360Vision National Tour With Stuart Piggin – A Backward Glance, A Forward Look Renowned author Stuart Piggin will tour with FamilyVoice Australia to share some of the many sto-

ries of great Christians who have shaped Australia. This aspect of our history is rarely mentioned in stan-

dard historical writing. You’ll be surprised at who helped to shape the nation and lay the foundation of

Christian faith and values in our culture. His book The Fountain Of Public Prosperity: Evangelical Christians In Australian History 1740–1914 is a scholarly work that adds the faith dimension neglected by other

historians.The book is a vital tool and a great inspiration to us to continue to live out our faith in God by

being socially and morally active and courageous.

Each event will also feature Christians currently engaged in ventures of faith – evidence that Chris-

tians are still salt and light in our nation. These events are designed to work for a younger audience as

well as mature age people. So we encourage you to bring young people from the teens, twenties and thir-

ties along.

These events are about our Living Hope who inspires and enables Christians of all ages to live selflessly

and powerfully for the glory of God and the redemption of our nation. It’s a vital message for us today!

Find out more about events near you at: https://familyvoice.org.au/360vision

15 March 2019 Vol 81 No 16 Free On Request: office@nlife.com.au

‘Tell the people the full message of this new life’ – Acts 5.20b www.nlife.com.au

FREE FOR YOU

ON REQUEST TO:

office@nlife.com.auTELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY

Real Life Celebration Coming To Barambah – 29-31 March

Christians in the BARAMBAH area of Queensland are praying and preparing for the coming Real Life Celebration there. The local committee are doing a splendid job in getting the news out about the meet-

ings. They are working so hard believing that God is going to do something very special in their area.

Things have been so tough. The drought has been dreadful for them. How they desperately need good

soaking rain. But we are praying for another rain as well, the rain of the Holy Spirit to flood the area.

Bill Newman reports, ‘March 1,2 saw Pastor Bill Thorburn conduct vital Training days. A good Cel­ebration to follow up will be cream on the cake. The real legacy we will leave in the area will be those

who have done the training and are now confident to present the Gospel to others and lead them to the

Saviour. The music will be outstanding with the youth group Iron And Clay, Pat Morgan and Darin Brown.

Please make these meetings a matter of urgent prayer.’

For any enquiries please call Pastor Bruce Wilding 0419 137697.

NEW LIFE ADVERTISING NEW LIFE ADVERTISING

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page TwoNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Two

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page ThreeNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Three

VOLUME 81 NUMBER 16 ISSUE DATE: 15 March 2019 FILE NO: NL 2019-03-15 ISSN: 1033-7903 FOUNDER: Eric J. Daley (1910-1992) EDITOR: Rev Bob Thomas Phone: 0417 592 646 Email: editor@nlife.com.au Postal Address: PO Box 457 Mitcham VIC 3132 OFFICE MANAGER: Rachael Maskell Phone: 0415 612 646 Email: office@nlife.com.au WEB-SITE: www.nlife.com.au SUBSCRIPTION: Free On Request ACCEPTANCE OF ADVERTISING DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT. NEW LIFE RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ADVERTISING DEEMED UNSUITABLE. PUBLISHED BY: New Life Australia Ltd ABN: 15 005 035 138 NOTE TO CONTRIBUTORS: New Life is archived by the National Library of Australia. It is assumed that contributors agree with this arrangement and so are willing to be published on this basis.

Readers of New Life will not be accustomed to finding political state­ments in our pages, but news concerning the Australian Labor Party’s

plan to fund and force public hospitals to provide abortion facilities is

such a shocking and evil proposal to take to an election that we cannot

remain silent. The time for moral debate on abortion is past. We can only

pray for Divine intervention, and give prayerful and careful consideration

as to how we cast our votes at the forthcoming federal election – away

from any would-be politician who would support the proposal for this

modern-day slaughter of the innocents.

At the time of writing, two Australian church leaders, Archbishop Glen

Davies, of the Anglican Archdiocese of Sydney, and the Rev John Wilson,

Moderator General of the Presbyterian Church of Australia, have spoken

out. As Christians we are grateful to God for the faithful witness of these

His servants.

TELLING THE GREAT WORKS OF CHRIST IN THE WORLD TODAY

‘A Time To Speak’

For You created my inmost being; You knit me together in my mother’s womb. – Psalm 139.13

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page FourNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Four

FROM ALL QUARTERS FROM ALL QUARTERS

Can You Help Us?Can You Help Us? New Life Needs To Update Its Equipment And Computer Programs.

Donations To Help Us Achieve This Would Be Most Appreciated. If You Can Join Us In Improving The Ministry Of New Life, Please Send Donations To:

New Life Australia Ltd, PO Box 457, Mitcham 3132 or By Direct Deposit To: Account: New Life Australia Ltd.

Bank: Westpac. BSB: 033-112. Account Number: 16-8239

Back To Africa Dr Rick Sacra, a mission­ary doctor who survived Ebola, has returned to Africa to train African doc-

tors. He is back working in

Liberia at the Eternal Love Winning Africa hospital. Dr Sacra says that ELWA is all about

providing compassionate care in the name of Christ.

Since his first visit to Liberia he has had a dream to train

the next generation of Liberian doctors. His dream came

true when he launched the first family medicine program,

which is one of a kind and gives the 56-year-old doctor an

opportunity to put his training to use as a family physician.

For Dr Sacra it's also about using medicine for ministry. ‘I

want to pass on that desire to Christian doctors here, he

says, to see medicine used of God to bring people to Christ.’

cc– CBN Christian World News

Holy Spirit Power In The Philippines Well known Australian evangelist Bill Newman assisted Will Graham in the re-

cent Greater Pangasian Celebration with

evangelism training seminars for pastors

and other church leaders. He reports:

This past month, The Greater Pangasi­nan – Metro Manila Celebration with Will Graham was just that, an incredible

time of celebration. Meeting after meet-

ing was packed to capacity with thou-

sands attending. At the invitation to come

forward, without hesitation thousands

walked forward to give their lives to

Christ.

