“Worship” I have written on the topic of ‘worship’ in the past, particularly the way so many Christians find it apparently easy not to come to worship. Although regularly non-attendance to worship services is a still a concern for me, this meditation has more to do with the concept of worship itself, and especially for ministry workers, whether it be preachers, seminary lecturers, office bearers or others involved in church ministries. One of my former lecturers at College said the following to us very early in our training, “We will teach you many things here, but not least, you will be...

 “Elections” The Apostle Paul writes the following to the church at Rome, “Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves” (Rom 13:1-2). I have often wondered about these verses for some governing authorities, particularly overseas, have been down right terrible, if not altogether evil. Yet, somehow, God institutes them and does so, not necessarily for their or...

“Post-Christians in a post-modern world” This past week I was sent me an email which had the term “post-Christian” included. The writer was conveying some thoughts from a third party about a funeral service where they thought the gospel challenge was missing for ‘post-Christians.’ I must say I had never come across this term before so I was wondering what was meant by it. When I enquired a little further, it soon became apparent that this term wasn’t referring to someone with a post-millennium position, but to someone who had previously professed their faith in Jesus Christ, yet now no longer...

  Many years ago an elderly gentlemen asked me whether I had ever heard of the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question and answer one. To his surprise, I told him that I didn’t have a clue. He then graciously proceeded to tell me, and just in case you don’t know or have forgotten, allow me to refresh your memory. Q: What is the chief end of man? A: “The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.” Of course this is nothing less than what Scripture encourages us to do. Note Psalms 34:3; 63:3; 69:30; 86:12; Romans...

  This coming week we remember especially the death of our Saviour Jesus Christ. One of the things that is important to remember about this occasion is the planning of the Triune God to bring this about, and again, first and foremost for His glory and the salvation of sinners, also for His greater glory. Our Lord’s death on the cross was not the Father’s Plan “B” after Plan “A” failed with Adam and Eve. It was always the Father’s plan to send His Son into this world to redeem sinners. Several passages of Scripture remind us of this. For instance,...

“He has Risen” One of the things my parents kept telling me to do when I was young, was to say “Good morning” to them or my siblings when I first got up out of bed and stumbled into the dining or living area. And woe to us if we didn’t say ‘Good morning’, then we would be soon told. Thankfully, my parents were somewhat more lenient if we were not feeling well. However, there was always one day a year when there was an exception to the rule. And that day was Easter Sunday morning. It was then that the...

“Preserved so that we can persevere” Most ‘reformed’ Christians are fairly good when it comes to quoting the doctrines of grace. Sometimes we refer to them by the acronym T.U.L.I.P. The one I wish to highlight is the “P” which stands for “Perseverance of the Saints” or “Preservation of the Saints.” It is a wonder truth that Scripture teaches and when understood correctly is reason for comfort and great joy. We understand and believe Scripture to teach that God the Father who has called us in Christ before the foundations of the earth were set in place (Eph 1:4), will keep...

“Preaching focus” There are two things I remember very well when attending my first homiletic (Preaching) class at the RTC. I was starting my third year of five year’s study, and our professor made the following comment, “Guys, before we start on this very important subject, if there is anything you would rather do than go into the ministry, please get up and go and do that now. No one at the RTC, and certainly not the faculty, will think any less of you.” This was no ‘tongue-in-cheek’ comment, for my professor was absolutely serious and genuine about the offer he...

Death, Taxes and Eternity There is a famous saying that many of us have come accustomed to and is attributed to Benjamin Franklin, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” Well, I would like to add one more thing, “Eternal life.” First, concerning death, one doesn’t need to say much about that for the ratio is still 100%. Death has been on this planet since the fall of man (Gen 3), and Genesis 5 has the reoccurring refrain, “and then he died...and then he died.” One day, our name will appear in the obituaries....

“Come over and help us” It has always interested me how Abraham “went, as the Lord had told him” (Gen 12:4). I guess if the Creator of the universe taps you on the shoulder and says you should go with him to a new place, it wouldn’t be wise to disobey. Jonah disobeyed God’s instruction and got swallowed by a huge fish! The nation of Israel disobeyed on numerous occasions and ended up in exile! On the positive side, there were also a number of fishermen who dropped everything to follow Jesus when He called them to “follow Him.” This brings...

