The Messenger Winter 2014

8/10/2019 The Messenger Winter 2014

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MESSENGERThe

Published by Westminster Presbyterian Ch urch

Volume 162 Winter Edi t ion 2014


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The Messenger Winter 2014

Contents

Aims

To uphold the teachings of Scripture as summed up in

the Westminster Confession of Faith.

To assist the WPC churches in their congre- gational

life and witness.

To foster a spirit of unity amongst WPC churches.

subscription DetAils

The 2014 subscription rates are as follows:

1. If posted directly to your address, $4.25 per

copy, or $16.00 p.a.

2. Bulk mailed to your churchs Messenger

representative for $14.00 p.a.

3. $4.50 for single issues.

4. Please send payments to:

The Westminster Messenger via Sandra Wilson

105 Regency Drive,

THORNLIE W.A. 6108

Email: [email protected] otherwise

Ph: (08) 9452 1830

or Mob: 0417 944 138

PLEASE NOTE:

ALL SUBSCRIPTIONS DUE IN ADVANCE.

contributions, letters, etc.

All materials for the editor, such as contributions,

letters and comments about The Messenger should be

directed to:

Revd Clem White,

10 Melaleuca Terrace,

HALLS HEAD, W.A. 6210

Phone: (08) 9535 3301

Email: [email protected]

DeADlines for eAch issue

Articles of Church News, Letters to the Editor and

contributions for each of the 4 issues are to be in theEditors hand no later than:

Feb 14 for Autumn issue

May 16 for Winter issue

Aug 15 for Spring issue

Nov 14 for Summer issue

and addressed to Rev. Clem White at the contact

address or email above.

the messenger committee

Clem White (Editor)

Sandra Wilson (Treasurer)

Pam White (Secretary)

Ray Wilson (Proong)

Roy Lim & Vienna Randa (Designer)

Opinions expressed are those of the contributor and not necessarily those of WPC,the editor or the committee. Submitted articles are welcome.

You can help make your denominational journal a success by subscribing andcontributing to it. We cordially invite you to do both.

Features

4-5

8-1016-23

Family

14-15

missions

11-13

ChurCh news

6-7


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During the trial of Rolf Harris the judge referredto the dark side of Harriss nature. They also

observed that he seemed to have a Jekyll andHyde personality.

However, Rolf Harris is not unique in having adark side.

Adrian Ernest Bayley was found guilty of therape and murder of Jill Meagher, in Brunswick,Melbourne, in the early hours of September 22,2012. He was sentenced to life imprisonmentwith a 35 year non-parole period. During his trial

it emerged that he had a history of sexual crime.The general public was so outraged by thisvicious crime that on September 30, a publicmarch was organised. A crowd of 30,000 walkeddown Sydney Road in memory of Meagher. Themarch also symbolised broader concerns aboutviolence against women.

Whenever a person is found to have committedheinous crimes there is an understandablereaction from the community.

However, we all have a dark side to our naturesto some degree or another. We are all capable ofcommitting rape, murder, embezzlement, or anyother moral deviation possible to the human race.

Why is this the case? Why has the human racebeen ghting one another since Cain murderedAbel? Why are we unable to live in peace withone another for any length of time? Why is it thatright now, there are nations ghting each other inthe Middle East?

Well, we know that the answer to these questionsis found in the Bible. But that seems very oldfashioned to most people and they look for otherreasons for answers to our problem. They mayblame a troubled childhood; repression of sexualdrives; overbearing parents; peer pressure ascontributing factors to these puzzling questions.But these are not the basic cause of crimeaccording to the Bible.

After God created Adam and Eve we knowfrom the account in Genesis 3 that they rebelled

against God by eating the forbidden fruit. As aconsequence of this action sin entered the heartsof Adam and Eve. This sin has been passed downthrough the generations. Romans 3:23 tells usthat, all have sinned and fall short of the gloryof God.

Every person is born a sinner and is capable ofcommitting the worst crimes imaginable. Thisnot only applies to unbelievers but sadly, alsoto believers. James 4:1-2a, warns us about

this problem of sin remaining in the lives ofChristians. What causes ghts and quarrelsamong you? Dont they come from your desiresthat battle within you? You want something butdont get it. You kill and covet, but you cannothave what you want. You quarrel and ght

So it seems that not only people like Rolf Harrisand Adrian Ernest Bayley have a dark side totheir lives, so does everyone. But the goodnews is that believers have the Holy Spirit living

within them to give them power to overcomesin. We are also told in 1 Corinthians 10:13,No temptation has seized you except what iscommon to man. And God is faithful; he will notlet you be tempted beyond what you can bear.But when you are tempted, he will also provide away out so that you can stand under it.

May we pray for all those who are beaten by thedark side of their natures that they will come tothe light. Jesus tells us in John 8:12, I am

the light of the world. Whoever follows me willnever walk in darkness, but will have the lightof life.

Clem White

the Dark siDe

CLEMWHITE

THE MESSENGER ON

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This talk was given by Pastor Clem White at theBrookton RSL Anzac Day Dawn Service, 2014.Our elder Arthur Slater prayed two prayers at theservice. One of our members, Mrs Sue Bennell,laid a wreath on behalf of our church. We wereall very pleased and honoured to be invitedto take part in this service of remembrance.

C.J. Dennis, Australias favourite wartime poet,epitomised Australias soldiers in his poem The

singing Soldiers.

In those days there were no TVs, a few movietheatres, no facebook, no mobiles but there was alot of home style entertainment. It was commonat family get-togethers for someone to recitea poem, tell a joke or get up and sing a song.

Then everyone would gather around thepiano and have a good old sing-along.

So when they were recruiting men for the army itwas not uncommon to ask questions like; Are you a

singing man? Can you elecute? Can you spin a funnyyarn? Can you play the mouth organ, concertina,Jews harp, cornet or any other instrument?Can you help to entertain in ANY way?If so, why not give a helping hand

at our weekly concert? It is not abrainstorming affair but the dinkum thing.

My uncle Ray was in the medicalcorps but he also played the cornet sohe was recruited into the army band.

In 1915 the famous poet Rudyard Kipling said inone of his speeches, The soul of the battalion is most often found in the band This sentiment was

echoed in the diary of the AIF bandsman, SydneyYoung: The band is the soul of the battalion.

Kiplings argument was powerful in his speechthat was widely reported in the Australian press:

A few drums and fes in a battalion means at leastve extra miles in a route march, quite apart fromthe fact that they can swing a battalion back happyand composed in its mind, no matter how wet and

tired its body may be ...the roll and ourish of thedrums and fes around the barracks is as warmingand cheering as as the sight of a re in a room.

Then on a recruiting drive it was common for thetown band to march through country towns callingfor volunteers to join the march. I wonder if theyever did this in Brookton?

So today in this great tradition of music we

join together in singing some of the grand oldsongs of Christian worship that inspired ourfore parents, uncles and aunts, brothers andsisters and children in times of conict and war.

anZaC Day, 2014talk at Brookton

Te soul othe battalionis...most ofen ound in

the band~ Rudyard Kipling ~

They wus singin on the troopship, they wussingin in the train;

When they left their land beind em they wusshoutin a refrain,

An Ill bet theyll have a chorus, gay an glad ingreetin for us,

When their bit uv scrapins over, an they lob backome again..

An the blockes that aint returnin blokes thatpaid the biggest price,

They go singin. Singin, singin to the gates uvParadise.


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However, I sometimes wonder if todays societyis losing that ability to sing a song or whistle atune as we go about our work or relax at home.Are we too taken up with being entertained than

in creating our own enjoyment through songs andplaying musical instruments? Are we enmeshedin our mobiles, facebook, ipads, TVs, andwhatever is the latest electronic gimmick? Is thisthe lifestyle our grandfathers and grandmothers,uncles and aunts fought for? I dont think so.

We as grandparents and parents need toteach our young people to sing and playmusic. We need to hear them singing happilyin our school and at home and church.

What I really enjoy at our Calvary Presbyterianchurch worship services is their singing andmusic. You can throw just about any song atthem and they will sing it with joy and gusto.