In total, God drew more than 100,000 people to the Celebration, and thousands to respond to the in-

vitation to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. The work of the Holy Spirit among the Filipino people

has led to another historic milestone and the pastors and leaders are overjoyed at the impact the cele-

bration has had in the Philippines.

While the large number of people hearing and responding to the Gospel is exciting, numbers are

not the goal. From God’s perspective, even one soul saved is worth a lifelong work of ministry. Please

pray for the all important work of follow-up. Pray for the pastors and churches in the Phillipines.

Samaritan’s Purse Responds To Townsville Flood We have so far been able to help 125 homeowners with immediate clean-up of their homes. After meeting with human and social services, housing authorities and Townsville City Council, we are now preparing to enter the second phase of our deployment: making homes 'rebuild ready'. This phase involves identifying homes that have had internal flood damage and especially those that have been inundated with black water (waste water and sewage). With homeowners' consent, we remove affected gyprock to enable the house to dry out and treat the wooden frame for mould spores. Mould is a problem in all floods and there is clinical evidence that exposure to mould and other dampness-related micro-bial agents increases the risks of rare conditions, mak-ing the treatment of mould critical. Our hope in entering this phase is to not only help homeowners to start rebuilding their lives, but to also create a healthy living environment. We do this helping in Jesus’ name. – samaritanspurse.org.au

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page FiveNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Five

FAITH NEWS (From Around Australia) ... FAITH NEWS (From Around Australia) ... With STAN HUNT With STAN HUNT

Starting in 1959, the Baptist World Aid international program began with a few volunteers in re-

sponse to the suffering of WWII refugees. Now, 60 years on, around 1,000 churches across Australia,

serve across 25 countries, making a positive impact in more than a million lives.

CEO John Hickey says that rather than looking at history, they are looking toward the future and how

they can continue to see poverty ended across the world. He told Christian Today they are asking: what

does it really mean to ‘Be the love that ends poverty?’

Baptist World Aid Australia has produced an End Poverty mobile app, and this month will launch the

60/40 Challenge on the app. This is a 40-day program taking people through 60 actions to end poverty.

For more information go to: https://baptistworldaid.org.au – Christian Today

Back To Basics Mission – John 3.16 Forty-one churches in Sydney’s Georges River Re-

gion will work together in 2020 to spread the

Gospel to the1.2 million people living in parishes

there, using the best-known verse in Scripture,

John 3.16. Anglican Bishop Peter Lin has encour-

aged every Christian to prepare well for a year of

mission by making 2019 a year of prayer for evan-

gelism and each other. ‘If you know John 3.16, you

have all you need to share the Gospel with some-

one,’ Bishop Lin says. He says that it is God’s work

to change people, not ours, but God has given us the

task of setting out the truth plainly. ‘We want to

keep it simple,’ Bishop Lin says, ‘people sharing

Jesus.’ Based on John 3.16, the 3.16 Mission hopes

to see every member of a Georges River Region

church share the Gospel with at least one person.

– Sydneyanglican.net

Men@Glen Convention Continues To Grow Numbers attending the annual Men@Glen Conven­tion continue to grow with about 400 at their 10th

Anniversary. Men from across North West NSW to

the North Coast and beyond Brisbane camped at

the Glen Innes Showground and appreciated the

studies in 2 Peter with Bruce Bennett of Orange

Evangelical Church. Former Deputy Prime Minister

John Anderson returned to deliver an update on his

observation of Australian Society and the effect of

our rapidly diminishing levels of trust. With many

attending from severely affected drought areas, the

committee waived fees to encourage attendance by

those in need, along with free entry for young men

under 25. – Lance Jackson

Kindred Women Runs Parallel To Men@Glen More recently Kindred Women has been developed,

running at a parallel time to Men@Glen. This year

80 women attended, with Robin Ban the speaker.

Robin has studied at Moore College and Queens-

land Theological College where her husband is vice

principal. My involvement was providing the Glen

Innes Bookworld stand where once again Bibles

topped the sales list. – Lance Jackson

Salvos – Always There When Needed The Salvation Army Emergency Services is provid-

ing relief to the communities battling bushfires in

Victoria's east, contributing to the work of five

evacuation centres. Bedding and blankets for 370

people along with clothing supplies are being de-

livered to people at evacuation centres in Drouin,

Pakenham, Morwell, Sale and Koo Wee Rup. The

Salvos are also maintaining their role in the recov-

ery effort after the Townsville floods and Queens-

land’s north west, where torrential rain turned

drought into floods. – The Salvation Army

Baptist World Aid Australia Celebrates 60th Anniversary

John 14.14 – Ask In His Name

Easter In Warrnambool, Vic, Will Be Alive With Exciting Arts Presentations The Easter Arts Festival Calendar contains a wonderful program of top quality presentations, including

The Arts Trail with a whole series of brilliant art and craft exhibitions, and a series of 26 beautifully dis-

played windows and display spaces on the Window Trail. There will be numerous events in various

churches and other venues, including concerts, choirs, films, a Walk Of Witness at 11am on 19 April of

combined Churches at Lake Pertobe. There will be a lot of participation from local schools and churches.

For further details call (03) 5565 4302 or (03) 5516 7184, or go to: john@armsfamily.info

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page SixNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Six

The Light Of The World Is Shining In Red Light District Of Singapore. Teams from Operation Mobilisation in Singapore

and Thailand met in the Geylang area of Singapore

where sex workers from various nations were on

the streets. The OM workers – with red hats, guitars

and gifts – sang Christian songs in four languages

according to the nationalities of the girls. This was

followed by giving gifts, Christian tracts, a little ex-

planation about the songs, some encouragement

and the truth of the Gospel. After individual con-

versations during that night, two girls responded

to an invitation to receive Christ’s salvation. The

team exchanged contact information with them in

order to disciple them. – Operation Mobilisation

BGEA – The Work Continues Will Graham, who carries on the Graham family

legacy of spreading the Gospel, has penned a new

book, Redeemed: Devotions For The Longing Soul. The grandson of the late Billy Graham, and son of

Franklin, who have both made a monumental im-

pact across the globe, is following in their footsteps

as he preaches around the world. ‘We used that

word redeemed because Christians have been

bought back to God,’ Will Graham says ‘We’ve been

bought with a price and that price was the blood of

Christ on the Cross.’ Speaking of his new book, Will

says he loves to tell stories. ‘And I love to tell what

I’ve seen God do as people are redeemed,’ he says.

