I never understood how to read the Bible myself. I had the view that Jesus died for me, so I had to be a good boy. But I knew I wasn’t really good. I thought, I’m a bad Christian – which gave me license to do whatever I wanted. I stopped going to church in my teens, and my life looked very similar to my friends.

When I turned 21, I came to Sydney from London on exchange. I thought, “I’m older now, I should take myself to church, pull my socks up and be better”. I met people at St Matthias’, Centennial Park, who were my own age and taking the Bible seriously. That was a surprise!

The gospel was taught faithfully, and I remember thinking, “I can use my brain to read the Bible”.

I became a Christian that year through the faithful teaching of the Bible and reading it with others. 

I used to say that I was a bad Christian, but when I read 1 Timothy where Paul said, “Christ came to save sinners, of whom I am the worst”, I got it. I finally understood grace. If we were able to be good, Jesus wouldn’t have to die. We are all bad Christians! 

One key person who walked alongside me was my now wife, Gemma. I saw the way she took the Bible seriously. One time, I was struggling to understand election and predestination. We were having lunch at a Thai restaurant on King Street, Newtown, where she explained that nobody deserves to be saved. I remember suddenly seeing it the other way around. God’s fairness would mean that nobody would be saved, but God’s grace means that he chooses to save some. 

Before I returned home, my minister asked me about my plans after uni. I said to my minister, “I’m thinking of retraining as a teacher.” My minister said, “I think you should finish your degree, then come back out here and do a ministry apprenticeship”. I laughed, “Sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong guy!” 

But it planted a seed. I couldn’t shake it. I began talking with people. It kept being confirmed that it was something I should think about.

I thought, “I want to use my life for Jesus. How could I best use the gifts and what God has given me?”

For me, a big thing has always been being able to read the Bible well. It’s a passion of mine to see people have that same experience, to read the Bible well for themselves. It’s something I want to help people with. There was an opportunity to serve and teach, and it didn’t go disastrously, so here we are! 

God has been very kind. Part of the joy of being ordained in the Sydney Diocese is that it’s here I was first taught to read the Bible. I’m grateful, not just for the church I went to all those years ago, but for the hundreds of people who have been involved [in it] for years and years, from the First Fleet – people who are trying to faithfully teach the Bible and preach the gospel. 

I feel very grateful to be a recipient of that and now be able to be a part of that in a more formal sense. Pray that I would never forget God’s grace shown to me in Christ, and that I would keep faithfully teaching his word and helping others to read it and understand it themselves.