Search Result

The Road to Freedom: Western Culture 9

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery… You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire ...

Living the Story: Western Culture 11

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched--this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.1 Jn 1:1 We were staying in Lake Louise village and decided to go on a walk through the forest when we ...

Conformity and Challenge: Western Culture 2

I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; ...

An Alien View of God: Western Culture 1

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now ...

Josiah Road Student Guide

LUKE & HAROLD HARPER Josiah Road is a spiritual development study that focuses on encouraging students to stand up and lead as Christians in the student community. Inspired by King Josiah’s nation-leading skills, this study examines the young king’s impact on his community, even at a ...

Spiritual Decline: Western Culture 3

As the deer pants for streams of water,     so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.     When can I go and meet with God? Ps 42:1,2 The prophet Isaiah had a vision of heavenly creatures declaring: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the ...

Beyond the Age of Reason: Western Culture 5

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,  Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts". Isaiah 55:8-9 Western culture has made a sharp distinction between ...

Expressive Individualism: Western Culture 6

For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. Rom 12:4,5 I was recently learning to play the song “You are Beautiful” by James Blunt. I ...

Expressive Individualism: Western Culture 7

An epic song in the movie “The Greatest Showman” called “This Is Me” has received almost universal praise in declaring the worth of all people. The movie, set within circus life, shows various “misfits” who have been rejected by society, made fun of, called unlovable and assaulted ...

The Good Life: Western Culture 8

Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s ...

Meditation: Western Culture 10

Some of my strongest childhood memories come from the times I spent on my uncle’s dairy farm. The heat of summer, the cooling of the milk refrigeration room, the sound and smell of the cows.  I would seeing them constantly chewing and later learnt they had 4 stomachs and were often ...

2020 - January - Living & Discipling in a Western Culture

You can "enter full screen" video mode by clicking on icon to left of Vimeo. Living and Discipling in a Western Culture Handout

Viewing Human Achievement: Western Culture 4

   “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;     the whole earth is full of his glory.” Is 6:3 Each day we are surrounded by people’s incredible achievements. We can purchase almost any food at any time of the year, we have social welfare systems that assist in times of ...

Living and Discipling in a Western Culture

2021 - January - Community & Character

All the Notes and Power Points from this time can be downloaded from the bottom of the page. You can "enter full screen" video mode by clicking on icon to left of vimeo from the bottom right hand corner. Living and Discipling in a Western Culture ...

"As the Father has sent me..."

By Bruce Clarke, first published in Compass, Spring 2019 The word “mission” has its origin from the Latin “mittere” used to translate the Greek “apostele”, giving us the word “apostle”. It has the meaning of God sending and people being sent for the purpose of salvation and ...

Why Celebrate ANZAC Day?

By Grant Dibden A little over 100,000 Australians have died in wars. Several hundred thousand more were wounded and countless others suffered psychological damage. Of these casualties the vast majority were between 18 and 25 years old. Just think that if you had been born 100 years earlier it ...

LifeChange Series: Galatians

Embrace Freedom Are you living in freedom, or do you feel imprisoned? Even Christians sometimes find themselves bound by religious obligations. Writing to the church he had founded in Galatia, the apostle Paul passionately rails against rules and regulations threatening to restrict the ...

Lest We Forget - Anzac Day 2022

By Grant Dibden You can learn a lot about a country from the people or events they celebrate in their monuments. In the USA there’s a great bronzed statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in his mighty marble temple in Washington. Down the street is a thirty foot statue of Thomas Jefferson. In ...

What is ISM (International Student Ministry)?

Among our Communities is a strong International Students Ministry (ISM) within our universities. But what is ISM and how did it start? Compass interviewed Tim Mapperson for an insight. Tim, what is ISM and what is your involvement in this ministry? ISM is a door to the nations. Exciting ...

Get To Know - Ian and Helen McIntosh

After ten years of providing counselling and training, and being on the Leadership Team among other things, with the US Navigators, Ian and Helen McIntosh have decided to return to Australia. With open arms, we welcomed them back and took the opportunity to catch up on what they are doing now. They ...

Cultural Shifts

By Kristin Coulson, first published in Compass Winter 2020 edition. In January, our staff gathered for the annual training in Canberra. One of the key topics discussed was about living and discipling in today’s western culture. The culture we live in influences us in ways we often don’t ...

Summer Mission Trip: 2018

A Trip to Nepal *a great part of this post is an extract and edited version of one of our mission teams' Ministry Update, first printed in Compass, Winter 2015. In late 2014, a small team led a short-term mission trip to ministries in Nepal. This was followed by a trek to Ama Dablam Base Camp ...

A Heart for the Nations

By Julie, Short-Term Missions Team, first published in Compass, Spring 2019 My husband and I have always had a deep burden for the nations and a longing to see labourers for the Kingdom next door to everywhere. One thing this burden has prompted us to do is to lead a number of short-term ...

