Podcast appearances and mentions of Tony Payne

Lots of churches want to know what resources are out there to share the life-changing good news of Jesus. We've interviewed people who created or are using each tool.Two Ways to Live is a well know Australian tool for explain the gospel in 6 simple steps. Tony Payne, one of the creators for Two Ways to Live discusses the origins,  structure, and the impact it has had on evangelism and church training including the future of Two Ways to Live.Tony Payne was the founding editor of Matthias Media and now serves as the Director for Ethics at Moore Theological College.Two Ways to Live OnlineResources for Two Ways to LiveCREDITS:The Reach Australia Podcast is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Reach Australia⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To pray for Reach Australia, join our ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠WhatsApp Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠.For ideas or questions please email ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠resources@reachaustralia.com.au⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠To support the Reach Australia Online Library head ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

When John Dickson convinced top Christian songwriters Ben Fielding and Chris Tomlin to have a go at transforming an 1800-year-old hymn into a tune for our times, they felt the weight of responsibility.This is part two of our mini-series on how the song 'The First Hymn' came to life, with a full documentary soon to follow, which will track the hymn's journey from the deserts of Egypt to the middle of a sold-out stadium arena in the heart of America in the 21st century.This episode takes you behind the scenes: how Ben Fielding and Chris Tomlin resurrected The First Hymn and made it ours.(00:00) - - Intro (05:21) - - Ben Fielding joins The First Hymn Project (08:21) - - Creating something modern from something ancient (13:21) - - The songwriting process (16:15) - - Chris Tomlin joins The First Hymn Project (22:25) - - Collaboration (25:53) - - Tomlin and Fielding exchange musical ideas (31:17) - - John hears 'The First Hymn' for the first time (38:59) - - St Ephrem - one of the first hymn writers (43:25) - - The history of worship music (46:19) - Five-Minute Jesus (51:34) - - Who was the original composer of The First Hymn? (54:40) - - 'The First Hymn' for a secular world (58:17) - - Bringing the hymn to life in an arena Undeceptions is hosted by John Dickson, produced by Kaley Payne and directed by Mark Hadley. Alasdair Belling is a writer and researcher. Siobhan McGuiness is our online librarian. Lyndie Leviston remains John's wonderful assistant. Santino Dimarco is Chief Finance and Operations Consultant. Edited by Richard Hamwi.Our voice actors today were Yannick Lawry and Dakotah Love.A big thank you to Michael Wilder at Wheaton College, and Tony Payne for his arrangement of the original First Hymn, and the 50-person choir led by John Trotter that brought this work to life.Special thanks to our series sponsor, Zondervan, for making this Undeception possible. Undeceptions is the flagship podcast of Undeceptions.com - letting the truth out.

Today we review the 50 year impact of The University of New South Wales' Campus Bible Study on Christian ministries across Australia and around the world - in raising up gospel workers, sending missionaries, planting churches and in Christian publishing. Former Anglican Dean of Sydney Phillip Jensen led the ministry for thirty years till 2005.  Since then Paul Grimmond and Carl Matthei have been senior chaplains. Alan Stewart started studying at the University of New South Wales just two years after Phillip Jensen arrived as Anglican Chaplain.  Alan was saved by Jesus in 1979 and went on to assist in the ministry, before becoming CEO of Anglican Youthworks, Bishop of Wollonong, head of Church Planting for Sydney Anglicans and then national director of the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches. Tony Payne and Tracey Gowing started as undergraduate a few years after Alan.  Tony went on to run the influential Christian publishing house Matthias Media, while Tracey led the Christian ministry at  Cumberland College Christian Group before returning to UNSW as a senior staff member at Campus Bible Study. Reach Australia National ConferenceReach Australia's National Conference is happening from 19 to 22 May 2025 on the Central Coast of NSW. This year's theme is URGENT: The Necessary Task of Mission Before Christ Returns. For more info.Anglican AidAnglican Aid - To find out more about how to support Anglican Aid. The Church CoA website and app platform built specifically for churches: http://www.thechurchco.com Dominic Steele's preaching at Village Subscribe to Dominic Steele's weekly sermons from the Village Church website. Support the show--Become a regular financial supporter of The Pastor's Heart via Patreon.

In this episode, from a chapel service held on Tuesday 4 March 2025, Mal York, Dean of Students and Lecturer in Ministry at Moore Theological College, speaks on 2 Corinthians 8 and the topic of giving to the work of gospel ministry.He reminds us that financial generosity is not just for the rich, but rather it is a core part of the Christian life, no matter your circumstances.For more audio resources, visit the Moore College website. There, you can also make a donation to support the work of the College.Contact us and find us on socials.Find out more and register for “Neurodivergence and the Christian life”, a CCL ethics workshop hosted by Tony Payne.Please note: The episode transcript provided is AI-generated and has not been checked for accuracy. If quoting, please check against the audio.

Dear friendsTime for another Q&A episode, but with a twist this time. Regular Two Ways News contributor Marty Sweeney joins us from Ohio to pitch me a number of questions about the Bible, theology and ministry—questions that have come from his regular conversations and seminars with pastors and ministry people in the US.The questions revolve around the Bible, theology, ministry and evangelism—all the good stuff. Questions like:* Is the Bible the only tool we need for ministry and evangelism?* What place should topical or systematic preaching or Bible study have?* Can our theology end up hampering our Bible reading?* What about courses or other study programs—do we really need them?Hope you enjoy the to-and-fro!Your brotherTonyPSIf you have been finding Two Ways News beneficial and encouraging, we would love for you to consider joining our Supporters Club—the people who make it possible for us to keep producing this newsletter/podcast—if you haven't already.To subscribe for free or join the Supporters Club, follow the link below to the ‘subscribe' page. You'll see that there's:* the free option (on the far right hand side)* but also a number ‘paid options'. To join the Supporters Club you take out one of the paid ‘subscription plans', and as a thank you, we send out bonus episodes and other material to Supporters Club members from time to time. Sign up for free or join the Supporters Club. LinksEvangelize 2024Always two there areby Tony Payne (when this podcast was called The Payneful Truth)An article that discusses the way the Bible is full of pairs of ideas that you have to hold together. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

