Up from Down Under
July 16, 2014
I have arrived home from a delightful visit to the beautiful land of Australia. My first few days were in Sydney, where I preached at the Truth of the Gospel conference on the topic of "The Brokenhearted Evangelist." On the Lord's day, I was able to preach at the two sponsoring churches, Southern Districts Reformed Baptist Church and St Johns Park Baptist Church, with a couple of hours in between those meetings talking through some of the practical aspects of evangelism with some delightfully eager friends. Friends in Sydney seeking a spiritual home would be well advised to seek out these brothers.
While in Sydney, I was able to visit the Reformers Bookshop, stocked with good things and associated with Stanmore Baptist Church, and also met up with the purveyors of many good bookish things, Christian Books Australia.
From Sydney, I moved north to Queensland, where there was another brief opportunity to speak with the friends from Berean Bible Church and Samford Baptist Church about witnessing to the lost in their part of the world. Again, those in the region who are hungry for good spiritual food would do well to get in touch. It was then a privilege to gather at a family conference on "A Face Like a Flint: The Holy Determination of our Lord Jesus and His People," where I again received the kind of warm welcome that underlines the reality of the family imagery used of God's saints, as representatives from a number of local churches gathered for fellowship.
A long journey home sees me back in the groove here in sunny Crawley, getting on with the same business here as I see faithful men embrace in so many places. It is always a pleasant and profitable reminder to see the work of the kingdom going on in various locations, with the same realities of opportunity, obligation and obstacle.
While in Sydney, I was able to visit the Reformers Bookshop, stocked with good things and associated with Stanmore Baptist Church, and also met up with the purveyors of many good bookish things, Christian Books Australia.
From Sydney, I moved north to Queensland, where there was another brief opportunity to speak with the friends from Berean Bible Church and Samford Baptist Church about witnessing to the lost in their part of the world. Again, those in the region who are hungry for good spiritual food would do well to get in touch. It was then a privilege to gather at a family conference on "A Face Like a Flint: The Holy Determination of our Lord Jesus and His People," where I again received the kind of warm welcome that underlines the reality of the family imagery used of God's saints, as representatives from a number of local churches gathered for fellowship.
A long journey home sees me back in the groove here in sunny Crawley, getting on with the same business here as I see faithful men embrace in so many places. It is always a pleasant and profitable reminder to see the work of the kingdom going on in various locations, with the same realities of opportunity, obligation and obstacle.