It seems to me that God has created us to be asinging people. God is a singing God. The bookof Psalms is full of songs. God encouraged hispeople of old to make music in their worship of

Him.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 150, Praise Himwith the sound of the trumpet, praise himwith the harp and the lyre, praise him withtambourine and dancing, praise him with thestrings and ute, praise him with the clash ofsymbols, praise him with resounding cymbals.Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.

C J Dennis alluded to the soldiers singin theirway to the gates of Paradise. The last book inthe bible, Revelation, also alludes to singing inheaven.

We read in chapter 14 of the apostle Johnsvision, then I looked, and there before mewas the Lamb, standing on Mount Zion.AndI heard a sound from heaven like the roar ofrushing waters and like a loud peal of thunder.The sound I heard was like that of harpistsplaying their harps. And they sang a new songbefore the throne and before the elders. The onlyones who could sing that new song were those

who were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christfrom the earth.

Clem White

Clem white addresses the Anzac Day Dawn

Service in Brookton

Let everything that has breath

Paise the Lord!

salm 150 : 6

Mrs Sue Bennell, Pastor Clem white, Mrs Pam

White and Elder Arthur Slater.


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ChurCh - news

On Sunday, March 23, at a service of celebration,Grace Presbyterian Church Morayeld (GPCM)was welcomed into WPCs Queensland Presby-tery.

At the service, held in GPCMs regular meetingplace (Morayeld Community Centre), speechesof welcome were given by presbytery modera-tor Pastor Dan Bosshard and presbytery clerkPastor Dave Smith. (Part of the membership ofGPCM were former members of WPC Burpen-gary, which was amalgamated into GPCM whenDave Smith was called to pastor WPC RedbankPlains.)Pastor Clint Lombard of Grace Christian Church

(WPC) Buderim, brought the Bible exposition ofencouragement.GPCM was established by the late Pastor BillHam and Pastor Al Baigrie, and has long had aclose association with WPC through pulpit ex-changes and through Bills many years as a mem-ber of WPC Qld Presbytery.

The addition of GPCM strengthens WPC Qld

to four churches and adds a further seven elders(one teaching elder, Al Baigrie) to the Presbytery.

Bob is the pastor of Grace Presbyterian Church,Morayeld, Queensland

While sound biblical and evangelical churchescan be found today in most of Australias majorcities, the spiritual plight of country centres con-

tinues to be a concern.In Queensland, and I expect a similar situationexists elsewhere in Australia, Christian ministryto country centres is contracting at an alarmingrate, leaving large areas of Australia without aneffective Christian witness. Churches are clos-ing, church properties sold and clergy moved tolarger centres.When Im free from my regular Sunday min-istry commitments, I preach at Kilkivan UnionChurch, a non-denominational Protestant churchin Queenslands South Burnett, 90 minutes drivefrom the Sunshine Coast.The church survives only through the persever-ance of a couple of local women and a roster ofvisiting preachers from nearby centres. Recent-ly, the only other Protestant church in the townclosed its doors and the building is scheduled for

sale.We read how, from the Lecture Hall of Tyran-nus in Ephesus, the Apostle Paul spread the goodnews of Jesus to all the Jews and Greeks wholived in the province of Asia. We dont knowexactly how the gospel spread happened, butit did happen, resulting in the establishment ofan archipelago of new churches (cf the SevenChurches of The Revelation).We need to do some creative thinking abouthow we can reach all the un-gospelled people ofQueensland, Western Australia

From left: Pastors Dan Bosshard, Bob Burnett, Al

Baigrie, Dave Smith and Clint Lombard.

Welcome Grace PresbyterianChurch, Morayfeld,

Queensland, into WPCBy Bob Burnett

The Plight of Country Churchesin Australia.By Bob Burnett


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Source Image: http://kamalsmmm.blogspot.com.au/2011_01_01_archive.html

A lady visited a church one Sunday. The sermon seemed to go on

for ever and many in the congregation were obviously struggling to

stay awake. After the service she walked up to a very sleepy look-

ing gentleman, extending her hand in greeting and said Hello. Im

Gladys Dunne. And the gentleman replied, Youre not the only one,Im glad its done too!

I have a friend who, having studied theologypost-retirement, in semi-retirement is pastor-ing four different pastor-less churches, ying ordriving to one church each Sunday. Could this bethe new paradigm for country ministry FIFOpreachers?

While its great to be part of a large metropolitanor regional church, we must innovate so that thecentre of Australia is not left languishing in thecurrent renaissance of good preaching and pas-toring.

PERTH GOSPELP A R T N E R S H IP

Annual Conference 2014

Christ-centred Preaching

Mon 11th11.00am 5.30pmTues 12th10.00am 4.30pm

Subiaco Church of Christ

260 Bagot Road, Subiaco

Keynote Speaker: Dr Bryan Chapell

Bryan is world renowned for his robust andpractical championing of Christ-CentredPreaching. He is Senior Pastor of GracePresbyterian (Peoria, USA) and formerlyChancellor of Covenant Seminary.

Costs:$120 (includes lunches, snacks)$20 discount for PGP Partners, Ministry

Apprentices, full-time students, and those

travelling from regional WA.Bryan Chapell will be giving a public talk

Living by Grace Monday 11 Aug 7.30pm at

Subiaco Church of Christ

Registrations and more information: pgp.org.au

Beatitudes for Married Couples

Written by (From WPCBC News Notes)

Monday, 19 May 2008 00:25

Are you married? Are you going to get

married? Ten these beatitudes will be ablessing to you Blessed are the husband and wie who

continue to be affectionate, considerateand loving through all the days o theirlie together

Blessed are the husband and wie whoare as polite and courteous to one another as they are to their riends.

Blessed are the husband and wie who

have a sense o humour or this will bea handy shock absorber

Blessed are they who love eachother more than any other person inthe world, and who joyully ulfil theirmarriage vow o a lietime o fidelity ashusband and wie.

Blessed are they who thank God ortheir blessings, and who set aside some

time each day or the reading o theBible and prayer. Blessed are they who never speak

harshly to each other and who maketheir home a place o mutual encouragement and love.

Blessed are the husband and wie whocan work out their problems withoutintererence rom relatives.

Blessed are the husband and wie who

dedicate their lives and their home tothe advancement o CHRIS and HISKINGDOM.


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a Greater Goal

at the 2014 worlD CupUsed by permission of the Bible Society Australia.

On 12 June in Brazil, one kick of a ball will tip aglobal audience into 32 days of soccer mania. Butanother passionate movement on the ground willpoint soccer fans towards a more eternal goal.

The rst of an estimated 600,000 foreign visi-tors are making their way to Brazil as it hoststhe 2014 World Cup. Theyll join 3.1 million lo-cals watching the matches in person, or servingas volunteers. Thats a great number of people,and a great opportunity to share the gospel. Inthe midst of World Cup fever, there are mo-

ments for us to use and reach people for God.

Joga Limpo Brasil or Fair Play Brazil isa movement coordinated by Bible Soci-ety Brazil, working with 1,600 churches andChristian organisations. Together theyllsend out an army of volunteers with 20,000Gospels of John and four million tracts.

Bible Society Australia has helped subsidise theprinting of these materials which have sports-themed introductions. They draw parallels be-tween sports and the things of lifefair and foulplay, victory and loss. Theyre great conversa-tion-starters, and pave the way for nding outmore about someones needs, or where theyreat.Handing out Scripture tracts is also a great way toreach visitors from nations closed to the Bible. Forthose whove never heard about Jesus, it could bethe start of a discovery with life-changing impact.

We can never predict what God will do with thematerials handed out. We do know however thatsharing the gospel in this manner does work. Atthe World Student Games in Shefeld in 1991,recalls Rev Andrew Wingeld Digby on the An-glican Mainstream website, an American swim-mer took a Bible, and never read it till severalyears later when life was in a muddle. God spoketo her, she became a Christian, re-entered com-petitive sport and... shone as a light for Jesus.When Australia hosted the 2000 Olympics, BibleSociety produced one million Scripture por-

tions for distribution, working with churcheson a huge outreach at the Games in Sydney.That experience showed us that personal evan-gelism at major sports events has amazing po-tential for reaching the unchurched, and its

why were supporting the outreach in Brazil.