In this episode, Tony Payne discusses the importance of hiring for potential over experience. He explains that hiring for potential can lead to faster, cheaper, and more diverse hiring, as well as increased sustainability for the business. Tony compares hiring potential to gardening, where you focus on the plant before it blooms and get more longevity out of it. He also shares strategies for scoping a job to prioritize potential, identifying and evaluating alternative routes to traditional degrees, and supporting employees with high potential. Tony emphasizes the need to overcome bias in hiring practices and predicts that hiring for potential will become more common in the future. Takeaways Hiring for potential can lead to faster, cheaper, and more diverse hiring. Scoping a job to prioritize potential involves focusing on skills requirements and conducting job workshops with the whole team. Alternative routes to traditional degrees, such as internships and apprenticeships, can be effective in identifying potential candidates. Support systems, including coaching and training, are essential for developing employees with high potential. Overcoming bias in hiring practices that favor experience over potential is crucial for increasing diversity. The future of hiring is likely to involve a shift towards prioritizing potential over experience, with more companies adopting this approach. Chapters 00:00 Introduction and Background 03:42 The Mindset Shift: Potential over Experience 06:24 Scoping Jobs Based on Skills Requirements 10:44 Exploring Alternative Routes to Traditional Degrees 12:26 Nurturing Employees with High Potential 15:05 Methods for Evaluating Candidate Potential 21:19 Conclusion and Contact Information

Send us a Text Message - include your name!SUPPORT THE SHOWIn this episode of the FOB podcast, Pastor Eric and Andy engage in a thoughtful conversation about perfection and the pursuit of excellence. They share their journeys toward accepting brokenness and the imperfections of life. The discussion also touches on the themes from the book "The Trellis and the Vine," offering valuable insights. Additionally, they explore their own insecurities, which often emerge when they relinquish control and delegate responsibilities. You can find "The Trellis and the Vine" by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne on Amazon.com for purchase. This book explores the essential components of Christian ministry through the metaphor of a trellis and a vine, focusing on disciple-making and the structures that support it. Making TimeWhat if you could literally make more time? How would your life change?Listen on: Apple Podcasts SpotifySupport the Show."Faith Over Breakfast with Pastors Andy & Eric" is a weekly podcast where Pastors Andy and Eric come together over a imaginary delicious breakfast to talk about faith, food, sermons, culture, and more. In each episode, the pastors delve into thought-provoking topics and offer inspiring insights and practical guidance for those seeking to deepen their relationship with Jesus. With occasional guests joining the conversation, "Faith Over Breakfast with Pastors Andy & Eric" provides a unique perspective on what it means to live a life of faith in today's world. Whether you're a seasoned Christian or just starting on your faith journey, this podcast is the perfect companion for your morning routine. So join Pastors Andy and Eric each week as they explore the intersections of faith, food, and life over a delicious breakfast.Support:https://www.buzzsprout.com/97804/support

Aaron and Jonathan discuss the book The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall and Tony Payne and how it should influence the way we operate as Christians and church members.

A brief ministry report from Tony Payne is followed by a message from Pastor Hunter Strength.

A brief ministry report from Tony Payne is followed by a message from Pastor Hunter Strength.

A brief ministry report from Tony Payne is followed by a message from Pastor Hunter Strength.

Kansas City True Crime: Tony Payne was murdered July 2, 1977, in Overland Park, Kansas. His murder remains unsolved. True crime

Diversity hiring is rightfully on the agenda for most businesses.But how do we get it right?How do we do it authentically?Do we have the foundation of an inclusive culture?We will answer all of this and more. My guests are Tony Payne, Head of Talent at Travtus, Rekha Aucklah, Head of Talent at Armakuni and Reece Batchelor, Talent Acqusition Manager at tray.io.

A reading of Andrew Heard's ebook 'Pastoring is Leadership'. This is one half of the ebook 'On Leadership'. The other part was written by Tony Payne. To get the full written ebook, click here. Read by Josie Seto.

In this week's rather packed episode, we talk about: * Off-colour jokes about Jesus, and how Christians should respond;* Why ‘community standards' is a fiction used to silence the community;* How you can only flourish in the public square as a Christian by pretending to be someone else; and * Whether our God-given desires are a good basis for evangelism. Enjoy.Links:~ Same same but different - by Tony Payne - Two Ways News~ Seven types of 'apologetics' - by Tony Payne (twoways.news)~ Seven types of 'apologetics': Part 2 - by Tony Payne (twoways.news) This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

How do we work together in complementarian ministry as we lead small group bible studies/growth groups/community groups? Small groups are the heart beats of our churches, where we wrestle together on how God might have us live.  Most groups have a male and female paired together in leadership. But how do those two people work together?Do we see their roles as identical/mirror images of the other.  Or are the roles different? Kara Hartley is Archdeacon for Women's ministry in the Sydney Anglican Church. Tony Payne is chair of Matthias Media, serves on team at Campus Bible Study at Sydney's UNSW, and podcasts with Phillip Jensen at Two Ways News. Help us upgrade the cameras and video switching equipment used for The Pastor's Heart. Make a regular donation via http://www.patreon.com/thepastorsheart or make a one of donation at http://www/thepastorsheart.net Support the show--To make a one off contribution to support The Pastor's Heart's ministry go to this link, or to become a regular Patreon supporter click here.

A reading of Tony Payne's ebook 'Pastoring is Taking Heed'. This is one half of the ebook 'On Leadership'. The other part was written by Andrew Heard. To get the full written ebook, click here. Read by Tony Payne.

The great commission makes disciple-making the normal agenda and priority of every church and every disciple.  – Colin Marshall and Tony Payne

The Alpha Course is 'emotionally powerful but theologically confused'.“Personally, I wouldn't be game to use something that I know is inadequate” - Christian Author Tony Payne has watched through the latest Alpha materials.Tony joins Dominic Steele in this BEST OF episode to work through the strengths and weaknesses of the Alpha Course.This conversation is a high level discussion of  Alpha, beginning with the heart of the Christian leader and our obligation to build upon strong gospel foundations. Tony acknowledges Alpha's high production values, and powerful emotional content, but says Alpha still reflects CH Dodd's influence, 'There was a strong movement in theology to stand against the idea that God is judge of all the world, and that God's primary and only stand towards us is love.  And that our problem with God is that sin has natural cause and effect consequence, with no sense that sin is a personal offence to God, and that God is deeply angry with us and our sin.''It's a gospel in which sin is the doing of bad stuff that has bad consequences, and that God's attitude to us is only love.  And that what happens on the cross is a dealing with sin, a paying the price.  But there's no explanation of what that means.'     Tony also challenges us to reflect: are we trusting God to save people, or relying on our own ability to 'reshape' the message of the gospel to seem reasonable and attractive and explains his own reasons behind choosing not to use the course. Listen to the full conversation - regardless of whether you use the Alpha course or not - it is a good opportunity to reflect on our hearts towards evangelism. Tony Payne is the founding editor of Matthias Media, and Writer-in-residence at Campus Bible Study in Sydney. He has written (or co-authored) numerous books and ministry resources, including The Trellis and the Vine, and currently publishes an online blog/podcast  with Phillip Jensen called Two Ways News.Disclaimer: Tony Payne is one of the authors of Two Ways to Live.  Dominic Steele is author of Introducing God.***As The Pastor's Heart grows in audience our opportunities and responsibility grow as well. We want to get better and that takes more resources. We are asking listeners to partner with us to help fund our production, editorial, distribution and promotion.To support The Pastor's Heart - http://patreon.com/thepastorsheart Support the show

Buy the book here - https://matthiasmedia.com/products/le... Check out Tonys podcast here - https://www.twoways.news/ Exposit The word is an online platform designed to point people towards sound Bible teaching.

