2TIM42

An Horrific but Encouraging Video

2011-12-15T13:53:00.003+13:00

Understanding God's Love – Part 10

2011-09-23T08:02:00.002+12:00

Conclusion

We must maintain a carefully balanced perspective as we pursue our study of God's love. God's passionate love for the world cannot be isolated from His particular love for the elect and vice versa. Nor is God's provisional love and His particular love in opposition to each other like some kind of yin-yang principle. The various kinds of God's love are constant, perfect, without ebb and flow.

Some people say, "I don't like this kind of tension." But here is my advice: Learn to live with the tension. People don't like the fact that the Scripture speaks to these issues with tension and they want to remove the tension, but the reality is that there is tension and we better leave it there, because the Bible leaves it there.

Where does The Shepherd's Bible College stand then? Well, we aren't Arminian because the Bible doesn't teach Arminianism. And we aren't hyper-Calvinists because the Bible doesn't teach hyper-Calvinism either. We must endeavour to maintain a biblically balanced approach.

I think that when we discuss God's love and dealings with humankind, we need to stop using sentences that begin "Yes, BUT . . ." and start using sentences that begin, "Yes, AND . . ."

Don't set these five concepts of God's love against each other as if they are mutually exclusive. Instead, embrace all of them equally, and learn to live in the tension.

God Himself is immutable – unchanging. He is not loving one moment and wrathful the next. His wrath coexists with His love; therefore the two never contradict. Such are the perfections of God that we can never begin to comprehend these things. Above all, we must not set them against one another, as if there were somehow a discrepancy in God. God is always true to Himself and true to His Word (words adapted from John MacArthur, The Love of God (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), 18).

Ephesians 3:19 explains that Christ's love surpasses knowledge. May we rest in the knowledge of what God has revealed of Himself in Scripture, determine not to go beyond what stands written (1 Corinthians 4:6), and learn to live in the biblical tension of a love that cannot be fully understood by limited human minds.

Understanding God's Love – Part 9

2011-09-22T09:30:00.004+12:00

Review Questions

Here are three review questions just to see if we are on the same page. . .

Question #1 – Does God love everyone in exactly the same way? Yes/No?

If we consider the five objects of God's love already mentioned, we would answer this way . . .

Yes, God loves everyone in exactly the same way when it comes to His providential love for His creation (see part 4), and yes, God loves everyone in exactly the same way when it comes to His passionate love for the world (see part 5). In other words, God shows His love for everyone by providing His common grace to both believers and unbelievers, and God shows His love through Christ's death at Calvary which was sufficient to pay for the sins of everyone who has ever lived.

But, no it is not true that God loves everyone in exactly the same way when it comes to His particular love for His chosen saints (see part 6). God chose some to be saved and therefore they experience His particular love in a way others do not. In the same way that we select a spouse for marriage, Christ also has selected a bride for Himself.

Question #2 – Is God's love always unconditional? Yes/No?

Yes, God loves unconditionally when it comes to His particular love for His elect saints (see part 6). There was nothing in and of ourselves that was worthy of God's love. He loved us unconditionally, chose us while we were yet sinners to be His forever, and placed no demands on us in order to secure His forgiveness.

But, no it is not true that God loves unconditionally when it comes to His provisional love for those who disobey Him (see part 7). If we want to experience the full blessing and expression of God's love on a daily basis then we ought to obey His commandments. By living according to His Word, we confirm in our own consciences that we belong to God, and thereby we abide in His love.

Question #3 – Can God's love be earned? Yes/No?

Yes, God's love can be earned when it comes to His provisional love for those who obey Him (see part 7). In fact, Christians are commanded to keep themselves in God's love (Jude 21).

But, it is impossible to earn God's love when it comes to His passionate love for the world (see part 5) and His particular love for His chosen saints (see part 6). In these categories, if God's love could be earned, our salvation would be based on our own effort. Any kind of works-based gospel flies in the face of Ephesians 2:8-9 which declares, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."

As you can see, the answers to these questions are not easy. We cannot afford to reduce our responses down to dogmatic "yes/no" answers.

What then should be our response to these tensions in God's love? I will answer that question in a final post tomorrow.

Understanding God's Love – Part 8

2011-09-21T07:01:00.003+12:00

Imbalanced Approaches

If God's love for His creation (i.e., provisional love) and for the world (i.e., passionate love) are overemphasized while His love for the elect (i.e., particular love) and for those who obey Him (i.e., provisional love) are negated, then the result is Universalism – the idea that God so loves everyone that He would never send any of them to an eternal punishment. The heresy of Universalism comes as a result of the misappropriation of God's love for sinners.

Similarly, if we overemphasize God's love for the world (i.e., passionate love) to the neglect of the other aspects of God's love and a biblical understanding of His sovereignty, then the result will be Arminianism – a man-centred approach to the gospel that robs God of His glory and exalts man and his choices.

Alternatively, if we overemphasize God's love for His elect saints (i.e., particular love) and strip God of His love for the world (i.e., passionate love), the result will be hyper-Calvinism – the view that says that God has no compassion for the lost and does not care for them in any way. This error can lead Christians to give up their evangelistic activities because they do not see their efforts as necessary.

In addition, if we overly stress God's love for only those who obey Him (i.e., provisional love) then we might be led to a works-based system of salvation and/or sanctification wherein we are constantly burdened by legalistic attempts to maintain our own salvation in our own strength.

This is just a sampling of errors which can creep in if we allow ourselves to set the various objects of God's love against each other in an exclusive manner. There are eternal consequences when we "absolutize" any one of these categories.

So, how do we know if we have all of these aspects of God's love in balance? Tomorrow, I'll provide some test questions for you to see how you're doing.

Understanding God's Love – Part 7

2011-09-20T08:16:00.002+12:00

5. The Provisional Love of God

Now we come to the fifth object of God's love – namely, obedient saints. There is a sense in which Christians who are faithful to obey God's commands encounter God's expression of love in a way that disobedient Christians do not. We have entitled this God's provisional love – a love which is conditional, because it depends on a believer's obedience. I am not speaking at all about how one becomes a believer, but rather I am referring to the life of a believer after salvation.

In Jude 21, the brother of our Lord Jesus commanded his readers saying, "Keep yourselves in the love of God." Naturally, one must ask, "How can this be achieved?" Simply stated, since Jude's command requires our obedience, one must assume that God's love is in some way conditioned upon our conformity to His will.

Similarly, Jesus said, "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love" (John 15:10). Jesus' provisional love is conditioned upon keeping Jesus' commands.

My parents expressed their love and affection for me much more when I was obedient than when I was disobedient. Now, of course, they loved me no matter what, and that would never change, but there was an even greater expression of love to me when I lived within the boundaries of their instruction.

So it is with God's provisional love.

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In summary then, there are five objects of God's love: [1] the other members of the Trinity, [2] the creation, [3] the world, [4] the elect, and [5] those who faithfully obey him.

But our understanding and application of God's love must be balanced otherwise terrible theological and practical implications arise. See tomorrow what happens if any one of the objects of God's love are "absolutized" to the detriment of the others.

Understanding God's Love – Part 6

2011-09-19T08:19:00.003+12:00

4. The Particular Love of God

God's particular love relates to His predetermined sovereign choice of some to be saved. God's elect saints are the fourth object of God's love. The New Testament declares;

"He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, which He lavished upon us" (Ephesians 1:4-8, emphasis added).

There are not many biblical doctrines that have met such opposition as the doctrine of election. Some Christians argue that predestination makes God an unjust and unfair god who selfishly manipulates people to forcibly respond to Him, while He passes over others with contempt. In short, they argue that sovereign election is not loving at all. But, one must not miss the fact that according to Scripture, predestination is a loving act: "He chose us . . . in love, He predestined . . ." (Ephesians 1:4-5).

When Paul and Barnabas preached the gospel in the synagogue at Pisidian Antioch, Luke records that "as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). In other words, those who had been chosen by God before the foundation of the world responded positively in faith to the message preached by the apostles. What a loving act of God! This was His particular love in action!

To the disciples, Jesus said, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain . . ." (John 15:16). What a shock to the disciples who had been thinking all along that they were in control of their own decisions to love and follow Christ. Actually, Jesus had first lovingly chosen them.

Now, as previously stated, some Christians do not accept the reality of the particular love of God. To these I say, it is not wrong that God would choose to love some more than He loves others. In the same way, we choose to love a life-partner as a spouse and extend particular love to that partner while not extending it to others. We love that chosen person even more than we love our neighbour, even though we are commanded in the New Testament to love both (Matthew 22:39; Ephesians 5:25-28).

Second Timothy 1:9 declares: "[God] has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity."

In 1 Thessalonians 1:4 Paul says, "knowing, brethren beloved by God, His choice of you."

Surely, we cannot deny the fact that God demonstrated His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8) and drew us toward Him. Praise God for His sovereign particular love! Without it, we would be lost.

The everlasting and powerful continuance of God's particular love for His chosen saints is seen in Romans 8:35 when the Apostle Paul asks, "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?" The obvious answer to that rhetorical question is that no one can do such a thing. Paul concludes, "For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38-39).

God loves His elect saints in a particular sense. They are the fourth object of His love. But is there any sense in which even believers encounter a greater or lesser expression of God's love? I believe the answer is yes. I'll transition next to a conditional love of God – one that is dependent upon obedience.

Understanding God's Love – Part 5

2011-09-18T21:12:00.001+12:00

3. The Passionate Love of God

God loves the world. This simple statement has divided many theologians who disagree on the meaning of the noun world. The term world appears in several New Testament passages. John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. In John 1:29, John the Baptist said about Jesus, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!" In 1 John 2:2, Jesus Christ the righteous "is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world." It is important to interpret the term world correctly because entire theological systems are dependent upon such understanding.

A. W. Pink promoted the idea that God did not love the world, but rather He loved the world of believers (Arthur W. Pink, The Sovereignty of God (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1930), 314). Pink said, "God loves whom He chooses. He does not love everybody" (Ibid., 29-30), and, "The love of God is a truth for the saints only, and to present it to the enemies of God is to take the children's bread and cast it to the dogs" (Ibid., 246). Pink's concern to preserve the sovereignty of God in salvation is commendable, but unfortunately he went too far.

Regarding John 3:16, John MacArthur says, "We must interpret the expression world in verses 16 and 17 as broadly as we understand the same word in verse 19. . . . Clearly the word world has a universal and corporate aspect that envelops more than just the elect alone. God's love is for the world in general, the human race, all humanity" (John MacArthur, The Love of God (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), 86). MacArthur's caution is important. A look at the near context surrounding John 3:16 reveals that world is used elsewhere to refer to all of humankind. How then can we arbitrarily limit the general term to point to just a select group of saved believers in verse 16? We can't.

Paul was clear in Titus 3:4-5 when he said, ". . . when the kindness of God our Saviour and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us." God loves humankind and His expression of love is especially expressed to sinful men in Jesus Christ.

We have entitled God's love for the world His passionate love. He loved the world so passionately, that He was willing to send His only Son to die for that world – and of course that world included unbelievers. The world (i.e., all people) is the third object of God's love.

In Mark 12:31, Jesus commanded: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself." Jesus does not ask us to walk in a manner in which He Himself does not walk. If we are to love our neighbours, and indeed love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), we can assume that God Himself does the very same for His enemies whether or not they will one day respond to His love by seeking His forgiveness for sins committed against Him. God loves His enemies, therefore God loves all people – yes, even the unsaved – yes, even the whole world.

So God has a passionate love for the world, but He also has another – more selective – kind of love also. I'll present it tomorrow.

Understanding God's Love – Part 4

2011-09-17T16:42:00.001+12:00

2. The Providential Love of God

When God had finished creating the universe as we know it, He described it as being "very good." His love and care for His creation can be seen throughout the Bible. This feature of God's love – namely, God's providential love – is often referred to as His common grace.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "[The Father] causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matthew 5:45). Similarly, when Paul and Barnabas were preaching in Lystra, they proclaimed to the worshipers of Zeus that "in the generations gone by [God] permitted all the nations to go their own ways, and yet He did not leave Himself without witness, in that He did good and gave you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness (Acts 14:16-17). God's providential love was enjoyed by people of all nations and all religions.

When Jesus Christ walked on the earth, He indiscriminately healed the sick, delivered the demon-possessed, raised the dead, provided for the hungry, and showed care to outcasts. His love for people was not dependent upon their ethnicity, lifestyle, or religious affiliation. He showered thousands of people with His providential love. These thousands are representative of the billions of people that are, in a cumulative sense, the second object of God's love.

God's common grace – His providential love – means that believers and unbelievers throughout the centuries have been able to enjoy the fruit of the earth and the joys of life. God built into every single man and woman the ability to enjoy music, art, food, poetry, beauty, architecture, sexual fulfilment, laughter, scientific discovery, medical breakthroughs, the love of a child, the satisfaction of a hard day's work, and the safety of living under God-ordained government that enforces social justice. Of course, this is not to say that all people have enjoyed all of these joys all of the time in every century and in every location, but it does mean that when they have, it's because God has showered them with His providential love.

