Forget the Channel

Paul's dramatic conversion reveals the astonishing mercy of Jesus. A talk from Paul's story in 1 Timothy 1:12–20 inviting us to respond to God's grace.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

How does God's grace change everyday life? A talk from 1 Timothy 1:1–11 on the law, genuine faith, love, repentance and the glorious gospel of Jesus.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Recently, I had the joy of spending time with some ministers in an area of Sydney where Anglican churches are growing and thriving. Several of the ministers had participated in church consultations that used an outcomes-oriented framework based on solid gospel convictions and utilising organisational systems theory. The consultations had helped the ministry teams accurately measure their present situation and make concrete plans to achieve goals for reaching the lost. This had already led to substantial gospel growth and had given these ministers renewed optimism and Christ-centred confidence in ministry. I praise God for this. I believe there should be more of it.

The positive power and potential of frameworks like this leads me to keep sounding a note of warning. I’m not trying to dampen enthusiasm for such frameworks. I’m trying to help make their implementation theologically robust for decades to come. As we employ these frameworks and witness their power, there’s something to “watch out” for. We need to have our eyes wide open. The warning I want to keep sounding arises from Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 3:10: “Let each one take care (or “watch out”) how he builds ….”

This article, originally published in the Australian Church Record Synod Issue 2025, continues a conversation that began with my article in the ACR Easter edition 2024. I’m writing here primarily for members of the Synod of the Diocese of Sydney. But I’m hoping what I write will be relevant to anyone who has discovered the tremendous power of goal-driven thinking in gospel ministry and wants to reflect further on it. If you haven’t followed the prior conversation, don’t worry; I’ve written this article so you can read it as a standalone.

It's also available in video format on YouTube, and in audio form via the podcast Iso-Chats: Theology or for direct listening and download at this website.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

Tensions are very high in our community at the moment. Take the illegal anti-lockdown protest on 23 July 2021 in Sydney. The protesters were expressing a fear and anger that’s clearly present amongst many. They were wrong to express it in this way. But you can feel it, can’t you? I know right now many of us are feeling the frustration. Some of us are in almost impossible situations: climbing the walls! And it’s hard. The catch-cry of the protest was freedom: freedom of movement, of work, of association. And while the protest itself was way out of line, freedom does matter, doesn’t it? It matters for us and our community. The Bible teaches us to live as humans among humans and human authorities, by helping us to see God’s heart for all humanity, as we pray.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

"There was a widespread view expressed by participants that within [the church] culture there was an over-emphasis on sin and an under-emphasis on grace". The report describes how this grace problem permeated the culture. It affected membership commitment expectations, views of authority, pastoral care, and more. And yet, the thing is: Nobody would deny that this church believed in grace. They preached a conservative evangelical reformed doctrine of grace. But on the ground, in so many instances, grace was not a key feature of this church’s ministry and relationships—with disastrous results. Today I want us to grasp that in Christian ministry, grace can’t only be the content we preach. Grace also must permeate and transform everything about us personally. And I want to give some suggestions for things we can do even now in lockdown, to wage the warfare of grace. (a sermon)

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In gospel ministry and Bible teaching, if you’re not committed to the right goal, or if you have the wrong goal, it’s not just a matter of being ineffective: you’ll be downright dangerous. So what is that goal? What are you seeking to achieve in your gospel ministry and Bible teaching - now and in the future? And how would you know if you’d done it right? This passage in 1 Timothy 1:1–11 speaks to this issue of the goals of ministry and teaching. It challenges us to think about our own aims in teaching, and to see how important it is to get it right. A sermon preached at Moore College Men's Chapel on 14 July, 2021.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

A 75 minute video course in the Apostle Paul's letter to the Romans designed for church members and leaders.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

This is a story about a scholarly myth and how I had the chance to bust it. I’m talking here about a small but significant 20th century biblical translation: “call yourself” instead of “are called” in Romans 2:17.

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

A one-hour audio seminar with principles and ideas for preaching the biblical books 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy and Titus ("Pastoral Epistles")

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor

In this 3-part series, I speak with my colleague Chris Thomson, lecturer in Old Testament at Moore College, who has engaged in detailed research in this area as well as scholarly discussions with others, including N. T. Wright. We talk about what the terms mean, what other people are saying today about the terms, why righteousness is […]

From Forget the Channel by Lionel Windsor