Last year Will played his grandfather in the film,

Unbroken: Path To Redemption. – CBN Christian World News

Compassion’s Growing Sponsorship Ministry Compassion International sponsors last year ex-

changed almost six million letters with their spon-

sored children, according to the Christian charity.

The non-profit organisation encourages people to

sponsor a child, donating a small monthly amount

to help a child in poverty go to school, receive nu-

tritious food, medical care, and connect with a

church. Brian Seay, with Compassion, says donors

are ‘personally connected with a boy or girl who

will treasure the thought that you care.’ He told the

Religion News Service they also produce musical

and speaking tours to gain sponsors. They are cur-

rently organising a program that they estimate will

bring in 3,000 new child sponsors. Founded in

1952, Compassion helps more than two million

children, and partners with more than 7,000

churches in 25 countries. Compassion has more

than 100 artists and bands on their list of Music Artist Ambassadors, including Michael W. Smith,

Casting Crowns and Hillsong United.

– Religion News Service

Remembering Billy Graham A new film about the life of Dr Billy Graham has

been released on Netflix. The 72-minute video re-

veals how a man followed God’s call and took the

Gospel to the ends of the Earth. The launch comes

as the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association re-

flects on the first anniversary of Dr Graham’s death.

BGEA has also made 12 classic Billy Graham ser-

mons available on Netflix’s competitor service,

Amazon Prime Video. – Inspire Magazine

Internet Crosses Boundaries FAITH NEWS (From Abroad) FAITH NEWS (From Abroad) ... ... With STAN HUNT With STAN HUNT

A UK church is leading the way in welcoming people with dementia into church life. St Thomas’s

Church in Lancaster city has been developing its ministry to dementia sufferers, their carers and fam-

ilies and now wants to share their findings with other churches. Inspire Magazine reports that they are

planning a day-long Being A Dementia–Friendly Church training session. With the help of specialists in

the field, they will look at how Christians can meet the needs of people with dementia and help church

leaders cater for them. St Thomas’s has run a Lyrics And Lunch group since 2013 where people with

dementia sing, play instruments and laugh a lot. Carers also share with each other and the friendship

makes for a happy encounter. In 2016, Lyrics And Lunch won first prize in the Premier Radio Love Britain And Ireland Awards in the category of Working With Older People. – Inspire Magazine

The internet is providing an effective avenue to reach Arab speakers with the Gospel. After months of

prayerful research, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association launched an Arabic version of the evangel-

ism internet site PeaceWithGod. Almost 90,000 people have visited the site already and millions now

have access to the Gospel, including more Muslims coming to Christ than ever before. Evangelism Director

Mark Appleton says these are not people who just clicked a button. In conversations with real people

online, they learn about the Gospel, and then many make a decision to follow Christ.

Worldwide, PeaceWithGod.net receives about 700,000 visitors a month, with an increasing percentage

of those visitors being from Arabic-speaking countries. BGEA has the potential to share the Gospel with

60% of online users and more than one-third of the world's total population. – Breaking Christian News

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page SevenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Seven

MATTERS FOR PRAYER MATTERS FOR PRAYER by Elizabeth Kendal by Elizabeth Kendal

NIGERIA: Election Results On 26 February the BBC reported that the incumbent, President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All

Progressives Congress had secured 'a commanding lead'. Though foreign independent electoral observers

had reported that the voting was generally free and fair, Atiku Abubakar's People's Democratic Party

urged Nigeria's Independent National Electoral Commission not to permit any announcements until all

alleged irregularities had been investigated. The plea was rejected and on 27 February the INEC declared

Muhammadu Buhari the winner of the 2019 presidential election. The situation is fluid and volatile.

BURMA (MYANMAR): A Hopeful But Risky Move The biggest obstacle to peace in Burma is the 2008 Constitution. Written under military rule, it serves

military interests by ensuring the heavily invested Burmese-Buddhist military (the Tatmadaw) remains

in control. It also enshrines centralised government against the aspirations of Burma's long-repressed,

persecuted and brutalised ethnic nations to which most of Burma's Christians belong. In October 2013,

as the Tatmadaw's war against the Christian Kachin escalated, the army issued a statement warning of

'serious danger' and 'consequences beyond expectation' if the 2008 constitution is ever scrapped. On

19 February Burma's parliament approved the creation of a 45-member joint committee tasked with

writing a bill to amend the 2008 constitution. As would be expected, the military and its proxy in parlia-

ment, the Union Solidarity and Development Party, strongly oppose the move. According to a report in

the Irrawaddy, the proposed 168 amendments deal mostly with issues about reducing the power of the

military and of the president, and the decentralisation of state power to grant more autonomy to the

ethnic nations. The committee must submit its report by 17 July. It is a bold and hopeful but incredibly

risky move. If Burma could amend the constitution to the benefit of its Christian peoples, without blood-

shed, it would be nothing short of miraculous! Please pray.