Now, while Trinitarian love may be described as God's perfect love and His providential love may be considered a natural outflow of God's appreciation for His creation, the true potential of God's agapē love remained untested until it was confronted by a fallen, hard-hearted, and unresponsive world. Next, I'll look at God's love for sinful beings.

Understanding God's Love – Part 3

2011-09-16T11:26:00.001+12:00

1. The Perfect Love of God

The first object of God's love is seen within the Trinity. The Father loves the Son, and the Son loves the Father. We have entitled this the perfect love of God because the loving relationships within the Godhead are entirely and equally reciprocal. Since the members of the Trinity are holy, the relationships enjoyed are entirely without sin. Therefore, the love expressed within the Trinity is never embellished by imperfection. Forgiveness, which may be thought of as an outcome of agapē love, need never been extended within the Trinity because the members of the Trinity need never be forgiven. Therefore, the love experienced is perfect in both directions.

In John 3:35, John the Baptist, speaking about the first and second members of the Trinity, said, "The Father loves the Son." In John 15:9, Jesus affirmed the same truth to the disciples, saying, "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you." Later in John 17:24, Jesus said, "Father . . . Thou didst love Me before the foundation of the world."

In the same way, the Son loves the Father. Jesus expressed this in John 14:31 when He explained that the reason why He keeps His Father's commandments was "that the world may know that I love the Father."

Wayne Grudem explains: "This eternal love of the Father for the Son, the Son for the Father, and [presumably] of both for the Holy Spirit makes heaven a world of love and joy because each person of the Trinity seeks to bring joy and happiness to the other two" (Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 199).

Love within the triune Godhead, may be considered natural and expected, but does God extend His love to objects outside the Trinity? Tomorrow, I'll address God's love for His creation.

Understanding God's Love – Part 2

2011-09-15T11:23:00.003+12:00

Definition of God's Love

The Apostle John says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8). The text does not say "God loves", as if love was simply one of the many actions of God, and it does not say "God is loving", as if love was simply one of His many attributes. Rather the phrase, "God is love", explains that love pervades and influences all of God's attributes (John MacArthur, The Love of God (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1996), 29).

Agapē, the Greek word used in 1 John 4:8 for love, refers not to a fleeting feeling or emotional attraction, but to a sacrificial commitment to the ultimate good of another person. "God's love means that God eternally gives of Himself to others" (Wayne A. Grudem, Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1994), 198).

An agapē love "loves the object irrespective of the worth of the object and even though the love may not be reciprocated" (Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 192). Phileo describes brotherly love. Eros describes everything from romantic love to sexual passion. "Phileo is sometimes used as a synonym for agapē, but generally the word agapē is used as a more refined and elevated term. In the sense that John uses it here, agapē is unique to God. He is the sole source of it" (John MacArthur, The Love of God, 31).

God's love may be defined as "that perfection of the divine nature by which God is eternally moved to communicate Himself. It is not a mere emotional impulse, but a rational and voluntary affection, having its ground in truth and holiness and its exercise in free choice" (Henry C. Thiessen, Lectures in Systematic Theology, revised by Vernon D. Doerksen (Grand Rapids, Eerdmans, 1979), 86).

God's love is a wonderful expression of His character – one that He alone has manifest perfectly. But who does God love? I have five answers to that question – the first comes in my next blog post, tomorrow.

Understanding God's Love – Part 1

2011-09-14T22:11:00.003+12:00

Introduction

Universalism, Arminianism, Calvinism, hyper-Calvinism – how do we understand these terms and what implications do they have for us? Often the words are thrown around without much understanding. We find it so easy to associate Bible teachers, churches, Bible colleges, and seminaries with one or more of these theological camps so that we can justify ourselves when we write them off as "religious nuts of a different ilk".

Which theological camp does The Shepherd's Bible College belong to? The answer is not as easy as you might think. In some ways the theological categories are an unfair way of evaluating anyone's position. First, the terms themselves are often misunderstood. Second, the Bible doesn't employ these theological categories. Caution is needed.

How then can we come to grips with God's dealings with humankind? Is everyone saved in the end? Does every individual have the same opportunity to be saved? Are we sovereign over our own destiny? Does God make this decision for us? Should we passionately preach the gospel? Should we just relax?

I think these questions are fair and I believe the Word of God answers them. I'd like to suggest that these questions can be summed up in one ultimate question: Who does God love? If we can answer that question, then our discussions regarding the gospel might go a little easier.

Over the next few days I'll post several instalments on this blog that deal with the question: Who does God love? I trust it will stimulate some good dialogue.

Much of my thinking has come as a result of listening to a sermon by Scott Ardavanis of Placerita Baptist Church in Newhall, California. If there are any misrepresentations of God's Word, I'll take responsibility for those.

Tomorrow, I'll try to briefly describe God's agapē love.

Catching Up

2011-09-13T22:07:00.006+12:00

Well, it has been a long time since my last blog post. What an embarrassment :).

I had been planning to keep you updated with ministry activities, waiting for something significant to happen, only to look back now over the past two months and realise that many important ministry events have come and gone. Shame on me.

Let me provide a quick review:

I finished the last round of Doctor of Ministry seminars in Los Angeles. Just a dissertation to go now!
Sereena and I celebrated our 20^th wedding anniversary and enjoyed a vacation on the East Coast of America
We visited two TSBC graduates who recently started studies at The Master's Seminary in LA – Grant Watson and Reuben Pickering
Two TSBC students became engaged to be married. Congratulations Josh Powell and Michelle Ward
I conducted a weekend block course on the subject of preaching here in Hastings
A number of new students were enrolled in semester two at The Shepherd's Bible College
I am teaching through the Pauline epistles right now and having a blast in the New Testament Survey course
Two TSBC faculty members are ministering overseas right now. Russell Hohneck is preaching in several churches in Australia. Donald Stevenson is ministering in Zambia
I conducted weekend workshops on the End Times at Wellsford, north of Auckland. We had a wonderful time at Community Bible Church, Rodney.
I preached at Riverbend Bible Church this past Sunday on "Understanding the Love of God"

So yeah, it's been a busy time for me and the other faculty members at The Shepherd's Bible College. I constantly thank God for the privilege of ministry. Please keep praying for us.

D.Min. Seminars in Los Angeles

2011-07-03T19:51:00.002+12:00

Having prepared over these last six months, I am flying out to Los Angeles tomorrow to complete my last round of D.Min. seminars. Sereena will join me in LA next week and when my classes are over we get to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary by taking a few days holiday in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. We are so looking forward to having some time together.

But before then, I need to maintain a good work pace for another two weeks. The two doctorate seminars I'm attending at The Master's Seminary are:

Preaching the New Testament
Theological Trends and Doctrinal Preaching

Sereena is attending the Women Discipling Women Conference in Los Angeles. I am preaching at Calvary Bible Church in Wrightsville, Pennsylvania and visiting long-time ministry friends in each place we go. Please pray that the Lord would bless our time away. I'll post reports periodically.

End Times Workshops

2011-06-30T16:22:00.003+12:00

What Happens in the Future?

Community Bible Church Rodney have invited me to teach a series of sessions on the End Times. The workshop dates are Friday-Sunday, 2-4 September 2011 and the sessions will be hosted in Wellsford, north of Auckland.

If you want more information or if you'd like to register, please e-mail the workshop organiser: AKBorrows@xtra.co.nz

Upcoming TSBC Courses

2011-06-28T12:02:00.009+12:00

This week, I'm preparing for next semester's courses. I'll be teaching three:

New Testament Survey 2 (Romans—Revelation): A Wednesday evening class hosted at Riverbend Bible Church, starting 10 August, which surveys the highlights of the NT epistles.

Teaching and Preaching: A Hastings weekend block course which begins the process of preparing teachers and preachers to communicate God's Word with clarity and passion, meeting at Riverbend Bible Church, 19-20 August, and four further times for preaching labs throughout the semester.

Philosophy of Church Ministry: An Auckland weekend block course that discusses what we do in the local church and why, meeting at Auckland Bible Church, 30 September—1 October.

Students can register now for these and all the other TSBC courses on offer. Go to the TSBC website to be enrolled: www.tsbc.org.nz

Impact 2011 Audio Downloads

2011-06-27T17:42:00.004+12:00

All of the 2011 Impact Bible Conference messages are now available online. To download these audio files for free, go to the Impact website. Click here.

Here is what is available:

General Sessions

#1 – Jack Hughes – A Glimpse at the Resurrected Lord of Glory (Revelation 1:9-18)
#2 – Bill Barrick – What Is the Purpose of the Doctrine of Last Things? (2 Peter 3:10-18)
#3 – Jack Hughes – A Trip to Hell: Exploring the Realities of Future Punishment (Luke 12:4-9)
#4 – Bill Barrick – How Does the Doctrine of Last Things Complete the Doctrine of First Things?
#5 – Jack Hughes – What Will There Be for Us?: Heaven, an Unspeakable Reward (Luke 18:28-30)
#6 – Donald Stevenson – Glorification: Motivation to Shepherd the Flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-4)
#7 – Bill Barrick – How Does the Judgment Seat of Christ Relate to Our Glorification?
#8 – Jack Hughes – Present and Future Ministry of Angels to Believers and Unbelievers (Hebrews 1:14)
#9 – Russell Hohneck – Receiving a Kingdom Which Cannot be Moved (Hebrews 12:25-29)
#10 – Bill Barrick – Why Is Christ’s Coming the Focal Point of the Lord’s Table?
#11 – Jack Hughes – Investing in Eternity Now (Luke 12:33-34)
#12 – Bill Barrick – How Does Our Future State Impact Our Current Living? (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
Q&A Session – Nigel Shailer with Bill Barrick and Jack Hughes

Ladies Seminars

Lisa Hughes – Unmet, Unanswered, Unexpected: When Life Doesn't Proceed As Planned
Lisa Hughes – The Unexpected Goodness of God: Foundational Truths You Can Live On
Lisa Hughes – Living In-tune with One Another

Making Disciples Seminars

Jeremy Dempsey – Evangelism: How to bring someone to Christ
Randy Bossom – Discipleship: How to see them begin to grow in Christ
Bryan Martin – Training and Equipping: How to prepare them to make more disciples

Missions Seminars

Bill Barrick – Starting Missions Right: How does our doctrine of last things impact missions?
Donald Stevenson – Getting Missions Right: Reflections from Acts
Greg Stephenson – Doing Missions Right: Developing theologically driven mission

Youth and Youth Leaders Seminars

John Richard – Living to the Max: Impacting the World for the Lord
John Richard – Living to the Max: Making the Most of Your Time
John Richard – Living to the Max: Paul’s Passion for His People

Impact 2011 Photo Slideshow Review

2011-06-23T08:37:00.006+12:00

Here's a photo slideshow review which will bring back many fond memories of Impact Bible Conference 2011. . .

Dr. Jack Hughes - Impact 2011 Review

2011-06-22T13:01:00.002+12:00

Wow! The Impact Bible Conference was amazing! It was my first time visiting New Zealand, but my wife Lisa’s second trip. We knew from talking to pastors from New Zealand and missionaries to New Zealand that there is a “famine of the Word” in that country. We were told very few churches in New Zealand practice expository preaching. I was curious to see who would attend the conference and the level of their spiritual hunger. Both Lisa and I were pleasantly surprised.

It seems that the reputation of pastors Russell Hohneck and Donald Stevenson of Riverbend Bible Church, and Nigel Shailer of The Shepherd’s Bible College is great indeed! Over 600 Bible-loving believers gathered from all over New Zealand, Australia, and even Africa to the small town of Havelock to be fed the Word! The New Zealanders who came had a deep love for Christ and passion for the Word which was very encouraging.

Our times of worship through singing were heavenly, catching our hearts up to the third heaven, and the fellowship was sweet. And food, lots of great food! I had previously thought that only Hobbits ate six meals a day, but now I know where they got that habit from – the Impact Bible Conference! Breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and supper or evening tea were our daily delight. By the end of the conference my soul and body were made fat!

The theme of the conference was an excellent choice – “Stepping Into Eternity.” I was blessed by the accumulated effect of so much preaching and teaching on eternity. Our minds were constantly transported to heaven and the glories to come. Each day our focus became more heavenly oriented. The joy and anticipation of heaven filled the hearts of those who attended. Each message caused us to “fix our minds on the things above” and see the practical value of living with heaven in view. By the end of the conference we were aching to see Jesus, the angels, departed saints, and glories untold.

Lisa was very blessed to be able to speak to the women and was warmly received. Every night Lisa and I would collapse into bed, exhausted from long days of ministry, but excited to share our stories with each other of people we had met. We were so blessed by many servants from Riverbend Bible Church. A small army of faithful men and women from Riverbend labored to make the conference a reality and blessing for all who attended. Surely they will be great in the kingdom for their service to us was unsurpassed. Our host family, Phil and Natalie Henderson (Phil is Pastor of Onekawa Bible Church and teaches at Shepherd’s Bible College), pampered us to shame. We left thanking and praising God for the many blessings we had received and longing to spend eternity with the many believers we had met.

To God Be the Glory!

