Bible exposition

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Written by: Chris Porter

Created: 01 December 2023

In the vibrant narrative of early Christian communities found in the book of Acts, Luke introduces us to Apollos in Acts 18:24-26, an evidently eloquent and fervent disciple whose story gives us some insight into education and mentoring in the early church. Apollos, hailing from Alexandria, enters Ephesus, equipped with a fervent spirit and a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. However, Luke draws out a crucial revelation for us: “he knew only the baptism of John." Despite his evident zeal and scriptural competence, Apollos stands at the threshold of deeper understanding, highlighting the significance of ongoing theological education and the community of faith.

This is particularly shown in the teaching intervention orchestrated by Aquila and Priscilla, a couple known for tent making ministry and association with the Apostle Paul. Recognising what was lacking in Apollos' knowledge, they take him aside and "explain to him the way of God more accurately." Aquila and Priscilla here exemplify the vital role of teaching, and spiritual mentoring, within the Christian community. Their act of taking Apollos aside signifies a deliberate and personal investment in his theological education underscoring that knowledge—even substantial knowledge—can benefit from the guidance of seasoned mentors.

We can also see here the communal nature of theological education. The act of taking Apollos aside implies an intimate, one-on-one setting where the complexities of faith are unpacked through dialogue, explanation, and patient instruction, emphasising the importance of personal engagement in the process of nurturing theological understanding. But from our knowledge of ancient education the home environment is also strongly communal, and if we have any doubt we see in verse 27 that the “brothers and sisters encouraged [Apollos] and wrote to the disciples [in Achaia]” to commend him.

Indeed, Apollos goes on to Corinth where Paul describes him as nurturing (watering) the faith of the church (1 Cor 3:6).

This relationship of learner and teacher deepens the understanding of the church, and challenges the common perception that teaching is a one-sided endeavour of “chalk and talk.”

In reflecting on this early Christian community, we should be prompted to evaluate our own roles in the teaching and learning dynamics within our churches and communities. Do we actively seek opportunities to teach and be taught? Are we fostering an environment where theological study and instruction is approached with humility and a desire for mutual growth?

The narrative of Apollos' encounter with Aquila and Priscilla in Acts still serves as a pattern for believers today—a call to engage in intentional, personal teaching that nurtures the growth of theological understanding and relationship. Luke encourages us to view teaching as a collaborative and transformative act, fostering a community where knowledge is shared, humility is cultivated, and the journey of faith is enriched through intentional, personalised instruction.

Chris Porter (PhD, Ridley College) is the Post-Doctoral Research Fellow at Trinity College Theological School (Melbourne). His research interests are in the social-identities of the early church, the sociology of schism, the Gospel of John, and is currently writing a commentary on Acts. He serves on several Christian for-purpose boards, and is a regular co-host on the Two Cities Podcast.

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Written by: Gavin Perkins

Created: 01 September 2023

Luke declares at the beginning of his gospel that he writes of “the things that have been fulfilled among us” (Luke 1:1). In Luke and then Acts he then makes it clear that the people of God’s evangelistic task of global mission is a crucial fulfilment of the Old Testament hope, particularly as expressed in the prophecy of Isaiah. In Isa. 42:6 it is promised that the Servant of the Lord will be a light to the nations. This is expanded upon in Isa. 49:6 where the Servant is to be a light to the Gentiles “that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.” With Jesus in his arms, Simeon proclaims that in seeing Christ, God has brought about this salvation long-prepared (Luke 2:30–32). Accordingly, in Luke’s schema the proclamation of forgiveness in the name of the resurrected Christ to the ends of the earth is as much the goal of prophetic hope as the death and resurrection of the Christ.

In Luke 24:45–47, the resurrected Lord Jesus gives his disciples the essence of Old Testament scriptural hope as fulfilled through his ministry. The necessity of prophetic hope created a necessity that shaped his own ministry—it was “everything that must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms” (Luke 24:44). The suffering of the Messiah and the resurrection of the Messiah both took place just as had been prophesied as a fulfilment of Old Testament hope (Luke 24:46). However, Jesus adds a next step of necessary fulfilment, one which still lies in the future as he speaks to his disciples: “repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem” (Luke 24:47). Just as much a part of the prophetic hope as his own death and resurrection, just as vital to God’s plan, and just as certain to be fulfilled, is the proclamation to the ends of the earth of the gospel of repentance and forgiveness in the name of Jesus.