CUBA: Churches Confirmed As Counter­Revolutionaries Cubans went to the polls on Sunday 24 February to vote in a referendum on the new constitution which,

despite introducing modest reforms, enshrines socialism, further weakens religious freedom, and re-

moves the definition of marriage, thereby paving the way for same-sex marriage. Individual churches

and pastors came under serious pressure to instruct their congregations to vote 'YES'. Instead, displaying

unprecedented unity, Cuban churches led a strong campaign opposing changes to the definition of mar-

riage. It was a very courageous move, especially as 'NO' voters were being vilified in the state-controlled

media as counter-revolutionaries and enemies of the state. It was announced on Monday 25 February

that 86.85% of Cubans had voted 'YES', thus ratifying the new constitution. More than 700,000 people

voted 'NO'. It is yet to be seen if the vilification of 'NO' voters will result in increased repression and per-

secution of Christians. Regardless, a door has been opened so the battle for marriage and family might

begin. Please pray for the Church in Cuba. Though deeply patriotic and certainly not an enemy of the

state, the repressed Cuban Church knows it is a counter-revolutionary Church. To the contrary, much of

the free Western Church seems not to even realise that a cultural revolution has taken place, a revolution

which will inevitably lead to the loss of religious liberty.

IRAN: Suffering For Christ On 6 January 2018 Assyrian Christian Shamiram Isavi Khabizeh, wife of imprisoned pastor Victor bet-

Tamraz, was sentenced to five years in prison on charges pertaining to national security. Her appeal

against that verdict and sentence was heard on 19 February. Middle East Concern reports that the judge

appeared confused as to whether her case was to be combined with other cases including that of her

husband, her son and a number of Christian converts associated with their now-underground ministry.

Another court hearing will be scheduled. Please pray for this persecuted family, and for all Iran's impris-

oned and persecuted believers.

Elizabeth Kendal is the author of Turn Back The Battle: Isaiah Speaks To Christians Today (Deror Books, Melbourne, Australia, Dec 2012) which offers a Biblical response to persecution and existential threat; and After Saturday Comes Sunday: Understanding The Christian Crisis In The Middle East (Wipf and Stock, Eugene, OR, USA, June 2016). See www.ElizabethKendal.com

Updates On The Church In Troubled Places

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page EightNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Eight

THINK ON THESE THINGS: THINK ON THESE THINGS:

TURN BACK THE BATTLE: TURN BACK THE BATTLE: Isaiah Speaks To ChristiansIsaiah Speaks To Christians Today.Today. With persecution escalating globally, Elizabeth Kendal calls us to revisit the prophecy of Isaiah, maintaining that Isaiah 1-39 provides an unambiguous treatise on how God's people are to respond to persecution, suffering and existential threat. For purchasing options, visit: www.ElizabethKendal.com

‘To Be The Best That I Can Be’ ‘Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might,’ (Ecclesiastes 9.10) These words have been a life theme for me.

It’s interesting though to note their context.

The writer of Ecclesiastes has just com-

mented that all we do is meaningless, and fol-

lows this phrase by saying we are all going to

die, and then that most of life is unfair. Some

would conclude that if all that is true then ef-

fort is pointless.

Yet, in the middle of these depressing

thoughts is this wonderful statement: ‘What-

ever your hand finds to do, do it with all your

might.’ For me this says life is short, you have

no guarantee for tomorrow, circumstances

may be unfair. But, you are here, alive, now,

God has given you this moment, give it your

best shot!’

– Karl Faase, Director, Olive Tree Media.

Grand Tour: Loud Music; Clear Gospel I attended the Franklin Graham meeting in Brisbane

on Monday 18 February, marking the 60th anniversary

of the Billy Graham Crusades in Australia in 1959. The

Riverstage venue in the City Botanical Gardens, with its

grassed slope for seating, was ideal for the mostly young

people. Thankfully, the weather conditions for the out-

door event were excellent. The 9,500 capacity venue

was filled.

One minor problem was with the volume of the stage

performance. I was positioned toward the back of the

crowd, and decided to put my fingers in my ears to pro-

tect my hearing. I noticed a chap two rows in front of me

doing the same. After the event, the first topic of discus-

sion with my friends was on the volume setting of the

amplifier before we got onto the topic of the sermon.

It was agreed that Franklin did a good job of present-

ing the Gospel message, and we also thought the mes-

sage was a bit short, which goes to show we were

enjoying what he was saying. The volume setting of the

amplifier for the message was just right – no need to put

fingers in ears! My preference would be to have the vol-

ume of the singing a little lower than that of the message

to give a sense of the importance of the Gospel message.

While there was the above minor shortcoming, the

event was a great blessing to Brisbane because there

was a good response to the Gospel call. Some of us here

in Brisbane would like a greater emphasis on a clear

presentation of the Gospel in many of the churches.

The Franklin Graham Tour caused some of us older

folk to think back on the Billy Graham Crusade of 1959.

Back then, TV was not readily available, so a lot of peo-

ple could not see what was happening at the crusades.

One method to partially fix the problem was to have a

projectionist screen a prior crusade at a local church. So

my introduction to Billy Graham was watching him

preach on a movie screen as a nine year-old in a

Methodist Church, while my father operated the projec-

tor. I didn’t go forward. However, the Lord graciously

caught up with me three years later on top of Mount

Tamborine Qld. But that’s another story. God bless,

– David Holden, www.defenceofthefaith.org

An Idea We’d Like To See Catch On John and Pauline Freeman, retired SIM mis-

sionaries, in their SIM Seniors’ News, which they

send to their fellow SIM retirees, are promoting

New Life by including New Life’s masthead (see

below) with the message: ‘Did You Know That New Life Is Free? All You Have To Do Is Ask.’ (Details are included on the masthead). Could

YOU use this bright idea to encourage others to

join up and receive New Life fortnightly by

email?

Did you know that New Life is FREE on request? All you have to do is ask!

