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God’s Goodness in 1 Timothy
In this short article, I want to help us to grasp the fundamental goodness of 1 Timothy. I want to help us to better know and share that delight, joy, peace, and satisfaction in God’s word and his world that resounds throughout the letter. Seeing this goodness in 1 Timothy can be challenging, as we grapple with our own and our modern world’s assumptions about what is truly good. But I’m convinced it’s worth the challenge.
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It’s OK to be ambitious? Yeah … nah.
My thoughts on Christians and ambition. And why Bill and Ted have a more Christian view of excellence than many Christian views of excellence
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Church – Moore Q&A Video
What does the Bible have to say about church? Video Q&A with me & my colleagues Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, Chase Kuhn.
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False teaching – Moore Q&A Video
What does the Bible have to say about false teaching? Q&A with me & my colleagues Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, Chase Kuhn.
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Gifts – Moore Q&A Video
What does the Bible have to say about gifts? A video Q&A with me & my Moore College colleagues Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, and Chase Kuhn.
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Vocational Ministry – Moore Q&A Video
What does the Bible have to say about vocational ministry? Video Q&A with me & my colleagues Jane Tooher, Dan Wu, Chase Kuhn.
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Seven talks on Christian ministry
Seven sermons from Paul’s first letter to Timothy – aimed especially at people training for Christian ministry. Video and audio.
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A good minister (1 Timothy 4:6–16)
What makes for a good minister? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel. Faith and good doctrine, our personal lives, teaching others.
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Plugged-in spirituality (1 Timothy 3:14–4:5)
Is your spirituality definitely plugged in? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel on 1 Timothy 3:14–4:5.
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Ministry ambition (1 Timothy 3:1–13)
Are you ambitious in your ministry? A sermon preached at Moore College chapel on 26 April 2022, with Jane Tooher (hospitality in ministry).
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The Line in the Sand: The Appellate Tribunal Opinion and the Future of the Anglican Church in Australia
I’ve contributed an essay to a recent publication called The Line in the Sand that will be of special interest to Australian Anglicans, especially those involved in the forthcoming session of the General Synod.
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Men, women, and God’s word in the gathering (1 Timothy 2:8–15)
Moore College Men’s chapel. Quietness for men. Value good works and God’s word among our sisters. We must not abandon our responsibility.
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How I came to know Jesus
I grew up in the rural-urban fringe of Sydney, in an atheist family. But I had the great privilege to hear about God through SRE Scripture teachers.
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Bethel, Jesus, and Dove Dung
Bethel’s highly disturbing book The Physics of Heaven seeks spiritual truths in New Age spirituality and pseudo-scientific quantum mysticism
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Grace in ministry: Avoiding the shipwreck (1 Timothy 1:12–20)
“There was a widespread view expressed by participants that within [the church] culture there was an over-emphasis on sin and an under-emphasis on grace”. The report describes how this grace problem permeated the culture. It affected membership commitment expectations, views of authority, pastoral care, and more. And yet, the thing is: Nobody would deny that this church believed in grace. They preached a conservative evangelical reformed doctrine of grace. But on the ground, in so many instances, grace was not a key feature of this church’s ministry and relationships—with disastrous results. Today I want us to grasp that in Christian ministry, grace can’t only be the content we preach. Grace also must permeate and transform everything about us personally. And I want to give some suggestions for things we can do even now in lockdown, to wage the warfare of grace. (a sermon)
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The goals of Bible teaching (1 Timothy 1:1–11)
In gospel ministry and Bible teaching, if you’re not committed to the right goal, or if you have the wrong goal, it’s not just a matter of being ineffective: you’ll be downright dangerous. So what is that goal? What are you seeking to achieve in your gospel ministry and Bible teaching – now and in the future? And how would you know if you’d done it right? This passage in 1 Timothy 1:1–11 speaks to this issue of the goals of ministry and teaching. It challenges us to think about our own aims in teaching, and to see how important it is to get it right. A sermon preached at Moore College Men’s Chapel on 14 July, 2021.
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Slow-burn crazy-making behaviours: recognising and responding
Do you know someone who seems to have drama and problems constantly appear around them? Whenever you relate to this person, perhaps you find yourself feeling vaguely guilty, or uncomfortable, or put down, or obligated to affirm them? Do you often feel like you’re questioning yourself and your actions because of what they say and do? You don’t feel the same way around other people; it’s just this individual who seems to attract these dramas and give rise to these feelings in you. If that’s the case, the chances are it’s not you who is the problem. It’s quite possible that the person you’re thinking of is exhibiting a pattern of behaviours that can be significantly detrimental to you and to others. This pattern of behaviours is hard to pin down; it doesn’t seem too serious in the short term, and indeed it might appear quite normal to a casual acquaintance. However, over the long term, it can cause serious problems for you and others. That’s especially true in close-knit communities, like families, churches and other Christian ministries.
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Preaching the Pastoral Epistles
A one-hour audio seminar with principles and ideas for preaching the biblical books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus (“Pastoral Epistles”)
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Ministry and mission in Ephesians
Here are the key reflections on the topic of ministry and mission in Ephesians in my series Lift Your Eyes: Reflections on Ephesians
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John MacArthur and “Giving to Caesar”
Grace Community Church in Los Angeles, led by John Macarthur, held a meeting of thousands in the midst of Covid-19 restrictions. We discuss the decision.
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Think theologically: Your church’s relaunch (Lionel Windsor, Mikey Lynch, Andrew Heard)
As Covid-19 restrictions begin to ease, I join Mikey Lynch and Andrew Heard to discuss theological considerations about relaunching church.
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Is “Church Online” Church? (Lionel Windsor, Mikey Lynch, Andrew Heard)
In this discussion for the Reach Australia network‘s podcast, I join Mikey Lynch (leader of Tasmania’s Vision 100) and Andrew Heard (lead pastor of EV Church on the Central Coast of NSW) to think theologically about the current realities of church life, church approximation and online church. The discussion is available in both Audio (Podcast) […]
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Domestic abuse and social isolation: how Christians can help the vulnerable, with Louise Cunningham @ Moore College
The serious problem of domestic abuse in our community is exacerbated by Covid-19 social isolation restrictions. While extra funding for shelters, helplines, counsellors, etc. is very important when it comes to providing help in these circumstances, Christian communities also have a significant role to play. I speak with Louise Cunningham from Emu Plains Anglican church, […]
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Domestic abuse and social isolation: how Christians can help the vulnerable, with Louise Cunningham @ Moore College
The serious problem of domestic abuse in our community is exacerbated by Covid-19 social isolation restrictions. How can Christian communities help?