Pastor Arnaldo Sena is one of those helping tocoordinate the large volunteer groups in Brazil.At least 500 people in each of the twelve hostcities will welcome tourists at airports, bus sta-tions and hotels, he explains. The visitorswill be offered a Gospel of John in one of ninelanguages: French, German, Arabic, Chinese,Japanese, English, Spanish or Russian. OurEnglish, French and Spanish-speaking volun-teers will also serve as language facilitators, agreat help for those making their way aroundour Portuguese-speaking nation. A Gospel of

John in Portuguese will serve local soccer fans.

Bible Society Australia is working with BibleSociety Brazil to make sure that Gods wordis heard amidst the noise and excitement ofthe 2014 World Cup. The tournament is on till13 July, so please do pray for opportunities forconversation as each tract is handed out, andthat God will guide volunteers as they speak.

We need your help as we assist Bible SocietyBrazil with printing and distribution costs for theWorld Cup Scriptures. Thank you for your lov-ing concern that others share the same victoryand destiny you havea life hid with Christ inGod. (Col 3:3, KJV)

Edit pix caption: 20,000 copies of Johns gospel, in 9world languages, will be given away at the World Cup.is accompanied by a special supplement to guide read-ers on how to get the victory with the help of Gods word.


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Glimpse oF a Greater plan

Many Japanese Christians are isolated from otherChristians, even those who live in urban areas.Very often they are the only Christians in theirschool or workplace or neighbourhood. But lastyear we encountered some believers in a ruralenvironment who were even more distant fromfellowship. What we didnt expect was that wedbe able to help them.

Last July during our summer holidays we campedaround the north and eastern sides of Hokkaido,the large northern island in Japan. One weekend

we camped in a small town, Nishi Okoppe (1,190people). We knew one family in the town. Theirchildren had been at CAJ with ours in Tokyo, be-fore they moved up to Nishi Okoppe in Marchlast year.

The mum enthusiastically promoted the townand found many things for us to do in that smallplace. But the most profound experience wasSunday morning when we joined them for wor-

ship.

Their church met in a local couples house, a tinysingle-storey house crowded with furniture andcarpets. Our family practically doubled the num-bers at worship that morning. We arrived a littlelate, and worship had already begun. Though theyknew we were coming, they had no choice about

waiting for us. Church centred on a computer, alive broadcast from a large church in Sapporo.

We squeezed around the dining room tablewe,our hosts, our friends, an English teacher from

the school, and one other lady whod never at-tended church before. Our boys sat with theirfriends in an adjacent tiny room and wonderedwhat kind of church this was. It looked like wewere watching a Youtube video.

When the pipe organ resounded, we sang. Whenthe preacher preached, we listened. Just the sameas in church, but the setting was unusual. We feltremote. We felt like eavesdroppers.

When the service ended, the people welcomedwith almost overwhelming warmth. Our hoststook us to a local hotel for lunch. The husband, alarge-animal vet whos also a certied JapaneseTea Ceremony celebrant, showed us an authentictea house in a local park. He also instructed us onthe basics of the tea ceremony. The wife, an en-thusiastic local volunteer, showed us the libraryand other local sights.

We learned they had been praying for severalyears for a local evangelical church to be estab-lished. They had been a part of another churchin a nearby town. But a new pastor had comeand told them they couldnt evangelise, so theyreluctantly left the church and began to worshipat home. Praise God they arent secret believerswho just keep their faith to themselves. They areenthusiastic members of their local community

hoping to win others for Christ where God hasplanted them.

During the night, as we settled under our canvasroof, we nally connected some geographical dots.


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We realised that OMF planned to start a churchplant in another town about an hours drive away,Nayoro (30,000 people) in April of this year.

The next morning, as we began to pack upour camp, the wife came to visit us. Shethanked us again for coming and encourag-

ing them. We shared the news of the newevangelical church plant with her. She couldscarcely believe that it might be true. We lefther and her husband with hope in their hearts.

In April this year we were thrilled to hearthat at the second worship service of thatnew church-plant in Nayoro, this Japanesecouple joined our missionary colleagues.

We were delighted to catch glimpses of Gods

bigger picture. Who else could have worked thisout? An Australian missionary family that hap-pened to be on holidays was introduced to a lo-cal, isolated Christian couple. This missionaryfamily knew one piece of information that wouldmake a huge difference for that couple: a churchwould be starting in their area.

The missionaries who are starting this church inNayoro probably needed this encouragement too!

This is what they wrote to us:

Its exciting to know that the Lord isweaving all these meetings together for theextension of his Kingdom here in Japan!

Were coming back to Australia for a year fromJuly. Well also visit churches and supporterswhile were home. Our base will be Brisbane, butplan to visit Western Australia and Canberra. Wehope that we can see you and share stories like theone above. They will give you a glimpse of howGods been working in Japan.

Wendy Marshall

Wendy Marshall, with her husband

David, has lived and ministered in

Japan with OMF International since

2000. David and Wendy are members

of Grace Christian Church, Redbank

WPC. Their three children are Callum

(15), Douglas (11), and Jamie (9). The

Marshalls will be returning to Australiafor 12 months from July this year and

are hoping to visit most of the WPC

churches during that time.

David and Wendy Marshall

from early July:

39 Katandra Crescent

Bellbird Park, Queensland, 4300.

Skype: marshall7173

Email: [email protected]: www.mmuser.blogspot.com

OMF Australia website:

www.omf.org/australia

The committee would love to receive feedback

from subscribers and readers.

We welcome your input to the Spring issue of

The Westminster Messenger.Please send contributions to Clem by August 15th.


11/2611


Teaching is a job that is never really n-ished. A lesson might nish, but there aregoals we have for our students that contiueover many weeks. Sometimes our goals forour students extend over a number of years.

So when it comes to handling over a job for thecoming year, I realise that I am not just givingsomeone else a pile of books and some notesabout what to do. I have to make sure that they

can nd everything. I have to make sure that anylonger-term projects I am working on are in astate that someone else can pick them up and runwith them, or can be left idle for a year. I haveto make sure that any parts of the program that Iorganise are sustainable, that is, they are not sounique to me that they cannot be continued byanother person.

So as I nish each of my regular end-of-year ac-

tivities I am pondering what I have to do to leaveit in an orderly state. Please pray I dont overlookanything important!!

On another nishing note, our seniors are leav-ing on June 6, walking out into the world. Wehad goals for them to become servants of God,willing to live out their faith wherever they go.After that day, they will no longer be in our care,but we pray our inuence will remain with themfor many years to come. Join with us in praying

for them to remain faithful to him in all circum-stances. Yes, some still need to come to faith.Pray for them, too!

Please contact us now via email([email protected]) to arrange for usto visit you.

For the provision of a suitable van for ourhome assignment time. Some furniture is stillneeded.

For home assignment planning.We have to continue to prepare materials in thenext couple of months.

For opportunities to speak to groups while inAustralia.

For good friends for the boys at their newschool.

For strength & health to make it through thesemonths of leaving and resettling.

That the Japan Harvest magazine could getback on schedule again and that the handoverto other editors will go well.

Davids handover to other teachers. A new headmaster for CAJ from August 2015. For the CAJ Seniors, that they will all chooseChrist as their Lord as they move on to newthings in their lives.

Were into the last weeks of our third term. Thetime has own. In May weve had our headsdown, trying to stay focused on nishing ourjobs here well, as well as making many deci-sions about our relocation to Australia.

Doug and Wendywent on the 5th Grade over-night camp. It included much tramping up and

down mountainsiders. Wendys knees are stillrecovering!

Jamie and Doug had end-of-year musicalperformances (see photos on page one) on pianoand percussion respectively.

Wendyhas had a couple of meetings with thelady whos taking on her role over the yearwere away. Shes done a lot of email work

related to our relocation. She also completed aphotobook for our deputation time.

David and Wendy cleaned and did some sort-ing and packing. We also replaced and xed

servinG with omF in japan

PRAYER POINTSSPOTLIGHT ON CAJ

ON THE HOME FRONT

We make a living by what we getbut we make a lie by

what we give.

W. S. Churchill.


12/2612


some household things prior to our house sitterstaking up residence.