Pastor Jack Hughes
Calvary Bible Church, Burbank, California

Impact 2012 Theme

2011-06-20T22:46:00.008+12:00

We have settled on a theme for Impact 2012. It will cover the full spectrum of human relationships:

Husband
Wife
Boyfriend
Girlfriend
Parent
Child
Married
Single
Employer
Employee

We have entitled the conference Under Construction: Building Godly Relationships. Watch out for more information as the next year unfolds.

TSBC E-Quipper - June 2011 Issue

2011-06-20T12:35:00.003+12:00

The Worship Scene
By Nigel Shailer, Vice Principal and Academic Dean

Is it possible that the church in the Western world has lost its way when it comes to worship? Walk into any Christian bookstore and our subconscious senses are exposed to one overwhelming message – "Worship is music." "Worship is only music!"

Now of course, no one means to say that, and when asked, thoughtful Christians will acknowledge that worship is much more than just music – it includes other activities such as reading the Bible, giving, communion, prayer, service, listening to God, submission to God, and meditating on God. In fact our whole life is meant to be a holy and acceptable sacrifice (Romans 12:1) and everything we do ought to give God glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).

But, for the sake of this article, even if we limit our worship discussion to just the songs the church sings today, we will observe a modern trend – it seems that many of our new "worship" songs are more focused on us than they are on God. Both the content of the songs and the style of the songs are designed to appeal to our personal preferences and subconscious expectations.

Maybe it has always been this way. Senior saints love the good ole hymns of yesteryear. Middle-aged Christians prefer semi-contemporary expressions of praise. Youth demand new sounds and experiences which still haven't been sanctioned by those who grow weary of ever-changing musical boundaries. Churches split over these issues. Doesn't it seem like too much of our focus is on us? – our preferences?

How is worship expressed in Heaven? If we look at Revelation 4 and 5, we see that the worshippers have no concern for themselves at all. They celebrate God's uniqueness, rather than promote their own individuality or independence. They celebrate God's dominion, rather than defend their own freedoms. They celebrate God's creative power, rather than boast in their own creativity. Their eyes are completely fixed on God and they lose themselves in the worship experience, giving no thought to themselves whatsoever.

We can model our public worship on this heavenly example. Worship just isn't about us anyway. It's about Him Who sits on the throne and it's about the Lamb. Why should we steal the focus and put it on ourselves?

Please pray for The Shepherd's Bible College faculty and student body. Our goal is to emulate the expressions of the heavenly worshippers each and every day here on earth and especially when we gather for public worship.

Impact Bible Conference Is Over for 2011

2011-06-10T17:22:00.009+12:00

Well, another Impact is done and dusted. It wasn't good. . . It was fantastic!

Of course, every Impact is characterised by those who open God's Word session after session to explain it and impress its truths upon our lives. We want to thank Bill Barrick and Jack Hughes for their masterful expositions which magnified Christ's soon return. We were reminded that in order to live Christ-like lives today we must live in light of the future coming of Christ.

John Richard challenged youth to use their time wisely as they wait for Christ. Lisa Hughes called women to contentment and faith in all of life's circumstances. The missions and discipleship seminars were well attended by believers from all walks of life who were keen to expand their evangelistic and personal mentoring skills.

As the weekend conference advanced, attendance grew to 640. When all those voices joined in worship to our coming Lord, the effect was overwhelming. Our music director, Warren Jardine, and his wonderful teams of numerous singers and musicians lead us in excellent expressions of praise toward God. The roof was lifted on Friday night as we sang some old favourites that looked forward to our future days spent with Christ in eternity.

Benji Carey-Smith (TSBC student) and Tony Nuñez (TSBC lecturer) were responsible for an Impact first – an original song written especially with the Impact theme in mind: "Stepping into Eternity". This song is now available on the Impact website.

The engine room, otherwise known as the Riverbend kitchen team, operated like a slick well-oiled machine. What a joyful experience it was to see so many people serving with a smile. In addition, Riverbend Bible Church provided warm beds for 215 visitors. The church's ministry example and hospitality spoke volumes to all our guests.

Some other statistics illustrate God's kindness over the weekend – 54 hours of fellowship were enjoyed; 190 volunteers faithfully served attendees; 3,000 complimentary books were distributed in 500 gift bags; 3,622 meals were served in the dining room, and 19,800 cakes, biscuits, and savouries where prepared for teas and suppers. We are so thankful for everyone who donated time, scholarship funds, service, physical and spiritual resources in order to bless others. Their contribution glorified Christ and blessed many people.

Riverbend Bible Church magnified God last weekend! Thanks to everyone involved for their faithful witness, sacrificial hearts, and hard work! May we all live in the light of Christ's soon return.

Impact - Live Streaming Video

2011-05-24T16:49:00.007+12:00

If you're unable to attend Impact Bible Conference this year, we have the sessions available to you via live streaming video. Click on the following link to view the general sessions as they happen: www.livestream.com/rbcnz/

And remember, all the conference sessions are made available for purchase on CD and DVD from Gracebooks New Zealand after the conference.

Below is the conference schedule so that you can plan your live viewing time slots . . .

THURSDAY, 2 JUNE

7pm – General Session #1 – Jack Hughes – A Glimpse at the Resurrected Lord of Glory (Revelation 1:9-18)

FRIDAY, 3 JUNE

9am – General Session #2 – Bill Barrick – What Is the Purpose of the Doctrine of Last Things? (2 Peter 3:10-18)
3:30pm – General Session #3 – Jack Hughes – A Trip to Hell – Exploring the Realities of Future Punishment (Luke 12:4-9)
7pm – General Session #4 – Bill Barrick – How Does the Doctrine of Last Things Complete the Doctrine of First Things?

SATURDAY, 4 JUNE

9am – General Session #5 – Jack Hughes – What Will There Be for Us? – Heaven, an Unspeakable Reward (Luke 18:28-30)
3:30pm – General Session #6 – Donald Stevenson – Glorification: Motivation to Shepherd the Flock of God (1 Peter 5:1-4)
7pm – General Session #7 – Bill Barrick – How Does the Judgment Seat of Christ Relate to Our Glorification?
8:30pm – Q&A

SUNDAY, 5 JUNE

9am – General Session #8 – Jack Hughes – Present and Future Ministry of Angels to Believers and Unbelievers (Hebrews 1:14)
11am – General Session #9 – Russell Hohneck – Receiving a Kingdom Which Cannot be Moved (Hebrews 12:25-29)
7pm – Communion & General Session #10 – Bill Barrick – Why Is Christ’s Coming the Focal Point of the Lord’s Table?

MONDAY, 6 JUNE

9am – General Session #11 – Jack Hughes – Investing in Eternity Now (Luke 12:33-34)
11am – General Session #12 – Bill Barrick – How Does Our Future State Impact Our Current Living? (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)

Nine Days till Impact

2011-05-24T15:53:00.007+12:00

Impact is only nine days away and we are ramping up now for what we anticipate will be a fantastic time of preaching, worship and fellowship. Five hundred and forty registrations have been received with more coming in every day.

Here are our speakers again . . .

Don't miss out on Impact 2011. Get registered here.

TSBC E-Quipper - May 2011 Issue

2011-05-20T16:42:00.005+12:00

It's All Greek to Me
By Tony Nuñez (TSBC’s new Lecturer of Bible Languages and Advanced Theology)

Having been nurtured in a church that preaches the Word of God, perhaps you remember the time you realised that the Bible you hold in your hands is actually a translation. God did not deposit His eternal truth for mankind in what we hold today, but in ancient dialects. Somewhere along the line, we learn that the Old Testament was written in ancient Hebrew, with portions in Aramaic, and the New Testament was written in first century Koine Greek. And for the most part, believers are content simply to know that there are people, ‘out there somewhere’ that understand these languages enough to produce the version of the Bible they so love.

That is, until perhaps that believer is placed in a situation where he or she must discover the meaning of a passage himself! Perhaps it is a teaching opportunity, or an occasion to defend the faith, or even at a time of extraordinary curiosity about a baffling text. It’s at this time, almost invariably, that he or she becomes driven to seek for answers among the multitude of Bible study resources available in print, software, or online. Once the Christian enters this realm, though, the original languages of the Bible may no longer be viewed with a mere distant awareness. Now, the Bible-lover must come into contact with them. Suddenly a new world is opened! And although there is a dense fog amidst the new and confusing grammatical ideas, a world of richness, clarity, and beauty peers through. And it is at that moment, the thought enters, ‘I would love to learn Hebrew or Greek!’

The Shepherd’s Bible College exists to equip all believers . . . even in the original languages of the Bible. Being for all believers, and not just seminarians, we take a unique approach that is simple but not simplistic, functional and yet accessible, that brings the student through the fog and into the brilliant light of understanding the text with a clarity only possible from the original languages.

Hernia Surgery

2011-05-12T20:07:00.000+12:00

Thanks to you who have been praying for my recent hernia repair surgery. Everything has gone very smoothly and I am feeling really good. I was sent home on the same day as the surgery and was glad to comply with the doctor. I am moving freely and haven't needed to deal with much pain whatsoever. I am back in my office and will quietly continue with daily tasks. God has been good. Sereena has been a great nurse and is looking after me as well as taking care of all her Impact duties. It's a busy time of year. What a trooper!

Impact Memories

2011-05-03T06:03:00.008+12:00

Here is the Impact photo slide show for 2010. Beware - if you watch this, great memories will flood your mind, and your anticipation for Impact 2011 might be too much to handle :)

Impact Bible Conference 2011

2011-04-20T10:57:00.005+12:00

There are three stages to salvation: past, present, and future.

The first stage of salvation happens at a point in someone's life when they become a Christian. He or she has experienced (past tense) salvation.

The second stage of salvation is a present and continual process of living in the light of that past salvation. This is otherwise known as the process of sanctification.

The third and final stage of salvation is yet future for those believers who are still alive. It refers to the day when a believer is removed from this earth and will no longer be subject to the sin and temptations of this present world. That future day is called glorification.

Over the past two years, Impact Bible Conference has focused on the first two of these stages of salvation:

Impact 2009 – The Gospel and Evangelism
Impact 2010 – Saved To Be Holy

Now in 2011, Impact Bible Conference will deal with the last stage of the trilogy:

Impact 2011 – Stepping into Eternity

Glorification is the theme of Impact 2011. This is going to be a wonderful time of challenge and encouragement as we all together prepare ourselves for that day when we will meet the Lord in person.

Will you join us in Hastings for this wonderful time? The conference dates are 2-6 June (Queen's Birthday Weekend). We have a fantastic line-up of international and local speakers, and every family represented at the conference will receive a welcome pack containing five wonderful books provided free of charge for their personal growth and encouragement.

The goal of the conference is that every person would be reminded of the brevity of this present life, have their hearts set on their future glorification, and be greatly invigorated to live in light of both of those realities.

Get registered now online: Impact Registration

For more information, go to the Impact Bible Conference website

TSBC Block Course in Auckland

2011-04-01T06:50:00.007+13:00

This past weekend saw the completion of the first TSBC block course hosted at Auckland Bible Church. Thirteen students ventured into the world of English grammar. They learned how to diagram a text of scripture – an exercise that is helpful for finding the outline of a passage which can then form a teaching outline for a sermon or Bible study.

The Shepherd's Bible College is offering more block courses in Auckland this year at Auckland Bible Church and Howick Baptist Church:

Church History
Hermeneutics (Bible Interpretation)
Christian Ethics
Philosophy of Ministry for Church Life
Personal Evangelism

Check out our website for details.

Registrations Open

2011-03-17T08:29:00.004+13:00

Registrations are now open for Impact Bible Conference. The easiest way to be registered is to go to the Impact on-line registration page. Click on the image below and it will take you there. . .

Berean Bible Church

2011-03-17T08:22:00.005+13:00

This past Sunday, I preached at Berean Bible Church in Arroyo Grande, California. Each year, I've been able to come to this church to thank the kind folk for their sacrificial contribution to The Shepherd's Bible College ministry in New Zealand. The church family is so gracious and my time with them is always encouraging. Pastor Randy Bossom is a seminar speaker at Impact Bible Conference in Hastings this June. Here is a picture of me with Randy after the service. . .

The Shepherds' Conference

2011-03-11T17:46:00.005+13:00

So the second day of The Shepherds' Conference is done. What a fantastic time of preaching, worship, and fellowship! It has been an especially good networking time as we've been able to plan for future ministry opportunities at The Shepherd's Bible College and Impact Bible Conference.

Eight Kiwis are in attendance at the conference. Here's some of Team New Zealand. . .

At the first session, The Master's Seminary student body formed a choir and sang to the Lord wonderfully. Here they are seated in the choir loft at Grace Community Church. . .

This afternoon, we were able to spend a few moments with John MacArthur. . .

Our visit to Los Angeles allows us to nail down speakers for future conferences in New Zealand, secure resources for Impact, report to TSBC supporters, present the ministry to potential new supporters, elicit new prayer partners, and learn from like-minded faculty members in other TMAI institutes from around the world. It has been a very profitable time. Please continue to pray for us.

Calvary Bible Church - Missions Conference

2011-03-09T13:01:00.004+13:00

This past weekend, Lawrence Pickering and I represented The Shepherd's Bible College at the Calvary Bible Church Missions Conference in Burbank, California.

We were able to describe the ministry and answer questions about how the Lord is equipping church leaders in New Zealand, through The Shepherd's Bible College.