Sometimes evangelicals are accused of making such a big deal of full-time Christian work that it sends an implicit (or even explicit) signal that people who don't go into full-time ministry are second class. At other times, we panic about the ‘minister drought' and bemoan the fact that no-one is being challenged to go into full-time ministry any more.Is it possible to avoid these problems? What's the right way to challenge people to consider full-time Christian work without devaluing those who don't pursue that path?A conversation with Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen.Links:Ray Galea's new book on this very topic is now available to pre-order. Eager to Serve: Facing our fears, counting the cost, and stepping up in gospel ministryTony's little book for every Christian on seeing yourself as a disciple-making disciple is also worth a look: The Thing Is: God, you and your purpose in life. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

The first edition of Two Ways News, a new podcast and newsletter collaboration between Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen. Find out more, subscribe, and read or listen to past editions of Tony's newsletter 'The Payneful Truth', at the Two Ways News website. To get in touch, make comments or ask questions, send an email to tonyjpayne@me.com. And if you'd like to listen to the whole clip of Stephane Grappelli's swing version of Bach's Double Concerto, you can find it here! This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Integrity seems almost mythical in our current culture. Suspicion runs deep—largely because of a history of lying and deception. At some points, our culture celebrates this sort of slight in order to gain the upper hand. This problem isn't novel; we may use a variety of “guarantees” to back up our words—for example, “I swear …”, “On my mother's grave …”, and so on. But often we fail to be people of our word. However, Jesus says that Kingdom living leaves no room for deception. As recipients of the truth, disciples must live a life of truth. In this episode of the podcast, we bring you the audio from our most recent live event, in which Dr Tony Payne leads us to discover discipleship without deception. For an edited transcript and show notes, visit https://ccl.moore.edu.au/resources/podcast-episode-083/

On this episode of Weekend Debrief, Dave and Wes discuss the themes of service, discipleship, and hospitality. They talk about where they think Grace Church is concerning these things and talk about how to improve. They also start a new NFL season tradition called the "Mascot Moment" and highlight the monthly mission's partnership for September, SAT-7. Send comments or questions to (971) 301-2414. Missions Links & Book Recommendations: SAT-7 Grace Missions Page The Trellis and the Vine by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne The Vine Project by Colin Marshall & Tony Payne

In this Ecosystem Workshop from the 2022 Reach Australia conference, Tony Payne and Tim Clemens talk about the theological and practical aspects of belonging, membership and community in our churches. https://reachaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ECO-WORKSHOP_BELONGSINCOMM_TIM-TONY.pdf

In this Ecosystem Workshop from the 2022 Reach Australia conference, Tony Payne and Tim Clemens talk about the theological and practical aspects of belonging, membership and community in our churches. https://reachaustralia.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/ECO-WORKSHOP_BELONGSINCOMM_TIM-TONY.pdf

On this episode of Weekend Debrief, Dave and Wes discuss the Heroes of History series, talk about this month's missions focus, and have their latest entry in Love It or Hate It. Send comments or questions to (971) 301-2414. Recommended Book: How to Walk Into Church by Tony Payne

Recorded on April 12, 2022 On this episode of Weekend Debrief, Dave and Wes discuss the third question that came in from the sermon on April 10th from 1 Corinthians 5:1-13. This question digs in deeper on Pastor Dave's comments regarding the recent stance of Disney and some Christian's calling for boycotts. Is that the way Christians should respond when secular businesses and organizations take an unbiblical stance? What does it mean when Paul says, "who am I to judge the world"? They also talk about books they are enjoying in their monthly Reading Rainbow segment. Send comments or questions to (971) 301-2414. Reading Recommendations: Treasure Hunters Series by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein The Wisdom Pyramid: Feeding Your Soul in a Post-Truth World by Brett McCracken How to Walk Into Church by Tony Payne

Bible-teaching churches need Bible teachers. Hear how Steve Brandon equips men to read, explain, and apply the Bible in their homes and in their churches.About Our GuestSteve Brandon is the founding pastor of Rock Valley Bible Church in Loves Park, Illinois. He earned his master of divinity from The Master's Seminary and his doctor of ministry from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He has been married to his wife Yvonne since 1992, and the Lord has blessed them with five children and one granddaughter. Featured ResourceThe Master's Seminary: Get equipped for pastoral and academic service beginning with a Master of Divinity through to a Doctor of Philosophy. On-site and distance-learning programs can provide you the flexibility you need to become the best you can be in the service of our Lord Jesus Christ.Resources MentionedSteve's blogJackson Hole Bible CollegeGrace Church of DuPage, Warrenville, IllinoisKishwaukee Bible Church, DeKalb, IllinoisWord Partners, Palos Heights, IllinoisThe Charles Simeon TrustThe Institute for Expository Preaching by OnePassion and Ligonier Ministries, Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine, Youngstown, OH: Matthias Media, 2021.

Tony has over 20 years experience working in recruitment and is strategically focused around how to make a company successful through high-performing teams, HR initiatives that amaze, winning sales teams and use of technology to enhance achievement. He is certified in People Analytics and gives back as a Mentor to People Ops/HR/Recruitment professionals. Oodle are the growing motor finance company in the UK, and are on a mission to inspire car buying confidence at every step. Very often when volume recruitment is sprung on the Talent Acquisition team, planning may take a backseat to doing when in fact that's the most important step in the whole process. Tony talks us through specific examples as to how he has delivered strategic volume recruitment plans, executed them and won the hearts and minds of stakeholders along the way. A must listen! Contact Tony here

In our first ever PUBLISHED episode we talk about how the idea of the podcast came about and all the issues we've overcome to get it off the ground. We also talk to Tony Payne from Trail Cartel about his brand new first edition From Bronco, and how he feels about it since he just got rid of his Hemi swapped Jeep Wrangler. We hit on a few of the fundamentals such as interior, exterior, power, and what the thinks Ford could have done better.