A Cup Of Coffee In The Name Of Christ Every Friday from 6 to 9 am Pastor David Jeffery

sets up his coffee stand at a public bus terminal in

Thousand Oaks, California. Bus passengers are es-

sentially Pastor Jeffery’s second congregation. Pas-

sengers, drivers, riders, and homeless people have

a free coffee and enjoy a chat and a prayer. Pastor

Jeffery says in eight years, almost no-one has

turned down an offer for prayer. He has also con-

ducted a funeral for a homeless man and visited

contacts in prison. People often phone his Freedom

Church office asking to ‘talk to my pastor from the

bus stop.’ But Pastor Jeffery says this is the worst

church-growth strategy ever. Most bus riders don’t

live nearby, many speak only Spanish, and buses

don’t run on Sundays. But Friday mornings bring

waves of passengers to speak with the pastor, re-

quest prayer and move on with a coffee in hand.

– AG News

Open Doors In Eastern Europe Doors are opening for World Missionary Press to

send Christian literature to Eastern Europe. Previ-

ous connections in these countries have been

forced to discontinue ministry because of political

issues and crises. However a new contact decided

he would fill his car with books and drive to these

countries to find distributors. A web of new distrib-

utors in Eastern Europe is now delivering free lit-

erature in Russian, Lithuanian and Ukrainian.

– Mission Network News

‘WITNESSING FOR CHRIST ‘WITNESSING FOR CHRIST –– BY ALL MEANS EVERYWHERE’ BY ALL MEANS EVERYWHERE’

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page NineNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Nine

Glorious Things – A Protestant’s Guide

To London

• Revised! • Updated! • Illustrated! • Now Available As An e-Book! Glorious Things will help visitors to London arrive well prepared to make the most of their time there.

The guided tours will take you to places like Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral, but Glorious Things will take you to important sites linked to our Protestant heritage.

COST: $10 for the PDF version, with the right to print two hard copies. PAYMENT OPTIONS:

1. Cheque for $10 payable to New Life Australia. Mail to: PO Box 457, Mitcham Vic 3132. (Please include a letter with your name and email address so that we can email the PDF to you.)

2. Direct deposit $10 to Bank: Westpac; A/c name: New Life Australia Ltd BSB: 033-112; A/c No: 16-8239 (Please also notify us by email).

Skateboarding For The Lord

A skateboarding missionary is presenting the Gospel to a pop-

ulation sometimes derided for endangering pedestrians and ru-

ining cement benches. Shaun Hover believes God challenged him

to use his skill to reach the skateboarding culture. At first, he didn’t

know how he could use his skating for Jesus, so he just started

going to his local skate park to hang with skaters.

Using his skateboard to establish a common ground, he would

meet total strangers, skate with them and eventually wind up

sharing his faith. This developed into having barbecues, and a

growing mission to reach more young people for Christ.

Now Shaun has a ministry training skateboarding missionaries to reach skaters in different parts

of the world including Spain, the epicentre for skateboarding. He believes God wants him to multiply the

skate barbecues for the entire planet. – God Reports Magazine

VISITING MELBOURNE? You’re welcome at The Faith Factory:

ST KILDA: Cnr Alma Rd/Barkly St. Every Sunday 11am & 7pm; Living Stones Korean Presbyterian Church. Every Sunday 1pm;

BALACLAVA: Cnr Hotham St/Denman Rd. Every Sunday 9.30am. Rev Paul Lee (03) 9537 1642

You’re Welcome At The Faith Factory – A Friendly, Caring, Bible-Believing Christian Fellowship –

IRAN: Elderly Christian Convert From Islam Endures Ten Days Of Interrogation

An elderly Iranian Christian woman endured ten

days of intensive interrogation by intelligence offi-

cers and was forced to go to an Islamic religious

leader to be ‘instructed’ and ‘offered the opportu-

nity to return to Islam’. Ruhsari Kamberi, 65, was

one of five women converts from Islam arrested

from different church groups in Karaj, close to

Tehran. The whereabouts of the others is not

known. Ruhsari is extremely distressed and her

friends requested that fellow Christians pray for

her and the four other women arrested.

– Barnabas Fund

ALGERIA: Algerian Christians Banned From Worshipping Even In A Tent, After Church Building Sealed

Christians in Algeria were forced out of a tent they

were worshipping in by police on 28 January. The

tent, set up in the grounds of Azaghar Church, had

enabled the 300-strong congregation to continue

worshipping following the forced closure of their

church building for ‘health and safety’ reasons. The

church in the village of Azaghar lost the use of its

building in October 2018, despite the congregation

responding to requests to install fire exits and fire

extinguishers. The officially recognised church had

been open for five years and has a powerful min-

istry to local Muslims. Azaghar is reportedly the

fourth Christian place of worship closed down in

Algeria in the past year. – Barnabas Fund

INDIA: Big Increase In Christian Persecution Hate and violence against Christians in India in-

creased by 57% in the first two months of this year.

This was compared with the same period last year,

according to the Evangelical Fellowship of India’s

Religious Liberty Commission. The advocacy group

documented 77 incidents of hate and targeted vio-

lence against Christians in January and February,

up from 49 cases during the same period last year.

The cases include the murders of two men because

of their faith. In another case boiling tea was

forcibly thrust into a woman’s mouth because po-

lice thought that she was feigning unconsciousness.

The Evangelical Fellowship has recorded cases

where Christians have been excommunicated from

their villages, and in some instances have had to

flee violence. Most cases, however, go unreported

either because the victim and witnesses are terri-

fied, or the police turn a blind eye.

