Vocation-work!

We need a sense of calling, or vocation. It is linked to our work.

No Life Without Dryads

Many of the short stories written by Geoffrey Bingham are great to pass on to others for their encouragement in the faith, and for mere enjoyment as a human being.

There has been some talk of late, about Dryads. This book touches upon the subject.

https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/books/covers/383.html

Five Classic Books For a New Minister

I was recently asked – along with other ministers in the State to commend 5 books to new ministers, to add to their book collection.

This is what I selected:

Five Books for Newly Ordained Ministers:

1. The Things We Firmly Believe — Geoffrey C. Bingham. NCPI 1992 

https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/books/covers/139.html [free in PDF]

2. Matthew. A Commentary (2 Volumes) — F. D. Bruner, 2004 Revised. Eerdmans.

Each week for preaching from synoptics, this is a practical gem!

3. Church Dogmatics. V.1 Index – Aids For the Preacher — Karl Barth

The short punchy lectionary based summaries are invaluable 

4. Foolishness to the Greeks—Lesslie Newbigin, 1986  [also in Audible-Amazon).

Stirs the thinking, deeply. So needful in the pastorate. 

5. The Soul of Prayer—P. T. Forsyth, 1916 (49), 2002, 2008 (also in Audible-Amazon)

https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/books/covers/331.html [free in PDF]

Importunate Prayer is the bread and butter of a pastor. 

I will publish later, a collection of 100 such books.

Cheers, Trevor.

The Everlasting Presence

The God we know is not just a generic ‘god’. Rather, the God we know is the one who has revealed himself in and through Jesus Christ’s life, as Eternal Father, Eternal Son and Eternal Holy Spirit.

This true God is present in, and to His Creation. He is present in the many nations of the world. The Living God is present among his people. He is Father, and is dynamically present in the heart of each of his sons and daughters, or as the Bible sometimes says, among the children of God.

When God seems absent there is a loneliness which attends a person. In a Christian song human loneliness, or a sense of being isolated and totally alone, has been well described as ‘that haunting and howling within’.

Geoffrey Bingham points out that human beings are distracted by idols, from knowing and learning to live in the real presence of God, who indwells his world, and his people.

The Presence of God, is wonderful to know, because, in Jesus Christ, God is For us. And as such, is to be known in his grace, not wrongly feared in a sort of uncertain terror.

I would like to commend this book by Geoff Bingham, ‘The Everlasting Presence’ as a life transforming book, as one discovers that to live by faith in God’s Presence is to begin to shake off a type of existential restlessness.

The musician Van Morrison has sung a good self-reflective question: “When will I ever learn to live in God, when will I eve learn? He gives me all I need….” and so on.

May this book, available in Free PDF format, be a blessing to you as you reflectively read, and seek this mighty Presence in your life and actions. https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/books/covers/239.html

Cheers, Trevor

Mark’s Gospel

The Gospel according to Mark portrays the activity of Jesus of Nazareth—the Eternal Son of God—as one who’s life and ministry, effects wonderful things, such as the forgiveness of sins, and as one who affects people ‘immediately’.

Mark often uses the word ‘immediately‘ (See in the RSV, Mark 1:10, 1:12, 1;18, 1:20, 1:21, 1:23, 1:29, 1:30, 1:42, 2:8, 2:12, 3:6, 4:5, 4:15, 4:16, 4:17, 5:29,5:30, 5:42, 6:25, 6:2)

Ian Pennicook has written a very helpful, and accessible commentary on ‘The Gospel According to Mark’. A free download of Ian’s studies can be found here. (You can easily see the download ‘click’.)

https://www.newcreationlibrary.org.au/books/covers/247.html

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Faith in God, in Father Son and Spirit, arose across the nations, as the gospel was proclaimed.

Mark 16:14-18 is part of the disputed ‘Longer Ending‘ to the Gospel according to Mark.

Afterward he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at table, and he rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 

they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God.

And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.

Preaching the Gospel

Faith comes by hearing. The gospel is good news from God, concerning his grace, plan, and purposes for humanity, as given in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

Listen to some sermons. Here. Click. This is one of the messages I preached (2012):

https://beta.sermonaudio.com/sermons/15122028380/

Preaching Christ: NCTM (New Creation Teaching Ministry) published books under the label NCPI (New Creation Publications Incorporated).