The Briefing 21 Years On An episode of the Chat Room where Tony Payne and Phillip Jensen engage in conversations about topical issues. For more Chat Room episodes please see The Chat Room. Source

This episode accompanies a free e-book written by Andrew Heard and Tony Payne, available at reachaustralia.com.au/resources. The video of this interview is available on the Reach Australia youtube. 0:00 Introduction 1:03 Unhelpful understandings of pastoral ministry 2:13 The language of pastor in the Bible 10:17 Training incoming pastors 23:13 Meeting with your people 26:53 Models of ministry 30:40 Bad shepherds 33:15 Accountability 37:38 Is team pastoring really pastoring? 43:51 Leadership is noble 47:49 Men and women

We are joined by the authors of Two Ways to Live, Phillip Jensen and Tony Payne, to talk through the changes they have made to the iconic gospel outline. We talk through the what and why behind the changes.Plus how do they respond to recent criticisms of the Two Ways to Live outline? Phillip Jensen is the former Anglican Dean of Sydney. He now leads Two Ways Ministries.  Tony Payne is chair of Matthias Media. See the related discussion with Sam Chan on his 'Evangelism in a skeptical world'For more about the new Two Ways to Live go to Matthias Media's page.https://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/2WTL-----Please financially support the Living Faith pastoral ministry by going to http://www.livingfaith.online Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thepastorsheart)

I've been talking to the trainees at CBS about how to read the Bible.Like most of you, they already have a decent idea of how to do this. They know about the reading process of COMA—Context, Observation, Meaning, Application. And (again like most of you) they have also learned to read the Bible by doing it over many years, and by hearing the Bible taught and preached well over many years.But I love a good clarifying definition, so I've put together this one to sharpen their understanding of what's involved in reading the Bible (or ‘exegesis', if we want to make it sound more impressive). I'm suggesting that:The aim of good Bible reading is to listen and respond to what God is doing in this text—through these sentences addressed to their implied original readers within the larger biblical context of God's saving revelation of his SonThere are all sorts of interesting things we could explore in this definition.But the aspect I want to explore in today's post is the seemingly innocuous phrase “through these sentences”. Our goal in Bible reading is to see and respond to what God is doing through the sentences and paragraphs that make up the passage that we're reading.A statement of the bleedin' obvious if ever there was one.But this obvious statement is necessary because of what it denies: we don't say things or do things with words—only by arranging those words into sentences. Sentences are how we say something (or do something) through language.Why am I teaching you to suck eggs like this? Because I think we have a problem in this area. Perhaps it's because we love the Bible and its words so much. But judging by the exegetical arguments I keep hearing us make, we sometimes seem to think that meaning is conveyed by words rather than sentences—as if words are little suitcases that carry around with them all kinds of meanings and concepts and ideas that can be unpacked into any given sentence. Or that what a word is doing in this sentence can be discovered by noting what it was doing in that sentence over there.This is the blunder I keep seeing us make in our Bible reading and exegesis and preaching. (And I have done it myself more than once!)Let me try to explain what I mean with a non-biblical example.Let's say that when the Moore College scholars of the future are poring over the 18 leather-bound volumes of the collected works of Tony Payne, they read these two sentences about boys, one in volume 3:God blessed me with two boisterous, clever boys—Luke and Nick.And another in volume 7:I separated the two boys who were fighting, and told them to stop being so stupid.In these sentences, the lexical sense or meaning of the word ‘boy' is the one we'd find in the dictionary: a male child or young person, or possibly a slave or servant. This is the semantic range or field of the word ‘boy'. We discern which part of the semantic range applies in any particular sentence by … reading the sentence in its context—that is, whether the boys in question were are someone's male children (as in the first sentence) or just young males generally (more likely in the second) or slaves (unlikely in either).So far, so easy.However, various concepts are also associated with boys in these two sentences—boisterousness, cleverness, fighting, the fact that they come as blessings from God. But these concepts aren't super-glued to the word ‘boy', as if they follow it around wherever it goes. This is one of the key mistakes we make in Bible reading and exegesis. We take concepts that are associated with a word in one sentence, and transfer them into another sentence in a completely different place.We say things like this as we write our biblical commentary: “Payne often associates boys with cleverness (see vol. 3, p. 27). For Payne, ‘boy' is cleverness language. It's likely therefore that the two fighting boys in volume 7 were having an intellectual dispute, not merely a physical one, and that when Payne tells them not to be ‘stupid' he is referring to a temporary lack of good sense, not impugning their innate cleverness.”This is linguistic balderdash.Boy is not ‘cleverness language'. Cleverness doesn't ride around on the coat-tails of the word ‘boy' waiting to jump into any given sentence that ‘boy' appears in. ‘Boy' means a ‘young male or male child', and if you want to say that this or that boy is clever (or stupid), you do that by making a sentence. In everyday English, we know this, and would never make such a basic linguistic error. We know that you don't say things by using a word and expecting your hearers or readers to know or remember how you might have used that word on some completely different occasion, and then read those associated concepts or referents into the sentence that is coming out of your mouth.But somehow, when we come to read the Bible, we find ourselves doing strange things like this quite often (and I confess I have done so myself).For example, have you ever read (or made) an argument like this one?Many opinions of working women have been shaped by the word in Genesis 2:18, ‘helper'. This word therefore merits some greater attention. Was the woman to be merely a helpful assistant to the man? In our day we use the word ‘helper' in the sense of a plumber's assistant, handing the boss the right wrench for the job. But that is far from the meaning of the Hebrew word used to describe the first woman.God created the woman as an ‘ezer' [the Hebrew word in Gen 2:18]. The word ‘ezer' occurs twenty-one times in the Old Testament. In two cases it refers to the first woman, Eve, in Genesis 2. Three times it refers to powerful nations Israel called on for help when besieged. In the sixteen remaining cases the word refers to God as our help. He is the one who comes alongside us in our helplessness. That's the meaning of ‘ezer'. Because God is not subordinate to his creatures, any idea that an ezer-helper is inferior is untenable.This author wants to counter the idea that because Eve is Adam's helper, this renders Eve somehow inferior or subordinate to Adam. And the argument starts well by pointing out (quite rightly) that just because we often associate the word ‘helper' with junior apprentices or assistants in our linguistic context, we can't then read those concepts back into Genesis 2—as if the concepts of ‘inferior status' are attached to the word ‘helper', and can be unloaded into whichever sentence ‘helper' appears in.Unfortunately, however, the author then makes precisely the same mistake with the OT usage of the word. It's quite true that the word ‘helper' is used elsewhere in the OT to refer to God, with associated concepts of superiority or salvation or ‘coming alongside us in our helplessness'. But this doesn't mean that these concepts are attached to the word ‘helper', and can be applied in any other sentence that ‘helper' appears in. The word ‘helper' doesn't mean ‘a superior or powerful person who comes alongside us in our helplessness'.   The word ezer in Hebrew means almost exactly what the word ‘helper' does in English: ‘someone who offers help or comfort or assistance'. Whether that ‘helper' is superior or inferior or subordinate or divine or powerful or incompetent can only be determined by seeing what sort of helper they were—by reading what the author said about that helper through these sentences to their original implied readers (to go back to my definition of good reading).The possible inferiority or superiority of the ‘helper' in Genesis 2 can be determined in only one way—by reading the sentences of Genesis 2. And if those sentences don't say anything much about inferiority or superiority (which they don't), then we should accept that, and move on.We seem to do this sort of thing too often. We go hunting through the cross references (or via our Bible software) for other passages that contain the same words that appear in the passage we're reading.  And then we starting taking associated ideas, concepts, referents or events from the cross-referenced passage—often arbitrarily or conveniently—and slot them into the sentences we're actually reading.Now before you get defensive about your exegetical habits, let me point out three caveats or exceptions.1. Sometimes concepts that are associated with a word can carry over into a subsequent use of that word in the same paragraph or passage; that is, when the context of the sentences that are being made makes it clear that the ‘boys' the author is talking about in one sentence are the same clever, boisterous boys from the sentence before. It's not always the case—because the author might deliberately use the same word in different ways for effect or contrast. And of course, the further apart the two usages are, the less likely that there is any connection—that is, that the author wants his implied original readers to make a conceptual connection in their minds through the repetition of a particular word. When the two usages are in two entirely different books or documents, the likelihood that the author wants his readers to make some conceptual connection is very remote.2. Sometimes, an author does use a word or phrase to connect the sentence he is writing with concepts contained in a completely different sentence somewhere else by making a quotation or allusion. We come across this quite often in the Bible, especially because it is one long, sprawling, unified story, supervised and breathed out by one divine author. But caution is in order!* First, we need to be confident that the author is actually making a quotation or allusion in a way that his implied original readers would have understood. The fact that a single word in a Pauline sentence was also used in the Septuagint of 2 Chronicles 7 doesn't mean that Paul was wanting his readers to nod and tap the side of their noses and think, “Oh of course, this is 2 Chronicles 7 all over again!” The quotation or allusion needs to be part of what the author himself is doing in the sentence—not an obscure connection we have found by using Bible software.* Secondly, we should make of the quotation or allusion what the sentence makes of it, and not think that anything and everything from the usage of a word or phrase in the original quoted context can be read into the sentence in which it is being quoted. For example, when the author of Hebrews keeps using the word ‘priest' to describe Jesus, with all the rich OT history and connotations that his Hebrew readers would have shared, that doesn't mean that any or every concept associated with the OT word ‘priest' applies to Jesus—in fact, the whole point is that it does not (e.g. he is not from the tribe of Levi, and he does not have to make sacrifice for his own sin, etc.). When Matthew has Jesus refer back to the sign of Jonah in Matthew 12, that doesn't mean that the concepts of cowardice and disobedience associated with Jonah also apply to Jesus. Nor does it mean that ‘fish' is ‘resurrection language', and that when Jesus feeds the 5000 two chapters later with fish he is foreshadowing his resurrection. (And yet somehow, we manage to fall into the trap of making these sorts of arguments.)3. A final exception—sometimes a word is used so often to refer to a particular thing (in a particular linguistic community) that it comes to have a special attachment to it. It becomes a jargon word, or what biblical scholars call a ‘technical term'—so you only have to use that word and readers know that you are referring to a specific example of what that word could refer to. ‘Gospel', for example, is an everyday word meaning ‘an announcement of great or significant news'. That's what the word means. But by the time Paul uses it in 2 Tim 1:8 to urge Timothy to “share in suffering for the gospel”, he would have been confident that Timothy knew which ‘gospel' he was talking about, and all the concepts and content associated with it. ‘Gospel' has become a jargon word within the linguistic community that Paul shared with Timothy.  ‘Technical terms' like this are not all that common, and you have to be very sure of your evidence before narrowing down a word in this way to a particular set of concepts or referents.I started this post talking about the importance of reading sentences, and now I have found that I have asked you to read way too many of them!But I have done so not only because all this requires a bit of explaining, but because it's important. Understanding God's word is vital, and therefore reading it well is vital—neither failing to listen carefully to what God is doing through sentences and paragraphs of Scripture, nor reading extraneous ideas or concepts into them, especially via the words that the sentences contain. God speaks to us through the sentences of Scripture, addressed to the original implied readers, within the larger context of the whole biblical revelation about his Son. So we read the sentences in the NT in light of the OT sentences that preceded them; and we read the OT sentences with an awareness that they foreshadow the Christ to come (because the NT sentences tell us so!).My particular hope is that our antenna will quiver with caution whenever we hear phrases like these:* ‘Fire' is judgement language. ‘Fire' is sometimes metaphorically associated with judgement; but that doesn't make fire ‘the language of judgement'—as if wherever the word ‘fire' appears, the concept of ‘judgement' is not far behind.* Paul often uses the word X to refer to Y, and so therefore … Failing the unlikely event that the word X has become a technical or jargon word, what Paul is using X to refer to in this sentence should be determined by what this sentence is saying, not other sentences he wrote elsewhere. The referent Y is not super-glued to the word X, so that when X is used in a sentence the characteristics or concepts of Y can be read in or implied.* Let us look at all the instances of the word X in order to find out what the Bible teaches about X. Word studies are somewhat useful but often misleading. What the Bible teaches about the subject of X is not carried around in the word X, or constructed by adding together all the things or concepts that X is used to refer to in various places—not even if we start at the beginning of the Bible and do this biblical theology style! Discovering what the Bible teaches about the subject of X is done by reading the sentences and paragraphs in which that subject is discussed—whether or not the word X is used to discuss it—and seeing what those sentences say, within their immediate and larger biblical context.Can we please stop making these linguistic blunders when we read the Bible? I will if you will!PSI'm going to run with my standard PS, which is to say “There's so much more that could be said!”.I will mention one other complication: we often use various Bible words to refer to whole subject areas or doctrines (e.g. ‘justification', ‘sanctification', ‘pastor', ‘worship', ‘church'). And so we can end up confusing the word with the subject, and get ourselves in a muddle. We can think that whenever we see the word ‘sanctification' in the Bible it must have something to do with the subject of ‘growth in Christian godliness' (interestingly, it quite often doesn't). And vice versa, we can think that because the word 'sanctification' quite often doesn't refer to ‘growth in godliness' in the Bible that the whole idea of sanctification as ‘growth in godliness' is suspect (it isn't; it's just talked about in various sentences that often don't use the word ‘sanctification'!).One final note: the kind of blunder I've been talking about is sometimes referred to as either ‘illegitimate totality transfer' (where you take the various concepts that are associated with a word and wrongly assume that they are carried around in the word, ready to be transferred into any context); or ‘illegitimate identity transfer' (where you think that because a word refers to something in one context then characteristics of that identity or referent can be transferred to a completely different context in which the word is used). James Barr coined these terms in his 1961 book The Semantics of Biblical Language.One of the particular targets of Barr's critique was Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, which he criticized for its widespread ‘illegitimate totality transfer'—that is, for confusing the rich theological ideas of the Bible with words that are used to convey them; as if what the Bible says about the unconditional, free, gracious love of God is loaded into the Greek word agape.You fell victim to one of the classic blunders … This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

Based on principles in the book The Generosity Project -by Tony Payne and Geoff Robson-, Pastor Hardy addresses the need at Twin City Bible Church for above-and-beyond giving in order to resolve the need for more-education and worship space.

In this episode of "In the Word, On the Go," best-selling author and speaker, Dr. Tony Payne, talks about God's plan to use the words of normal Christians to prevent hardness of heart. Tony says, "The way to protect our hearts is to keep encouraging one another every day." Special Guest: Tony Payne.

Today's conversation; focuses on resources that are available to worship leaders and those who are called to full-time ministry. Dr. Matthew Westerholm discusses his story and unpacks his life of ministry. He also talks about his involvement with the Norton Hall Band and how they are creating great resources for the modern church. Through every job and calling, he has gathered some great advice and resources that have helped him along the way and hopefully will also help us in our lives in ministry.     www.biblicalworship.com https://www.sbts.edu/bgs/biblical-worship/norton-hall-band/ www.southernseminary.com/admissions   The Trellis and the Vine - Colin Marshall and Tony Payne https://www.amazon.com/Trellis-Vine-Ministry-Mind-Shift-Everything/dp/1921441585   The Shepherd Leader - Timothy Z. Witmer https://www.amazon.com/Shepherd-Leader-Achieving-Effective-Shepherding/dp/1596381310   Don't Lose Heart - Jason Meyer https://www.amazon.com/Dont-Lose-Heart-Gospel-Discouraged/dp/0801094429   Theology   1. Concise Theology - J.I. Packer - https://www.amazon.com/Concise-Theology-Historic-Christian-Beliefs/dp/0842339604 2. The Christian Life - Dr. Sinclair Ferguson -https://www.amazon.com/Christian-LIfe-Doctrinal-Introduction/dp/1848712596 3. Engaging with God - David Peterson - https://www.amazon.com/Engaging-God-Biblical-Theology-Worship/dp/0830826971 4. The Institutes of the Christian Religion - John Calvin - https://www.amazon.com/Institutes-Christian-Religion-John-Calvin/dp/1463562837   History   1. Generations of Praise - Bruce Shields, David Butzu - https://www.amazon.com/Generations-Praise-History-Bruce-Shields/dp/0899009417 2. Church History in Plain Language - Bruce Shelly - https://www.amazon.com/Church-History-Plain-Language-Fourth/dp/1401676316 3. Christ Centered Worship - Bryan Chapell - https://www.amazon.com/Christ-Centered-Worship-Letting-Gospel-Practice/dp/0801098114   Music   1. The Art of Worship - Greg Scheer - https://www.amazon.com/Art-Worship-Musicians-Leading-Modern/dp/080106709X 2. Resounding Truth - Jeremy Begbie - https://www.amazon.com/Resounding-Truth-Christian-Engaging-Culture/dp/0801026954   Prayer   1. Valley of Vision - Arthur Bennett - https://www.amazon.com/Valley-Vision-Collection-Puritan-Devotions/dp/0851512283 2. Prone to Wander - Barbara Duguid, Wayne Houk - https://www.amazon.com/Prone-Wander-Prayers-Confession-Celebration/dp/159638879X 3. Tune my Heart - Scott Aniol - https://www.amazon.com/Tune-Heart-Narratives-Devotional-Individuals/dp/0999431765 4. Every Moment Holy - Douglas McKelvey - https://www.amazon.com/Every-Moment-Douglas-Kaine-McKelvey/dp/0998311235   Worship   1. Worship Matters - Bob Kauflin - https://www.amazon.com/Worship-Matters-Leading-Encounter-Greatness/dp/158134824X 2. Rhythms of Grace - Mike Cosper - https://www.amazon.com/Rhythms-Grace-Churchs-Worship-Gospel/dp/1433533421 3. The Worship Pastor - Zac Hicks - https://www.amazon.com/Worship-Pastor-Ministry-Leaders-Teams/dp/0310525195 4. Corporate Worship - Matt Merker - https://www.amazon.com/Corporate-Worship-Gathers-Building-Churches/dp/1433569825

Tony Payne joins Ninon live in the studio

In this episode of In the Word, On the Go, author and teacher, Dr. Tony Payne comments on 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, that Jesus didn't just die for us, but with us. Tony says, "Jesus died for us. But he didn't just die for me, he died as me. So my former life is over. And he set me free to live a completely new life, for him." Special Guest: Tony Payne.

In this episode of In the Word, On the Go, author and teacher, Dr. Tony Payne comments on 2 Chronicles 33:13, that God give mercy to even those we might consider the most undeserving, even us. Tony says, "This is what the Christian gospel is: It's about the forgiveness of sins for people who don't deserve it." Special Guest: Tony Payne.

Perhaps I'm perverse, but I really quite enjoy the first week back at work after holidays. I don't have super high expectations of myself. I know it will take a while to get the brain working, and to remember what it is that I am being paid to do. And it's one of those times of year when you have the excuse (in fact, the obligation) to pause and think about what you should be doing. To strategize a little. To plan and prioritize. This is excellent, and definitely more fun than actually working. So I've pulled open the digital equivalent of the musty manilla folder with all my writing ideas in it, and started to rifle through it. What should I write about this year in The Payneful Truth?There are digital notes and scraps and half-written ideas on a whole range of subjects: * on the wisdom and folly of crowds;* on the common impulse (including in my own breast) to soft-pedal on fraught moral issues so as not to be hated; * on the nature of Christian maturity as growth in faith, love and hope; * on the cult of environmentalism, in which everyone educated in the last 20 years has been enlisted as a devotee; * on the relationship between preaching and the Bible (amazingly, I have something fresh to say about that); * on why Christians can appreciate the good impulses in both progressive and conservative politics, while also seeing the fundamental shortcomings of both;* on what Titus teaches us about the imperatives of ministry; * on whether or why we should keep the livestream going once we're fully back in church together (if that ever happens!);* and much, much more. It's a pretty disparate list. There are practical ministry ideas, theological issues and discussions about discipleship; but there are also issues that would normally be classified as personal or social ethics. Having such a broad range of possible topics is generally a no-no in the world of newsletters and podcasting. Pick your lane and build your audience. That's the standard advice. Write about ministry or theology or ethics, but don't try to do all of them at the same time. I've thought about this more than once over the past 12 months. Should The Payneful Truth be mainly for ‘trellis and vine' types who want to discuss ministry? Or should it also delve into the ethical complications of living as a Christian in the world? Which lane should I pick? It seems to me that the road we're called to walk down as Christian believers has more than one lane, and the dotted line between them isn't so clear. Take the division between ‘ministry' and ‘ethics'. It's true that most people tend to be more interested in one or the other, as revealed basically by what they talk about all the time (and the articles or links they share online). It will be about the latest issues in evangelism or preaching or discipleship (on the one hand), or about climate change or US politics or transgenderism (on the other). In my own life, there's some history and heritage here. The evangelical movement I grew up in, swirling around St Matthias and Campus Bible Study, had a reputation for giving a high priority to gospel ministry, to the point where not much else got a look in.It was a caricature—the reality on the ground was much more nuanced—but most caricatures possess a kernel of truth. In fact, back in the 90s, there was a joke going around that made fun of the differences between well-known churches in Sydney: How many people does it take to change a lightbulb at Barnies Broadway? “Well, there are two views about that …” How many people does it take to change a lightbulb at Christ Church, St Ives? “We're not sure; we have people who do that.” How many people does it take to change a lightbulb at St Matthias? “We don't change lightbulbs; it's not a gospel issue.”Of course, how we live in the world is very much a gospel issue, because the grace of God teaches and trains us to live a new life (a lesson those of us who were at St Matthias in the 80s and 90s knew by heart). And the imperative to disciple others with the gospel of Christ, and how we do that, are very much ethical issues. They are questions of love and truth. We can't talk about gospel ministry without also talking about what it means to preach the gospel to people whose hearts are captured by, say, environmentalism. And we can't talk about environmentalism without talking about the resurrected Jesus Christ who rules the world, and the hope of a new creation. In fact, we can't know what it is about environmentalism (if anything) that is significant or worth talking about without the re-orienting wisdom of Christ, which teaches us to make judgements about all things (1 Cor 2:15-16). In other words, gospel ministry is really a form of ethical thinking and action. It proceeds from a biblical understanding of what is good and true (in Christ), and seeks to speak and act in love on the basis of that truth. And (on the other hand) ethics is a form of theological reflection and action. Ethics makes no sense for Christians unless it is driven and shaped by the biblical truth of Christ crucified. We approach every issue, every thought, every word and every deed in the name of Jesus. We shouldn't compartmentalize the two, or dichotomize them, although it is common to do so. I learned this while I was doing my PhD. My project was to bring the framework of theological ethics to bear on a ‘ministry' practice. I wanted to investigate the ‘one-another word ministry' of Christians, and understand it theologically. But I was exploring an action with moral significance—one that we are urged or commanded to do, that takes place under the banner of love, that can be done well or poorly, and so on. The field in which you explore the theological nature of moral actions is ‘ethics'. But very few people in ‘ethics-world' are much interested in what we call ‘ministry'; nor for that matter do many people in ‘ministry-world' bring the intellectual tools and frameworks of theological ethics to bear to understand what they are doing. In Stephen Jay Gould's expression, ‘ministry' and ‘ethics' often function as ‘non-overlapping magisteria'. This made the whole PhD project both delightfully interesting—I was exploring an open field which no-one had bothered to map before—but also rather tricky, in terms of satisfying the expectations of the academic guild. I managed to navigate my way through, which was a relief to all concerned. That's what I plan to keep doing here as well—to keep mining that wacky ideas file of mine for Payneful Truth posts, without worrying too much about which lane I am in, or whether I have a ‘ministry' or ‘ethics' hat on. In the end, the two hats sit on the same head, which should be striving to understand and speak about all things from the perspective of Jesus Christ. There's a challenge in this for me, and for all us. The test of whether something is worth thinking and speaking and writing about is not which category it fits in, nor whether you or I find it interesting, nor whether it's the thing currently dominating the news or being plastered across social media. (As I write, it's whether Australia Day should be moved from January 26 or not.)The test is this: Will speaking the truth in love on this subject (such truth being grounded in the biblical revelation of Christ) serve to build the body of Christ—to move people towards knowing him, and to fortify and encourage them towards maturity in him?There's a reason to get back to work. PSAs we get a new year underway, I'm wondering if I can ask a favour. Could you copy the following paragraph, paste it into an email and send it to ten Christian friends? (One of the things that is occurring to me as I start this new year is that I haven't done enough to tell people about The Payneful Truth.) Hey, I've been really enjoying this newsletter/podcast thing from Tony Payne, and I think you'd like it. There's a free subscription as well as a paid level. You can sign up at thepaynefultruth.online. Or your own words to that effect. And if you haven't gotten around to subscribing yet yourself …I've got a decent list of subjects to think and write about, but I'm always looking for more—and especially those that are particularly exercising your minds and hearts. Please send in your questions and ideas so that I can slot them into the program. You can email me at tonyjpayne@me.com.This week's photo was taken on the Hay plain in western NSW—one of the longest, straightest and most boring drives I can remember doing (with five children in the car).  This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

En este episodio hablaremos de "El enrejado y la vid" de Colin Marshall y Tony Payne. Acompáñanos una vez más! Intro & Outro –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Wait For Me - Jeff II https://youtu.be/YuBBSQI2XDQ Creative Commons Attribution Free Download / Stream: https://bit.ly/wait-for-me-jeff-ii Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/wVdnM1hWLwU –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Background :::::::::::::::::::: Music: All That - Bensound https://www.bensound.com Support by RFM - NCM: https://bit.ly/2xGHypM :::::::::::::::::::: :::::::::::::::::::: Music: Hope Against Hope by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Artist: http://audionautix.com/ Support by RFM - NCM: https://youtu.be/mUALjFA8DkE :::::::::::::::::::: --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/imagen-bautista/message

We talk winning our workmates & neighbours to Jesus. Plus leading our homes and and the battle against porn.At last weekend's Men Meeting the Challenge Conference, Dominic Steele led a panel discussion of leaders in the Australian men's ministry space, canvassing how we can win our workmates and neighbours to Jesus. David Robertson is an Evangelist & Pastor from Scotland and now with Third Space and City Bible Forum; Grant Borg is an Evangelist and Church Planter in south western Sydney; Martyn Iles leads the Australian Christian Lobby (ACL) and Tony Payne is a Christian author and publisher with Matthias Media and now back in Student Ministry at UNSW.http://www.thepastorsheart.net/podcast/saving-the-souls-of-menFor details and to register for for next March's Men Meeting the Challenge Conference Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/thepastorsheart)

Help your church grow in generosity. Tony Payne speaks with Scott Sanders and Maddy Galea about the new resource on today's episode of The One Thing podcast.