– Morning Star News

Christian persecution charity Release International is warning

that Christians in Nigeria, China and India may face even more

violence this year. The news comes after British Foreign Sec-

retary Jeremy Hunt insisted the UK must do more to help per-

secuted Christians around the world. Andrew Boyd from

Release International said that attacks in several countries

were intensifying. ‘In the first six months of 2018 in Nigeria

6,000 people were killed and 50,000 Christians were driven

from their homes. In China we’re seeing a growing number of

attacks against house churches, and higher profile churches

are now being closed down and the pastors arrested,’ he said. – Australian Prayer Network

PERSECUTION WATCH PERSECUTION WATCH

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page TenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Ten

Christian Persecution Set To Rise In 2019

Laos Authorities Crackdown On Christians Authorities in Laos are cracking down on worshiping Christians. Several Christians were arrested in the

days before and after Christmas in separate incidents that took place in the country’s southern Savannakhet

province. Most recently, seven Christians were reportedly arrested while worshipping at a church service in the

Nakanong Village. According to the Human Rights Watcher For Lao Religious Freedom, a group of nine police of-

ficers raided the Nakanong Village service and initially arrested three church leaders. The church leaders were

taken to the Phin district police headquarters. The police returned to the village about two hours later and ar-

rested four more Christians, who were also taken to the Phin police headquarters. They were reportedly detained

for illegally gathering for worship without the government’s permission. ‘Much of the persecution against Chris-

tians in Laos originates from communist authorities. The Communist Party sees religion as a hostile element,’ an

Open Doors fact sheet explains. ‘It is considered a Western influence and especially dangerous. The government

is making efforts to increase the monitoring of illegal house churches, resulting in the arrest and detention of

Christian believers.’ – Christian Post via https://ausprayernet.org.au

In the UK, there is a chain of Next department stores. In the search for satisfaction,

what should we buy Next? The prodigal son discovered that the search for freedom

and satisfaction was an elusive one.

Today’s reading contains Jesus’ fourth (vv.1–5) and fifth (vv.16–24) signs as

well as His first ‘I AM’ statement (vv.35,48). From five small loaves and two small

fish, Jesus feeds 5,000 men, with 12 baskets of food left over after everyone is full

(vv.8–13). Moses had fed people miraculously with manna; now Jesus feeds them

miraculously. Jesus, they conclude, is the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy

18.15–19) and, as Moses had led Israel out of Egypt, Jesus would lead them

against the Roman occupiers (vv.14,15).

As the Creator, by whom all things were made (John 1.3), Jesus walks on the

sea and catches up with the disciples. They arrive at Capernaum. Jesus now

makes it clear to the crowd that to be involved in the work of God is not to be part of a political

revolution; but to believe in the One God has sent (v.29).

So Jesus tells the people to work for food that endures – to pursue things of eternal value (vv.27–

29), which is to do God’s work, which is to believe in Jesus (v.29). The crowd then asks for another sign,

one more spectacular than the miracle of the manna. The feeding of 5,000 is not good enough for them

– they want something more!

Jesus uses the occasion to teach about His being the Bread of Life (vv.35,48): He is the one who can satisfy their hunger, and this is some-

thing that is of eternal value (vv.41,51). We come as the gift of God the

Father to God the Son (vv.37,39). We believe, trust in Jesus, and so are

eternally satisfied.

The Manna in the Wilderness did not give eternal life, but the one

who feeds on Jesus, the Bread of Life, will live forever (v.58).

‘Now none but Christ can satisfy, None other name for me. There’s love and life and lasting joy, Lord Jesus found in Thee.’

– Frances Bevan

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page ElevenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Eleven

JOURNEY THROUGH JOHN JOURNEY THROUGH JOHN withwith David CookDavid Cook

Christ – The Bread That Really Satisfies – Read John 6.1-59

FOR PERSONAL REFLECTION: What does it mean to

feed on the Bread of

Life?

How can you share this

Bread with others?

Reprinted from Our Daily Bread Journey Through Series® – Journey Through John by David Cook (Copyright © 2017) published by Discovery House. Used with permission of Discovery House. All rights reserved.

For further enquiries please visit: journeythrough.org or email: australia@odb.org

Something To Think About: SEEN ON FACEBOOK:SEEN ON FACEBOOK:

Gospel Outreach In UAE Among Nepali Workers Hrayr Jebejian, Gulf Bible Society In The Arabian Gulf’s General Secretary, reports on his recent

visit to New Revival Nepali Church in the United Arab Emirates: This was my first visit to an NRNC gath-

ering at Musaffa in the UAE. They gather in the Brethren Church in the heart of the labour camps near

Abu Dhabi. Every week 300 Nepali migrant workers meet for worship. The church hires eight mini buses

to bring their members to the church. They work for cleaning companies, as waitresses in restaurants

and hotels, in construction companies as unskilled or semi-skilled labourers. Some others work as sales-

men, accountants, and IT engineers. The praise and worship session was very lively. The leaders were

well trained. It was a treat for me to be part of their worship.

I shared the story of the Magi with them since it was the Christmas season. I gave 450 copies of Christ Of Christmas and Hope booklets to them. Pastors received copies of the ESV Global Study Bible. The con-

gregation was very receptive to the Bible Story. The senior pastor said, ‘We have gatherings in three other

places. We would love you to share the Bible stories in those congregations as well. We are having a

Christmas outreach where we are expecting over 1,000 guests. Christ Of Christmas books and Hope book-

lets in Nepali are of great help to us. This is a timely gift for us. Thank you, Bible Society in the Gulf.’

The Arabian Gulf Bible Society works with numerous churches throughout the Gulf, including Abu

Dhabi, Ras Al-Khaime, Jabel Ali, Kuwait, Amhadi, Teluga, Bahrain and Oman.

MegaVoice, the Audio Bible Player ministry headed up by Tom Treseder, partners with the Bible

Society in the Arabian Gulf. Over the years, Christians in Australia have donated many thousands to the

people of the Gulf. For further details about MegaVoice contact Tom Treseder on phone 0419 996 816,

email: tomtreseder@megavoice.com

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page TwelveNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Twelve

‘ ‘GOOD NEWS FOR YOU’GOOD NEWS FOR YOU’

We’re Count ing On YOU!We’re Count ing On YOU! YOURYOUR

Donat ions Keep Us Go ing!Donat ions Keep Us Go ing!

Through the generous donations of members of the New Life family, New Life is now available free on request by email to everyone, everywhere,

who wants to receive it.

PLEASE CONSIDERPLEASE CONSIDER MAKING A DONATION:MAKING A DONATION:

• By Cheque To: New Life, PO Box 457, Mitcham 3132 Vic. (Please make cheques out to: ‘New Life Australia Ltd’.)