We received a very warm welcome at Calvary Bible Church which is pastored by Jack Hughes. Jack and his wife, Lisa, are coming to New Zealand in June to preach at Impact Bible Conference.

On Sunday morning, I was privileged to preach at Calvary Bible Church in two duplicate services. It is a joy to partner with such a wonderful church body in order to extend the boundaries of God's work in the South Pacific.

TMAI Symposium

2011-03-09T12:51:00.003+13:00

Yesterday and today, I attended The Master's Academy International Symposium in Los Angeles. With me were five other Kiwis: Russell Hohneck (TSBC, Principal), Greg Stephenson (TSBC, Director of Programme Development), Lawrence Pickering (TSBC, Board Advisor), Jeremy Rolston (TSBC, Student), and Bryan Martin (River City Bible Church, Pastor).

What a joy to network with 85 leaders and educators involved in the training and equipping of Christians worldwide. Sessions focused on the subject of raising support.

The Shepherds' Conference begins tomorrow!

TSBC E-Quipper - February 2011 Issue

2011-02-22T07:44:00.010+13:00

A Student's Perspective

Warren Jardine and his family came to The Shepherd's Bible College from Melbourne, Australia in 2008. Warren has recently graduated so we asked him a few questions about his training and time at The Shepherd's Bible College . . .

Warren, why did you choose to leave a successful job, a growing church and a great city to move your wife and four boys to New Zealand to study at The Shepherd's Bible College?

Well, even though I had those three great pluses operating in my life at the time, the urge to know more about God’s Word became a greater drive in my life especially after attending the 2007 Impact Bible Conference. I chose The Shepherd's Bible College because of its unique character of being closely linked and intertwined with the local church. Also the high view of God’s Word that The Shepherd's Bible College holds to was another factor that led me to come over and study.

God has uniquely gifted you to serve in the music ministry of a local church. How has your training prepared you to lead and serve in the music ministry of Riverbend Bible Church?

My training has given me the perfect balance to serve in and lead the music ministry at Riverbend Bible Church. Having been given a sound foundation in God’s Word, I now have a grid that I can filter everything through which also helps me to understand better why I do what I do. This, coupled with the practical skills given through the Discipleship Labs and the Internship Experiences, has further honed my gifting to serve and lead more effectively. Again it has been the fact that The Shepherd's Bible College is plugged into the local church so intimately that really amplifies the learning experience.

Looking back, what has been one of the highlights of your time here at The Shepherd's Bible College?

I would have to say taking the ‘Christian Living’ course. That class was brutal – in a good way! It constantly confronted my heart – which is what all of us need if we truly want to make changes in our lives. Not only have I benefited from this course personally, but it has been awesome to share these life-changing principles with others!

A Disappointing Book on Preaching

2011-02-15T15:11:00.004+13:00

Recently, I read Doug Pagitt's book Preaching Re-Imagined. I didn't like the book. Here are some of his shocking statements about preaching:

"Preaching doesn't work" (18)
"Preaching is a tragically broken endeavor" (19)
"Great preaching isn't sufficient" (19)
"Preaching suffers from a relationship problem" (21)
"We've become blind to the ways in which speaching damages our people and creates a sense of powerlessness in them" (22)
"Do whatever is necessary to protect our communities from the significant problems speaching presents" (25)
"Weekly speaching functions like a repetitive stress disorder for both preacher and parish. Occasional usage likely won't hurt anyone, but to make a regular practice of speaching may well be an act of relational violence, one that is detrimental to the very communities we are seeking to nurture" (25-26)
"A move away from speaching is essential" (35)
"The practice of applying Scripture to our lives is not the established Christian tradition but rather the product of more recent ways of thinking about church" (97)
"The good news is not informational" (103)

I strongly disagree!

If Pagitt's book was written simply to encourage better interaction in small group settings, I would commend it as a thought-provoking guide. But it isn't. Pagitt's book attacks the Bible's imperatives to preach the Word, overlooks the numerous examples of preaching through Scripture and church history, wrongly redefines key theological terms, uses straw-man arguments, confuses the difference between preaching and fellowship, undermines the concepts of authority and truth, and dismisses contemporary examples of effective exposition.

For these reasons, I cannot recommend Preaching Re-Imagined as a resource for preachers today. I may share Pagitt's frustration with seeker-sensitive/mega-church methodologies which depend on slick communicators who preach weak sermons void of biblical content to entertain huge assemblies of people, but I will not go so far as to replace faithful exposition with progressional dialogue. This is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Rather, it would be better to allow Pagitt's book to guide us in thinking how we might enjoy more intimate Christian fellowship – although even in this, Pagitt seems to undervalue the Bible's role.

River City Bible Church

2011-01-31T11:22:00.003+13:00

I attended a new church plant in Hamilton yesterday. River City Bible Church was recently started by Pastor Bryan Martin who is tremendously excited about the progress of the church so far. I agree – I think that Bryan's commitment to expository preaching will be attractive to many Waikato believers who are currently spiritually malnourished because they do not attend a church that feeds them the Word of God.

River City Bible Church exists to glorify God by teaching His Word and making disciples of Jesus Christ who are equipped to serve and reach the world with the saving gospel of grace.

I was excited to visit the church and see firsthand how God is blessing His people there. If you're in Hamilton, check out River City Bible Church at 10:30am on Sundays, meeting at Hamilton Christian School, 4 North City Road, RD 1 Hamilton 3281 (formerly Cate Rd).

Parachute "Christian" Music Festival

2011-01-31T10:51:00.003+13:00

Thousands of people attended Parachute again this year. For me, it was a mixed bag – some good Christian artists – some bad artists – and some disturbing behaviour.

I've never understood mosh pit activity. 3news reported one fan as saying, "It was crazy. People were just flying around. I saw one dude get laid out and we had to go help him up. I smoked a few people too. It was mean." The same report said, "Mainstage security were working overtime to drag scared and injured people – mainly young females – out of the pit and into safety. There was an influx of admissions to the medic tent during the [Saturday night] concert and one person was sent to hospital as a precaution after getting crushed in the pit."

I watched from the stands as young men and women flailed around, smashing into one another with no thought of who might be hurt. How can this kind of behaviour be condoned at a "Christian" event?

To be fair, the majority of concert-goers do not identify with this conduct and there are some great things that happen at Parachute – Louie Giglio was certainly a highlight!

One of the greatest offences of the event was the Catholic Mass. How can so-called evangelicals be comfortable with the re-sacrificing of Jesus Christ in the Mass? The leaders of the Reformation and hundreds of Protestant Christians died as martyrs upholding their belief that Jesus Christ's death was totally sufficient to save sinners saying that the RCC Mass called into question the adequacy of Calvary's sacrifice.

Will I go to Parachute again? I'll certainly be thinking twice.

The Direction of Drift

2011-01-27T12:56:00.002+13:00

By D. A. Carson

“People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated.”

The Master's Current - Alumni in Focus

2011-01-27T10:32:00.008+13:00

In the most recent issue of The Master's Current, I was given an opportunity to thank The Master's College for its role in my ministry training. Click on the image below to see to the magazine's website. . .

Last Day with D.Min. Cohort

2011-01-12T11:14:00.006+13:00

My Doctor of Ministry seminars on sermon delivery came to an end today. I have so enjoyed the discussions with a great group of pastors. Here is a picture of my cohort with two of our professors, Keith Essex and Rick Holland.

Preaching at Placerita Baptist Church

2011-01-11T02:08:00.003+13:00

I had a great time preaching at Placerita Baptist Church in Newhall, California yesterday. Pastor Scott Ardavanis preached in the morning from Mark 13 and called us to readiness in preparation for Christ's return. I preached in the evening on the nature of authentic worship from Revelation 4 & 5. We reflected briefly on the friendship that has developed over the past twenty years. I am so thankful for people like Scott who have encouraged and challenged me in the faith. Here is a photo of us twenty years ago. . .

New Partnership with Calvary Bible Church - Burbank

2011-01-09T05:36:00.006+13:00

This week I met with members of the Missions Leadership Team of Calvary Bible Church in Burbank. I described the ministry of The Shepherd's Bible College and Impact Bible Conference and solicited their prayers concerning upcoming events and ministry opportunities. What a great joy to partner in ministry with these wonderful people. Pastor Jack and Lisa Hughes will be visiting New Zealand in June to teach at Impact Bible Conference and I will return to Los Angeles in March to be the speaker at CBC's Missions Conference.

D. Min Seminars (Part 2)

2011-01-08T15:58:00.006+13:00

Today's seminar was led by R. Kent Hughes, author of Disciplines of a Godly Man, Liberating Ministry from the Success Syndrome, and various commentaries. You can purchase these books online at Gracebooks NZ. Kent Hughes is currently working on a new book entitled Disciplines of a Godly Young Man. It sounds like it will be a good read when it comes out.

We had a wonderful time talking about practical day-to-day ministry. As you can see in the photo below both D. Min. cohorts met together today for this special time of interaction with a gifted pastor with forty years of ministry experience.

D. Min Seminars

2011-01-07T19:52:00.004+13:00

Alex Montoya led the discussion this morning in my Doctor of Ministry seminar on sermon delivery. This photo is taken in the conference room at The Master's Seminary. There are eight men in my cohort. It has been such a joy to meet with them over these past two years to discuss expository preaching.

Snow in Los Angeles

2011-01-07T19:48:00.003+13:00

Here's a picture of the Tatlock kids playing in the snow at The Master's College . . .

Arrived in Los Angeles

2011-01-04T13:30:00.006+13:00

I'm in Los Angeles to attend the next phase of seminars in my Doctor of Ministry programme. In the space of twenty hours, I went from this kind of weather in Hastings, New Zealand (a photo taken right above our house roof) . . .

. . . to this in Newhall, California (a photo taken on the 5 freeway) . . .

No need to say, I have my winter clothes on. This is where I'm staying - Mark and Lisa Tatlock's home.

Doctor of Ministry Progress

2010-12-18T09:24:00.002+13:00

On 2 January, I leave for the next series of seminars in my Doctor of Ministry programme. These seminars focus on sermon delivery. My cohort have the opportunity to view one another's sermon DVDs and offer evaluations. I am looking forward to the challenges and helps the men will give me. Would you please continue to pray as I try to complete all the related assignments before I leave for Los Angeles?

Riverbend Bible Church – Staff Christmas Lunch

2010-12-18T09:21:00.002+13:00

Pictured here is the great team of people (and their families) who serve as staff at Riverbend Bible Church and The Shepherd's Bible College. We enjoyed a summer lunch together reflecting on God's grace toward us in 2010. Pastor Russell Hohneck encouraged us to remain humble and to love one another so as to avoid a critical spirit. What a blessing to serve alongside such people. We're looking forward to an exciting year of ministry together in 2011.

The Master's Academy International – Regional Summit

2010-12-18T09:17:00.005+13:00

Visiting faculty members from TMAI institutes in Japan, India, Philippines, and other related ministries in Australia and Singapore attended a regional summit here in Hastings, New Zealand this week. It was our joy to host these two days of meetings in which the various representatives discussed ministry training concepts and shared ideas on how to improve our training institutes.

The Shepherd's Bible College is thankful for the relationships formed at such meetings through The Master's Academy International network. Out of these summits flow a wealth of information-sharing, new ideas, and encouragements.

Please continue to pray for TMAI institutes around the globe which have the same focus and heartbeat as The Shepherd's Bible College.

The Shepherd's Bible College – 2010 Graduation

2010-12-18T09:14:00.001+13:00

What a joy to see the 2010 class graduate this past Saturday. Dave Deuel, Academic Director of The Master's Academy International, brought a charge to the students and faculty. The graduates are all either continuing in ministry training next year or are pursuing ministry opportunities. Some plan to continue with the new Level 6 programme at The Shepherd's Bible College in 2011.

TSBC Graduation Ceremony

2010-12-01T17:37:00.001+13:00

Please come celebrate with all those TSBC students who will receive their 2010 certificates of completion on Saturday, 11 December at 4:30 pm. Your presence will be a special encouragement to the graduates who will be awarded a Diploma of Biblical Studies.

Guest speaker, Dave Deuel, TMAI Academic Director, is visiting from New York and will bring a charge to the student body, faculty, and church family.

A shared finger food dinner will follow the service.

Register Now for New 2011 Courses

2010-11-30T14:19:00.005+13:00

Here at The Shepherd's Bible College, we've been busy designing new courses for 2011. We've added two new instructors to our teaching line-up. And we've added a new block course location in Epsom, Auckland. These are exciting developments which are the first step towards offering an advanced diploma in addition to our already established programme.

Our current Diploma of Biblical Studies programme is designed for those who are involved in lay ministry. Graduates are prepared for service in the local church. The programme has a focus on personal growth and students are given opportunity to discern their own gifts and abilities.

The new Level 6 advanced diploma programme will be designed for those who want to be involved in bi-vocational ministry. Graduates will be prepared for leadership in the local church. The programme will have a focus on ministry ability and students will be given opportunity to grow as a servant-leader.

The new Level 6 courses in 2011 are:

Biblical Counselling
Greek
Advanced Theology
Missions
Cults and False Religions
Historical Theology
Christian Ethics

For more information on these and our normal array of Level 5 courses, click on the graphic below. Then go to the TSBC website which contains descriptions for each of the courses, dates, times, and registration details etc.