Furthermore, Jesus promises empowerment by his Holy Spirit for the work (Luke 24:49). In this promise Jesus links the ongoing proclamation mission of the church with his own preaching ministry. Isa. 61:1–2 had promised the Spirit would be on the Servant of the Lord, anointing him to “proclaim the gospel to the poor.” This gospel proclamation would bring spiritual comfort, freedom, sight, and a season of favour and blessing from the Lord. Jesus began his public ministry at the synagogue in Nazareth by preaching these verses from Isaiah, declaring those words to be fulfilled in his ministry (Luke 4:21). Jesus is the Spirit-empowered gospel preacher bringing freedom and spiritual sight as he breaks the chains of oppression. Accordingly, the promise in Luke 24:49 of divine empowerment for mission links Jesus’ evangelistic mission with that of his people. In Acts 2:1– 12 Luke makes it clear that this empowerment is the Holy Spirit, and that power drives forth the church in mission, not just to the nation Israel but to all the tribes and tongues of the earth.

As Luke follows the growth of the gospel word in the book of Acts, he continues to draw on the prophesy of Isaiah as central in shaping the essential and necessary nature of the church’s ongoing mission. Luke recounts a crucial turning point in Paul’s ministry during which he defends his evangelistic strategy by quoting Isa. 49:6 (Acts 13:47). Paul and Barnabas’ heightened focus on Gentile mission was driven by theological and not just strategic or pragmatic considerations. In quoting from Isa. 49:6 Paul declares, “For this is what the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’” (Acts 13:47; emphasis added). In Isaiah 49 the “you” refers to the Suffering Servant, but in Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas take it as directly referring to them. It is “what the Lord has commanded us” (Acts 13:47; emphasis added)—that is, Paul and his missionary co-workers. The commission to the Servant has become for them a command to engage in Gentile mission. As he and Barnabas are engaged in that ministry of the Servant as they plant Gentile churches, Paul unequivocally sees them as fulfilling the ministry of the Suffering Servant to be a light for the nations and bring salvation to the ends of the earth. In his commission God set Paul apart to proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth, and he does the work of the Servant, so he will also bear the stripes of the Servant (Acts 9:15–16). Furthermore, he includes in that commission those who partner with him in the work.

An examination of two key passages in Paul’s letters confirm this link. Paul retells the story of his own calling in Galatians writing, “God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles,” and in so doing recalls the words from Isaiah, “the Lord called me; from my mother’s womb he has spoken my name” (Isa. 49:1). The commission Paul received to preach the Son among the Gentiles (Gal. 1:16) is in fulfilment of the promise in Isaiah that God would bring saving light to the Gentiles. Also, in Romans 15:19 Paul could boldly claim, “from Jerusalem and all the way around to Illyricum I have fulfilled the gospel of Christ.” Paul continues in Romans 15 by quoting another of Isaiah’s Suffering Servant songs: “It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation. Rather, as it is written: ‘Those who were not told about him will see, and those who have not heard will understand.’” (Rom. 15:20–21, quoting Isa. 52:15). Once again Isaiah provides Paul with a self-understanding that informs his missionary strategy. The Suffering Servant has come and was pierced for the transgressions of the whole world, and so Paul will go to those who have not heard. In this sense Paul is completing the work of Christ as he carries on the work of the Suffering Servant in bringing light to the nations. In all of this, Paul is clear that it is Christ the Suffering Servant who works through him in his own suffering and ministry; it is all “what Christ has accomplished through me” (Rom. 15:18). Strengthened by Christ, and with Christ speaking through him, Paul proclaims light to the nations.

In the second half of the book of Acts (read alongside Paul’s letters) it is clear that the Spirit-empowered proclamation of salvation in Christ becomes not just the task of the apostolic eyewitnesses but also of the churches established through their ministry. The mission strategy of the Apostle Paul is to plant key churches as training and mission centres to further the evangelisation of a wider region, and so has built within that strategic plan an expectation that local church members would follow his lead in using their gifts and opportunities to proclaim Christ to their family, friends, and acquaintances. His aim was to firmly plant the gospel in the key cities of each region through ceaseless work in evangelism and faithful nurturing of the emerging churches into an established maturity. His pattern was then to return to those churches, appointing and training leaders, and envisioning for sustained faithfulness and mission (cf. Acts 20:28ff.). As Paul writes his letter to Rome, he can look out over that great area from Jerusalem to Illyricum and can say, ‘my work here is done’ (Romans 15:19). For Paul, at this point, the gospel has been fulfilled amongst the Gentiles of the East and they are now able to continue the task themselves. He aims to leave churches mature enough to get on with the task of preaching the gospel and furthering the mission without Paul’s ongoing direct support.