Bound to Be Free

Bound to Be Free uses Scripture to recalibrate our hearts so we can walk in the freedom Christ has provided from sin and from the encumbrances that weigh us down. There's nothing more heartbreaking than to see saints who are bound by performance, not realising there is freedom through Christ. ...

Belonging Before Believing

By Luke Midena, Canberra Community Leader, first published in Compass Winter 2021 edition You may have heard the phrase, ‘belong before believe’. It was the catchcry of some within the Emerging Church Movement of the last few decades. Driven by a desire to share Christ with the world, ...

The Start of Generations

By Grant Dibden A number of years ago I met a young man at Macquarie University. Dan was a keen guy studying to become a primary school teacher. We met for a number of years one-to-one looking at how Jesus discipled His followers. We saw that Jesus worked deeply with a few, despite being able ...

A Double Miracle

The story of Jack and May Griffin as told to Margaret Mulholland Cooper, first printed in Decision Magazine, January, 1979 and reprinted in The Compass, Volume 2 No. 2, March, 1979.   ... we share a common birthday—April 12, 1959—when on a fine Sunday afternoon, we walked ...

Relational Resilience

By Ian McIntosh We can see relational conflict all around the world and throughout history. These conflicts have resulted in wars. We see this in the news today. These wars take place on a much larger scale, but I think I can say all of us have experienced relational conflict on a smaller scale. ...

Upside Down

UPSIDE DOWN - The Paradox of Servant leadership Stacy T. Rinehart THE LEADERSHIP STYLE OF JESUS Most believers are familiar with Jesus’ recipe for leadership success: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” ...

The Bridge

Step 1 – God’s Love and His plan God created us in His own image to be His friend and to experience a full life assured of his love, abundant and eternal. Jesus said, “…I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10b) “…we have peace with God through ...

Topical Memory System

If you want to memorise Scripture, but aren't sure what to memorise or how, this system is exactly what you need to begin hiding God's word in your heart. The Topical Memory System is the clear, simple, proven way to meditate on key Bible verses. As a result, you can: Experience freedom ...

They Gave Their Lives

By Scott Brown “They gave their lives”... That simple inscription sits above the door to the Australian War Memorial. These four words etched in stone reflect the legacy of countless soldiers whose names line the poppy-covered walls leading toward the entrance. Their sacrifices are ...

God-talk, the Gospel and the Pub

By Luke Midena, first published in Compass Winter edition 2020 Friday afternoons at the ANU campus are a highlight of every week – I get to meet with a group of believing and unbelieving students at a pub, to  discuss life’s big questions around meaning, suffering, belief, freedom and ...

Your Questions Answered by Daniel Goh

Daniel Goh is a fulltime engineer who started engaging with a Navigators university group after graduating. In 2022, he was invited to join the 2-year Melbourne Navigator Leader Development Training Program. We interviewed Daniel to get to know him better as well as asked for insight into the ...

God's Word Impacting Young Hearts

By Rob Allen (with Angie Allen), Queensland Labouring Community, first published in Compass Winter 2024 issue. Angie and I thank God for having the opportunity to share God’s message of love and hope through His Word with young people over the decades. Many are under enormous social, ...

Gospel For Real Life, The

Jerry Bridges WHAT DIFFERENCE DOES THE GOSPEL MAKE? The gospel of Jesus Christ is the door to eternal life, but what difference does it make once we’re inside God’s kingdom? Jerry Bridges says the gospel is the very lifeblood of our walk with God. It is the key to our salvation, for sure, ...

Topical Memory System

The Navigators’ Scripture Memory Course HIDE GOD’S WORD IN YOUR HEART — WHERE IT WILL SHAPE YOU FROM THE INSIDE OUT. Wherever life takes you, the Topical Memory System (TMS) provides a portable, effective way to memorize Scripture. Developed by The Navigators, the Topical Memory System ...

Funding Your Ministry

Scott Morton Whether you are experienced at fundraising or just starting out, Funding Your Ministry will help answer your questions and put you on the biblical path for recruiting and maintaining donor support. A Biblical Strategy to Finance Your Ministry How many potential missionaries ...

In His Image

JEN WILKIN Sometimes we ask What is God's will for my life? when we should really be asking Who should I be? The Bible has an answer: Be like the very image of God. By exploring ten characteristics of who God is-holy, loving, just, good, merciful, gracious, faithful, patient, truthful, ...

Satisfy My Thirsty Soul

LINDA DILLOW Be drawn into God's presence, where He can satisfy your thirsty soul. Women have an innate thirst for true, genuine intimacy. Author Linda Dillow believes that this desire is created―and can only be satisfied―by a relationship with God. This 12-week devotional Bible study ...

