FREE FOR YOU ON REQUEST TO: [email protected] TELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY 1 July 2018 Vol 81 No 1 Free On Request: [email protected] Oxygen18 – Refreshment For Gospel Workers Nine hundred Gospel workers from across Australia and across several denominations and ethnic backgrounds gathered at Sydney Showground 25‐28 June for Oxygen, the biennial time of refreshing organ‐ ised by Katoomba Christian Convention. Australians Mike Raiter, Sam Chan and Kirk Patston headed a list of out‐ standing and inspiritual speakers in a packed program on the theme Run Refreshed: God’s Wisdom And Power; Standing Under Pressure; Engaging With A Secular World. The focus of the event was firmly on the word, work and will of God, a focus too easily lost under the burden of ministry. This writer confesses to being a conference/convention junkie, seeking over the best part of 50 years to compensate for a deficient, largely ‘liberal’, theological education. But we all need such gatherings to revive, re‐ store and renew us. Oxygen does this superbly. Mike Raiter observed that immigration was becoming the salvation of the Australian church, and this was evident simply in the appearance of many delegates, workers and speakers. All One In Christ, the convention movement’s theme, was evident throughout. PSALM 126 Kirk Patston deftly wove together a three- When the Lord restored the fortunes strand cord of teaching on dreams, difficulties and of Zion, we were like those who dreamed. laughter as he spoke on Joseph, Esther and Daniel – Our mouths were filled with laughter, all models for the Lord’s people of standing firm in our tongues with songs of joy. the midst of difficulties but arriving joyfully at their Then it was said among the nations, journey’s end. ‘Their experience turned on dreams’, ‘The Lord has done great things for them.’ he said, weaving their experiences into the words The Lord has done great things for us, of Psalm 126. and we are filled with joy. Some speakers are given to prancing around Restore our fortunes, Lord, like streams in the Negev. the platform as they make their points. Standing still at the lectern, Kirk led us Those who sow with tears will reap in a merry dance through the Scriptures, carefully applying the text at every with songs of joy. step as he enumerated a multitude of difficulties that Gospel workers face, and Those who go out weeping, carrying seed urging us to leave Oxygen as dreamers who smile after coming through great to sow, will return with songs of joy, difficulties. (Continued on Page Three.) carrying sheaves with them. ‘Tell the people the full message of this new life’ – Acts 5.20b www.nlife.com.au VOLUME 81 NUMBER 1 ISSUE DATE: 1 July 2018 TELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY FILE NO: NL 2018-07-01 Clearing The Rubble, Restoring The Fortunes In the book of Nehemiah, we learn that the walls of Jerusalem were bro‐ ISSN: 1033-7903 ken and the gates burnt. Being a true ambassador of God, the news of de‐ struction brought great empathy to the heart of Nehemiah. Mukti Mission FOUNDER: has just finished our Revival Anniversary Meetings and they were a bless‐ Eric J. Daley (1910-1992) ing to us. As I meditate on the season of Revival, clearing of the rubble and restoring of the fortunes come to my mind. The book of Nehemiah is EDITOR: appropriate for a study on this subject. I was fascinated by the prayer pat‐ Rev Bob Thomas terns that Nehemiah used to seek the Lord and enquire of Him with re‐ Phone: 0417 592 646 Email: [email protected] gard to the devastation and restoring the fortunes: Postal Address: 1. Praying with compassion (Nehemiah 1.4). The earnest prayer of Ne‐ PO Box 457 hemiah, filled with deep compassion, was the kind of prayer that moved Mitcham VIC 3132 God’s heart. 2. Praying with repentance (Nehemiah 1.7). On behalf of his people, OFFICE MANAGER: Nehemiah confessed his sins together with the sins of his people. Their Rachael Vrieze corruptness and disobedience against God came before his eyes and he Phone: 0415 612 646 begged for mercy. Email: [email protected] 3. Praying with remembrance (Nehemiah 1.8,9). Nehemiah remem‐ bered God’s faithfulness in Moses’ time. God warned the Israelites but WEB-SITE: made room for repentance if God’s people returned to Him. www.nlife.com.au 4. Praying with focus (Nehemiah 1.11). Nehemiah knew that his job to SUBSCRIPTION: rebuild would not be easy. His focused prayer melted the heart of God. Free On Request His prayer was a prayer of perseverance. 