One of my hopes for The Payneful Truth is that it will be an opportunity for the very thing I discussed in last week's edition: for us to speak the truth in love with one another, for mutual instruction and encouragement.So far so good! Thanks for the many emails and comments that have done just this. And in the coming weeks, I'll be touching on some of the specific questions you've asked, including these two: * Does this view of overlapping ‘zones' of speech in the Christian community also help us think about Christian speech to outsiders? Do we also have ‘preaching-teaching' style evangelism and ‘one-another' evangelism?* Small groups are a good opportunity for ‘one-another speech' but what about the main Sunday gathering? Shouldn't it also be a place where we encourage and exhort each other? If so, how? Stay tuned for more on both of these questions.  But in the meantime … Neither a prophet nor a prophet's sonAs a number of Payneful Truth readers have pointed out, last week's post on the importance of ‘one-another edifying speech' takes on a particular relevance in the era of COVID19. In fact (as some others also reminded me), the final paragraphs of The Trellis and the Vine rather spookily made this connection. The following words were written in 2009, not long after the swine flu epidemic:Try this mental experiment. Imagine that a swine flu pandemic swept through your part of the world, and that all public assemblies of more than three people were banned. And let's say that, due to some catastrophic combination of local circumstances, this ban had to remain in place for 12 months.How would your congregation of 120 members continue to function—with no regular church gatherings of any kind, and no small home groups (except for groups the size of three)?If you were the pastor what would you do?I guess you could send your people regular letters and emails. You could make phone calls, and maybe even do a podcast. [The idea of livestreaming services didn't cross my mind in 2009! TP] But how would the regular work of teaching and preaching and pastoring take place? How would you encourage your congregation to persevere in love and good deeds, especially in such trying circumstances? And what about evangelism? How would new people be reached, contacted and followed up? There could be no men's breakfasts, no coffee mornings, no evangelistic courses or outreach meetings. Nothing.You could, of course, revert to the ancient practice of visiting your congregation house-to-house, and doorknocking the local area to contact new people. But how, as a pastor, could you possibly meet with and teach all 120 adults in your congregation, let alone their children, let alone doorknocking the entire suburb, let alone follow up the contacts that were made?No, if it was to be done, you would need help. You would need to start with ten of your most mature Christian men, and meet intensively with them two at a time for the first two months (while keeping in touch with everyone else by phone and email). You would train these ten in how to read the Bible and pray with one or two other people, and with children. Their job would then be twofold: to ‘pastor' their wives and families through regular Bible reading and prayer, and to each meet with four other men to train and encourage them to do the same. Assuming 80 per cent of your congregation is married, that would be all or most of the married adults involved in regular Bible-based encouragement.While that was getting going (with you offering phone and email support along the way), you might choose another bunch to train personally—people who could meet with singles, or people who had potential in doorknocking and evangelism, or people who would be good at following up new contacts.It would mean a lot of personal contact, and a lot of one-to-one meetings to fit in. But remember: there would be no services to run, no committees, no parish council, no seminars, no small groups, no working bees—in fact, no group activities or events of any kind to organize, administer, drum up support for or attend. There would be just personal discipling, and training your people, in turn, to be disciple-makers. Now here's the question: after 12 months, when the ban was lifted and you were able to recommence Sunday gatherings, and all the rest of the meetings and activities of church life, what would you do differently? (Colin Marshall and Tony Payne, The Trellis and the Vine, pp. 165-167). Now, I am neither a prophet nor a prophet's son (Amos 7:14); nor do I know anything about viral outbreak management, flattening the curve, or any of the other subjects about which people on Facebook suddenly seem to be experts; nor is this little parable meant to prescribe what should be done in 2020. But it does seem to me that the current circumstances will provide a stress-test for the quality of the ‘one-another' culture in our churches. When our normal opportunities for public preaching and teaching ministries are curtailed (as is already happening in many places), the degree to which we have taught, equipped and encouraged our congregations to speak the word to one another will become apparent. No doubt many of us will find ourselves underprepared. However (and this was the point of the ‘swine flu thought experiment'), sometimes being forced to think outside our standard modes of operating can be helpful. As stressful and difficult as the current situation is for many pastors and congregations, the changed circumstances also provide fresh opportunities—not only for giving comfort, prayer and hope to those whose secure world has been upended by the pandemic, but for supporting, encouraging and equipping our people to minister the word prayerfully to each other in multiple different ways. As we figure out how to see gospel ministry continue and grow in the year of COVID19, let's not only make plans for livestreaming sermons—as important and necessary as that is; let's also think creatively about how to teach and equip our congregations to “exhort one every day as long as it called ‘today', that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Heb 3:13). PS. And for this week's random pic: I am not a prophet's son, but I am the son of a wonderful Christian mother (Helen Payne). Here we are about four years ago with her first great-grandchild, (and my first grand-daughter) Ruby. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.twoways.news/subscribe

By Andrew Pearson

By Andrew Pearson

Along with the preached word, there's another important aspect central to the life of a church: how the members of the body interact throughout the week.Tony Payne heads the Center for Christian Living at Moore College in Sydney, Australia. He's also a director at Matthias Media. One of Tony's most well-known books is The Trellis and the Vine, but today he's been summoned to the bunker to chat up his work in progress, addressing speech in the Christian community.How does speech—outside of the formal worship service—shape, inform, and impact the Christian community? In his work, Tony considers how members of the body should minister to one another for the purpose of edification by considering how several passages in the New Testament apply to today's church.Show Notes·The Trellis and the Vine by Tony PayneThanks to our friends at Matthias Media we're giving away The Small Group and the Vine Bundle, a 5-week course for training small group leaders. Register for the opportunity to win.