In Paul’s ministry as recorded by Luke there is an expected and normal link between proclaiming Christ and enduring hardship. This is important for the church in every age to grasp as they continue on mission. In his letter to the Colossians, Paul writes strikingly, “I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). The sufferings of the Apostle for the Gentiles are in continuity with the sufferings of the Christ, not in terms of atonement but in terms of mission. Christ suffered as the source of the gospel message, Paul (and those who follow him) suffer in the proclamation of that gospel message. The suffering that is the source of grace is that of Jesus and is perfect and complete, however, the suffering that is the necessary accompaniment to the proclamation of the gospel is incomplete. Both sufferings were anticipated by Isaiah, and so the figure of the Servant finds fulfilment not solely in Christ’s sufferings for the church, but also in the sufferings of those who proclaim the light of the gospel to the nations. In the era of salvation history between the resurrection and the return, the gospel must be proclaimed to the nations, however this proclamation is not done by the Suffering Servant himself (as Isaiah 49 seemed to indicate) but is through the church acting by his commission and power. Christ will proclaim light to the Gentiles as Isaiah anticipated, but it is through his church. As Paul conducts a mission to Gentiles he fills up in his “flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions” (Col. 1:29) as his toil, struggle and suffering for the Gentile church become a necessary part of his continuation of the ministry of the Suffering Servant, whose energy works within him. In continuing the ministry of the Suffering Servant, Paul was the pioneer, but others joined him in the task. Barnabas was designated as one who alongside Paul fulfilled the song of the Suffering Servant, and as Paul taught and trained others he made it clear that the link between suffering and mission was not unique to him. In writing to his young protégé Timothy, Paul reminds him of his teaching and the persecution and suffering that it produced, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured” (2 Tim. 3:10–11). Having seen Paul’s ministry up close, there is no doubt that Timothy understood what Paul meant when he writes, “everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim. 3:12). The faithful ministry of the word of God involves persecution and suffering. As Paul stands at the finish line exhausted, but victorious in Christ, he calls back to Timothy, “keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry” (2 Tim. 3:5). Timothy was part of the fruit of Paul’s pioneering mission, and now he is called to share both its joys and its trials as he carries on that same mission. Paul planted churches in the Gentile world, but having laid a foundation in Christ, he handed over responsibility for the development of that mission to those young churches. Believers today are recipients of the gospel to the nations and stand in this line of responsibility as the present generation to whom the mission has been entrusted.

As Luke writes his two-volume work to show what has been fulfilled through the ministry of Jesus he also displays what is continuing to be fulfilled by Christ through his church, empowered by his Spirit. Evangelism is at the heart of the life and purpose of the church, even as it leads believers directly into the types of hardship that Paul and his apostolic band endured.

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Written by: Paul Barker

Created: 01 June 2023

I preach every week, often more than once, and it takes me over 18 months to get to every one of my 82 parishes. Preaching is a highlight of my week, something that energises me and challenges me. I try hard to fit the expectation of length of sermon (between 12 and 35 minutes) and I have enjoyed the challenge of preaching shorter than I used to. I now use a stopwatch when I preach as it helps me keep to time better.

Maybe 60% of my parishes use the lectionary readings, which I fit into, preaching just one of the readings rather than something on them all. The remaining parishes are roughly split between asking me to fit into a sermon series or I have free choice.

My aim has been to write twelve new sermons a year, a low bar but the extreme busyness of the role, plus the ability to reuse older sermons, means I do not always succeed even to achieve this goal. In reusing older sermons, apart from adjusting the length of the sermon, I am trying to reshape the introduction and application to be more relevant to this particular congregation.

WHAT I MISS FROM BEING A VICAR

I have been an itinerant preacher for almost fourteen years, the last 6.5 as a bishop. I still miss two key things. Preaching to people I know. I always want to preach with love, and that was easier with people I pastored week by week. In addition, preaching to people I knew meant I could be more accurate and deeper in application.

I also miss preaching a series, building week by week through a portion of scripture. Each sermon now for me is very much standalone, and to a different congregation week by week. I miss the personal growth from working through some consecutive portions of scripture. I miss the more frequent opportunities to preach from the Old Testament. I have tried to create a few opportunities for additional preaching, with Lenten series on Sunday or midweek nights, a winter midweek Old Testament series, and the occasional camp or conference.

BEING ITINERANT

Being itinerant has advantages but also challenges. I am more explicit about Christ, especially in Old Testament passages. When I was a Vicar preaching a series, I could hint and suggest, I could anticipate the next week and build up to a series climax. Now, in standalone sermons, I have to be more explicit and make sure people see where the passage fits and leads to.

Being itinerant means that when preaching on a passage that has developed from earlier passages, I often have to do more unpacking of those earlier passages as I cannot always assume people see the passage in its literary context.

The other challenge is not knowing my people well. At least as bishop I return after a couple of years and get to the know the parishes gradually. However inevitably the application is broader and perhaps weaker. I rest comfortably with that, because I see other priorities in my preaching, which I come to below.

UPHOLDING TRUTH

When I was consecrated, I pledged to ‘maintain the Church’s witness to the resurrection of Christ from the dead, to protect the purity of the gospel, and to proclaim Jesus as Lord’. I take this seriously. My priority in preaching whichever passage in whatever church is to do exactly this.