Davidscontinued to work on his last Mastersassignment and looks forward to graduatingnext month. He also edited a video to go withour presentations. Hes been busy at school,

taking on a couple of extra classes for a teacherwhos been struggling.

Callumsbeen busy with school work, includ-

ing a large project and presentation on Defores-tation. He also enjoyed a sleepover to celebratehis best friends birthday and is looking forwardto celebrating his own with friends after schoolis nished.

David and the boyshave enjoyed severalgames nights at Callums history teachersapartment.

Were looking to coming back to Australia. Theboys are looking forward to lots of BBQs andalso to joining the Lang Park Wrestling club.However, they arent looking forward to wear-ing a uniform for school.

David and Wendy are looking forward to a

change in roles and some wider open spaces.The house well be giving in is on 1/4 acre withan established garden.

Were very thankful for Gods provision. Werestill wondering what vehicle well be driving,but trusting God will provide that also.

Thank you for your prayers over the last fouryears. We look forward to seeing many of youover the next months.

In Christ,David and Wendy

with Callum, Douglas and Jamie

find out more about the work of OMFat

omf.org/Australia/


13/2614


Family paGes

Train up achild in the wayhe should go;even when he is oldhe will not depart

from it.

Proverbs 22:6

Are Christian parents in danger

of raising little materialists?by Simon van Bruchen

www.allnations.org.au/category/blog/.

As we continue to work through a sermon serieson money and stewardship at church, I have beenconsidering where we get our skewed worldviewon money from. Yes, I know there are all kinds ofinuences around us making us want more thingsdue to advertising, and to increase our superan-nuation, and to upgrade our car.

But it occurred to me that Christian parents often,unwittingly, help their kids to learn materialisticways of seeing the world. We pass on things wedont realize are unhelpful.

On the one hand, we so often give some kind ofreward which is money or possession related; ifyou do your chores you will get so much, for ex-ample. How do we normally celebrate birthdays?By giving a lot of presents to children who al-ready have so many toys that they get bored of

or do not play with. Gifts are the way we marktimes of signicance in their lives.

On the other hand, we can fail to excite themenough about spiritual matters, sometimes be-cause we are not excited enough about them. Ifwe choose not to come to church because thereis a birthday party or some other offer, we areshowing them that other things trump being withGods people. If they never see us pray person-ally, or talk excitedly about what we have learntfrom the Bible, they learn quickly that these tra-ditions dont mean all that much in practice to us.And if they do not matter to us, why should theymatter to them?

Jesus calls us to seek his kingdom rst, to servehim and not money. Do our kids draw that con-clusion about us?

I havent included many ways we could encour-

age them to seek the kingdom rst, as it will bedifferent for every family. Example matters agreat deal. Maybe you could restart family devo-tions if you have stopped them? Or you could getyour kids involved in some family project sup-

porting a missionary, or a child in need elsewherein the world. Or you could simplify, with all inthe family giving things away to show that youdont need all you have.

Make sure you pass on to your kids what youthink you are passing on.

Using Your Talents for GodFrom A.C.T.S. an interdenominational

Christian Teaching Service.

Henry Van Dyke wisely said, Use what talentsyou possess: the woods would be very silent if nobirds sang there except that sang best.In a primary school on Brisbane there is a mottowritten over the door of every classroom. Oneof them is the above verse taken from the Bible.Whatever your hand nds to do, do it with yourmight. that is, whatever you do, do it to thebest of your ability and do it with enthusiasm.

Everyone has been given at least one gift or tal-

ent most of us several. May we all use them tothe best of our ability to serve God and our felloeman and thereby help make our homes and ourworld better place in which to live.God hasnt called most of us to be experts butHe has called all of us to be faithful in putting togood use the gifts He has given to us. So, What-ever your hand nds to do, do it to the best ofyour ability with enthusiasm.

Suggested prayer: Dear God, help me to ap-preciate the giftds and talents you have givenme and to use them to minister to others andtherein be a part of what you are doing in theworld today. In Jesus Name. Amen


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Family paGeswestminster shorter CateChism

with the sCripture prooF

The father o f f ive children had won a toy in a

lu cky dip. He called his kids together to ask

which one shou ld have th e present. Who is the

most obedie nt? he asked. Who neve r talks

back to your mother? Who does eve rythi ng

she sa ys? There was silence as the children

digested this. Then the oldest look ed at hissiblings for a second, then sa id OK Dad,

you get th e toy!

Q. 58. What is required of thefourth commandment?

A. The fourth commandment requiresus to keep holy to God such settimes as he appointed in his word: inparticular, one whole day in seven.

[a]. Isa 56:6-7

Q. 59. Which day of seven has Godappointed to be the weekly

Sabbath?A. From the beginning of the world to the

resurrection of Christ, God appointedthe seventh day of the week to be the

weekly Sabbath; but thereafter heappointed the rst day of the week,

which is the Christian Sabbath orLords Day.

[a]. Gen 2:3

[b]. Luke 23:56[c]. Acts 20:7

[d]. 1 Cor 16:1-2

[e]. John 20:19-26

[f]. Rev 1:10

Q. 60. How is the Sabbath orLords Day to be kept holy?

A. The Sabbath or Lords Day, which isgiven for mans good and as a pointerto his eternal destiny, is to be keptholy by resisting all that day from our

work and recreations, and spendingthe whole time in public and private

worship, except the time spent inworks of necessity and mercy.

[a]. Mark 2:27

[b]. Heb 4:4-5 & 9-11

[c]. Lev 23:3

[d]. Ps 92:1-2

[e]. Acts 20:7

[f]. Matt 12:11

Ok. Dad !You get the

toy...

You shall teach them diligently to your children, andshall talk o them when you sit in your house, and

when you walk by the way, and when you lie down,and when you rise.Deuteronomy 6:7


15/2616


15 reasons to take Genesis

as history

Two millennia ago, the Apostle Paul wrote, Wedemolish arguments and every pretension thatsets itself up against the knowledge of God, andwe take captive every thought to make it obe-dient to Christ (2 Cor. 10:5). In the last 200years, people have increasingly argued againstthe knowledge of God, claiming that nature isall there is. They claim that natural processes,alone, can explain the origin and history of ev-erything. This historical naturalism sees no evi-

dence for God.

The big bang, uniformitarian geology and bio-logical evolution all assume naturalism. Is it thena surprise that all three theories allegedly supportnaturalism?

All three of these ideas contradict the biblicalbig-picture view of history, which is founded onGenesis 111 (not just Gen. 1). However, thereare good biblical, historical and scientic reasonsto take Genesis 111 as a straightforward historyof the origin of everything. This series of articlespresents 15 biblical and historical reasons to takeGenesis as history. Other sources cover the sci-entic arguments.

1. Jesus understood the Old Testament ashistory

Jesus regarded the OT Scriptures as Gods Word;

that is, spoken by God or inspired by the HolySpirit, although written by the hands of men(Matt.19:4, 5; 22:31, 32, 43; Mark 12:26; Luke20:37) and therefore even the smallest letter orstroke was inspired and would never pass away(Matt. 5:18; Luke 16:17). Jesus cited nearly ev-ery book in the OT as authoritative, thus authen-ticating the canon as we know it. There is noroom here for regarding any part of Scripture asdecient in any way due to it supposedly beingthe product of the minds of illiterate primitives(campre stories of Semitic nomads, primitivegoat-herders, etc.).

A proper hermeneutic (interpretative method)that is consistent with Jesus attitude involvesexegesis, or reading out of Scripture what thewriter was teachingnot eisegesis, or readingthings into Scripture. That is, an honest readingof Scripture entails nding out what God is say-ing, not trying to make it say what we nd ac-ceptable.

This is not bibliolatry (worshipping a book), a

term of derision applied to those who accept thatScripture is God-breathed, as it claims. Rather,it is because Christians submit to the lordshipof Christ that they take their lead from Him. Inmany places Jesus said, It is written (in the OT)to settle an argument and, Have you not read?which substantiated the authority of Scripture.Not only was Jesus not jealous of the attentionmen paid to the Bible, He censured them fortheir ignorance of it (Matt. 22:29; Mark 12:24).In fact, Jesus afrmed the historical accuracy ofeven the scriptural passages that skeptics mostscoff at today. See also Reason 2.

