GordonMoyes.com

Thank you for your invitation to speak to a group of people I greatly admire. I appreciate my heritage in Churches of Christ. I have followed every aspect of Churches of Christ closely for over 50 years. My last 30 years of ministry has been as a Uniting Church minister and for 27 years the Superintendent of Wesley Mission Sydney, one of the largest churches of the world with over 4000 paid staff, and during my time, I was responsible for raising and spending one billion dollars in Christian ministry.

An American lawyer sought an US Federal Housing Authority loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to the land. The title to the property dated back to 1803. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply: “Upon review of your letter adjoining your client’s loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. However you have only cleared title to the property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin”.

‘It’s Time! Evangelistic Outreach.”
The Lakes Evangelical Church, Berkeley Vale, N.S.W.
14 October 2007

Scripture: JOHN 20:1-10.

© REV DR. GORDON MOYES, A.C. M.L.C.,
B.A., LL.D., Litt.D., D.D.,
F.R.G.S., F.A.I.M., F.A.I.C.D., M.A.C.E..

This series of three talks was initiated by one of the pastors here, Darren Box. He asked me to present this third talk which is [...]

Beverley and I drove through the Cumberland Gap from Tennessee to Kentucky, following in the pioneer Daniel Boone to Middlesboro. I had just finished my lectures in Urban Mission which I deliver each two years at the Emmanuel School of Religion Tennessee, where I am Adjunct Professor of Christian Ministries.

This year we celebrate the 200th Anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade by Great Britain. It came as a result of a battle that lasted in the British Parliament for over 27 years by William Wilberforce. While that abolished the trade in slaves throughout the North Atlantic, it was another twenty-five years after that before slavery itself was abolished in the British Empire. Again brought by Wilberforce in 1833 long after his involvement with Australia and just a couple of weeks before he died. In the United States, slavery was not abolished until after the dreadful internal conflict of the American Civil War, which ended in 1865.

The Mission of the church is local and international, historic and contemporary, and it is still valid. The Great Commission given by Jesus has never been revoked. In the closing verses of Matthew, we read one version of the Great Commission, which is recorded by each of the gospel writers, is repeated in the Acts of the Apostles, and reiterated by the Apostle Paul. Matt 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Luke 24:46-49; John 20:21-22; Acts 1:8; 26:13-18.

This afternoon, hundreds of you are attending a special cinema preview of the new film, “Amazing Grace”, the personal story of John Newton who wrote this hymn that is regularly selected as the most loved hymn in the world, and of his friend, William Wilberforce, who used his influence in the British Houses of Parliament to end slavery in the British Empire.

I grew up in an era that took Church union seriously. Throughout the twentieth century many denominations planned to unite. By 1980, 137 denominations had united into 39 denominations found in six continents, with a further 123 denominations negotiating in 29 countries on six continents. However optimistic the 1960’s and 1970’s were, the 1980’s on have seen a worldwide slowdown in church union.

Many people want to become Christians but do not know how. There is no need to undergo long periods of training. Neither is there a need to go to classes. Neither do you have to learn a lot of detail by heart. All of these can be a help, but you [...]

The Uniting Church in Australia is celebrating its thirtieth birthday. But what is there to celebrate? As far as membership growth, increase in numbers of buildings and social welfare and care centres, numbers of ministers in training, new congregations established, expansion of missionary endeavours, and every other standard of comparison, the Uniting Church is in serious decline.