Come join us this Sunday for the second instalment of our MISCONCEPTION series. There'll be supper afterwards plus some more info on Summer Beach Project.

See the flyer below:

The first talk in the MISCONCEPTION series is now available for download:

Download	Title	Play	Length
	Jesus is all about rules. (Grant Linneman)		34:40 min

Australia for me has just been more than I could have ever imagined from the rightside driving to the no refills for free to the amazing staff of Uni-Impact. The time here has just been a blessing for me in just learning about a new culture and growing in my Walk with God through the good times and the bad times on my trip. It's just been so good to really get a sample of what full-time ministry is really about and just to appreciate the staff here and back in the states that are doing it because it takes a lot out of you but is also so rewarding. I'm trully priviledged to have gotten this chance to come to Australia and work with the Uni-Impact staff especially my fearless staff leader "Birdman" who has just been a real encourgement in my life

I have really enjoyed my time in Australia this year. The people I have met have been very friendly and enjoyable and the friendships I have made will last a lifetime I am sure. The biggest thing I learned while on CCP was the importance of humility in a Christians life and the surpassing greatness of God's plan for us. I hope God does great things in and through Australia and that there are many labourers brought up in the future. God Bless!

The “sufficiency of Scripture” is an expression often used to describe the Word of God. But what is meant by this catchy phrase that rolls off the tongue so well? Does it mean the Bible is sufficient to make my every decision absolutely unequivocally clear? Is it sufficient to give me a comprehensive scientific account of the origins of the universe? Is it sufficient to give me the skills necessary to carry out my occupation? Does it give me the know-how to ace my midsemesters? Clearly the Bible does not give explicit answers to these questions and isn’t “sufficient” in this regard. If it did what would be the purpose of other knowledge? Or even going to university? Or of agonising over big life decisions? Evidently there is knowledge and skills to be gained from sources other than the Bible.

So then, what are we referring to when we speak of the sufficiency of Scripture? The Westminster Confession puts it well when it states that “The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture”. Let’s flesh this out...

The “whole counsel of God” would imply that all that God intended to reveal to us is contained within the Scriptures. There is no need for additional spiritual epiphanies to fill in the gaps. God in his mercy has given us “all things necessary” to obtain sound doctrine and to live the Christian life as He intended. So what if I have a particular question or decision relevant to my Christian life that is not explicitly addressed by the Bible? Since the whole counsel of God is contained within the Bible we may conclude that God does not require us to think or act in any certain way, nor does He mandate a particular course of action. There may, however, be implicit principles contained within the word of God that give us more general guidance on that particular issue. We can also conclude that nothing is sin that is not forbidden by Scripture either explicitly or by implication¹ and conversely, nothing is required of us by God that is not commanded in Scripture either explicitly or by implication².

The word of God provides all things necessary to bring about man’s salvation. 1 Peter 1:23 tells us; "For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." Similarly in James 1:17-18 we read "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." And again in 2 Timothy 3:15, “ The sacred writings . . . are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

The word of God is sufficient for our faith and life. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17) God has made provision in his word for the necessary teaching, reproof, correction, training to make us competent to carry out any good work that He wants us to do. The word of God helps us through life’s temptations. When Jesus was tempted, he remembered that "Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4 / Deuteronomy 8:3). The word of God brings stability and confidence to our faith and life. In the Bible we have a perfect standard for judging all other knowledge. Every challenge made, or knowledge obtained comes under the authority of the word of God. Therefore “Great peace have those who love your law, nothing can make them stumble.” (Psalm 119:165) Knowing that the Bible is the word of God means we have no reason to fear that any other body of knowledge will compromise the authority of the Bible and we can rest in its truth.

Rejoice in the goodness of God in providing sufficient revelation in the word of God for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life.

Below is a really good talk on the sufficiency of Scripture based on Psalm 19:7-11 by John McArthur. I encourage you to listen to it now, or download it and put in your iPod to listen to on your way to class, or while you're pushing steel, or in the car etc etc...

Download	Title	Play	Length
	Sufficiency Of Scripture (John McArthur)		52:06 min

Feel free to make comments below as well.

¹ and ² – Grudem, W. ‘Systematic Theology – An introduction to biblical doctrine.’- 2005

1. Ug boots, or bare feet.

2. They arrive at uni looking like they just woke up...and it’s 12pm.

3. All they have is a pen and the lecture notes for that lecture.

4. They’re never at an 8am lecture.

5. They’re at an 8am lecture wearing a tracksuit, designed to cover up the fact they’re still in their pyjamas.

6. There’s only an hour’s break before your next class. As others head to the library, they’re “going home for a sleep.”

7. It’s impossible to find a time to do your group assignment because, “I have something on then,” is their response to every moment of spare time you have.

8. They always seem to wear the same colours. “Why so much purple?” you think.

9. They sit by themselves because, “Who needs uni friends when you live at college?”

10. You mention you’re going anywhere besides Indro, Toowong or the Ville and they don’t have a clue where it is.

Greetings one and all,

I thought that I would pass on the following op-ed from the ABC website.  Read it at your pleasure.  The comments below are particularly illuminating about Australian society and what people believe.

God, the Christian socialist and the mad monk