Inerrancy derives logically from Jesus view ofinspiration, for how can God inspire error? Andif Scripture contains error, then whoever decideswhich parts are in error actually becomes the au-thority and so usurps Gods authority. The ultra-liberal Jesus Seminar, in which lots are cast todetermine which of the words attributed to Christ

in the Bible were actually spoken by him, is alogical outcome of such an approach.

Scripture is not authoritative if it is not inerrant:for example, is love your enemies an error, oryou shall not steal, or If we confess our sins,He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins?

Some say, The Bible is authoritative in mattersof faith and practice. This is dangerously de-cient: if we cannot trust the Bible in matters ofhistory, for example, how can we trust it in mat-ters of faith and practice (theology)? Luke 16:31says, If they hear not Moses and the prophets,neither will they be persuaded, though one rose


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from the dead. And Jesusasked Nicodemus: Ihave spoken to you of earthly things and you donot believe; how then will you believe if I speakof heavenly things? (John 3:12). So if we canttrust the Bible about earthly things (such asthe timeframe of creation and order of events),why should we trust it on heavenly things (e.g.

forgiveness of sin, heaven, and moral laws)?

The Chicago Statement on inerrancy is a stan-dard statement among evangelicals, and concurswith Christs teachings by afrming that whatScripture says, God says. May He be gloried.

Please note that belief in inerrancy does not meanwooden literalism (a common straw-man argu-ment). We apply the standard, orthodox, gram-matical-historical hermeneutic, which recogniz-

es the various forms of writing such as metaphorand hyperbole. In other words, we take as literalhistory those passages which were clearly in-tended to be taken as such (including Gen. 111).

2. Jesus regarded Adam, Eve and Noah ashistorical people

Jesus afrmed many people and events of thepast that skeptics deny ever existed or happened:

Adam and Eve (Matt. 19:36; Mark 10:29),Abel (Luke 11:51), Noah and the Flood (Matt.24:3739; Luke 17:2627), Abraham (John8:5658), Sodom and Gomorrah (Matt. 10:15;11:23, 24), Jonah and the great sea creature(Matt. 12:3941). Either Jesus was mistaken, inwhich case He does not deserve our worship, orthe skeptics and their allies are wrong. Jesus alsoplaced man at the beginning of creation, not atthe end of billions of years (e.g. Mark 10:6, Luke11:5051).

Christ was also fully God, and God never makesmistakes. But some within the church, to justifydismissing Jesus statements indicating beliefin a young creation, assert that Jesus in His hu-manity was mistaken. This is called the kenoticheresy, which abuses Phil. 2:611. The empty-ing was really an addition of human nature (theWord became esh John 1:14), not any subtrac-tion of the divine attributes. In reality, Jesus vol-

untarily surrendered the exercise of His powers,e.g. omniscience, independent of the Fathers au-thority (which is why He didnt know the day orthe hour of His return), although He could imme-diately switch them on at will, e.g. to know what

people were thinking. But he never surrenderedsuch absolute attributes as His perfect goodness,truthfulness, mercy, etc.

Therefore, what Jesus did preach, He proclaimedwith absolute authority (Matt. 24:35, 28:18). In-deed, Jesus Himself said, The words that I speak

unto you, they are spirit, and they are life (John6:63). He also gave the sober warning:

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, theSon of Man will be ashamed of him when hecomes in his glory and in the glory of the Fatherand of the holy angels (Luke 9:26).

Furthermore, Jesus spoke with the full authorityof God the Father (John 5:30, 8:28, 12:44-50),who is always omniscient. So if skeptics want to

maintain their charge that Christ was mistakenbecause of His humanity, they must logicallycharge God the Father with error as well.

These critics also confuse two concepts:

Adaptation to human nitude vs accommodationto human error: the former does not entail the lat-ter. A mother might tell her four-year-old, Yougrew inside my tummythis is simplied rather

than false. Conversely, The stork brought youis an outright error. Similarly, God, the authorof truth, used some simplied descriptions (e.g.using the earth as a reference frame, as modernscientists do today) and anthropomorphisms, butnever error.

Limitation vs misunderstanding: while the Sec-ond Person of the Trinity was incarnate in Jesusof Nazareth, He voluntarily limited His omni-science, i.e. in His humanity, He did not know

all things. But this does not mean that He wasmistaken about anything He said. All human un-derstanding is nite, but this doesnt entail thatevery human understanding

3. Genesis was written as history

Hebrew uses special grammatical structures forhistorical narrative and Gen. 111 uses thosestructures. It is the same form as Gen. 12 ff. and

most of Exodus, Joshua, Judges, etc. It is not po-etry or allegory. Genesis is peppered with waw(vav, ) consecutives (andandand), whichcharacterize historical writing. The Hebrew verbforms of Gen. 1 have a particular feature that ts


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exactly what the Hebrews used for recording his-tory; a series of past events. That is, only the rstverb is a qatal (perfect), while the verbs that con-tinue the narrative are wayyiqtols (imperfects).In Gen. 1, the rst verb, bara (create), is qatal,while the subsequent verbs that move the narra-tive forward are wayyiqtols. Parallelisms, a fea-

ture of Hebrew poetry (e.g. many Psalms), arealmost absent in Genesis, except when someoneis quoted.

The strongest structural parallel of Gen. 1 isNumbers 7:1084. Both are structured accounts,both contain the Hebrew word for day ((ymwith a numericindeed both are numbered se-quences of days. In Numbers 7, each of the 12tribes brought an offering on the different days:

The one who brought his offering on the rst daywas Nahshon, son of Amminadab of the tribe ofJudah. ...

On the second day, Nethanel, son of Zuar, theleader of Issachar, brought his offering. ...

On the third day, Eliab, son of Helon, the leaderof the people of Zebulun, brought his offering. ...

On the twelfth day, Ahira, son of Enan, the leaderof the people of Naphtali, brought his offering. ...

The parallel is even stronger when we note thatNum. 7 not only has each day ( ym) num-bered, but also opens and closes (verses 10 and84 KJV) with in the day that to refer collec-tively to all the ordinary days of the sequence.In spite of the use of in the day that, no-onedoubts that the numbered day sequence in Num.7 is anything but ordinary-length days, because

these days lack a preposition like in. This re-futes the claim by some critics that in the daythat ( beym ) in Gen. 2:4, summarizingCreation Week, shows that the Gen. 1 days arenot normal-length. This is a Hebrew idiom forwhen (see NASB, NIV Gen. 2:4).

In this structured narrative (Num. 7) with a se-quence of numbered days, no-one claims that itis merely a poetic framework for teaching some-

thing theological and that it is not history. No-one doubts that the days in Num. 7 are ordinarydays, so there simply is no grammatical basis fordenying the same for the Gen. 1 days. That is,Gen. 1 is straightforward history.

Hebrew scholars concur that Genesis was writ-ten as history. For example, the Oxford Hebrewscholar James Barr wrote:

probably, so far as I know, there is no profes-sor of Hebrew or Old Testament at any world-class university who does not believe that the

writer(s) of Genesis 111 intended to convey totheir readers the ideas that:

a. creation took place in a series of six dayswhich were the same as the days of 24 hours wenow experience

b. the gures contained in the Genesis genealo-gies provided by simple addition a chronologyfrom the beginning of the world up to later stagesin the biblical story

c. Noahs ood was understood to be world-wideand extinguish all human and animal life exceptfor those in the ark.

Barr, consistent with his neo-orthodox views,does not believe Genesis, but he understood whatthe Hebrew writer clearly taught. Some skepticscriticize the use of the Barr quote, because hedoes not believe in the historicity of Genesis.

That is precisely why we use his statement: heis a hostile witness. With no need to try to har-monize Genesis with anything, because he doesnot see it as carrying any authority, Barr is freeto state the clear intention of the author. Thiscontrasts with some evangelical theologianswho try to retain some sense of authority withoutactually believing it says anything about history.

Some other Hebrew scholars who support literalcreation days include:

Dr Andrew Steinmann, Associate Professor ofTheology and Hebrew at Concordia Universityin Illinois.