I want people to have confidence in the gospel and an enduring commitment to Jesus. Many in our churches are uncertain in faith, inarticulate in theology and wearied in discipleship. In a societal environment increasingly hostile to Christianity, and in a global church environment that is conflicted on doctrine, I want above all to affirm Jesus, his sufficiency for salvation and his cosmic Lordship. By and large I do not seek to do that combatively or adversarially. Lifting up the glorious gospel of grace, highlighting the splendour of Jesus, in as compelling and attractive way as I can, is confidence-building, comforting and, I hope, convincing. It is what our church needs.

I stick to one Bible passage. Indeed I always have done. When I have taught preaching, I have argued that using other biblical references should only be for adding clarity or conviction. But I also stick to one text because I believe that people need confidence to read the Bible.

Cross-references, including floating through three or four lectionary readings, can erode confidence, as most people feel inadequate jumping round scripture. But as people see one passage opened up, being shown what is simply there, then my prayer is that they begin to see that the Bible is comprehensible.

I do not use my Sunday preaching in parishes to be about pragmatic issues or ministry, compliance, governance, mission action plans or diocesan priorities. They are primarily for preaching scripture, bearing witness to the risen Jesus that people may be drawn to him in faith, love, discipleship and witness, for his glory.

Bishop Paul Barker

Assistant Bishop, Diocese of Melbourne.

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Written by: John Forsyth

Created: 01 June 2023

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching 2 Timothy 4:2

PREACHING GOD’S WORD

One of the great joys and responsibilities of being an ordained minister is the preaching of God’s word to God’s people each week. The significance of this ministry is not just reflected in the amount of time we give to sermons in our Sunday services, but also the substantial and appropriate time spent in preparation. In many churches, this responsibility falls to the single vicar, rector or senior pastor. Many of my dear colleagues and friends in ministry face the challenge of faithfully preaching week in and week out without much of a break.

ST JUDE’S CONTEXT

In my parish of St Jude’s, we face a different context and a different challenge. St Jude’s is a multi-site and multi-staff church with 6 Sunday services across 3 sites, some occurring at the same time. Thus we need a number of different preachers each week to cover all our services. Additionally, we have 7 members of staff who are regular preachers, 3 who are occasional preachers, not to mention our ministry trainees and student ministers and we are even blessed with a vicar emeritus who is known to preach now and then. I am very thankful that we are very blessed with a large number of preachers.

HOW WE WORK OUT WHAT TO PREACH

St Jude’s is committed to expository preaching. This means that as we go through a book of the Bible, the main point of the biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached. The vast majority of our preaching is spent working through a book of the bible week by week.

Although we have six congregations, we have a combined preaching program for the whole church. I bring a draft program to the senior staff team and together we shape the preaching program for the coming year. Over a year we aim to cover a breadth of scripture. This usually means preaching through, a gospel, a New Testament letter, and a book from the Old Testament. Additionally, we preach through the Psalms over January. We tend to break series up to cover 6-10 weeks, with longer books being broken up into parts (eg. we recently preached through all of Romans over 4 years). We also write Bible studies for each series to enable our small groups to follow the preaching program.

There is also space for congregational ministers to choose their own preaching series for a set number of weeks These may be more topical or theologically shaped (eg. a series on “work” or the Apostles Creed etc).

HOW DO WE WORK OUT WHO WILL PREACH

Preaching is one of the fundamental ways of pastoring people entrusted to our care as shepherds. This means that our key pastoral leaders do most of the preaching. In our case this includes me as the vicar and the senior staff who lead campuses and congregations. The need for at least 2-3 different preachers each week ensures that most senior staff are preaching regularly and that congregations hear a variety of voices from the pulpit. We also create space for other staff, trainees and student ministers to preach 2-3 times per year. Having a team of preachers also allows our staff to serve by preaching at other churches from time to time.

OVERSEEING A TEAM OF PREACHERS

One of the challenges of being a multi-site church is that I am not able to see and hear all sermons preached on a Sunday. To address this challenge, we have two key strategies. Firstly, we have a weekly “Hour of Power” meeting for all the preachers who are preaching in 2 weeks time. This hour is spent exegeting the passage and discussing any initial thoughts and reflections. This gives preachers the ability to work together and allows more experienced preachers to guide those with less experience (iron sharpening iron). Secondly, junior staff are given feedback on their preaching and assistance if needed by the senior staff they report to.

While I know that not all pastors have the opportunity, I consider it a great joy to lead the team of preachers at St Jude’s. Not only am I blessed with hearing the scriptures expounded so carefully by my colleagues, it has also helped me improve my own preaching as we seek to powerfully bring the word of God to bear on people’s lives.

John Forsyth is Vicar of St Judes Carlton