2 F R O M T H E P R INCIP A L
CONTENTS Why gospel mission can’t just be an add-on �������������������������������������������2-3
How Moore prepared me for mission ������������������� 7
Mission to Hindus ����������������������������������������� 12
The harvest is plentiful �������������������������4-5
The Priscilla & Aquila Centre’s Writing Award �����������������������������������������������������������������������������8-9
Multi-site church planting ���������������� 13
Gafcon scholarships: extending the right hand of fellowship ������������������� 6
Equip gospel ministries in Malaysia ��������10-11
Jesus is what truly matters ������������������������������������������������������������ 14-15
MO O R E M AT T E R S A U T U M N 2 0 2 2
Why gospel mission can’t just be an add-on Mark Thompson / Principal
ONE OF THE CHARACTERISTICS OF OUR CURRENT MOMENT IN TIME IS A FRAGMENTATION OF SOCIETY. WE ARE TOO EASILY PREOCCUPIED WITH OUR OWN SURVIVAL, OUR OWN NEEDS, OUR OWN RIGHTS.
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onfidence in those around us is at an almost record low. The big institutions have failed us: the government, the courts, the police, the church. The shared values which enabled us to live together and at peace with one another have been replaced with myopic personal ‘truths’—my truth, your truth—which must be respected and never challenged. If we are to believe the press (from both sides of the political spectrum) democracy is tottering on the brink. The economic situation has soured. A consensus on many issues is far beyond us. Authoritarian figures in many different parts of the world look menacing. Our own stories (individual and collective) are rewritten in a different tone, with different heroines and heroes
and with different villains. In such a climate, looking beyond our own fragility and keeping a clear focus on big picture mission issues is hard. This is, admittedly, only part of the picture of this moment. While all this is indeed going on, so too is the mission of proclaiming salvation through Christ alone. People are being converted—yesterday, today and tomorrow—lives are being changed, and there is great joy and excitement as men and women meet the Jesus of the Gospels and learn the true meaning of forgiveness, repentance, and a life of discipleship. The Lord is still raising up labourers for his harvest. Thank God, many of them are coming to prepare for that great work at Moore College. Quite a number are specifically interested in cross-cultural mission in Sydney or in other parts of the world. God’s sovereign work of building a people from every tribe, nation and tongue in the world continues. It is genuinely exciting and it has captured their imaginations. All of this is a reminder that the Father is still keeping his promises, Christ is still