The books were written to proclaim Christ, to bless, guide, encourage and teach people. They served as a way to supplement, and to assist or advance the preaching of the gospel. The preached Word of Christ is God’s way to bring life-changing words, and the Holy Spirit, to a person, to families, churches, communities and nations.

Today, as ever, there is a need for good and helpful preaching. Jesus works through preachers, as his Word says:

“Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the preaching of Christ” (Romans 10:17).

If you go to sermon audio, where this link takes you, there are many good messages by a variety of speakers – under the group called:

“Australian Christian Teaching Service”.

If you go here you can find hundreds of quality messages, concerning Jesus Christ, and the grace of God.

http://www.sermonaudio.com/acts

Go well. Cheers.

“Preach it brother” 😂

New Creation Library

The current New Creation Library (NCTM and NCPI) site is readily available at:

NCTM: New Creation Teaching Ministry, Adelaide and Sydney

Please utilise the resources.

Trevor Faggotter

Christ’s People in Today’s World

I like to know what life is for, and what I am to be about.

Ever since the Day of Pentecost, on which the Holy Spirit was outpoured (Acts 2), the new way of community has been given to the human race, through the leading and giving of the ascended Lord, Jesus, the Victor over sin and death.

This wonderful book by Geoffrey Bingham helps us to see what it is that we need to be about as community, and in our roles within the workplace.

“Today is a day of community. The electronic and literary media have drawn the world together into ‘a global village’. We can even begin to talk of ‘the community of nations.

However, this global village is an uneasy one. The world community lives in endless factions, religions, and political strife. Is there, in fact, a True and living community?

The answer is ‘Yes,’ the community of the Father—the family. It is also a people of Christ, the community of the Holy Spirit. It is the quiet but powerful miracle of God—His elect people always living in difficult times and bringing the witness of love and hope to the troubled nations.

Its role is prophetic and priestly. Its proclamation is of the Kingdom of God— ‘Your God reigns!’ Its confession is not only to its own community, but to all the world.

We need to know this community, to live in it more dynamically, than we have, and to share its constraints with the world. CHRIST’S PEOPLE IN TODAY’S WORLD is a book which can help us’.

Revelation

The Revelation of John, is the last book of the bible. It contains a simple promise that those who read it aloud—and receive what the Father, Son and Spirit are saying—will be blessed.  Of course, one would need to hear it with faith, and trust the Risen LORD, listening to what God is doing, and saying through this unusual book.  It is a unique style of writing known as apocalyptic literature (like parts of Ezekiel and Daniel). It unveils. It reveals. It is God’s revelation to us.

It is a valuable, and an important part of God’s written Word. Revelation has sometimes been ignored by the church.  It has often been subject to some fairly weird and unhelpful, even bizarre interpretive schemes.  George Bernard Shaw once described the Book as ‘the ravings of a drug addict’. It can appear that way. 

The revelation was given to speak to the churches of the day. It also speaks to our churches today (in their faithfulness, their weakness and their error), and assists us to understand and embrace both the good plan of God, and be more aware of the ‘beastly powers’ (human, political, economic, and demonic) that are at work in opposition to God.

This commentary, by Geoff Bingham is a very helpful book, and has two distinct parts:

(1) In the first half of the book, it draws upon the insights of many other good scholars, and has a verse-by-verse commentary looking at the whole book, within the context of the entire biblical framework.

(2) It contains 16 essays in the second half of the book. These will help the reader, the pastor and the church to have an enlarged view of the battle, of the profound effects of the prayers of God’s people, and of the great goal of history.  More importantly it gives a grand view of the victory of Christ’s Cross—now unfolding in the Spirit’s power.

Here is a copy for you to share for free – click to download:

Revelation-Commentary/Essays GC Bingham

 

 

 

Angels

Angels are an integral part of a biblical understanding of the world.  Unfortunately their presence, existence and significance has often been downplayed by many within the Christian community.  Even so, this book ‘What’s All This About Angels?‘ by Geoffrey C. Bingham, will greatly enhance our understanding, if approached with faith.

Whats All This About Angels?