• By Direct Deposit To: Account Name: New Life Australia Ltd. Bank: Westpac. BSB: 033-112. Account Number: 16-8239.

(Please email office@nlife.com.au when you direct deposit). • From Our Web Site: (www.nlife.com.au)

using the Make A Donation button.

‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’ ‘WITH CHRIST ... BETTER BY FAR’

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page ThirteenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Thirteen

John Smith Reaches Journey’s End Australian evangelist John Smith has died at the age of

77 following a long battle with cancer.

Dr Smith was the founder of Christian motorcycle club

God Squad as well as Christian mission and welfare organ-

isation Concern Australia.

He was known as a social commentator, a prolific

writer and public speaker, addressing Christian, business

and school groups, among others, across Australia and be-

yond.

Singer/songwriter Steve Grace says, ‘John Smith was a father in the faith, a modern-day prophet and

a pioneer of preaching a relevant Gospel to his generation.’ Steve will be singing at Dr Smith’s funeral on

23 March.

John Smith died at home in the coastal community of Ocean Grove, Victoria, in the early hours of 7

March surrounded by family and friends. John is survived by his wife Glena, his three children and grand-

children.

The funeral service for Smithy will be held on Saturday 23 March at 2pm at the Wave Baptist Church,

Corner of Wallington Rd and Lake Ave, Ocean Grove. Everyone is welcome to attend. – Sight Magazine

G.J. Coles – Living For Christ In The Market­Place Few people have made their mark

on the shopping habits of Aus-

tralians like George J. Coles. The

founder of the Coles supermarket

chain, he is still a household name

four decades after his death. A man of high morals

and honourable standards, he often said that he

owed most to his parents for his grounding in

Christianity.

According to Judith McLaughlin, in her book

about the founder of G.J. Coles, George Coles was

an ardent and generous Christian.

She says his greatest legacy was not in grocery

stores; it was to live out the teachings of Jesus and

contribute to the wellbeing of society.

Mr Coles paid for Billy Graham’s 1959 Crusade

to be publicly broadcast across the nation in the

early days of television. He helped fund a hall at his

local church, assisted many charities and finan-

cially supported Christian Education.

The first G.J.Coles store opened in 1914.

THANKS TO OUR DONORS

New Life Thanks All Who Make Donations

From Time To Time. Your Generosity Enables Us To Continue This Ministry.

Please See Our Ad On P. 12 For Details About How

YOU Can Help.

Elizabeth Kendal’s New Book ... War! Destruction! Violent Persecution! Martyrdom! Forced Displacement!

For hundreds of thousands of now destitute Christian families, this is the new reality. Yet contrary to all appearances, God is at work in the Middle East.

‘Kendal’s book is a godsend to anyone who is at a loss to understand what lies behind the suffering in the Middle East. Drawing on authoritative voices from the region, her clear-eyed analysis untangles the conflicts with the heart and insight of a prophet.

– Jeff M. Sellers, Editor, Persecution News Service, Morning Star News. For more information go to: www.ElizabethKendal.com

John Smith – Bound For Glory

WHO CAN WHO CAN YOUYOU FORWARD FORWARD NEW LIFENEW LIFE TO? TO?

NEW LIFE – 15 February 2019 – Page FourteenNEW LIFE – 15 February 2019 – Page Fourteen

BOOKS WORTH READING BOOKS WORTH READINGSAVED BY GRACE ALONE – Sermons On Ezekiel 36.16­36, D. Martyn Lloyd­Jones, Banner Of Truth, Edinburgh, 2018. ISBN: Print 978 I 84871 828 9; EPUB: 978 I 84871 829 6; Kindle: 978 I 84871 830 2. (PLEASE NOTE: If readers have difficulty sourcing Banner Of Truth books at their local bookstore, they may be purchased via the website https://ban­neroftruth.org/uk/, where most books are also available for EPUB and Kindle at much reduced prices.) Think ‘Martyn Lloyd­Jones’ and you probably think ‘Romans’ and ‘Ephesians’ the two mammoth series of sermons he preached in Westminster Chapel, London,

during his long and famous ministry there. The fact is, though, that he was a serial preacher

throughout most of his ministry. The Romans and Ephesians series are just the best-known ones.

Iain Murray tells a story of someone who once asked Dr Lloyd­Jones: ‘When was the last time you

had an evangelistic meeting at Westminister Chapel?’ To which, quick as a shot, he replied: ‘Last Sunday

evening!’ ‘And he wasn’t joking’, Iain Murray added. The evening service at Westminster Chapel was the

time for preaching a sermon which reached the hearts and minds of the unconverted as well as building

up the believers.

And that was the case with the sermons published in this book. As the publishers state: ‘The 14 ser-

mons contained in Saved By Grace Alone were preached in Westminster Chapel, London, on Sunday

evenings between 15 April and 15 July 1956. They are a fine example of preaching evangelistically from

consecutive passages of the Old Testament. While they are firmly based on the meaning of the Scripture

text in its original setting, they are not overloaded with historical or exegetical detail. The larger themes

of Ezekiel’s message to the people of his own day are kept prominently in view. Dr Lloyd-Jones was a

preacher who focused on the unchanging, recurring needs of human beings and the everlasting good

news of God’s grace. He dealt plainly with the reality of sin as disobedience to God’s law, but he also ex-

ulted in the tenderness and abundance of God’s salvation through the life, death, and resurrection of

Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. It was his emphasis on this crucially important Gospel truth: that

we are ‘saved by grace alone’, which made his preaching, and these sermons on Ezekiel 36, truly time-

less.’

