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: [email protected]
‘Tell the people the full message of this new life’ – Acts 5.20b www.nlife.com.au
FREE FOR YOU
ON REQUEST TO:
[email protected] 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: [email protected] Postal Address: PO Box 457 Mitcham VIC 3132 OFFICE MANAGER: Rachael Maskell Phone: 0415 612 646 Email: [email protected] 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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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: [email protected]
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’.)
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(Please email [email protected] when you direct deposit). • From Our Web Site: (www.nlife.com.au)
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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, [email protected] 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