Live Out Loud is only 5 weeks away!! (More deets here and here). Steve Chong promo:
Get your youth groups there… buy your tix online.
Youth Ministry Conference 09
Youthworks run a killer conference every year: Youth Ministry Conference. The theme of YMC09 is ‘Real Hope’ – “Real Hope isn’t wishful thinking about an uncertain future. It’s a confidence grounded in the past that gives a thirst for the present and a certainty for the future. Real hope is in Christ – we experience it, and we want the young people of our nation and world to experience it too!” Get your team along to this great event!
Monday 30th November and Tuesday 1st December.
Speakers include: Ed Springer, Glenn Davies, Dave Starling and Malcolm Gill.
The glorious message of the cross
Quote from Martin Lloyd-Jones (check out his fully pimped out resource website)
“During these twenty-six years in my Westminster pulpit there have been times when in my utter folly I have wondered, or the Devil has suggested to me that there is nothing more for me to say, that I have preaching it all. I thank God that I can now say that I feel I am only at the beginning of it. There is no end to this glorious message of the cross, for there is always something new and fresh and entrancing and moving and uplifting that one has never seen before.”
Find out more about the Saviour King Jesus
Changed by Jesus – Sermons
I preached at Willoughby the past two Sunday nights. The series was all about the difference that the gospel and knowing Jesus makes. Talk 1 was from Luke 19 and looked at the change in Zacchaeus upon meeting Jesus. Talk 2 was from Luke 16 and looked at the Shrewd manager and how his story encourages Christians to make decisions shaped by Jesus and eternity.
Here are the mp3s from the two talks:
- Talk 1 – Changed by Jesus: Changed Worship (mp3) – Luke 19:1-10 (text)
- Talk 2 – Changed by Jesus: Changed Priorities (mp3) – Luke 16:1-15 (text)
Illustrating the Cross of Jesus
This morning in MPJ’s Doctrine 2 class, we discussed the limitations of a number of popular illustrations for the explaining what happened at the cross of Jesus.
Here are 3 things I’ve been thinking since:
- We often stumble when the illustration involves discussion involving a father giving up the life of his son. Parallels are quickly made between God the Father and God the Son. I don’t know of any illustration that adequately explains the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Therefore, one of the problems with these illustrations is that they’ve crossed into the impossible territory of illustrating the Trinity.
- For this reason, I think that it’s better to illustrate the love and sacrifice of Jesus with (albeit limited) examples of sacrificial love shown by other people. There’s the example of the husband who dies in the place of his bride (very different from this jerk) by putting himself in the line of the shark while on their honeymoon. There’s no need to allegorise the illustration so that the shark becomes a picture of God’s wrath or anything like that, but simply say that this is but a fraction of the love that Jesus has demonstrated at the cross.
- Don’t forget the Old Testament! Use it to illustrate the work of Jesus. About 10 years ago I heard Al Stewart explain the sacrificial system from Leviticus and used it to illustrate the work of Jesus – I’ve used a similar illustration quite a few times since. Another obvious example from the OT would be Isaiah 53 and the different images of Jesus the suffering servant.
What do you think?
No idea what the fuss is all about?? Check out this, this, this, this and this.
Gen Y says THANKYOU
Some action in the Sydney City this Monday (12th Oct) for young crew as part of Jesus all about Life. Basically a massive free BBQ. Check the promo vid below with Steve Chong, Chrishan Jeyaratnam and Josh Kelsey or get all the deets from the JAAL website.
Peaceout amigo.
Counting the Cost of Sexual Immorality
I’m scared of sexual immorality. Am I planning on committing adultery? No!! I love my wife, she is more precious to me than anyone or anything else on this earth. I also know that God’s plans for sex are within marriage and that this is good. So why am I scared? Because I know the deceitfulness of my own heart and that I’m capable of great sin given the opportunity. My prayer is that God would keep me (and you) from impurity.
Randy Alcorn and Alan Hlavka have thought through specific consequences resulting from the immorality of a pastor. This really is essential reading. Here’s my plan:
- Re-read Proverbs 6 (see below) and God’s wisdom on fleeing from adultery;
- Re-read Alcorn’s blog post;
- Copy it and customise it for me;
- Print it out and put it in some prominent places;
- Pray.
It might be wise to do the same!
Proverbs 6:20-35 is below…