SPRING 2015 Gospel-Shaped Ministry God’S Goose Wedding Or Alarm Bells?
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Australia’s reformed AP evangelical periodical AUSTRALIAN PRESBYTERIAN SPRING 2015 Gospel-shaped ministry God’s goose Wedding or alarm bells? Cover photo ©Scott Prokop/123rf.com Editorial Christ alone for salvation. Paul pressed “Come and see” (John 1:46). Love need Felix hard on righteousness, self-control not preclude vigour. The early and the coming judgment, to the point Christians prayed that God would where Felix became alarmed, and sent enable them to speak His word with Paul away (Acts 24:25). Such boldness (Acts 4:29; Eph.6:18-19). evangelism would be frowned upon These days, we would be more likely to here is quite a considerable today, even in most evangelical circles. hear a prayer that we would speak with amount of evangelism in the sensitivity into the lives of others. It is Believing in Jesus as Saviour is not Church which actually consists of not a case of being sensitive or being T enough. Paul speaks of faith in our convincing people who are not Christians bold but of being both, however Lord Jesus Christ. The man Jesus is also difficult that may be. that they are. A person may believe that Lord and Christ. The cross saves God loves him, that Christ died for because it is the Lord who died there, as Our mind, our affections, and our will him, and that he has invited Jesus into a substitute for all whom the Father respond to the message that Jesus Christ his life, and still not be a Christian. had given Him. is not only the priest who is the sacrifice for sinners, but the prophet who To evangelise we first need to be sure Sometimes evangelism can be so simple proclaims God’s word to them, and the about our answer to “What is a that we might be scarcely aware that we king who rules over them. The focus is Christian?” Paul tells us that his are evangelising. Philip told Nathanael: on Christ. A. W. Tozer warned: “You testimony to both Jews and Greeks was “We have found Him of whom Moses cannot believe on a half-Christ.” The one of repentance toward God and faith in the Law and also the prophets wrote, more clearly we see Christ, the more we in our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21). Jesus of Nazareth” (John 1:45). When will want to make Him known. To repent is to change one’s mind, to Nathanael wanted to argue the point, turn decidedly from sin, and to look to Philip simply issued the invitation: Peter Barnes How to replace anxiety with peace $13.99 By Timothy Lane President of the Institute for Pastoral Care. He is in demand around the world as a speaker and trainer and is the author of many books on pastoral care including How People Change and Relationships: A Mess Worth Making. “A heart-centered biblical prescription for replacing anxiety with peace.“ DR BOB KELLEMEN The Biblical Counseling Coalition Available from Reformers Bookshop on (02) 9564 3555 and direct from www.thegoodbook.com.au 2 AP SUBSCRIBE FOR YOUR OWN FREE COPY AT AP.ORG.AU a convention al The gospel shapes our preaching, discipleship and theological education. ministry David Cook talks to Peter Hastie The Rev. David Cook is the Moderator- great change and innovation in the front and centre of our preaching. General of the Presbyterian Church of many areas of life. Does this apply So you give me a topic to preach on, Australia and the former principal of to convention ministry as well? and I’ll handle that in an expository Sydney Missionary and Bible College, way. I’ll tell you what the Bible says Yes, there have been some trends where he served for 26 years. He is about it and I will speak to you from developing in more recent times that married to Maxine and has five children. biblical texts, explaining their meaning we need to watch carefully. One of and how they apply in our lives. David, you have returned from a these is the increase in topical preaching major Christian convention in the at these conventions. I think we are Is there a place for “occasional UK. Can you tell us why you getting into a position now with our preaching” where you speak to a remain so supportive of convention ministry where we think, particular event or crisis, such as convention ministries both “As long as we’ve got one expositor, we 9/11? overseas and in Australia? can have a more popular topical Yes, there is. I take “occasional preaching” As you know, Christian convention preacher as well”. I, for one, am not to refer to funerals, weddings, Easter, ministry has had a strong tradition in convinced that this is a good policy. Anzac Day and being invited to the the West for well over a century. The The topical preacher can usually choose local Rotary Club. But I’m still going to reason I am so supportive of it is that his topics and this means he can avoid bring the Word of God to bear on each convention ministry has a long- the tougher sections of the Bible. He occasion. I believe I am a herald and established pattern of having expositors may well be a very popular proclaimer of the gospel. That is my open the Scriptures and model how communicator, so when people come calling. If you say, “We want you to people should use the Bible, explain its back from conventions they put pressure come and give a public address, but we meaning, and apply it to life. on their pastor to preach like the topical don’t want you to talk about the Bible” I think the church owes conventions a preacher rather than like the expositor. – well, I’m afraid I can’t help you. I great deal for the Bible-teaching ministry believe that God has spoken to us a I think having a consistently expository that they have exercised during this vital and saving Word and I need to platform is of vital importance. period. In the words of Charles proclaim it. So when I am in an Incidentally, this does not mean that I Simeon, they have “exalted the Saviour, occasional setting, I will respect that am saying that we need to have dull and humbled the sinner, promoted biblical setting but I will look for ways to bring dreary preaching. Never! I want lively holiness and equipped people for life” – an explanation of the Bible to it. I preaching that is spiritually engaging. that is what we are after, and that might only give a short address – I should be the goal of every preacher. We need real exposition that respects want to be sensitive to the situation – both the Word and the congregation, but my aim in speaking to an audience The other encouraging feature of and seeks to apply and engage the will only be to explain a passage of the conventions is that large numbers of congregation with the truth of the Bible . Bible. That is my primary calling. Christians from different This whole idea of having different denominations attend them. I always Until recently you had been the approaches, expository and topical, on principal of a theological college find it uplifting to remember that I am the one platform is misguided. part of a far wider church – and that at for many years. Do you have any Are there any situations where a convention I can literally “sing with a deep convictions about developing thousand tongues”, as Charles Wesley topical preaching is OK? the future leaders of the church? would say. Also I think it is good for Yes, I think it’s fine to preach on all Yes. I think the development of good children to have access to resources at a sorts of topics as long as you do it in an leadership starts early in the local convention which may not be available expository way. If we believe that the church, where pastors and elders have in the local church. Bible is God’s Word then we should the opportunity to mentor individuals. We are living through a period of handle it as such and make the Scripture So I have come back to our church SPRING 2015 3 with a renewed commitment to make experiences are so important. Most process of preparing a sermon, sure that my contract next year has a theological students will leave college delivering it, and then receiving clause in it that says, “I am giving time and preach consistently with the model constructive feedback. to training younger people who are they caught before they went in. This Do you have any suggestions heading to ministry” – actually means if you take a person from PTC about implementing these mentoring them. Victoria, SMBC, or Moore College, changes? you cannot always predict what sort of The leaders of the local church have to a preacher he is going to be. You know So I’ll tell you what I have done with be doing this one-on-one. Mentoring what is taught in each of those colleges, one church, which was really very good. means setting a reading program for but very often it is the model they first We took four days. Day 1, all the people, taking them with us when we received after they were converted in go to lead in various situations so they preaching staff of the church preached their local church that will persist can see the dynamics of leadership and their sermon, and we all critiqued the throughout their ministry.