Cries of the Soul

By Bruce Clarke, first printed in Compass, Spring 2015 All of us will experience suffering or adversity at some point in our lives. Some fall away when God does not deal with them in a way that they desire. But it is also true that many come to faith when adversity strikes. Adversity can ...

The Sacrifice

This is the transcript of the ANZAC talk given by Grant Dibden on 24 April, 2019, at Anglicare Residential Care, Lemon Grove Gardens, Penrith. ANZAC Day commemorates a great defeat which seems very strange to other nations.  Australia’s most hallowed day of military remembering doesn’t ...

Pointing People to the "Christ" in Christmas

By Paul Bailey, Melbourne Labouring Community. I met Jay on campus in first semester whilst playing basketball, before the lockdown. Since then, I have been meeting one-to-one with Jay, getting our weekly exercise by walking and talking about all aspects of life. In one of our earlier chats ...

Our Staff Job Studies

From Grant Dibden We had a wonderful time considering several of our staff Job studies during the year. It is such a packed book and we were challenged as we reflected back over the whole book, its themes and big lessons as part of our final study time. The book of Job explores why God ...

No Greater Love

By Grant Dibden The Navigators ministry started in the 1930s, when Dawson Trotman began to work with sailors in the US Navy. Daws spent many hours praying, studying the Bible, and memorising Scripture with a sailor, Les Spencer. Les in turn discipled one of the shipmates, and soon the two men ...

Responding Biblically to Poverty, Corruption & Injustice

Okorie Kalu, David Lyons, John Ridgway Many statistics confirm that more than four billion people worldwide live in poverty. Others live under the control of corrupt governments where injustice prevails. The global coronavirus pandemic has hit those people hardest. In the U.S. and in other Western ...

Going Deeper in the Essentials

God must be the focus of all that we do. We want to deepen our relationship with Him by growing our understanding of the Scriptures and through prayer. We want to encounter God; to know Him, not only to know about Him. "Going Deeper in the Essentials" is a series of seven comprehensive Bible ...

Going Deeper in the Essentials Studies

Study 1 – God: Who Is He? God is the ultimate reality! Building His Kingdom is entirely His idea, for His purpose, using His power and for His glory! Therefore, we MUST be aligned with His heart, His mind and His Spirit. That means having a God-focused culture is essential. In this study we ...

2024 - January - Authority of Scripture & Biblical Interpretation

It is important to build confidence in the authority and inspiration of the Bible, and to anchor our story within the Biblical meta-narrative. Developing good Biblical interpretation practices and enriching theology in the central aspects of the Gospel will enhance a correct view of God and ...

Compass Feature: David Turner

Interview by June Sparks David Turner Reflects on Compass David Turner has been behind the scenes or at the helm of Compass for over 30 years. He’s seen its transition from no colour to two colour to four colour to full colour. Compass has always been about connecting with the Australian ...

Kingdom Community

By Frank Tully, first published in Compass, Autumn 2019 In order to follow God’s calling in our lives – To advance the Gospel of Jesus and His Kingdom - we need to have a context. For Navigators, that context is authentic community deeply rooted in the Kingdom of God. We don’t consider ...

Community Evangelism

By Grant Dibden, first published in Compass, Autumn 2020 In our last Compass we talked about being a sent people (John 17:18; 20:21). And the question is, how do we live out that identity? We need to see that sharing the Gospel is not a task, but an identity. It’s not what Christians do, ...

What or who is a Disciple?

By Robin Dennis Discipleship is nothing new. We find the concept of a disciple – that is, a person following a master – among Plato, Socrates and Herodotus; in ancient Hebrew culture, Elisha (2 Kings 4:38), Isaiah (8:16), Samuel (1 Sam 10:5), then we know that John the Baptist had ...

Your Questions Answered about Mutua

Mutua Mahiaini is our current International President and was scheduled to be our keynote speaker at the upcoming National Conference in October. (While the conference itself has been cancelled, Mutua is still preparing to send us his messages.) But ... Who is Mutua Mahiaini? Prior to joining ...

Foundations of Resilience

By Bruce Clarke. First published in Compass, Autumn 2022. The global pandemic has significantly changed our lives through lockdowns and restrictions affecting employment, relationships, travel, gatherings, sport, etc. We are cut off from so much of what is important to us as creative, social ...

An Easter Reflection

By Grant Dibden "To me it makes as much sense as bunny rabbits handing out chocolate eggs ..." Easter in Australian society is thought of as a holiday time.  And many – most? – people don’t understand the significance of Easter, and often they don’t want to. A local Eastern Sydney ...

Living with Christ as Lord

By Scott Brown, Sydney City Leader (first published in Compass Autumn 2023) From the earliest days of the Navigators, Dawson Trotman’s Wheel Illustration highlighted the importance of living with Christ as Lord, or as he termed it, with Christ the Centre. Galatians 2:20 and 2 Corinthians 5:17 ...