To register for courses, click on the following link to complete online registration: R egister

Updated 2011 TSBC Year Planner

2010-11-30T14:06:00.006+13:00

The Shepherd's Bible College has published an updated 2011 year planner. Click on the image below . . .

TSBC Preaching Students

2010-11-29T08:31:00.003+13:00

One of The Shepherd's Bible College's goals is to train preachers. This past Sunday at TSBC we heard the final three men complete their last preaching lab for 2010. What a joy to hear them exposit the Word of God and call their listeners to obedience.

Josh Powell (Wellington), Zohar Gonen (Israel), and Reuben Pickering (Cambridge) have all completed this phase of TSBC's homiletics training in expository preaching. They received very helpful feedback after each of their preaching labs and have worked on weaknesses throughout the process.

Thanks for praying for these and other TSBC students throughout the year.

Fellowship Group Leadership

2010-11-17T16:55:00.006+13:00

This week the Cornerstone fellowship group leaders meet at our home for an end-of-year breakfast. This has been our tradition for a number of years now.

These are wonderful men to serve with! My appreciation for them has only grown as we have sought to serve the Lord together each week.

In recent months, we have spent some time to identify each other's strengths, weaknesses, and spiritual gifts. I will leave the weaknesses off this summary, but look below at how God has provided for Cornerstone and Riverbend Bible Church in these men! . . .

Nigel: Passion and love for the Word of God, ability to teach with clarity, administration, commitment to discipleship, leadership, work ethic, self-discipline, perseverance with people.
Denys: Gift of encouragement and exhortation, wise counsellor, one-on-one teacher, welcoming, gentle towards people, faithfulness in discipleship, committed to prayer.
Gavin: Leadership, encouragement, teaching, worship leading, humility, gentleness, unassuming, ability to draw out people, faithful in ministry, quick to serve, team-builder.
Grant: Teaching, encouragement, strength of conviction, humble, willing to listen, hospitality, asks great questions, effective home group leader, love for Word of God, commitment to leading family, calm in pressure situations.
Mike: Reliable, loyal, keeps commitments, servant heart, teaching (boys rally), teaching (one on one).
Jeremy: Evangelist, encourager, motivator, leader, proactive initiator, great faith.
James: Generous, encourager, reliable servant, commitment to prayer, leader with a shepherding heart, integrity, teachable, humble.
Reuben: Purposeful encourager, servant, insightful questions, teaching, sober-minded.

How can we not rejoice in the composition of Christ's church? The Lord designs people to serve in the church just as He wills and He provides the necessary strengths and abilities to do that (1 Corinthians 12:11, 18). In the end, God gets the praise.

TSBC Preaching Labs

2010-11-10T08:47:00.001+13:00

TSBC's preachers-in-training undertake their third round of preaching labs this Sunday afternoon (14 November) in New Testament Epistle passages. Here is the schedule:

Josh Powell - 3:00pm
Zohar Gonen - 3:50pm
Reuben Pickering - 4:40pm

If you're local, please come join us at The Shepherd's Bible College in Hastings. You'll be ministered to, and you'll have an opportunity to offer constructive feedback to the students.

Visiting RBC Home Groups

2010-11-09T23:53:00.002+13:00

The elders at Riverbend Bible Church are endeavouring to conduct Q&A sessions with each of the RBC small group Bible studies. The idea is to let people ask about the church, future plans, philosophy of ministry, and also give people an opportunity to provide feedback to the church leaders.

So this past Wednesday night, a fellow elder and I went to our first home group. When we arrived, we found a desk set up with four folders positioned on it. Here's a photo of the four folders . . .

The folder entitled "Complaints" was the thickest. The "Gossip to Clear Up" folder was the next thickest and then "Questions". When we opened the "Compliments" folder, it was empty :)

Of course this was all in fun and the evening proved to be very encouraging.

Gracebooks NZ - Christian Resources

2010-10-28T16:53:00.005+13:00

Today, the board of Gracebooks NZ met in Hastings to discuss the ministry of Gracebooks NZ. This is a Christian book, DVD, and CD distributing ministry that supplies sound biblical resources to New Zealand and Australia. Gracebooks has a bookstore in Hastings and a website on which all its resources are available to browse and purchase.

Periodically, Gracebooks makes selected titles available to its mailing list members at reduced prices. To get onto the mailing list, please e-mail Denys Tomaselli.

Gracebooks is a non-profit ministry which depends upon donations to ensure its continuance. If you'd like to support his vital ministry, again please contact the Director, Denys Tomaselli.

If you click on the icon above, you'll be taken to the Gracebooks NZ website. You'll find that Gracebooks sells its resources at affordable prices (often below normal retail prices), and if you are buying within New Zealand, SHIPPING IS FREE.

Here's a picture of today's meeting with board members and volunteer staff. . .

Please pray for the Gracebooks staff as they endeavour to serve the Christian community.

Sports Camp Ends

2010-10-27T08:20:00.010+13:00

The Riverbend Bible Church 'Sports Camp' is all done and dusted for 2010. On Monday, the eight teams went home sunburned, tired from nonstop sport, sore with injuries, challenged about their walk with the Lord, invigorated by new friendships, and rejoicing in Christ. Mike Penberthy presented the gospel over the course of the weekend and spent a lot of time between sessions on the sports field talking with people about Christ. We are thanking the Lord for a very beneficial weekend.

Here are some photos of the various events. . .

Mike returned to the US yesterday and will be reunited with his family by now. Here is a photo of us with Sereena standing on a step :)

Sports Camp Begins

2010-10-23T11:07:00.006+13:00

Former LA Laker, Mike Penberthy, kicked off our annual Sports Camp today with a stirring testimony of God's grace in his life. He reflected on what it meant to climb to the top of the basketball world, winning an NBA title alongside Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neil, only to discover that earthly achievement did not satisfy. Only Christ has brought meaning and significance to Mike's life. Only walking with the Lord has brought him true joy and peace.

Please pray for the remainder of the weekend. Sports Camp is designed to bring the gospel to young athletes who gather from all around the North Island of New Zealand. As I write, the teams are playing all manner of sports, outside my window, in the Hawkes Bay sun. Later, they gather again to hear more from God's Word concerning sin and salvation. We are asking the Lord to save many this weekend.

If you want to watch Mike's teaching sessions online, you can catch the video at: http://www.livestream.com/rbcnz

Oh, and here is a video clip of Mike Penberthy's LA Laker days. . .

Impact Bible Conference - June 2011

2010-10-15T22:32:00.012+13:00

Plans are coming together for Impact 2011. The theme is "Stepping into Eternity". Two keynote speakers are planning to preach on the following topics/passages. What do you think? . . .

Bill Barrick's General Sessions:

How Does Our Future State Impact Our Current Living? (2 Corinthians 5:6-10)
What Is the Purpose of the Doctrine of Last Things? (2 Peter 3:10-18)
How Does the Doctrine of Last Things Complete the Doctrine of First Things?
Why Is Christ’s Coming the Focal Point of the Lord’s Table?
How Does the Judgment Seat of Christ Relate to Our Glorification?

Jack Hughes' General Sessions:

Present and Future Ministry of Angels to Believers and Unbelievers (Hebrews 1:14)
A Trip to Hell – Exploring the Realities of Future Punishment (Luke 12:4-9)
Investing in Eternity Now (Luke 12:33-34)
What Will There Be for Us? – Heaven, an Unspeakable Reward (Luke 18:28-30)
A Glimpse at the Resurrected Lord of Glory (Revelation 1:9-18)

We'll keep you updated with seminar options as they come together.

TSBC Preaching Labs

2010-10-15T22:03:00.002+13:00

TSBC's preachers-in-training undertake their second round of preaching labs this Sunday afternoon (17 October) in New Testament Narrative passages. Here is the schedule:

Mark 10:17-27 - Zohar Gonen @ 3:30 pm
Luke 13: 1-9 - Reuben Pickering @ 4:20 pm
Luke 14:25-35 - Josh Powell @ 5:10 pm

If you're local, please come join us at The Shepherd's Bible College in Hastings. You'll be ministered to, and you'll have an opportunity to offer constructive feedback to the students.

Sermon Series Finished

2010-10-15T21:43:00.005+13:00

This past Sunday at Riverbend Bible Church, I finished preaching a four-week sermon series entitled "God's Gracious Hand Towards Sinners".

The four passages we covered were;

1. David's Sin (2 Samuel 11)
2. David's Rebuke (2 Samuel 12)
3. David's Confession (Psalm 51) - Seven signs of genuine confession
4. David's Lessons Learned (Psalm 32) - Six reasons to confess sin

If you interested in listening to the sermons you can get them here: RBC Sermon Audio

Also, if you want copies of the handouts and/or PowerPoint presentations that went with these messages, please contact me at my e-mail address, and I'll get those to you.

TSBC E-Quipper - October 2010 Issue

2010-10-15T21:30:00.006+13:00

As the Rubber Meets the Road

By Russell Hohneck

My passion in ministry is that all theology works out in practice – it is the “rubber on the road” concept. Recently I experienced an incident where the rubber and the road were not working together. As I cruised along, the rubber didn’t stick and gravity brought us hard onto the road. The bike was totalled and I ended up a little worse for the experience.

The same result occurs when theology is gained for the purpose of learning and little attention given to how it is to be practiced. The Lord surely is the master at putting the two together. This is easily identified in the title by which the Lord is endearingly referred to throughout the Scriptures as “the Shepherd.” The greatest theologian then is known in terms of a very practical task. Shepherding the flock of God is the heartbeat of the Lord and biblical history and Scriptures are strongly marked with this analogy (e.g. Exodus 34; Psalm 23; John 10; Luke 15; Acts 20:28; 1 Peter; Hebrews 13:20). Even in heaven itself, Jesus will be known as the Shepherd:

“. . . for the Lamb in the center of the throne shall be their shepherd, . . . .” Revelation 7:17.

No wonder at the end of three years of training His disciples in theology and personal mentoring, Jesus says to Peter while probing Peter’s love and devotion for Himself , “tend my lambs . . . shepherd my sheep . . . tend my sheep.” Shepherding the flock is the heart of the greatest Shepherd and every theology and ministry needs to reflect that very practical “rubber on the road” shepherding if it is to be centered on Christ.

I believe that TSBC has this focus as it trains and equips people within the church. Theology and shepherding go hand in hand and TSBC is striving to bring the rubber of theology to the road of faith.

For further reading:“The Minister as Shepherd” by Charles Jefferson.

Sermon Series Update

2010-09-28T10:37:00.002+13:00

At Riverbend Bible Church, we are two weeks into a four-week sermon series entitled "God's Gracious Hand Towards Sinners".

The four passages we're covering are;

1. David's Sin (2 Samuel 11) – Done!
2. David's Rebuke (2 Samuel 12) – Done!
3. David's Confession (Psalm 51)
4. David's Lessons Learned (Psalm 32)

If you interested in listening to the sermons you can get them here: RBC Sermon Audio

TSBC E-Quipper - September 2010 Issue

2010-09-25T15:36:00.011+12:00

Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children
by Joe Fleener

When you read a verse like Ephesians 5:1 what catches your attention first? For many of us it is the command, “be imitators of God.” I would like to suggest that the command is surrounded by some profound truths, that if missed will skew our view of God and His desires for us.

1. We are told in verse 4:32 that we are forgiven people in Christ!
2. We are told in 5:1 we are beloved children!

These are wonderful, life-changing truths; truths simple enough for a child to understand and yet deep enough to soak into our souls over a lifetime.

When was the last time you consciously and deliberately reminded yourself of the gospel of Jesus Christ?

The gospel is the truth, that the eternal, holy Creator of the universe, planned before the foundation of the world to provide the means for sinful men to be reconciled to Himself by sending His Son, the second person of the Trinity – fully God, into the world as the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, who being fully man while still fully God lived a perfect, holy life fulfilling God’s just requirements, finally submitting Himself to death on a cruel cross being judged as a sinner, though innocent, in the place of sinners, satisfying the divine wrath of God, then raising triumphantly from the dead in three days conquering sin and death for all those who put their faith in Him and Him alone for their salvation.

Have you placed your faith in Christ and Christ alone for the forgiveness of your sins? Have you acknowledged before God that you are that sinner in need of His forgiveness which is only possible in the person and finished work of Christ?

If so, listen to this – “You’re forgiven! And if that wasn’t enough, you have been made His child! You are a son/daughter of the Living God!” As a child there is nothing you can do to earn more of God’s favour and there is nothing you can do to lose God’s favour! Rather than this being a license for sin, for those who know they are forgiven sinners, this is our motivation for child-like obedience.

You have a Father who loves you with an everlasting love! He has already provided for your greatest need, in Christ. Everything else is insignificant in comparison.

Wow! Now when you read the command in Ephesians 5:1, “be imitators of God,” what comes to mind? We imitate God because we love Him as Father!

Of course, I want to imitate my Father. This isn’t drudgery, this is a joy. Imitating Him is the most natural expression of thanksgiving I can offer as a forgiven, beloved child. And when I fail, which I will, I can run to my Father who forgives and, by His grace, gives me the desire and ability to glorify Him.

