Down-under round-up: 2 December 2015

Issues of the week

In this country bishop’s ‘Ministry reaction to terrorism’, Rick Lewers takes a simple but slightly wide-angled approach with a couple of old answers to the sad ‘new normal’.

Making disciples of Jesus

Pete Ko wrote an article about cold contact evangelism that I didn’t really want to read, since I suspected it might have a few grains of truth: ‘Why you should go cold turkey’.

His five reasons:

1. You will be reminded how many people don’t know the gospel
2. You will pray more
3. You will gain a better understanding of people
4. Your relational evangelism skills will improve
5. People get saved this way.

(Don’t forget the tried and tested Two Ways To Live evangelism training course to help you out.)

Which leads into a classic Thom Rainer checklist: ‘Nine reasons we don’t evangelize’. Why not reflect on which two or three reasons impact you the most, discuss them with a Christian family member or friend, and then pray about it? (Then maybe re-consider the previous link above!)

And to hearten you, our friend at The Good Book Company, Tim Thornborough, shares some solid research to alleviate some fears about how people might react to us: ‘The surprising truth about what people really think of Christians’.

Andy Judd to university/college students on the long break: ‘Don’t waste this summer: seven ideas for making the most of time back home’.

It’s still pretty relevant for older adults on holidays this summer down-under too. (Although I’d recommend a higher intake of crime fiction as my fictional poison, and a good look through the Matthias Media Christmas catalogue for some quality Christian reading too at various ages and levels!)

Doctrine alone: completely insufficient. But good, biblical doctrine: essential! Plus, vague faith in an ill-defined Jesus is dangerous. Kevin DeYoung helps the average member of a biblical church see why ‘doctrine matters: eternal life depends on it’!

Pastors should certainly look out for this: The Pastor’s Book by Kent Hughes. It’s reviewed here in ‘Reflections from 40 years in pastoral ministry’.

The one strong addition I’d make to the review is that it would be an order of magnitude better for a pastor to consult and discuss this book with an apprentice or assistant minister, on the job together, rather than to just give it to them. As The Trellis and the Vine reminds us, ministry is caught, not just taught, or learned from a book.

Image of the week

Good advice from that advocate for expository preaching and very good friend of Aussie evangelicals, the aforementioned Kent Hughes: