these words and wrote the first uniquely Indian
hymn, setting it to a traditional Hindustani melody.
Singles – An excellent article, provocatively titled “I don’t wait any more”, is “must” reading for single
Christian women (and men) – and those who care about and spiritually nurture
them.
Inductive Bible study – Canon Phil Ashey discusses how his Bible Study group of 52 people does inductive Bible study,
deeply engaging everyone from 8-78 years old.
Reaching Muslims with the Gospel – In an informative interview about Islam and reaching Muslims with the Gospel, Abdul Saleeb says
that we are wrong to assume that Islam is a monolithic religion; there are deep
tensions and divisions between the many distinct Muslim communities. He also
encourages us to see the immigration of Muslims to the west as an opportunity
to reach those who have never heard the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Pithy advice for pastors – The Rev Thabiti
Anyabwile recounts invaluable advice he’s received from our pastors.
“Remember:
You preach for an audience of One.”
“Teach
and pray. Love and stay.”
“Surround
yourself with A+ guys.”
“All
my problems are in my own heart.”
“Not
all disagreement is opposition.”
“…how
do you want to be remembered when you die?”
“When
will you relinquish your passive approach to friendship?”
“Rest
before you get tired.”
Small churches are the next big thing – Karl Vaters claims that small churches offer the intimacy young Millennials crave. But
they won’t sacrifice quality – sound Bible teaching, authentic relationships,
practical ministry opportunities, competent musicianship, and good child-care –
for intimacy.
Just for laughs
Pastor Tim Challies fanaticizes about what it would be like if preaching was like playing baseball…
...one decent sermon out of three would rank you
among the superstars.
...a local celebrity would deliver the sermon’s
opening illustration for you.
...there would be color commentary throughout.
"Now Phil, I didn't expect him to go straight to an illustration there,
did you? He tried that last week and it fell completely flat. And now let's go
to Bob at Preaching Central to see what's going on at other churches in
the area."
...as you walked to the pulpit you'd hear someone
in the crowd yell, "Hey preacher, preacher,
preacher, preacher...PREACH!"
...you’d call for a stretch and a song between the
sermon's second and third points.
...you’d have to put up with people walking the
aisles during the sermon shouting, "Get your peanuts here! Ice
cold beer!"
...the church bulletin which would cost $5 and have
a glossy picture of you on the cover.
...a guest preacher would be booed when he walked
to the pulpit.
...the pastor would sign a big endorsement deal and
then have to wear Dockers every Sunday.
...you would be allowed one sermon illustration
that came just a little too close for comfort. But on the second one a deacon
would rush the pulpit and pummel you.
...after every one of your three points someone
would toss you a fresh Bible.
...the elders would light off a few fireworks at
the end of a winning sermon.
...the young and hip pastors would roll up their pants
and wear the high socks.
Thoughts
“If you believe what you like in the gospels, and
reject what you don’t like, it is not the gospel you believe, but yourself.” ~
St Augustine (posted on the American
Anglican Council's Facebook Wall)
“Material
prosperity and physical health do not invariably accompany faithfulness to God.
But spiritual health and prosperity do.” ~ William Greathouse (posted on Tim Challies’ blog)
And now a Word from our Sponsor
I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and
create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid
them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites,
and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your
obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise
as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon
crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you…
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the
preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was
kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic
writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the
eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be
glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
Romans 16:17-27 ESV
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