Create Your Own Website - Finalweb

2010-09-23T15:54:00.005+12:00

Sereena has become a Finalweb reseller and now has the ability to help you with creating your own website. If you're interested in designing a website for your church, ministry, family, school, or business, take a look at her website at www.redbrickhouse.co.nz

There are many templates to chose from at very affordable prices. Sereena can help you through the process and show you how to maintain your website yourself. It's easy. Click on this picture . . .

TSBC Expository Preaching Training

2010-09-22T21:43:00.003+12:00

This past weekend at The Shepherd's Bible College we conducted one round of preaching labs for seven students who had been attending the Homiletics 1 course this term. Homiletics 1 is a preliminary course in preaching that begins the process of expository preaching training.

Each student had spent the preceding six weeks preparing their sermons which culminated in an evaluation of their sermon delivery.

Pictured below are the seven students. . .

Left to right: Michelle Ward (USA), Zohar Gonen (Israel), Gareth Cross, (Melbourne), Warren Jardine (Melbourne), Sean Hofman (Auckland), Josh Powell, (Wellington), and Reuben Pickering (Cambridge).

The men preached to a group of assembled believers on Saturday and Sunday. Michelle preached her message to a group of forty ladies this morning at Riverbend Bible Church.

What a joy to be involved in such valuable ministry training! The students will continue the training process next term. For now, we take a two week break. Please continue to pray for them.

Preaching Series

2010-09-17T16:59:00.002+12:00

I am preaching a series of sermons at Riverbend Bible Church over the next four Sundays. The series is entitled "God's Gracious Hand Towards Sinners" and will focus on how the Lord treats his chosen people with undeserved grace even when they fail Him.

The four sermons trace God's grace toward David as seen after David sinned against Bathsheba and her husband Uriah. The first two Sundays will provide the historical background to the narrative and the last two Sundays will outline the nature of genuine confession. The four passages we'll cover are;

1. David's Sin (2 Samuel 11)
2. David's Rebuke (2 Samuel 12)
3. David's Confession (Psalm 51)
4. David's Lessons Learned (Psalm 32)

Please pray that God will be glorified in the exposition of His Word and that His grace would be magnified in our understanding.

Short Term Mission Trip

2010-09-16T00:24:00.003+12:00

I just returned from a week of teaching in South East Asia. Grant Watson and I were teaching a group of 30 pastors who had gathered to hone their skill in expository preaching.

What a joy to encourage these men by walking them through the four Gospels explaining their significance in knowing Christ, the gospel, and tracing the events that led up to Christ's death at Calvary. We focussed on each of the four gospelists' purposes for writing to their given audiences, the features of each gospel, and the circumstances that surrounded each gospel record. Then we walked through each book highlighting the significant themes.

The men responded with such joy and encouragement. We were very blessed.

The days were difficult as we taught in very hot and very humid conditions. We consumed a lot of water. My teaching notes now have sweat stains all over them.

Thanks to everyone who prayed for us. We stayed healthy and were able to get through everything we had planned. Our translator seemed to cope with our Kiwi accents. We have made some new friends with whom we will share eternity. Our families back here in New Zealand also seemed to manage without us.

God has been gracious to us.

Riverbend Bible Church - Satellite Photo

2010-09-01T23:28:00.007+12:00

Google Maps have recently updated their satellite photo of Riverbend Bible Church. If you click on the photo below it will become enlarged – then look carefully – you can even tell which event was happening at the time when the photo was taken. Can you tell?

. . . Yes, it is Sports Camp 2009.

Sports Camp 2010

2010-09-01T20:41:00.011+12:00

At Riverbend Bible Church we are eagerly anticipating our annual Sports Camp which is held over Labour Day Weekend (22-25 October). The weekend is primarily designed as an evangelistic ministry event centred around sport. Teams gather from around the North Island to compete against each other in sports such as rugby, soccer, netball, basketball, hockey, cycling, athletics, kayaking, softball, volleyball, beach volleyball, longball, cross country, and more.

The aims of Sports Camp are:
• to glorify and honour God in everything we do at Sports Camp (1 Cor 10:31; Rom 15:5-6).
• to evangelise the unsaved represented at camp (including both campers and referees) (Matt 28:18-20).
• to challenge and mature the Christian young people in the teams so they can grow in their walk with the Lord and be a witness to the unsaved in their team and in other teams (Eph 4:12-15; 1 Peter 3:15).
• to come alongside team leaders to encourage and support them in their youth leadership roles (Heb 10:24-25).
• to provide a safe sporting environment where, sportsmanship and participation is encouraged.

These aims are achieved by:
• faithfully preaching the gospel using the living and active Word of God.
corporately worshipping God through music and songs that glorify Him both in content and delivery.
• encouraging team leaders in God’s Word and in prayer, in order to promote a unified goal and purpose.
• providing opportunities for Riverbend Bible Church to interact with campers and share the gospel one-on-one.
• providing opportunities for Riverbend Bible Church and other helpers to serve during Sports Camp, thereby modelling a servant heart.
• maintaining a Christlike testimony in all aspects of planning and hosting Sports Camp.

The speaker this year is Mike Penberthy, a former Los Angeles Laker. Here is his bio:
At 6'3" (1.90 m), the NAIA powerhouse guard played for The Master's College in California where he gained much attention. Mike broke numerous school records (including most career points), and was later inducted into their Hall of Fame in 2005. Penberthy played 56 games for the Los Angeles Lakers over two years and was part of the 2000-01 championship winning team. After the Lakers, Mike played basketball professionally in Italy for eight years.

Mike attends Placerita Baptist Church, California – the same church that sent us last year's Sports Camp speaker, John Richard.

Here is some video footage of Mike's basketball days, if you're interested. . .

Man, Sin, and Salvation

2010-08-30T13:17:00.002+12:00

Since Donald Stevenson, one of our teachers of theology, is currently in Zambia undertaking pastoral training there, Tony Nuñez taught our Theology 3 block course. Tony is a graduate of The Master's Seminary and is currently serving as Youth Pastor at Howick Baptist Church in Auckland.

The weekend intensive course covered topics like the origin and nature of man, the fall and its consequences, total depravity, the atonement of Christ, election, regeneration, conversion, justification, sanctification and glorification.

I sat in the block course for several hours over the weekend and enjoyed it very much. Students travelled from Hastings, Wellington, and Hamilton to be here.

Please continue to pray for our student body who sacrifice greatly to be a part of the training programmes.

Eschatology Weekend Seminars

2010-08-24T20:26:00.009+12:00

This past weekend, I taught a series of seminars on the Book of Revelation and Eschatology (End Times) at Marton Bible Chapel. The schedule included eleven hours of teaching, starting Friday evening, and ending Sunday afternoon.
We began the weekend by asking, "Why study the End Times?" and answered with the statement: "We study End Times, not primarily to build a calendar, but rather to build a character." Hence, our goal for the weekend was to consider how we might be better prepared to meet our Saviour and how we might be faithful to the task of evangelism while we wait expectantly.

In the sessions that followed, we:
• Discussed and agreed to utilise the literal-grammatical-historical hermeneutic
• Compared the theological perspectives of Eschatology
• Surveyed the Book of Revelation
• Completed a chronological survey of the End Times by compiling selected Scriptures from throughout the Old and New Testaments

A team of TSBC students came with us to enjoy the seminars and to encourage the local saints. We all enjoyed our time Marton Bible Chapel.
Here is a photo we took from the top of the Wanganui tower . . .
Here's some of the TSBC students gathering at the foot of the tower . . .
And here is me with my sweetheart . . .

2011 Impact Bible Conference

2010-08-18T20:44:00.008+12:00

Plans are coming together for Impact 2011. The dates are Thursday–Monday, 2–6 June. The speakers are Dr Bill Barrick, Dr Jack Hughes, John Richard, and Lisa Hughes.

The theme is entitled "Stepping into Eternity" and will focus our thoughts on the believer's glorification, the soon return of Christ, Heaven, and other future events. The goal is that we might be motivated to live holy lives while we wait for Christ and make the most of our opportunity to proclaim the Good News while we still can.

Dr Bill Barrick and Dr Jack Hughes will tackle this central theme, while John Richard will address the youth, and Lisa Hughes the women. I'll keep you posted as other elective speakers are added.

For now, here is the artwork for next year's conference. . .

TSBC 2011 Semester Schedule

2010-08-17T11:37:00.003+12:00

Next year, we will transition to a two-semester schedule at The Shepherd's Bible College. This will replace the four-term schedule which has been in place for the past ten years. If you click on the graphic below, you will see the schedule in a larger format.

The key dates in 2011 are as follows:
• Orientation Day: 5 March
• First Semester Begins: 8 March
• Impact Bible Conference: 2-6 June
• First Semester Ends: 7 July
• Second Semester Begins: 9 August
• Second Semester Ends: 1 December
• Graduation: 10 December

TSBC E-Quipper - August 2010 Issue

2010-08-10T16:14:00.015+12:00

Expanding The Impact

One of the great privileges for the believer is to see God’s work as it expands around the globe. In this edition we hear from Donald Stevenson, the Department Head of Theology, who is on an extended ministry trip in southern Africa. The Shepherd's Bible College (TSBC) is privileged to partner with local congregations throughout NZ and around the world. In addition, TSBC is a partner school of The Master’s Academy International (TMAI) which aids sound, biblical theological training around the globe.

Donald writes:

“My family and I arrived in Zambia via South Africa about a month ago. We are here furthering the partnership of our local NZ church with Samfya Bible School. This school exists to equip the rural Bemba people, a simple, yet loving people among whom the Church is thriving. The Bemba have a great need for sound biblical training and Samfya Bible School plays a key role. As we have fostered our relationship, we now see the opportunity to greatly help the Bemba through aiding their instructors and filling needs where appropriate and possible. Because of our partnership with TMAI, we were able to meet with men while in South Africa who can aid in the further equipping of Samfya’s instructors. We are a privileged family as we see the Lord orchestrating the growth of His Church as a congregation from NZ aids a school in Zambia which will be benefited from a partnership in South Africa. Now, more will be equipped to stand alone on the Word of God as the authority that will bring freedom from the ancestral worship and spiritism that cripples this land! Our God is faithful to build His church and we know that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. What a blessing to be a small part of seeing this happen.”

To keep up with the adventures and ministry of the Stevenson’s check out their blog: www.rbcinafrica.blogspot.com

Bibles and teaching resources from Riverbend Bible Church in New Zealand received enthusiastically.

TSBC Courses Underway

2010-08-05T22:28:00.003+12:00

Classes began this week at The Shepherd's Bible College. Term three is now underway with the following courses being offered:

• NT Survey 3 (Pauline Epistles): Nigel Shailer
• OT Survey (1 Kings-Esther and Poetical Books): Joe Fleener
• Christian Living 4: Russell Hohneck
• Hermeneutics 2 (Interpreting different Bible genres): Phil Henderson
• Homiletics 1 (Preaching): Nigel Shailer
• Theology 3 (Man, Sin, and Salvation): Tony Nuñez

Please pray for each of these lecturers and their students.

Reasons to Preach from the Old Testament

2010-07-30T23:29:00.002+12:00

Survey preachers from around the world and you would find that they preach from the New Testament far more often than they do the New. Here are some reasons why preaching from the Old Testament is justified and necessary:
• The Old Testament was the Bible of the early church
• The Old Testament is the God-breathed, inerrant, powerful revelation of God
• The Old Testament represents 77% of the Christian canon
• The Old Testament aids us in understanding the New Testament
• The Old Testament prevents us from misinterpreting the New Testament
• The Old Testament is vital for theological understanding
• The Old Testament proclaims truths not found in the New Testament
• The Old Testament offers practical insights for Christian living
• The Old Testament deals with life's great questions
• The Old Testament traces God's redemptive plan to its culmination
• The Old Testament provides a fuller understanding of Christ

New TSBC Faculty Member

2010-07-29T16:38:00.003+12:00

Today we received word that our newest faculty member, Greg Stephenson, has been granted a visa to come to teach at The Shepherd's Bible College for one year. He will apply for that to be extended in due course.

Greg's primary role is to develop our two new programmes at level 6 and level 7. We believe these together with our existing level 5 programme will provide any even greater depth of training for those entering into bi-vocational and vocational ministry. Greg will also be lecturing in those programmes.

Greg, Traci and Micah come to us from their sending church, Christ Community Church in West Covina, California – a church whose sacrificial support means The Shepherd's Bible College can move to the next stage of ministry training in New Zealand. Greg has served in that church for the past eight years as Associate Pastor. During the six years prior to that he gained much experience in the area of facilitating international missions. Greg earned his Master of Divinity degree in 2001.

We are so thankful to God and to Christ Community Church for providing Greg and his wonderful family to come serve alongside us at The Shepherd's Bible College.

Please pray for Greg, Traci, and Micah as they make this transition into Kiwi life. They expect to arrive here in Hastings within the next 3-4 weeks.

Leadership Development at Riverbend

2010-07-27T15:47:00.007+12:00

This year at Riverbend Bible Church we established a leadership development team comprised of six men who already serve in leadership roles within the church, but in whom we want to invest even more time. So every month we meet with these men as a part of our regular elders' meeting to discuss leadership principles, ministry issues, and church life.