5. Praying with action (Nehemiah 2.12). Nehemiah was a man of action. ACCEPTANCE OF He prayed but also acted upon what he wanted to do. He arose in the night ADVERTISING with a few trusted men, keeping his goals in confidence. DOES NOT IMPLY As God used Nehemiah and his co-workers to rebuild the broken ENDORSEMENT. walls, God is using you and me to clear the rubble that the enemy has ac‐ cumulated for years. Will you pray that the Lord will use us in Mukti Mis‐ NEW LIFE RESERVES sion and that we will live lives that are fruitful for the new generation to THE RIGHT TO REJECT know who our God is! Isaiah 62.6,7 says: ‘You who call on the Lord, give ADVERTISING DEEMED UNSUITABLE. yourselves no rest, and give Him no rest till He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the Earth.’ – Lorraine Francis, Mission Director, PUBLISHED BY: Pandita Ramabai Mukti Mission (India) New Life Australia Ltd (Mukti Prayer Pulse and Newsletters may be obtained from their website: www.mukti.org.au –Ed) ABN: 15 005 035 138 NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS: ON A PERSONAL NOTE ... New Life is archived by the On 30 June I retired from parish ministry. I am now looking National Library of Australia. forward to being able to devote more of my time to editing It is assumed that contributors and promoting New Life. If possible I would also like to see agree with this arrangement and the publication of other materials aimed at assisting Chris- so are willing to be published on tians to gain a clearer knowledge and understanding of this basis. evangelical Christian faith, work and practice. I would also welcome preaching opportunities. – Bob Thomas NEW LIFE – 1 July 2018 – Page Two OXYGEN 18: ‘ALL ONE IN CHRIST JESUS’ Oxygen18 – Refreshment For Gospel Workers (Continued from Page One) Mike Raiter, Director of the Centre For Biblical Preaching, gave the opening and closing addresses: God’s Wisdom And Power: The Message Of The Cross In A Secular World and Genuine Christian Leadership In A Secular World. Beginning with a perceptive analysis of the modern-day world and the Australian psyche in particular (so arrogant and proud of itself that it can even afford to brag about its losers, confident, anti‐authoritarian and fiercely independent), Mike said, ‘It’s to a nation like this that we’re called to preach the Gospel of weakness, folly, defeat and death – and tell them that they cannot save themselves.’ Comparing our situation to that of ancient Corinth, as in 1 Corinthians 1.18‐25, he said that the most surprising word there for him is ‘saints’ – ‘those called to be saints’ – this group of believers who have been sanctified – set apart by God and for God. So for all their many and serious flaws, Paul still addresses them as ‘the saints’ even though the church in Corinth was dysfunctional because it had absorbed the surrounding (pagan) culture. Paul set out to counter this situation by telling them that there are only two kinds of people in the world. There are those who are perishing – cut off from God and blissfully unaware that they are walking down the road that leads to destruction. And there are those who are being saved, walking along the narrow road that leads to eternal life. For the first group the word of the cross is foolish, but for us who have believed and been transformed by this message it is the power of God, and God will always ‘destroy the wisdom of the wise’. Encouraging us to focus on preaching the cross (‘This the pow’r of the cross: Christ became sin for us; took the blame, bore the wrath – we stand forgiv’n at the cross’) Mike said that preaching the cross in a secular world is tough, and white Anglo‐Saxon Aussies are one of the toughest mission fields in the world. So, without being oratorical, we must preach well. ‘Don’t Throw the Homiletical Baby out with the Bathwater,’ he urged. ‘I teach preaching – and I only have two rules: Be faithful to God’s Word – and don’t be boring. If you’re boring, they’re not listening – and if they’re not listening there’s no communi‐ cation. God has wired into our world principles for effective communication – and we’re foolish to ignore them. Work hard on your sermons. Use a full text, because every word counts. Use illustrations, as Jesus did, because they teach, and they can be emotionally powerful. And practise again and again and again. Finally, don’t compare. The Corinthians were holding popularity contests for their preachers. It’s easy for any of us in ministry – and this isn’t just true of preachers – to be competitors. You might know the famous quote of Gore Vidal: ‘Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies’.