There’s a great new resource come out from the Good Book Company, a four-week evangelistic course on a DVD, featuring Pete Woodcock and Lizzie Smallwood. It’s based around 4 stories that Jesus tells in Luke’s Gospel – The Rich Fool, The Two Lost Sons, The Pharisee and the Tax Collector… Each episode is based around 3 5-minute teaching clips and one testimony. Here’s 5 reasons why I think it’s great:

1. 4 Weeks seems like a good length for a short course… some people might be put off by a 10 week course
2. You don’t need a really good speaker… they’re there on the DVD
3. You can choose to have a bloke or a lady speaking, depending on your context
4. It’s really simple, short and down to earth
5. Each episode finishes with a helpful testimony

Here’s what a lady involved in a Mums and Toddlers group at my church thought:

I thought it was really good for anybody that it would be totally new to the idea of reading or doing a study/course. Very accessible and the testimonies were brilliant. The stories were well chosen to build up the picture of Jesus. I think it would provide an excellent step on from ‘Tiddlywinks’ and youth groups for people who are interested in finding out more about Jesus but Christianity Explained may bo too soon/too much. The people doing were generally very good, but sometimes a little cheesy! But certainly better than many I have seen on DVD format. Still think first hand person is probably best way to hear things, but think its generally a good resource.

You can buy the starter pack for just £16 – including DVD and 3 study guides

About 10 days ago I spoke at an International Carol Service… a traditional English Carol Service put on for the local international students with an evangelistic message.

I spoke on 2 Corinthians 8:9  -  “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich”

• Jesus was rich before His birth, but chose to became poor
• We are poor and need to become rich
• Jesus became poor so that we might become rich

Points shamelessly stolen from Christopher Ash, but the talk is mine.

Talk notes (doc)

Apparently Ben Southall has “The Best Job in the World”… he’s the guy who is the caretaker of a tropical island off the coast of Australia. But the Apostle Paul would beg to differ… clearly the ministry of reconciliation, of bringing God’s New Covenant, the good news about Jesus to the world is the best job ever!

That’s the back drop for 2 Corinthians 4… where we get God shining light in people’s hearts and using weak people (clay pots) to do his work.

I spoke on this passage a couple of weeks ago, bit of a last minute .com job for Kingston CU who hadn’t got a weekend away speaker.

Talk notes here (pdf)

David Short

Last month I was at the Evangelists Conference at All Souls – you can now download the talks!

David Short was unable to make it due to Anglican rumblings in Canada, but hi5 s brother-in-law (I think), Simon Manchester shared 5 thoughts about the resurrection from David:

1. The Resurrection is Central in Preaching (see Acts)
2. The Resurrection is primarily about Jesus, not us
3. The Resurrection is the point at which Jesus transfers his mission to the church
4. The Resurrection hinges on belief in the scriptures
5. The Resurrection cannot be grasped or refused without serious consequences

Went to Cornhill today, first day of term, pretty excited. Sat next to a guy who’s just done 8 years of prison ministry at Pollsmoor Prison in Cape Town, as seen on Ross Kemp on gangs… pretty cool! The guy on the other side was from Bedford where I grew up… small world!

Anyway… I got home early, so popped to a barbers near Brighton station – hair was a serious mess! Having hair cut, by a girl, mid-twenties probably… and we got talking about the gospel… people always ask about work, so working for a church is a great conversation starter (also a conversation killer!). We only had about 5 mins to talk… but three big blockers (as Tim Keller calls them) came up…

• I work for a church… oh I’m not religious
• Do you believe in God?…  oh no, I believe we’re here because of evolution
• I believe Jesus says and does what only God can do (and proves it)…  ok, but how do I know he’s the right God, there’s so many out there

It was clear that there was unfounded prejudice about Christian beliefs, a narrow-mindedness to look into the evidence, but I think deep down a desire to know the truth. Good chat. Same issues always come up don’t they, nothing new under the sun…