Here is a picture of the men discussing how we can maintain a disciple-making focus in busy ministries that can so easily devolve into simple programme maintenance.

In preparation for the meeting we all read the first two chapters of The Trellis and the Vine: The Ministry Mind-shift that Changes Everything by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne. The book encourages ministry leaders to aim for the right balance of trellis work (i.e., property, programmes, administration, planning etc.) and vine work (i.e., disciple-making, evangelism, leadership training etc.). Both are needed and cannot be disregarded. Both need to kept in the right balance.

I recommend this book to you as a way to discuss ministry essentials with leaders within the church. It can be purchased here at Gracebooks NZ.

Book Review – "He Is Not Silent"

2010-07-15T20:02:00.002+12:00

R. Albert Mohler, He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World (Chicago: Moody, 2008).

At first glance one might consider the 169 pages of He Is Not Silent: Preaching in a Postmodern World by R. Albert Mohler as just another book on preaching, but Mohler does not simply regurgitate familiar principles or praxis from well-proven books on expository preaching. Instead, Mohler calls preachers to preach the Word in postmodern times. There are the expected biblical imperatives, historical arguments, and biblical definitions found in most preaching textbooks, but Mohler goes further – He argues for a countercultural response to the attacks that postmodernism has levelled against expository preaching.

He Is Not Silent calls today’s preachers to keep on preaching no matter what postmodern trends surface. If you’re looking for a textbook on expository preaching there are more comprehensive books available, but Mohler is an accurate commentator of the times. His comprehension of postmodernism is what makes this book on preaching helpful at this particular juncture of church history. I enjoyed his cultural insights and am thankful for an evangelical leader who will not vacillate on the biblical mandate to ‘preach the Word’ especially in times such as these.

Purchase this book at Gracebooks NZ.

New TSBC Programmes Update

2010-07-15T16:54:00.003+12:00

The Shepherd's Bible College programme development meeting went very well this week. Everything is 'big picture' at this stage, so please don't hold us to everything you read here. Here is what we are thinking at the moment. . .

Currently, TSBC offers a one-year Diploma of Biblical Studies programme which looks like this:

YEAR 1 - Level 5

For those who want to be involved in lay ministry
Graduates are prepared for local church service
Overview courses
Personal growth focus
Help to discern gifts and abilities

The next two years of training are proposed to look something like this:

YEAR 2 - Level 6

For those who want to be involved in bi-vocational ministry
Graduates are prepared for local church leadership
Equipping courses
Ministry ability focus
Help to grow as a servant-leader

YEAR 3 - Level 7

For those who want to be involved in vocational ministry
Graduates are prepared for full-time ministry & service
Leadership courses
Trainer/equipper focus
Help to become effective minister & worker

Would you please pray with us as these ideas continue to develop?

TSBC E-Quipper - July 2010 Issue

2010-07-14T12:06:00.018+12:00

What Happens When the Bible Comes under Attack?
by Nigel Shailer, Vice Principal

If God's Word is not God-breathed, it is regarded only as the product of flawed men who worked independently of any divine initiation and supervision. But the Bible says, "All Scripture is God-breathed," and, "No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

If God's Word is not inerrant, it is questioned by moderns who do not trust it as a reliable source of truth. But the Bible says, "Thy Word is truth" (John 17:17).

If God's Word is not complete, it is considered 'old hat' by moderns who are looking for something more from God – a new revelation or a new prophecy. But the Bible says, "I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God shall add to him the plagues which are written in this book" (Revelation 22:18).

If God's Word is not sufficient, it is sidelined as a ministry resource and replaced by secular pragmatism, business philosophy, and humanistic psychology. But the Bible says, "His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3).

If God's Word is not authoritative, it is thought to contain nothing more than helpful hints for better living – moderns can decide for themselves how they live their life. But the Bible says, "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and observe it" (Luke 11:28).

If God's Word is not perspicuous (i.e., understandable), a final interpretation is not achievable – endless dialogue is entertained without any commitment to discover the intent of the original author. But the Bible says, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15).

Will you join us at The Shepherd's Bible College as we affirm the inspiration, inerrancy, completeness, sufficiency, authority, and perspicuity of all sixty six books of the Bible?

Planning New TSBC Programmes

2010-07-11T21:48:00.006+12:00

At The Shepherd's Bible College we currently offer a level 5 Diploma of Biblical Studies programme which can be completed in one year by fulltime students. We'd like to add level 6 and level 7 programmes for continuing students.

Tomorrow afternoon (13 July 2010), The Shepherd's Bible College board and faculty are meeting to discuss development options. Head of Programme Development, Greg Stephenson, has been working hard to design a level 6 diploma and a level 7 diploma and this will be an opportunity to get input from everyone involved.

At the meeting, Greg Stephenson will appear via Skype. That is because he is still based in California where he and his family are still waiting for visas to be issued so that they can move to New Zealand and he can take up his full time position at The Shepherd's Bible College.

Would you please pray for both Greg's visas to be approved in a timely fashion and for the future plans of TSBC?

Generation of “itching ears”

2010-07-08T16:46:00.011+12:00

This article was recently published in the New Zealand Challenge Weekly Newspaper and can also be found online at the Challenge Weekly website. The article is a follow up to our Impact Bible Conference where Dr Ken Ramey was a keynote speaker.

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In part one of an interview with reporter Michael Hamilton, American pastor and teacher Ken Ramey discusses the Bible, his concerns about the Church in the Western World, and evangelism.

Mr Ramey is a pastor and teacher at Lakeside Bible Church, in Montgomery, Texas. Following study at The Master’s College for theological training and obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree in Youth Ministry, he got his Master of Divinity from The Master’s Seminary.

He served for many years as a high school chaplain, and then as a professor of youth ministry at The Master’s College. He completed a Doctor of Ministry degree in Expository Preaching, and is author of the book Expository Listening: A Practical Handbook for Hearing and Doing God’s Word.

A major concern Mr Ramey has is with issues concerning the Church in the western world today, matters he says it is important to deal with.

“If I look out on the landscape of the western church, I would say we live in that generation that Paul talked about, the generation of the itching ears.

“What we have is this consumerism in the Church where people are coming to Church, not to hear what God has to say to them from his Word, but wanting to hear what they want to hear that makes them feel good, and strokes them and encourages them and basically even justifies their life of sin.

“So what you have is almost this supply and demand going on in the church today where you have all this demand for ear-tickling sermons which creates this supply of preachers who are willing to cater to people’s desire and whims.

“You’ve got many pastors who have really, I think, forsaken their God-given duty which is to faithfully, clearly, accurately explain and apply the Bible; to be God’s mouth-piece; to be a hero for God.”

Mr Ramey said true biblical preaching is not being done in many churches these days. “Biblical preaching has become almost extinct in the Church today and it’s very hard for you to go anywhere and find good, strong biblical preaching; and if I hear any concern or frustration in committed Christians today, it is we can’t find a good church to go to that is faithful to teach the Scriptures.”

He said in too many churches, the pastor just “wants to give a kind of feel-good sermon and a bunch of stories and jokes. But they aren’t feeding people’s souls. There is, as Isaiah talks about, a famine for the Word of God.”

This was partly, he felt, due to too many people being lovers of themselves, and so happily attending such churches.

The duty of churches and Christians to spread the Good News does not fare well either. “I think that generally speaking, the Church has failed in its responsibility and I think many believers are not being good faithful witnesses; it’s because the Church doesn’t train people and equip them, and basically the common method in churches today is that evangelism is done by holding events: event evangelism where you must do an event, or a crusade, or concert. Let’s try to draw people in and give a Gospel presentation,” said Mr Ramey.

“What we need to understand is Acts 1:8; Jesus said ‘You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria and to the outermost part of the earth’. What that meant was if you’re a Christian you’re a witness. The question is — are you a good one or a bad one?”

Mr Ramey said the Church existed to equip the believers in Christ to do the work of Christian ministry or service, so the people came together to be equipped, and then left to scatter to evangelise like the early church at the time of Acts.

The people then went out and did evangelism in homes, in workplaces, in the neighbourhood, on the sports field, where the church members were interacting with non-believers every week. “I think the greatest impact we can make in our culture is to be different from our culture. Unfortunately, that’s the way the church thinks today as the exact opposite — that is, we need to become like the world and if we become like the world we’ll reach the world, because if we become like them, then they’ll like us. And if they like us, they’ll like Jesus. This doesn’t make any sense.

“What needs to be attractive to non-believers is the fact that we’re totally different. That’s what it says in 1 Corinthians 14, when a non-believer comes into the fellowship of the Church and they’re just blown away because they’ve never seen anything like this before, so they go, they think ‘this is kind of like a coffee shop. I feel comfortable here and it’s casual’. Well, that’s not going to make an impact on that person’s life. They need to come in and say, ‘Wow, I’ve never experienced anything like this before”.

“I don’t think the way Christians influence the culture is by getting elected to high positions of authority, or by passing laws in Government.
The way that a culture or society or country is changed, is not by changing leadership, or changing laws — but by changing lives.”

Doctor of Ministry Programme

2010-07-07T13:36:00.003+12:00

We'll today, I should have been starting the next phase of my Doctor of Ministry degree in Los Angeles. The third semester of seminars kicks off today at The Master's Seminary and I am not there. On the one hand, I am really disappointed to miss out on the interaction with my cohort and professors. On the other hand, the reason why I'm not there has been fully planned by our sovereign God who only makes good choices. My pancreas surgery meant that I was not able to complete all the preparatory work for this semester.

Rick Holland, Director of D.Min Studies, has graciously agreed to let me reschedule this semester's seminars to July 2011. Meantime, I have plenty to catch up on as I have not yet finished the previous semester's requirements.

Thanks to everyone who has been praying for Sereena and me through these doctoral studies. The workload is intense but the learning has been very beneficial. I am thankful to God for the opportunity to work on my expository preaching through this programme and I am hopeful that I will be able to take this learning and help students at The Shepherd's Bible College to better preach God's Word also.

I still need to raise another NZ$18,000 to complete the programme. If you're interested in supporting, please contact me by e-mail.

TSBC E-Quipper - Inaugural Issue

2010-07-05T11:34:00.010+12:00

This week saw the first edition of TSBC's new monthly e-mail newsletter, entitled "E-Quipper". Please let me know if you'd like to go on our mailing list.

Welcome to TSBC E-Quipper

If you have received this e-mail newsletter, it is because we'd like to consider you a ministry partner, prayer supporter, and friend of The Shepherd's Bible College. The TSBC E-Quipper will be sent out each month to both update you with TSBC news and encourage you with articles related to Christian life and ministry.

Please feel free to forward this to anyone you believe would benefit from such a newsletter. If you would like to be removed from our E-Quipper mailing list, please click on the link at the bottom.

Impact 2010
by Nigel Shailer, Vice-Principal

One of the annual events The Shepherd's Bible College faculty and student body eagerly anticipate is Impact Bible Conference held each year in June. This year was no different and our expectations were fully met.

This year's conference theme was entitled "Saved to be Holy." It built upon the foundation laid one year earlier at Impact 2009 which focused our attention on the gospel and evangelism. In short, the 2009 conference defined justification and the 2010 conference defined sanctification.

We live in a time when personal sanctification has been relegated in some quarters to a lower level of importance – an unnecessary element of salvation. Some consider it to be an optional nicety rather than the unavoidable result of faith-based salvation. Of course, we are not at all implying that a person's good works earns them favour with God resulting in regeneration. That's the point that was made last year – forgiveness is undeserved and fully granted by God's grace alone – and no good work can add to that reality. But, a genuinely regenerated Christian will pursue Christ-likeness with vigour. Personal holiness will be their heart's cry. The result of their saving faith will be a growing desire to become more and more obedient with each day. And they will be encouraged as they see God's hand in their life, giving them victory over daily temptations.

The keynote speakers, Scott Ardavanis and Ken Ramey, encouraged us to avoid the temptation to reduce the Christian life down to legalistic rule-keeping. Sanctification takes place when we love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength.

To view a video summary of Impact 2010, please click here.

How to Fail as a Christian Teacher: Top 20

2010-07-04T22:18:00.004+12:00

I really like this blog entry from Jonathan Moorhead. I am personally challenged by it.

How to Fail as a Christian Teacher: Top 20

1. Approach teaching as a job, and not a ministry.

2. Consider each student as a number, and not as a ministry opportunity.

3. Try to manipulate the students so that they will give you a good mark on your "course evaluation."

4. Don't spend any personal discipleship time with the students - you only need to teach them in class.

5. Try to confuse the students with difficult material so they will think you are really smart.

6. Have no compassion for less gifted students.

7. Do not show how your lectures glorify God or are applicable to ministry. You only need to disseminate information.

8. Don't work toward replacing yourself.

9. Try to get students out of your office as soon as possible.

10. Do not pray for your students.

11. Don't teach students the strongest arguments of their theological counterparts.

12. Teach them that your theological critics are naive and have devious motives.

13. Don't ever admit that you are wrong, and if you are asked a question that you do not know the answer to, then answer that question by responding to a question for which you do know the answer.