Dr Robert McCabe, Professor of Old Testamentat Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary in AllenPark, Michigan.

Dr Ting Wang, formerly lecturer in biblical He-

brew at Stanford University.

4. The rest of the Old Testament takesGenesis as history


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A major hermeneutical principle is that Scriptureinterprets Scripture. We should always considerhow other parts of the Bible understand a text.

Exodus 20:11 summarizes the Creation Week. Iteliminates any possibility of an extended times-cale by any interpretive scheme (framework hy-

pothesis, day-age idea, gap theories, Gods days,etc.), since it is given as the basis for our seven-day week with a day of rest (v.10): For in sixdays the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day andmade it holy. Note Ex. 20:1: And God spokeall these words These are the very words ofGod himself, not the ideas of Moses, or someredactor or even J, E, D or P (long discreditednonsense taught, sadly, at many evangelical

theological institutions). ,

First Chronicles 1 summarizes the genealogicaldata from Adam onwards in Genesis, and manyother OT passages afrm the events of Genesisas being historical (real events in time and space)

5. The New Testament takes Genesis 111 ashistory

How does the NT interpret Genesis? There aresixty clear quotations from or allusions to Gen.111 in the NT, none of which hint at Genesisbeing anything but history. Jesus genealogy(Luke 3) goes back to Adam, the son of God,not the son of an ape! To those who say the earlynames are mere metaphors we ask: as we tracethe lineage back, where do the people stop be-ing real and become metaphors? Hebrews 11 listsheroes of the faith, which start with Abel, Enochand Noah, without the tiniest hint that they are

less historical than the others. 2 Peter 3 refers tocreation and the Flood. The Greek verb here is (katakluz), a special word referringto the global cataclysm of Genesis; not just anordinary ood, which is (plmmura),cf. Luke 6:48.

The Apostle Paul cites the order of creation ofAdam and Eve as well as the fact that Eve wasdeceived while Adam sinned anyway, and uses

this as the basis for teaching on the roles of menand women in the church (1 Tim. 2:1314). If therst people evolved from a population of apes,then this teaching does not make sense becauseman would not have preceded woman.

6. Genesis history is consistent with Godsnature

Genesis tells us that God spoke things into exis-tence; God speaks and things happen. As it saysin Psalm 33:9, He spoke, and it was done; Hecommanded, and it stood fast.

We should suppose that God Himself would bethe best One to tell us what He did, and Genesis,part of Gods Word, tells of a rapid creation. Thisis consistent with other Bible passages aboutGods authority being such that He speaks thingsinto existence, straight away. Think of the LordJesus Christs dialogue with a faithful centurionin Matt. 8:513 as a comparison:

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centuri-on came to him, asking for help. Lord, he said,

my servant lies at home paralyzed and in terriblesuffering. Jesus said to him, I will go and healhim. The centurion replied, Lord, I do not de-serve to have you come under my roof. But justsay the word, and my servant will be healed. ForI myself am a man under authority, with soldiersunder me. I tell this one, Go, and he goes; andthat one, Come, and he comes. I say to my ser-vant, Do this, and he does it.

When Jesus heard this, he was astonished andsaid to those following him, I tell you the truth,I have not found anyone in Israel with such greatfaith. Then Jesus said to the centurion, Go!It will be done just as you believed it would. Andhis servant was healed at that very hour.

As the centurion realized, even his own orderswere obeyed immediately and without question.Therefore, he realized, how much more wouldthe commands of the Lord of Creation be obeyed.

In Genesis, we likewise have with the days ofcreation:

Command: And God said, Let there be Fullment: And it was so.Assessment: God saw that it was good.Closure of the day: There was evening, therewas morning, Day X.

That is, Gods commands were fullled andeven assessed within each 24-hour day. Attemptsto avoid the clear historical timeframe of Gen-esis destroy the connection between Gods com-mands and the response of His creation to His


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commands, making Genesis inconsistent withthe rest of Scripture.

1. Documented in Sarfati, J., The Authority of Scripture,Apologia 3(2):1216 1994;creation.com/authority. Canon: the books that make upthe Bible.

2. Livingston, D., Jesus Christ on the infallibility of Scrip-ture, from A Critique of Dewey Beegles book titled:Inspiration of Scripture, MA Thesis, 2003; creation.com/jesus_bible.

3. For a critical analysis of this and other faulty JesusSeminar methodology, see Wright, N.T., Jesus and theVictory of God, ch. 2, SPCK, London, 1996.

4. Online at hermeneutics.kulikovskyonline.net/hermeneutics/csbe.htm.

5. A good summary is: Grigg, R., Should Genesis betaken literally? Creation 16(1):3841, 1993; creation.com/literal.

6. See also Wieland, C., Jesus on the age of the earth,Creation 34(2):5154, 2012;creation.com/jesus_age.

7. Sarfati, J., The Incarnation: Why did God become Man?Creation 35(1):3437, 2013;creation.com/incarnation.

8. Joon, P. and Muraoka, T., A Grammar of BiblicalHebrew: Part Three: Syntax, p. 390, Pontical BiblicalInstitute, Rome, 1991.

9. See also a statistical analysis of the Hebrew verb formsby Hebraic scholar Stephen Boyd, The biblical HebrewCreation account: New numbers tell the story, ICR Impact377, November 2004; www.icr.org/article/biblical-he-brew-creation-account-new-numbers-tell-/.

10. Actually, the verses in Numbers 7 have baym, wherethe a represents the denite article, the, meaning onthe day [xth], unlike beym, which lacks the article.

11. Theologian: Genesis means what it says! (Interviewwith Dr Robert McCabe, head of the Old Testament de-

partment, Detroit Baptist Theological Seminary), Creation32(3):1619, 2010; creation.com/mccabe.

12. Barr, J., Letter to David C.C. Watson, 23 April 1984.

13. Steinmann, A., [echad] as an ordinal numberand the meaning of Genesis 1:5, JETS 45(4):577584,December 2002; www.etsjets.org/les/JETS-PDFs/45/45-4/45-4-PP577-584_JETS.pdf. See also creation.com/numbering.

14. McCabe, R.V., A defense of literal days in the CreationWeek, Detroit Baptist Seminary Journal 5:97123, Fall

2000; www.dbts.edu/journals/2000/mccabe.pdf.

15. Sarfati, J., Hebrew scholar afrms that Genesis meanswhat it says! Interview with Dr Ting Wang, Lecturer inBiblical Hebrew, Creation 27(4):4851, 2005; creation.com/wang.

16. Grigg, R., Did Moses really write Genesis? Creation20(4):4346, 1998; creation.com/jedp.

17. Holding, J.P., Does Genesis hold up under criticsscrutiny? (response to critic of ref. 16),creation.com/moses_critic, 10 September 2005.

18. See also Cosner, L., The global oodaccording to

the New Testament, creation.com/nt-global-ood, 24 May2012.

19. See also Sarfati, J., Genesis: Bible authors believedit to be history, Creation 28(2):2123, March 2006;creation.com/gen_hist. See also Cosner, L., The use ofGenesis in the New Testament, Creation 33(2):1619,

2011; creation.com/nt.

This article is the rst of a series supportingthe belief that God made everything out of

nothing (ex nilhalo)

Used with the permission ofCreation Ministries International (Australia)

PO Box 4545 Eight Mile PlainsQLD 4113 Australia

Phone: (07) 3340 9888 Fax: (07) 3340 9889Visit us on the web at: CREATION.com

Source: http://www.truthnet.org/creation/creationprocess/

31 And God saw everything that he had made,and behold, it was very good.And there was eveningand there was morning,the sixth day.

Genesis 1:31 (ESV)


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musiC in worship

In part 1 of this series we looked at governing

principles of worship. Part 2 examined how wehave traditionally organised these principles inpractise. Part 3 looked at the role of the Regula-tive Principle in worship. In part 4 we had a brieflook at the WCF. In part 5 we open up 8 prin-ciples to assist us in our development of musicfor use in worship. In part 6 we wrestled with 8FAQs in applying our principles. In this 7th andnal part we look at the 3 Rs of practical wor-ship music range, rhythm and repertoire. Andmention one more dangerous R!

