East Gippsland Gospel

I gave a list in my first post. This is an expansion from that list

Andre Van der Linden pastored my first Church. He instilled a reverence for God’s word and taught the primary Christian doctrines well and methodically.

Richard Holland was an exhorter. He pointed to a better way, a higher way. Whenever I went to him with a problem, his first concern was always “So, how’s your heart in all this?” By the time I left his company I would realise that God was most interested in changing me, not in me fixing others.

Arthur Wallis first impacted me through his books. His encouragement to holiness and the radical life of faith were formative. It was an indicator of Arthur’s humble ministry that saw him (as an in-demand conference speaker) change plans and divert to Australia, to spend time with a relatively small church in Melbourne and minister for a couple of week-ends. He always seemed to present as a man who loved the Church, in it’s various forms.

Chris Bowater’s music highlighted the need for abandonment before God in worship; that worship is about God not about me. It showed me that even my abandonment was achieved by God and not by my endeavour. While Chris’s music is great, he presented that it’s heart over substance that matters.

The memory of Milton Greenslade still brings tears to my eyes. A humble man, not a big achiever in man’s eyes but single-minded for Jesus. He personified faithfulness for me. Sadly I often heard him ridiculed in pastors gatherings (from which I subsequently withdrew), but I never heard him criticise another. He might humbly say he disagreed, but he would not criticise. Oh to be more like that!

Ray MacDonald taught me about loving the Church and loving the lost. He did not come with an “agenda” apart from this. Ray exemplified being a man who was comfortable in his calling. He seemed to have nothing to prove to the world, and was not threatened by those who were different or seemingly more “successful”. The “unlovely” felt safe around Ray.

Jiutasa Keni (known as Keni to most) was my closest brother for thirty-one years; his death closed an important chapter of my life. He built churches, restored damaged men, pursued the lost (both his indigenous Fijian brothers and Indian Fijians). Keni resourced Pastors for Gospel ministry, teaching them as they camped together in village settings or beach settings across the eastern islands of his Pacific nation. He remained humble and generous despite the “numerical success” of his ministry always remembering the Grace that saved him from wretchedness.

Siu Fung Wu taught me about Missions. I had supported cross-cultural missions but he gave me a framework on which to build. His teaching wasn’t just academic, he humbly lived it before those who would see. When I heard God’s call to the Koori community of East Gippsland, he was the first, and one of only a few, who encouraged me. Unlike some, he did not say “you can do better than that”. His own lifestyle showed that there is nothing better than simply obeying God.

Don Carson and Tim Keller have shaped me through their books and conference material. Don’s biography of his father is my favourite of his writings. For both men, there seems to be no pretence, no stage/pulpit persona that is different to “real life”. I so greatly appreciate the way they can make deep, complex issues plainly understood to the average “person on the street”.

Scott Sauls through books, blog and video has blessed me with his encouragement to simply be a Christian. He encourages me to not “window dress” to improve my image but to let the image of Jesus shine through the cracks of this broken vessel. I don’t have to have it all, because Jesus does.

I am grateful for these men, and for the many other people who God has put in my life to shape me, some come as oil; some as abrasive. All come as a gift, and all come for my good.