Highlights
I’ve had many joys in doing ministry these past months! A particular highlight this year has been getting more involved in our Explore and Belong courses at St John’s. Explore is a 4-week course looking at the claims of Jesus in Mark’s gospel (a condensed version of Christianity Explored). Although it goes quickly, it’s a joy to meet new members/visitors of St John’s who want to find out more about Jesus. This then leads into Belong, a 7-week Bible study that considers what is means to be a Christian and belong to Jesus: the meaning of ‘grace’, ‘faith’, and ‘repentance’, and why prayer, Bible, fellowship, and testimony are key to Christian life. I have gotten to lead this in Term 1 and 2 while my trainer Bruce has supported and given feedback, and it has been a very rewarding ministry! Both new and long-term Christians have gained clarity from God’s word, asked hard questions, and become firmer in their faith. They have gained greater assurance that God, in Jesus, has saved them by grace alone through faith alone. Praise God for the ministries of Explore and Belong, and those who have joined so far this year! Thank God for those who have prepared materials for us to use in these ministries. And pray that I would continue to be grown and strengthened in teaching the gospel clearly, especially as I continue with this term’s group.
I have also enjoyed preparing talks and workshops for Weekend Away and Cornhill. I joined our 11am and 5pm congregations at a Weekend Away at the end of April, at which I co-led a workshop on “Singleness and Marriage” with our Youth minister Callan and his wife Kat. I enjoyed wrestling with this topic together with them, exploring how each of us in our life circumstances are to be devoted to the lord. (The bulk of group planning was done after a family dinner at their house in which I got to experience the wonderful chaos of their life with 3 pre-kindy children). There is much to explore in this wide topic! Yet I was struck that all of us, whether single or married, are awaiting our ultimate marriage to Christ as part of his church. This shapes how, in each that God has placed us into, we are to live in light of that final day. This term I also got to prepare 2 sermons for Cornhill: the first was a topical, for which I was able to adapt a large portion of the material I prepared for the prior workshop! (Partially this was because I returned from camp on Sunday and had to give a talk on the Tuesday 😅). I focused this topical sermon down to singleness, which gave me further opportunity to percolate on key applications of the Bible’s teaching on this theme. My second talk was part of our class series on the book of Ezekiel; the teacher split the book between our 7 classmates to preach on: I was allocated 8 chapters from Ezekiel 25-32 about God’s judgment against the nations😳. Despite this fresh challenge, I was pushed well in preparing this talk, and with help from my trainer Bruce was able to come up with a strong main point and structure. I’m thankful that these talks were not only great training exercises, but were used by God to transform and grow hearers to love him more! (Classmates, after hearing my Cornhill talk, reflected that they had not heard much teaching allocated specifically to the topic of singleness, and grew an appreciation for God’s goodness and mercy in this life circumstance!) Praise God for the opportunities I have to teach his word in various contexts and from various passages! Thank God that I am able to receive great training from others and experience in how to do this well. Pray that I would continue to dwell in his word with great humility, and to faithfully communicate the Bible to others aided by the Spirit. (NB: If you like, you can check out these two recent sermons in the recordings linked below!)
Sermon – Topical (Singleness) [Bible reading ends at 0:33sec]
Sermon – Ezekiel 25-32 [Bible reading ends at 3:50min]
Recently I also got to attend CityFest, which was headed by a combination of staff from our Chinese and English services. This is run annually over two days, and is a time of intentional evangelistic presence on our church lawns next to Parramatta city centre. On another occasion, we also ran walk-up evangelism before our 5pm evening service to make the most of people passing through from Parrachute music festival. I am personally always frightened in ways by the idea of walk-up, but was very encouraged to see people from across our services being bold in sharing the gospel. At Parrachute I joined one of our student ministers, Lucy, in talking to a couple who were sitting next to the church. The woman had a Christian family background but seemed to have drifted from the faith, being unsure about evils in the world and what God thought about them. At CityFest, I met a man who had moved to Australia from the Middle-East, but who had left much family behind, scattered across a number of countries. He said he knew about Jesus and was open to prayer, although (I think because of a language barrier) I was unable to clearly understand who he thought Jesus was. We prayed together that his family would be safe.
And on another occasion, I got to see God’s goodness at work behind the scenes! I had met a church friend for lunch in Parramatta square during his lunch break, and finished together in prayer, when a man came up to us. He asked us if we were praying, and if we were Christians, as he was also a Christian and had just prayed to meet fellow believers! He wanted to meet with us further for prayer and mutual encouragement as we serve God in our workplaces. Thank God for the opportunities we have at St John’s to evangelise to people from all nations. Pray that the couple that Lucy and I met on the lawn would be bold to explore Jesus further and the good news he has about the end of suffering. Pray also that the man who knew Jesus would be able to trust firmly in him, especially for the safety of his own family who are far away. Pray also for the man who we met in Parramatta square, that he would continue to be bold in devoting his home and work life to Jesus. Praise God for his work in changing hearts and growing disciples, and pray that I would continue to boldly participate in his plan as an instrument fit for his use.
I also continue to enjoy music ministry at St John’s with our godly, talented, and keen volunteers! Recently M, the young son of our singer and bass player MJ, has joined us on drums! It has been a great encouragement to see him serve God in this way, and to be the first to put up his hand for prayer at rehearsals and on Sunday mornings. Praise God that we can sing wonderful songs of praise, prayer, and petition to him with our congregations. Thank God for our volunteers (including M!) who glorify God by their love and service each week. Pray that we would continue to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ.
Learnings
We continue to enjoy great training from our staff team at St John’s! Recently we have looked at topics like: ‘Pride’, ‘Pastoring with Gentleness and Patience’, ‘Utilising Physical Environments (like the Cathedral) as a Gospel Aid’, and ‘Preparing a Sermon.’ In training on ‘Pride’, we saw that the Bible describes it as something that draws us away from right relationship with God and one another. Because of it, we elevate ourselves and seek independence, which leads us to face God’s humbling justice. We then ought to follow Jesus’ example, who made himself nothing that the Father might raise him up in glory. In ‘Pastoring…’ we reflected on how quick we are to use tools of fear, bribery, or shame to shape hearts. Rather, we ought to pastor people to love and apply God’s truths by sharing the “[living and active word of God]” which will “[discern] the thoughts and intentions of the heart”. In “Utilising Physical Environments…”, we learnt to maximise the gospel opportunities of a meeting space: in a building like the St John’s cathedral, with all its history and lovely architecture, that means identifying elements that allow us to convey why Jesus is so good and why people have gathered at this church site for many generations. Thank God for our staff who spend time training us with their gamut of gifts! Pray that I would continue to be grown in character, conviction, and competence as a gospel worker.
In experiencing the long haul of ministry, I continue to realise my weakness in time management (amongst other things which result from being a limited, sinful person). Yet I am also glad for the joys of ministry that I have gotten to experience this year as God has used me for his good works in Christ Jesus! As I dwell on my MTS experience so far, I approach a mid-year review when I will spend time with my trainer Bruce reflecting on my last 6 months of ministry and set training goals for the remainder of my internship. I also get closer and closer to making a decision about what I will be doing next year, with options of continuing onto Bible college, other work, or a hybrid of the two. Thank God for growing me through the highs and lows of ministry. Pray for a good time of reflection in my upcoming mid-year review with my trainer. Pray also for wisdom as I consider how best to use next year in service of the Lord.
The Marsden Fund 