Well may little preachers like us ask: ‘When was the last time I even dreamed of preaching an evan-

gelistic sermon from Ezekiel?’ For a start, we should refresh our memories by re-reading Ezekiel 36. We

could underline key phrases which set our thought processes moving. How might we use these phrases

if we were to preach a series of evangelistic sermons based on them? Then it would be time to read and

reflect on the Doctor’s sermons in this book. Their very titles are evocative: The Revelation From God ... A New Heart ... I Will Put My Spirit Within You ... A Great And Complete Salvation ... Saved By Grace Alone ... As we read the sermons we are struck by the way Dr Lloyd­Jones relates the Biblical context to the

state of the world, the nation, the church and the individual in the late 1950’s. Some of us, though young

then, will still remember those days. And as we read this morning’s newspaper and watch this evening’s

TV news broadcast we will be struck by how much more urgently the world needs to hear, know and ap-

propriate ‘the old, old story’ in our world today.

By the way, when was the last time you sang Tell Me The Old, Old Story in your church? ‘Of unseen

things above, of Jesus and His glory, of Jesus and His love ... I am weak and weary, and helpless and defiled

... that wonderful redemption, God's remedy for sin ... when this world’s empty glory is costing me too

dear ... tell me the old, old story, Christ Jesus makes thee whole.’ It’s all here folks – and more.

Beginning with a strong defence of the Bible in its truth, authority, relevance and sufficiency as God’s Word to a lost world providing the only remedy for sin, Dr Lloyd-Jones challenges us to see ourselves as

God sees us so as to receive His gracious gift of salvation. These sermons are delivered with a clarity and

conviction, a clinical precision cutting to both head and heart, that they have the power to be used of

God again all these decades later to a world which, if anything, needs to hear and receive even more so

than when they were first preached. They are beckoning to the unconverted, building up to the believer

and a perfect example for the preacher. May God again glorify His Name through them. – Bob Thomas

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page FifteenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Fifteen

NEW LIFE EXTRA NEW LIFE EXTRA

For Further Reading: Every fortnight New Life receives more material than we are able to include in the current issue mainly

due to the exigencies of space. However, we believe that such articles would be of sufficient interest to enough

of our readers to refer them to the websites where these articles can be accessed.

The following items come into this category as we go to publication of this issue: Register For Bike For Bibles, Bible Society, bibles@biblesociety.org.au The Way (Quarterly Free Magazine), Dr Tim Trumper, www.fromhisfullness.com Vulnerable and Invincible, Weak and Powerful, Dr Peter Adam, https://au.thegospelcoalition.org

New App To Help Bring Back The Quiet Time! Christian Hymns is one of the leading hymnbooks in the United Kingdom, being used by many

churches throughout Great Britain and Northern Ireland. A few years ago the publishers created an App

version of the hymnbook (which now also includes the Sing Psalms! Psalter from the Free Church of Scot-

land). Although distribution of the App, which includes playable music for all of its nearly 1,000 hymns,

is limited to the UK because of international Copyright law, it now has several thousand users, not just

individuals but others too such as churches or nursing homes where there is no pianist.

The organizing committee for Christian Hymns has just released a Daily Readings App, based on

C.H. Spurgeon’s Morning And Evening devotions, which is free to download worldwide.

We live in a world which is changing at an unprecedented pace. Never before has technology changed

so fast and with it the way that people interact with each other and the world around them. In just over

10 years, since the release of the first iPhone, our habits, work lives and private lives have changed.

Clearly, there is no way to put the genie back in the bottle.

For example, recent studies have shown that there is now a reduced attention span, impacting on

memory and the knowledge we retain; and a greater craving for instant gratifications. While scientific

research is on-going, we can all relate to these impacts and many more besides, particularly the impact

on families and church life.

In the face of this, we need to keep a Biblical perspective. While our world is very different from the

time of Christ and His apostles, the fundamental Gospel truths remain unchanged and people must still

be pointed to Jesus Christ for salvation and life. The Bible, the very Word of God is to be preached and

taught both as a means to bring sinful people to salvation and to teach saved people how to think and

live as Christians. When we examine the Biblical record, we find the apostles adopting a clear strategy,

going to key towns in the New Testament world, first to the Jews and then to Gentiles. People would

gather in the marketplace and here was somewhere the Apostles could go to reach them.

But how do we reach people today with Biblical teaching? What might be an Information Age equiv-

alent of the ancient marketplace? Could it not be the smartphone or the tablet? We therefore ask our-

selves if there is a way in which we could reach people and encourage them – despite the possibility of

reduced attention spans – to read the Bible, think about the Bible, pray over what they have read, as well

as learn and sing a hymn.

That’s why the publishers of Christian Hymns have published their Daily Readings App: to meet a

need, from a Biblical perspective. The Daily Readings App is available for both IOS and Android. The App

features a lightly modernized version of C.H. Spurgeon’s Morning And Evening devotions. For every read-

ing, the team has selected a short additional Bible passage that ties in with Spurgeon’s selected verse.

The App includes a complete version of the English Standard Version of the Bible, licensed from Crossway

publishers, as well as hymns and playable tunes selected from Christian Hymns for each reading.

Every day, the user is encouraged to read the Bible (including the additional reading), read a short

exposition by Spurgeon, pray over what they have read with a few suggestions from a Thought And Prayer

section, as well as learn a hymn. Spurgeon’s short and pithy comments are ideal for the ‘easily distracted’

people of today. And by putting these in an App, the content will always be within easy access!

The App has been professionally developed, is easy to use, and free of charge. It is available on the

Apple and Google Play stores (search for Daily Readings and look for the two trumpets logo) or can be

reached from the Christian Hymns website: https://www.christianhymns.org.uk/#/DailyReadings

NEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page SixteenNEW LIFE – 15 March 2019 – Page Sixteen

NEW LIFE EXTRA NEW LIFE EXTRA

The ever-changing seasons in silence come and go; but Thou, Eternal Father, no time or change canst know. O pour Thy grace upon us, that we may worthier be, each year that passes o�er us, to dwell in Heaven with Thee.

� William Walsham Howe

Winter By Loch Lomond � Rev John Ross, Minister of the Free Church of Scotland