Some additional practical considerations when

selecting songs for worship.1. Range.Most hymns (not all) are in a pretty safe rangefor males and females. However, some modernsongs (not all) are in a range which is high formale voices to sing. Remember, some modernmaterial may or may not have been written withcorporate singing in mind. The current Wow

worship CD will have terric songs and well-trained professional musicians, but the songsdont automatically transpose to corporate wor-ship in the local church every Sunday. Try andavoid high pitched songs early in the morning,

its really hard for some males to sing high early

in the day. For example, Meekness and Maj-esty is not an easy one for the male voice rstthing in the morning. (It can easily degenerate toWeakness and Tragedy if youre not careful!)

2. Rhythm.Songs to be sung in a corporate setting need to befairly straightforward in the rhythms used. Com-plex timings and off-beats are hard to sing for acorporate entity of untrained singers. Long in-

strumental interludes can be really confusing andrun the risk of turning worship into a show andtell session for the musos if they are not handledcarefully.I once went to a church which had a very goodensemble playing, but they insisted on huge tagsat the end of each song everyone was keptguessing as to when they would actually nish -a bit like Mr Bean in that infamous visit he made

to church. Many modern songs require quite a bitof simplifying so that they are singable for theentire congregation.

Also, a lot of modern songs are very high main-tenance in terms of rehearsal time for the band/ group of musos something to bear in mindwhen selecting new song material. Some church-es get around this problem by using CDs or otherdigital accompaniments. In some circumstancesthis is a necessity. For example, where there is

low literacy mission contexts, or ESL (Englishas a Second Language) contexts; small congrega-tions with no musos etc. But for most Westerncontexts, the Karaoke Solution has drawbacksand can lack spontaneity and humanity.3. Repertoire.a. Learning new songs. Allow time for new songsto settle in. If possible, try and teach the songs in

less formal settings to allow a few run-throughs.Basing a devotion on the new song away fromcorporate worship, and discussing biblical teach-ing in the song is a good way to get know a song,and practise it at the same time.


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b. Keep a database of known songs it is easy toforget songs if they are rarely sung. This is espe-cially important if you are reliant on electronicpresentations where there is no hymn book torefer to.c. Remember to learn / re-learn older songs too.

Here is a challenge to develop the best of theolder songs: can you identify the operating prin-ciples that make for good worship songs in thesongs you like? Great hymns from the past needto be re-learned in each generation. Dont takeit for granted that everyone knows them. I onceset an entire service of songs I thought werewell-known. Alas, without exception, they wereall well known only to me! (A well-maintaineddatabase solves this problem!) Avoid spiritual ar-

rogance by dismissing older songs out of hand.They are just another set of songs created byChristians from another time in the life of thechurch, not things to be disparaged or feared.4.Risky practice the fearful fourth R. TheProblem of the Divided Service.

But young people like this style of music, andwe want to keep our young people. Have you

come across this comment? Using this argumentusually leads to the divided service solution. Towhit, the family service, sometimes appearingrst in the morning, includes modern pop songswhile the traditional service, sometimes fol-lowing straight after the family service, usesall the old hymns from dusty hymnals in Elizabe-than English and is for old people.

In effect, we now have a divided congregation,and it is a division over a circumstance of wor-ship (musical style mainly) as opposed to some-

thing which is central to the Gospel. Believe it ornot, worship music is not central to the Gospel! Iknow a family who have three different forms ofworship service across Saturday night and Sun-day night, and they very rarely actually worshiptogether as a family. This sort of division is justasking for trouble and betrays a lack of under-

standing of the principles which undergird ourworship. If your young people are herded into thefamily service then you have lost them to theolder people in the traditional service, and viceversa. Corporate worship is for a people of theCovenant, not split across several factions withina church who are hunkered down in their smalliWorship corner.

Traditional service folk need to rememberthat Isaac Watts was brand new once, and some

people back then didnt like his crazy new-fan-gled music. This led to dividing the church oversecondary issues to do with music. The ensuingdebate all but ruined this great mans life, andover what? Misunderstood principles of wor-ship. Likewise, family service devotees shouldpay attention to a lyric from a popular familyservice song: saints of old line the way (KeithGettys O Church Arise) Getty is reminding usthat Christians of all ages (past and present) are

covenant people. That means, Christians of allages are all on the same page as far as being rightwith God is concerned quite literally! Man-made songs throughout history have served intheir own generation as mini-sermons if you like,carrying a portable theology dealing with variousissues of the day. The ones that stand the test oftime are the ones that hit a consonant note acrossseveral generations of Christians.The classics are timeless true truths which

affect people of all sorts from different times,cultures and places. I once met an elderly indig-enous saint in Alice Springs AIM when we vis-ited the Stuarts. Somehow we got on to favouritesongs and she sang Holy Holy Holy in Arrentje(the local indigenous dialect in the Centre) whileI sort of mumbled the lyrics (she had a bettersinging voice than me!) For a music teacher, itwas a great moment and a highlight of our visit.It was also testimony to the durability of songs

that are cross-cultural classics. Classics aretherefore not just classical in style. AmazingGrace (1779) is one of those timeless classics.In Christ Alone (2001) would be another (us-ing the criteria listed above). Older hymns give

Source:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/29036219@N07/2762010971/


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a snapshot of the spirituality of the day, and thetheological conundrums of the day too.For instance, most hymns written around the year1875 are heavily inuenced by revivalist theol-ogy. It is a recurring theme over and again. Mostsongs written around the year 1975 are short Bi-

kini choruses, sometimes straight from Scrip-ture, but theologically about as brief as the ubiq-uitous 1970s bikini. Turn back the clock to songswritten around 1775 and you have classic Puritanpastoral theology really tapping into issues of theheart, plumbing depths most of us in our ownshallow age dont even understand (present writ-er of this article very much included!) But someof these songs are a long way removed from cur-rent issues.

So, do we want MyMusic at church for use iniWorship? Or do we need to raise our sights andlook a little higher? Which style? What type ofservice? Which type of worship should we aimfor?Answer God-centred worship! Corporate wor-ship is one big covenantal package based on ap-plying the principles of worship in the cultureand practical circumstances in which the Lord

has called each one of us as a Christian commu-nity before the Lord.

Conclusion:This series of articles has looked at the role ofmusic in the context of corporate worship. Vari-

ous operating principles have been examined andsome musical suggestions have been made in re-lation to the practicalities of week by week wor-ship at the local church. Wrestling with principlesinvolved in worship is an ongoing process and

there is no church that can claim that they havegot it all together in this area. The only churchwith its act together is the universal church inglory; the rest of us have our work cut out for usthis side of glory! Hopefully these articles havehelped create some forward-looking discussionand prayerful consideration of the topic.

Let all that has breath praise the Lord!

By Robert ClementsRobert Clements is a member of BelconnenWPC ACT

Let all that has breathpraise the Lord!

Let Everything Praise the Lord

150 Praise the Lord!

Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens!

2 Praise him for his mighty deeds;

praise him according to his

excellent greatness!

3 Praise him with trumpet sound;

praise him with lute andharp!

4 Praise him with

tambourine and dance;

praise him with strings

and pipe!

5 Praise him with sounding

cymbals;

praise him with loud

clashing cymbals!

6 Let everything that

has breath praise the Lord!

Praise the Lord!

Psalm 150 (ESV)

He said in a loud voice, Fear God and

give him glory, because the hour of his

judgment has come. Worship him who

made the heavens, the earth, the sea

and the springs of water.

Revelation 14:7


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AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY

BELCONNEN WPC

Meets: 61 Templeton Street,(cnr Rowan St.)

