14 A U T U MN AP P E AL MOOR E M AT T E R S A U T U MN 2 0 2 2
Jesus is what truly matters Ben P George / External Engagement Manager
F
I HOPE THAT AS YOU COMBED THROUGH THIS EDITION OF MOORE MATTERS , YOU HAVE BEGUN TO SEE THE WAYS IN WHICH MOORE COLLEGE CONTINUES TO INFLUENCE THE WORLD THROUGH THEOLOGICAL EDUCATION. rom the rich melting pot of ethnicities right here in Sydney, to the various overseas ministries that our graduates are involved in, your generosity in supporting the training and equipping of men and women is both strategic and signicant. Every one of you, through your nancial generosity, fervent and consistent prayers, and advocacy for the work of the College, are valuable partners in this ministry that aims to see God gloried through providing excellent evangelical theological education. In recent times, I have been reecting on 2 Thessalonians, and the urgency of the spread of the gospel, given our current context. n U like the of the day, h w ich is focused on secondary things, Scripture is very clear about h w at is of rst importance. eW are sitting between the work of e J sus on the cross and in his resurrection, and his imminent Second Coming, h w en the Lord e J sus will be revealed from heaven in blazing re with his powerful angels ( . 2 Thess )1:7 to judge the living and the dead. Considering the truth of the times in h w ich we live, the gospel is paramount because h w at truly matters is our relationship with e J sus! The world is in darkness, and so we ought to be focused on preaching the gospel of salvation, and praying for the very same, for there is an end date and the Lord e J sus will return at any moment. This sentiment of urgency is helpfully articulated by Charles Spurgeon,
1
Our contemporary society is arguably as far from knowing or acknowledging God as it has been in a long time. Only recently, public 2021 Australian Community ‘ The Wailing of Risca’, preached in the Exeter Hall, 9 December 1860.
Trace Akankunda
Survey2 results show that in Australia alone, a large proportion of people don’t even know someone h w o goes to church, let alone believe that e J sus of Nazareth was a real historical person. This is precisely the reason we prayerfully plan to continue expanding our student body, bringing people from all over the world to engage in evangelical theological education and formation to be sent out to the far reaches of the globe. aT e k our brother rT ace Akankunda, for example, h w o was born in a Christian family in g U anda. e H was introduced to e J sus by passionate peers, h w o invited him to Bible study groups and patiently walked alongside him, helping him to understand the signicance of e J sus. After moving to Adelaide to pursue postgraduate research in science, he was further nurtured by rT inity Church, h w ere he was also challenged to appreciate the need for gospel workers and to consider pursuing vocational ministry. Of his experience of his rst year on campus studying the Bachelor of Divinity, he says: I“ have been challenged to grow in character, conviction, and competence for ministry. I have enjoyed learning God’s word in community and building godly relationships that I will hopefully carry into ministry beyond college. I have also had the opportunity to get involved in church ministry and see how good biblical teaching translates into practical ministry.” 2 This is research conducted yb the National Church Life Survey research group. More information at .
