Ad Clerum 1/13 January 2013

Ad Clerum 1 January: The Circumcision of Christ BLESSINGS FOR THE NEW YEAR! Number 1/13

Right, gentlemen, lets get going There is no time to waste; no time at all. I have spent considerable time in thought and prayer as to how to go about approaching 2013, and I am determined, certainly within my own ministry, to be far more aggressive for the Gospel than I have been before. Having read of all the developments within the church of our birth, it has made me acutely aware of the peril to the souls of so many men women and young people, at the mercy of ruthless liberalists whose only agenda is the systematic forming of the church to the values of the world, and not the salvation of souls as required by the Great Commission of Our Lord Jesus Christ. I believe, in fact I am certain that we, that is the good people and clergy of the global Traditional Anglican Communion, are a force for change within the church, and that we are able to turn this liberal tide and bring many back to God. It is all a question of will. 2012 closed on a glorious note, and our Southern African church has certainly grown by leaps and bounds. The new men for ministry look good on paper, but now we have to turn those magnificent ceremonies and heady personal experiences into pure hard work and results, results, results.

Ad Clerum 1/13 January 2013

There are some points I would like to raise with you as we launch ourselves into the New Year; things I would like you to consider seriously, as the Season of Epiphany is upon us and the new Liturgical Year picks up its own pace. I would ask that you: I. II. Do not allow yourself to be a distraction to the purity of the Gospel I mean less of me and more of Jesus, for that is the only message we need to deliver. Do not allow yourself to be caught up in a race for popularity, especially if you are more than one clergyman in a parish. If we are preaching the pure Gospel of Repentance and the Grace of God through the saving work of Jesus Christ, we will be doing just fineIf someone else has preached well, and it has had the desired results to God be the Glory! Take care not to over-embellish the Holy Mass. Keep it simple and beautiful, with the focus on Our Lord Jesus and His Divine Presence. Discipline your servers and assistants work towards a holy stillness at the altar Be obsessed with offering to God the very best you can, within your powers. The finest preaching, the most devoted prayers, pastoral care that answers every parishioners needs and an altar worthy of the Lord Himself. Preparation is the key to achieving these results. Refuse to compromise on your Christian principles and what you hold dear in your Faith in Jesus Christ as the Saviour of the world. These are the days of compromise within many Christian churches; not in ours. Traditional Anglicans were thrust out of their churches by unscrupulous men and women. We must never become like them; rather our hearts must be aflame with a love of all men and the zeal for Christ that those people have long lost. Remember that nothing in all creation can separate you from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. You can therefore afford to cast yourself headlong into your work and know that God will empower and support your every effort in the spreading of the Good News of Christ our Saviour.

III. IV.

V. VI. VII.

The Sacred Ministry is a fine thing, and a precious and blessed calling, my dear brothers in Christ. We have been given a wondrous gift by Our Lord Jesus Christ and by His Church that few can comprehend, and the fruits of this ministry are as sweet as anything that God can provide on earth. Each of us is called to cherish this gift and to grow and expand it throughout our lives. We dare not fail. In Ad Clerum 12.12 we spoke of putting on the whole Armour of God and the need to arm ourselves for the fight against the world, the flesh and the devil. As your Bishop, I am determined to apply myself to this, and I will not compromise on my faith or my service to you in Christ. As a body of clergy, our response to opportunities needs to be swift, our love of each other needs to be intense, and our loyalty and priestly brotherhood firm and unshakable. Our Lord requires that we resist all that is evil, and He has forged us together in a godly TAC band both here and in other parts of the world. We need a rallying cry, and I suggest: No compromise! No surrender! No desertion! No disgraceful peace with our foe! May it be a very good year. Bishop Michael Gill Southern Africa