COOK, ACT 2614Time: 9.30am and 6.30pm (every Sunday)

Address: 61 Templeton Street,COOK, ACT 2614

Office Ph: (02) 6251 7727Fax: (02) 6251 7737Email: [email protected]: Revd Geoff FindlayTelephone: 0435 557 117

QUEENSLAND

CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY CHURCH PACIFICPARADISE

Meets: North Shore Community Centre,David Low Way, PACIFIC PARADISE

Time: 9.30amPostal: 119 Glenview Rd, GLENVIEW QLD

4553Contact: Revd Dan BosshardMob: 0439 708 092Email: [email protected]

GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH(BUDERIM WPC)

Meets: Corner Stringybark Rd & Toral Dr, Sippy Downs, SUNSHINE

COAST, QLDTimes: 7.45am, 9.30am, 6.00pm Chinese Church (Mandarin) meets

1.30pm English language class 4pmPostal: P.O. Box 7292, Sippy Downs Qld

4556Phone: (07) 5445 8933Contact: Pastor Clint Lombard

0478 578 152Email: [email protected] site: www.gracechurchbuderim.com.au

GRACE CHRISTIAN CHURCH(REDBANK WPC)

Meets: School Road, REDBANK PLAINSTime: 9.30amPostal: P.O. Box 347, GOODNA, QLD 4300Contact: Revd David Smith

Telephone: (07) 3495 7051Email: [email protected]

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,MORAYFIELD QLD

Time: 10amVenue: Morayfield Community Centre,

Morayfield Road, MORAYFIELD QLD (next to Bunnings)Contact: Pr Bob Burnett (07) 5442 1783Mob: 0400 798 151Email: [email protected] site: www.gpcm.net.au

PRESBYTERY OF QUEENSLAND

Moderator: Rev. Daniel BosshardClerk: Rev. David SmithPostal: PO BOX 347 GOODNA QLD 4300 AUSTRALIATelephone: (07) 3371 2512Email: [email protected]

WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL COLLEGEQUEENSLAND

Principal: Revd Terry Clarke10 Hollings Close, KURABY,QUEENSLAND 4112

Postal: PO Box 346, BUDERIM, QLD 4556

Telephone: (07) 5445 8501Email: information@@sctc.org.auWeb: www.sctc.org.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA

ALL NATIONS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Meets: The Beaufort Centre, 74-82 BeaufortStreet (2nd Floor), PERTH.

Time: 10.00amEmail: [email protected] site: www.allnations.org.au

Telephone: (08) 9228 4951Fax (08) 9228 4956Postal: PO Box 8693, Perth BC WA 6849Contact: Revd Simon van Bruchem

Email: [email protected]

BROOKTON (CALVARY PRESBYTERIAN)

Meets: Richardson St., BROOKTONTime: 10.30am.Postal: PO Box 99, BROOKTON, WA 6306Contact: Revd Clem White (08) 9535 3301

Email: [email protected] OR elderArthur Slater (08) 9642 1231

westminster presByterian ChurCh


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BULL CREEK WPC

Meets: 32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEKTimes: 9.30am, 6.30pm.Postal: 32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK,

WA 6149Email: [email protected]: (08) 9332 6300Fax: (08) 9332 1991

Contact: Revd Mark Vivian (08) 9455 3919Email: [email protected]: Revd Craig Newill (08) 6161 0525Email: [email protected]: www.wpc.net

Bull Creek WPC Indonesian Services

Time: 4.00pmMeets: 32 Bull Creek Drive, BULL CREEK,

WA 6149Revd Paulus Surya

Tel: (08) 6465 8763Mobile: 0412 441 341

CANNING VALE COMMUNITY CHURCH(CANNING VALE WPC)

Meets: Canning Vale Community Centre,Cnr Waratah Blvd. and EucalyptusBlvd., CANNING VALE

Time: 10.30amPostal: PO Box 5153, CANNING VALE

SOUTH, WA 6155

Telephone: (08) 9256 4776Contact: Revd Alex NathanEmail: [email protected]

KELMSCOTT WPC

Meets: Lot 60 Centre Rd, (Cnr Railway Ave)KELMSCOTT, WA 6111

Times: Prayer 9.15am. Service 10.00amPostal: PO Box 305 THORNLIE WA 6988Telephone: (08) 94954220Contact: Revd Anton Noppers (08) 9498 3306Email: [email protected]

MAIDA VALE WPCMeets: 4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALETimes: 10.00am and 6.00pmPostal: 4 Old Maida Vale Rd, MAIDA VALE,

WA 6057Telephone: (08) 9454 7401Fax: (08) 9454 4307Contact: Revd Roger PalmerEmail: [email protected]

MANDURAH WPCMeets: The Nellie Reagan Hall, Peel St,

MANDURAHTime: 10.00amPostal: PO Box 5875 Mandurah, WA 6210

Contact: Rev Tony WalkerTelephone: (08) 9534 4145Email: [email protected]

MURDOCH THREE CROSSES CHURCH

Morning: 10am Mandala Hall, MandalaCrescent, Bateman at 10am

Evening: 6pm Murdoch University, Murdoch

Postal: 9 Johansen Promenade MURDOCHWA 6150

Contact: Revd Matthew WaldronMob: 0438 021 286Email: [email protected]: www.threecrosseschurch.com

PRESBYTERY OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA

Moderator: Elder Steve HeathcoteEmail: [email protected]: 08 9458 5449

Clerk: Revd Ray WilsonPostal: 105 Regency Drv, Thornlie, 6108Email: [email protected]: 0421 903 446

SYNOD OF WESTMINSTER PRESBYTERIANCHURCH

Moderator: Simon van BruchemClerk: Mark VivianEmail: [email protected]: Elder Dirk Soet

Telephone: (08) 9444 7506

OTHER CONTACTS

TRINITY THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE WESTERNAUSTRALIA

Postal add: PO Box 115, Leederville, Perth, WA6902

Add: Level 2, 632-634 Newcastle Street,Leederville, WA 6007

Telephone: +61 8 9228 9067Email: [email protected]

Website: www.ttc.wa.edu.au

AUSTRALIAN INDIGENOUS MINISTRIESALICE SPRINGS

Postal: PO Box 31, Alice Springs, NT 0871Telephone: (08) 8955 5271Contact: Rev. Phil & Cathy StuartChurch Service (winter):Meets: 20 Parke Cres, Alice SpringsTime: 10.30amEmail: [email protected] web: www.stuarts.id.au

AMERICA

Revd David and Barbara CrossEmail: [email protected]


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PROVIDENCE REFORMED PRESBYTERIANCHURCHPastor Christopher SeahMob: +65 9139 4654Meets: 350 Alexandra Road, Level 3 (Next to Princess House)

SINGAPORE 159946.Time: 9.30am

Bible Study/Sunday School: 11.30amPostal: c/o Apt Block 1D, Pine Grove, #08-

15, Singapore 593001Email: [email protected]: http:www.providencerpc.org

GRACE THEOLOGICAL COLLEGE c/- 30A Montilla Place, Manurewa,

Auckland, 2102 New ZealandContact: Revd Andrew Young

GRACE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

PO Box 31-210, Ilam, Christchurch8444, NEW ZEALAND

Contact: Trevor WebbEmail: [email protected]

CHURCHFREO

the gathering 5:15 pm Sunday 408 SouthTerrace SOUTH FREMANTLE, WA

Contact: Clint, Phil or PaulEmail: [email protected]

EASTGATE BIBLE CHURCH

Meets: 52 Herries Street - TOOWOOMBA,QLD.

Time: 10amContact: Dave Kiewiet (07) 4636 5438Web: www.eastgatebiblechurch.net

GRACE FELLOWSHIP

Address: The RISE, 28 Eighth Ave, MaylandsWA 6051

Meets: Sundays 10 a.m.Contacts: Revd Julian Bull 0435 245 919 Revd John Macrae 0468 885 224Pastor: Rev Julian BullPostal add: 4 Old Maida Vale Rd,

Maida Vale WA 6057

E mail: [email protected]: www.gracefellowshipperth.comHome: +61 89471 1433

JULY 2014

Please note: While every care is taken toensure the information on these pages areaccurate, it is the responsibility of eachchurch or organisation to inform the editorof any changes.

Rev Andrew Priddle

turned 90 on July 10.

Andrew was one of our first

elders in WPC.

He is a great supporter of The

Messenger and we all thankGod for Andrew.

Your bars shall be iron and

bronze, and as your days,

so shall your strength be.

Deut. 33:25b (ESV)


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The Messenger Winter 2014

Documents

Transcript of The Messenger Winter 2014