How to Read the Bible Better

By Mike Johnson, Melbourne Labouring Community (First published in Compass Autumn 2024) Have you ever thought you understood what someone was saying but, without the full picture, made a complete muddle of their meaning? I have, and it’s embarrassing. God speaks through His Scriptures and, ...

Lifestyle Discipleship

ENCOURAGING OTHERS TO SPIRITUAL MATURITY – A Redefinition for Today’s Culture Jim Petersen WE THOUGHT WE HAD DISCIPLESHIP FIGURED OUT – SO WHY CAN’T WE SEE RESULTS? Walk into any book store and you’ll see entire sections devoted to the concept of discipleship. Churches offer ...

30 Days to a More Dynamic Prayer Life

By John Franklin Making God Your Focus God created prayer as a personal, intimate way for us to connect to, talk to and listen to Him. But how many times have you felt like the prayer culture at your church is inconsistent at best? This thirty-day leaders resource ties solid biblical teaching ...

Uncompromised Faith

S MICHAEL CRAVEN In today's culture of modernism, Christianity is an afterthought. Explore how the majesty and radical reality of God’s amazing grace has been rendered impotent in America. Then begin to tear down the cultural barriers to both the acceptance of the gospel and the mission of the ...

Your Kingdom Come Vol 2

Your Kingdom Come: Equipping Laborers to Bless the Unreached People Groups of the World Today John Ridgway The kingdom of God is a spiritual domain unlike the physical frameworks that demarcate the various religions of the world, including Christianity. It is the eternal domain of the living ...

Moving From I to We

PAUL R FORD God is calling churches and ministries to realise His vision of life together in the body of Christ. Our culture elevates individuals, but God demonstrates through His Word that He works through the whole body of believers to accomplish His kingdom work. There is no flashy strategy, ...

How to break the binding cable of habit

By Robert Boardman, first published in The Compass, Volume 2 No. 2, March, 1979 The cold in Japan anywhere in December penetrates your bones, but this was northern Japan and I could feel it even through my long underwear. The Japaneses with the ancient wisdom of Northeast Asia build with a ...

Special Feature: God Bless You, Karen!

Our Time With Karen ... “Good morning, The Australian Navigators. Karen speaking!” For the last 35 years, Karen Woolley has been the face and the voice of The Australian Navigators. Like the Queen of England who has seen her nation through many Prime Ministers, Karen has worked with ...

Remembering Harvey Soderholm

Compiled by June Sparks, first published in Compass, Winter 2020 edition. Remembering Harvey Soderholm: A link in the Chain Harvey Soderholm was a lifelong labourer who served the Lord with The Navigators from the 1950s. He passed away on 11 June 2019, after suffering a cardiac arrest the ...

Remembering Dr John Ridgway

By Mike Swan I met John for the first time on 19 June 1972. In a few months, that will be fifty years ago. I know the date as well as I know my birthday, because it became my ‘new birth’ day. In the space of 48 momentous hours, I travelled ‘the road less travelled’ from unbelief to faith ...

Resilience in the Gospel

By Ian McIntosh, first published in Compass Winter issue 2022 What do you think about when you hear the word resilience? TV interviews with disaster victims or soldiers fighting a David and Goliath battle? Relational conflict? People battling their personal demons relating to themselves, others ...

A Trip to Marysville

By Paul Bailey, Monash Uni Student Ministry On Thursday June 23, the Monash Navigators organised our first ever road trip to Marysville with students: ten pre-believers and nine believers. We never thought we would get a place where we would be able to take students out for a trip. As we ...

From Grant to You

Dear Friend, A man was travelling down a road with a friend who was an architect when the friend pointed out a house and said, “That’s my house there. I designed that one and am very proud of it.” The man admired its symmetry and style and drove on. A short while later he was again driving ...

Easter Thought

By Grant Dibden The year has been a bit of a blur. I got started in earnest after Australia Day, had trips to Brisbane, Sydney and Tasmania, and an early Easter. But what really makes it a blur is my father-in-law’s death twelve days after diagnosis. Arthur’s death puts things into ...

Life's Unpredictability

By Luke Midena, Canberra Labouring Community There have been many ups and downs to start the year, but God is clearly working in the midst of it all. Let me share about two events impacting the student ministry at the ANU. In February, Levi, who runs the ANU ministry, was involved in a ...

Growing in Christ Series: Lessons on Christian Living

Lessons on Christian Living: Eight Life-Changing Bible Studies and Memory Verses for Growing Christians (Growing in Christ Book 4) Lessons on Christian Living presents eight short Bible studies on major scriptural principles. Learn how to put Christ first in your life and rely on His strength. ...