Archives: phillip-jensen

What is church for?

Pastoral Ministry, Thought

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We Christians are very interested in church, and we have vested interests in church. So the question of what is church—and what is it for—is important to us. But is it the right question? (more…)

Freedom to do what you don’t like

Everyday Ministry, Life

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Phillip Jensen teases out the true nature of Christian freedom.

There are two kinds of freedom. Christian freedom is the freedom to be a servant of others (Gal 5:13)—the freedom to do what I don’t like. But the freedom that allows me to do whatever I want is not Christian freedom; it is license and sometimes licentiousness. When in the name of Christian liberty, I am free to do what I wanted to do anyway, a deep suspicion enters my mind; it is not that God wants to deny me any pleasure, but that I know that my motives are corrupted by sin. (more…)

The four judgements of God

Thought

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The judgement of God is a much misunderstood, and seldom discussed topic. One of our mistakes is to assume that all of God’s judgement lies in the future.

What is God’s judgement? This is something most people don’t understand, still less think about. And, if they do think about it, they are likely to think of hell—of fire and brimstone (whatever that is), of medieval torture and demons and suchlike. That’s what hell is all about, isn’t it? (more…)

Did S11 make a difference?

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It was the end of my first year at University. Having risen early to study, I turned on the radio and heard the news. I remember wondering whether to wake my parents and tell them, but it was such shocking news I decided that they had to know. So I went in and told them of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. (more…)

This present age: Our struggle not to covet

Life

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Last month, Carmelina Read asked whether Christians were in any way distinct from the great Australian materialistic dream. In this article, Phillip Jensen challenges us to think this through in some particular areas of life: gambling, schooling and paying our clergy. (more…)

Keeping it interesting as a young preacher

Pastoral Ministry

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Experienced preachers often get asked by young preachers to give them advice on their craft. How do I preach better? Should I preach longer? Or shorter? Should I use illustrations? Should I use a full script or just notes? (more…)

The ESV and NIV compared

Thought

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To give some specific examples of the differences between the ESV and NIV, let’s take a careful look at John 17.

John 17:4

ESV: “I glorified you on earth, having accomplished
the work that you gave me to do” (more…)

Dear Briefing: Bible translations

Life

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In your Bible Brief notes, you recommend some unusual Bible translations. Why is this?

In an age of so many choices, what recommends one translation over another? And how do I work out whether the additional material offered by publishers (study notes, cross-references, maps, concordances, CD-ROMs, and so on) is a help or a hindrance to my understanding of God’s word? (more…)

The Good Drover or the Good Shepherd?: The question of context for preaching the gospel

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This article was adapted by James Wackett, Greg Clarke and Tony Payne from an address given at the Australian Forum on Evangelism in 1992.

Contextualization: it’s a buzzword in evangelism these days, but is it as important as it sounds? How important are cultural factors in evangelism and to what extent should we let them influence and shape the gospel we preach? Does it make any difference to the word of God if we call Christ ‘the Good Seal-keeper’ when preaching to Eskimos, or ‘the Good Drover’ in the land of Oz? (more…)

The Hijacking of ‘Secular’

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“Australia is a secular country.”

“We live in a secular society.”

Such statements are generally part of the Australian identity, at least as defined by most of our newspapers. The adjective is generally taken to exclude talk of God—a fancy way of saying we aren’t religious. But it wasn’t always like that. (more…)

The future of evangelical Christianity

Life

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With doom and gloom being predicted on all sides for the future of mainstream Christianity, what sort of future should evangelicals look forward to? Phillip Jensen looks into the Bible and into the future for some answers. (more…)

Raising the stakes: Why the resurrection matters

Thought

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In this article, we explore the meaning of the resurrection. Too often evangelicals speak of it as if it were just tacked on to the end of our doctrine of the cross. But the Bible speaks of the resurrection as the event upon which faith stands or falls. This first of two articles on the resurrection examines what the resurrection achieved; the second article will consider what it means to live as those who are ‘raised with Christ’. (more…)

Public lies and private lives

Life

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“Even presidents have private lives”, Bill Clinton told the American people following his statement to the Grand Jury concerning his “inappropriate relationship” with White House staff member Monica Lewinsky. (more…)

I will build my church

Pastoral Ministry

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The challenge of church planting

Perhaps it is because whenever we read the verse, we think of claims to papal power and the need to prove that Peter was not the first pope. Whatever the reason, we often forget the other more positive side of Matthew 16:18: “I will build my church.” (more…)

Have evangelicals lost their way?

Thought

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Originally published in Briefing #1 (April 1988).

We live in an age of change. Evangelicalism, as much as anything else, is going through transformation, but are the changes for better or worse? For some, Evangelicalism is maturing and evolving into a responsible contribution to Christianity. Others see the changes as a sell-out of principles, and a denial of the faith of our fathers. Whither Evangelicalism? (more…)