For all of us life has moments of frustration. But there must be a special frustration at times for the atheists among us. I’m thinking of those moments when life is wonderful and we’re just overwhelmed by a sense of gratitude. The problem is that thankfulness needs an object... someone to be thankful to. It makes no sense to be thankful when we have no one to whom we can express that gratitude. As I see it, that is the atheist’s problem. To whom does she express her thanks? How can he meaningfully articulate his gratitude? Some years ago I read...

I’m sure you’ve asked that question. Who hasn’t? It’s a pertinent question in times of hardship. Maybe you’ve asked the question and afterwards struggled with guilt. Christians are not supposed to ask why. They are supposed to implicitly trust their heavenly Father. Well, if that’s you, please chill out. When you ask “Why?” you’re in good company. On the cross Jesus also asked, “Why?” “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” The ‘why’ question comes to our minds – if not to our lips – whenever we struggle to make sense out of those tough moments of life. Strangely...

He turned up at my door with two male relatives and under the circumstances he seemed remarkably upbeat. One would not have thought that only a few days earlier he had just buried his infant son. But that was only outward appearances. When we spoke about the sad events of the last few days the tears came. For a parent there is – arguably – no greater tragedy than the loss of a child. Our own family had some experience of that. When I commenced high school there was a form that needed to be filled in for my new school...

Last Sunday morning I witnessed a rather interesting and rapid relational growth in a group of seven young people. It happened in the church hall over morning tea after the worship service. Most of us are well aware of what we call ‘private space’. We may perhaps never have articulated our thoughts about that but in practice we recognise it. We could speak of space that surrounds us in terms of three concentric circles. The area closest to us is what is generally called the circle of intimacy. It’s reserved for lovers, for one’s spouse or partner and to some extent...

At the tiny country school of 30 students that I attended in Bonnie Doon in central Victoria in the early 1950s we began every school week with a religious ceremony. On Monday mornings we assembled in front of the flag-pole, stood to attention and with our right hand over our heart, we recited the words, "I love God and my country, I honour the flag, I will serve the Queen, and cheerfully obey my parents, teachers and the law." Some decades ago the bureaucrats in the education department decided that such a ritual was too religious (and monarchical) for modern students....

When you go on a picnic as a family do you pray beforehand for nice sunny weather? Particularly if the forecast is for storms would you ask the Lord for it not to rain on your family outing? That’s probably not a question we think twice about under normal circumstances. It’s when the country is in the middle of a serious drought that this question becomes a little more pointed. When the people on the land are crying out for rain and farmers are shooting their cattle because they can no longer feed them then we may find ourselves feeling slightly...

It’s not long ago since the media began to give us glimpses of the terrible atrocities committed in the Middle East by ISIS. Beheadings and crucifixions – where life is treated as an incredibly cheap commodity. Often we were cautioned beforehand: "We warn our viewers that some people may find some images in this report disturbing." In the case of the ISIS atrocities that is an understatement. The images are not just disturbing they are deeply offensive. Some reactions have been interesting. I got the impression at times that some folk seem to think this is something that has never ever...

Summer holidays this year was also the occasion for a family wedding as 'favourite granddaughter number two' wedded her sweetheart.  Kirra and Dave wanted something a little more than just an event where people rocked up at two o'clock on a Saturday afternoon and where, by midnight, everyone had gone home again.  So instead of a more traditional wedding they booked a Conference Centre and encouraged people to include it in their summer holiday itinerary.  Many of us spent several days together and so had the opportunity to get to know some of the new family in ways that would not...

The latest catalogue from Koorong just arrived in the mail. It’s not my most eagerly anticipated postal item. I’m trying to down-size my library and the last thing I need is yet more books. However I do take a passing interest in what is being read by Christians and sometimes in a moment of weakness I succumb to the temptation to add yet another volume to my library. Sadly, I confess that I often open the Koorong catalogue with a sense of dismay. There are items that appear for sale there that grieve me. Do people really read this stuff? And...

In a meeting this past week, my colleague Pastor Andrew Nugteren, shared an interesting story. There was a preacher whose eye-sight was becoming somewhat of a problem so after a visit to the optometrist he appeared in the pulpit the next Sunday wearing spectacles. A young tyke who had also just begun to wear glasses, turned to his mum with excitement and announced: “Isn’t that great Mum? God is wearing glasses too.” It brought back memories of one of my own experiences with a similar serious case of mistaken identity. I was away one Sunday preaching in a church without a...