14. Always seek to have preference as a professor. If challenged, always be sure to say, "Do you know who I am?"

15. Make your students memorize irrelevant material. It doesn't matter if they will never use the material in ministry, or that they will easily forget it, but what matters is that you can say you tested them on that material.

16. Never make comments on your students' papers to help them become better writers, just put a grade.

17. Write for the academy, never for the Church.

18. Don't waste your time making your lectures interesting by using PowerPoint, because your students aren't worthy to be your students if they can't simply listen to you reading your lecture.

19. Don't let your students think that their families are more important than school.

20. Don't care enough about minorities or women to correct them. Political correctness and the appearance of tolerance/openness is more important than love.

Surgery Update

2010-07-04T15:02:00.003+12:00

It has now been twelve weeks since my surgery and things seem to be progressing well.

I saw a local surgeon last week for a check up. He poked around for 20 seconds and pronounced me "good to go." I must admit I was looking for a little more feedback than that, but I guess in this case no news is good news. I asked him about a feeling of tightness I experience around my midsection. He told me to expect that for quite a while longer, explaining that it can take six months or more to completely recover from such a major procedure. For now I need to remember that healing can take time and lower my expectations.

Other than that, everything else is feeling really good. I am now over the morphine addiction and I have not yet felt any tinge of pancreatitis, which of course was the whole point of going through this ordeal.

Sereena tells me I cried twice in hospital. I can remember neither time. God has been so good to me throughout the entire process – even removing certain bad memories. Sorry if you visited me in hospital and I can't remember it. You weren't necessarily a bad memory :) Sereena remembers you and really appreciated your encouragement.

Thanks for your prayers.

Learning Practical Ministry Skills

2010-07-02T18:25:00.004+12:00

This week I read and graded the final assignments for my Philosophy of Ministry course. I was really pleased with the work the students produced – it exceeded my expectations.

Their assignment was to write a personal philosophy of ministry which would identify their biblical presuppositions and ministry essentials as defined by Scripture. Next they evaluated their own giftedness, strengths and weaknesses, and then they identified specific tasks and goals for the future. All this was done with a view to serving in the church and developing their ministry roles even further.

I am so thankful for the students at The Shepherd's Bible College who are devoting themselves not only to theological training, but also to the practice of their God-given gifts. They are not satisfied with just gaining head knowledge, but are very focused on practical life-on-life ministry.

TSBC Exams and Upcoming Block Courses

2010-06-30T19:47:00.005+12:00

It's the end of Term 2 for The Shepherd's Bible College and that means final exams and final papers. Class sessions come to a close this week and exams are set for next week. Would you please pray for all our students at this time? There can be a lot of pressure to complete all the assignments and prepare for finals at the same time as continuing in ministry, work, and family responsibilities. Also, please pray for the lecturers who have the responsibility of grading and finalising results.

Dean of Students, Phil Henderson, recently returned from Asia where he conducted pastoral training for ten days. Please continue to pray for Donald Stevenson (Lecturer in Theology and Mission) who is in Zambia for three months to support the ministry of Samfya Bible School. Donald's Africa blog can be viewed here.

During the term break, some students are completing internship experiences, others are travelling to home churches, and one is getting married, and faculty members have various preaching opportunities.

Also during the term break, two TSBC block courses are being offered:
• Christ, Holy Spirit, Angels and Satan – 2-4 July – Hastings – Phil Henderson
• 1 Kings–Esther, and OT Poetical Books – 23-25 July – Auckland – Joe Fleener

Make sure to contact our Administrator if you want to register for these courses. To check out other courses planned for the remainder of the year, please see the TSBC website.

Free Impact Audio Downloads

2010-06-22T09:24:00.012+12:00

The MP3 recordings of all the Impact 2010 general sessions and seminar sessions are now uploaded onto our website and are available to you for free. Please make use of these as you wish – copy them, distribute them, link to them on your blogs – do whatever you can to make these resources available to as many people as you want. Here is the link to the audio downloads page of the Impact website: click here

General Sessions:
#1 - Scott Ardavanis - Understanding the Relationship of Justification and Sanctification
#2 - Ken Ramey - The Pursuit of Holiness (1 Peter 1:13-16)
#3 - Scott Ardavanis - The Purpose of our Salvation (Ephesians 1:3-4)
#4 - Ken Ramey - The New You (Ephesians 4:20-24)
#5 - Scott Ardavanis - Understanding the Deception of Sin (James 1:14-16)
#6 - Ken Ramey - Holy Habits (Ephesians 4:25-32)
#7 - Scott Ardavanis - Understanding the Doctrine of Assurance and its Relationship to Sanctification (1 John)
#8 - Ken Ramey - Sexual Sanctification (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8)
#9 - Scott Ardavanis - A Living Sacrifice (Romans 12:1-2)
#10 - Phil Henderson - A Holy Ministry (2 Cor. 6:11 - 7:4)
#11 - Russell Hohneck - The Highway of Humility (Philippians 2:5-11)
#12 - Ken Ramey - Set Apart for the Master’s Use (2 Timothy 2:20-22)
#13 - Scott Ardavanis - Rejoice in the New Life (Romans 8:34)

Seminar Sessions
Ladies Only
#A - Lisa Tatlock - Developing a Heart of Contentment
#B - Lisa Tatlock - Esther, A Woman of Faith
#C - Lisa Tatlock - Living A Life Filled with Joy

Biographical Sketches
#A - Nigel Shailer - Martin Lloyd-Jones: A Passion for the Glory of God in Expository Preaching
#B - Chuck Finster - Richard Baxter: A Passion for the Glory of God in the Believer’s Life
#C - Bryan Martin - Charles Spurgeon: A Passion for the Glory of God in Contending for the Faith

Leadership Training
#A - Peter Somervell - Sacrificial Leadership: The personal cost of shepherding
#B - Mark Tatlock - Sanctified Leadership: The implications of imitating Christ
#C - Scott Ardavanis - Spiritual Leadership: The indispensible requirement of being above reproach

Young Adults
#A - Ken Ramey - Forsaking Sin: Look at how Moses chose to forsake sin as a young man
#B - Ken Ramey - Fessing Up to Sin: Look at how David confessed his sin when he blew it big time
#C - Ken Ramey - Fighting Sin: Look at how Paul instructed us to mortify sin

Question and Answer Sessions
#1 - Scott Ardavanis, Ken Ramey, Russell Hohneck, Phil Henderson
#2 - Scott Ardavanis, Ken Ramey, Russell Hohneck, Nigel Shailer

When you get to that page, you'll see that all the sessions from Impact 2008 and 2009 are also made available to you. Enjoy!

If you prefer to order audio CDs of these recordings, please contact Gracebooks NZ at: e-mail, or call (0800) 554-722. DVDs of the general sessions are also available.

Confirmed Impact 2011 Speakers

2010-06-17T20:37:00.008+12:00

We have now confirmed our keynote speakers for Impact 2011. They are Dr Bill Barrick and Dr Jack Hughes.

Bill served as a missionary Bible translator with ABWE in Bangladesh from 1981 to 1996. In Bangladesh, he was the exegetical consultant for Bible translation projects, theological consultant for literature ministries, director of church planting ministries in Chittagong, and an adjunct faculty member for the Bangladesh Theological Seminary.

His writing ministry includes devotional commentaries for Asians, journal articles, adult Sunday School materials, and co-authoring a commentary on Daniel in Bengali and A Grammar for Biblical Hebrew. He is currently writing a book on the ministry of Bible translation, a Linguistic and Exegetical Key to the Hebrew Bible, and commentaries on Ecclesiastes and Genesis.

Bill is currently professor of Old Testament and Director of Th.D. Studies at The Master’s Seminary. He was born in Colorado and raised in Wyoming. He and his wife Barbara have been married for 44 years. They have four married children and fourteen grandchildren.

Dr. Jack Hughes serves as Senior Pastor at Calvary Bible Church in Burbank, California. Prior to this he served as a pastor in Idaho and also helped to plant two churches. Jack graduated from Boise State University with a degree in electronics technology. He attended The Master's Seminary and received an M.Div. degree. Later, he earned a Doctorate of Ministry degree in expository preaching from Westminster Theological Seminary. Jack wrote a book for preachers entitled Expository Preaching with Word Pictures: with illustrations from the sermons of Thomas Watson.Jack and his wife, Lisa, have three teenage children - Leah, Nate, and Mark.

In addition, we ave also confirmed two guest seminar speakers. Lisa Hughes will lead the seminars for women and John Richard will lead the seminars for youth.

Lisa and her husband Jack have been married 26 years. They have three great kids, two of whom are in college and one still in high school. As the wife of a devoted and busy pastor Lisa’s ministry involvement has ranged from serving in the nursery to planning church picnics. But for the last twenty years her greatest joy has been to write and teach Bible studies for the ladies in her church. It is her desire to see women develop a hunger for God’s Word and then watch as the Lord transforms their lives through the study of the Scriptures. Lisa’s goal in life can be summed up in Second Corinthians 5:14-15: For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

John serves as Youth Pastor at Placerita Baptist Church in Los Angeles. He is a native of the East Coast, growing up in the Philadelphia area. He graduated from Cedarville College (now Cedarville University) in 1997 with a Bachelor's of Science in Biology and his teaching credential. He earned his Master of Divinity degree from The Master's Seminary in 2001. He ministered at Calvary Bible Church of Burbank as a youth pastor for more than three years before coming to Placerita Baptist Church in 2004.

John met his wife Jamie and was married in 2000. They have five children; Joshua, Kaylee, Ashlyn, Ellie, and Dayton.

John has preached at the Riverbend Bible Church Sports Camp and returns now to address the youth at Impact.

Watch out for more speakers to be added to the lineup.

Conference dates: Queen's Birthday Weekend, 2-6 June 2011.

Impact Bible Conference 2010

2010-06-15T22:10:00.011+12:00

We've prepared a photo montage of Impact 2010. It showcases many of the people, events, and highlights of the conference. Enjoy!

Click here to view the Impact 2010 photo montage on YouTube

Reflecting on My Recent Surgery

2010-05-14T21:43:00.004+12:00

This week someone wrote to me to ask if I still believed God's choices are always best. I immediately understood that they were referring to my recent pancreatic surgery, the 30 years of pain that led up to that procedure, and the difficult process of recovery over these past five weeks. I was struck by the directness of the question and the choice of words, but soon remembered that the person was quoting the title of my last sermon – "God's Choices are Always Best" (1 Samuel 16:1-7).

My friend wasn't provoking me. In fact, he fully anticipated that my response would be positive because he believed in God's sovereignty too. But his challenge was still welcomed and it reminded me that the character of our loving Father remains steadfast no matter what our circumstances are here on Earth. During periods of ease or trial, comfort or pain, reassurance or testing, calm or storm, security or risk, health or illness God is the same – a gracious and kind Father who seeks what is eternally best for His people and that which will bring Him the most glory.

God's choices are always best, not because all our prayers are answered as we want, or because a surgery is successful, or because pain is relieved, or because a trial is over, but rather because the LORD is achieving His will, in accordance with His plan, in His time, to accomplish His end goal, which is His glory. Many times, as was the case in Job's tragical life experience, God doesn't even reveal why a trial is necessary. In Job's case, the catalyst that began his tremendous personal suffering was nothing more than a conversation that God had with Satan in Heaven in which God determined that He would be glorified in Job's response to his afflictions. Read the first two chapters of Job. They are a wonderful reminder of God's awesome sovereignty.

Since Christ suffered for us and left an example for us to follow (1 Peter 2:21), we can also expect to encounter various trials in our own lives (James 1:2). But in the midst of the fire, there is one truth that will keep our focus on the gospel of Jesus Christ and thereby strengthen our faith – and that is, even in the midst of the most horrific and murderous event the world has ever seen – the crucifixion of Jesus – God's loving character is revealed to us, as His eternal plan to redeem a people for Himself is put on display for all creation to see. God's choices are always best even when it meant that His only Son would die.

God only makes the best choices for us. We will not waver on that conviction. Nothing will deter us from believing in God's sovereign hand. He is faithful to glorify Himself in all things and we are privileged to be part of that marvellous process. Praise Him!

PS. And thank you, dear church family, for your prayerful support and numerous encouragements over these last five weeks. God has been glorified in you!

Shepherds' Conference 2010

2010-03-05T21:42:00.004+13:00

Attending The Shepherds' Conference in Los Angeles is always an encouragement. This year a team of eight travelled from Riverbend Bible Church to sit under the preaching of God's Word at The Shepherds' Conference.

Audio and video downloads from the conference are available here: click here

Berean Bible Church, CA

2010-03-01T21:41:00.001+13:00

Russell Hohneck, Sereena and I had the privilege of visiting Berean Bible Church in Arroyo Grande, CA. This is a church that supports the Shepherd's Bible College. What joy to partner with BBC in training and equipping men and women in New Zealand to serve in local churches throughout the South Pacific.

TSBC 2009 Graduation Ceremony

2009-12-13T00:28:00.011+13:00

On Sunday, 13 December 2009, The Shepherd's Bible College celebrated its third annual graduation ceremony. Here are some photos of the service.

More photos can be viewed on The Shepherd's Bible College website: click here