Daily Readings for Sunday 12th November 2023

Dear Congregation,

Thank you all for your prayers and support for the work at the church throughout 2023. I know we all have been through varying difficulties and some through particular hardships. Once again we can thank the Lord that we have been brought through trusting in the Lord as our refuge and strength. As I encouraged the congregation at the start of last year it is vitally important to pray to keep close to God and continue faithfully in our Christian life. Alongside reading the Scriptures these should be our daily routine. There are various encouragements in the Scriptures to pray:
-Pray without ceasing (1 Th. 5.17).
-Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; Ep. 6:18).
-Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; (Col. 4:2).

These are few verses of the many that encourage us to pray and undoubtedly set before us a biblical mandate that we should be concerned to pray. Maybe you have fallen out of the 'habit' or relegated prayer to a part time practice; or you only pray when trouble or danger comes. May these verses challenge us all at the start of this new year to be a people of prayer. To that end I would ask the church to pray, if led, the suggested topics below so we might pray for the same things (roughly speaking) on the sam eday to encourage us.

Let us be prayerful people and realise we too need prayer. To say we are praying for someone should be an expression of concern but an indication of our own action to bring the matter before God, before the throne of Grace through the believers mediator and High Priest, Jesus Christ. Paul even requests prayer for himself and those labouring for the Gospel with him twice in 1 and 2 Thessalonians saying 'brethren pray for us'. May we this be a prayerful church and prayerful individuals, knowing that we have a prayer hearing and answering God.

Prayer
-God thanks to God for His character, perfect, unchangeable, the same yesterday today and forever.
-Give thanks ot God that we can meet in the church and have fellowship with one another.
-Pray the Lord would grant the preaching of his word power and clarity, and there are ready ears to hear and believe it. (2 Thes. 3.1.)
​-Pray we would be granted faithful ministry and good spiritual food from God's Word. (1 Peter 2.2)

Church Services
Sermons
Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (also available online via Facebook)
(Sunday morning) scripture verse - Matthew 6 v 5-15
Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
(Sunday evening) scripture verse - Romans 7 v 1-25; Romans 8 v 1-4
Bible study and prayer
Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Lunch hour service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm in church (also available online via Facebook)
Outreach/Witnessing
Saturday morning at Victoria Street (outside the big Boots store) for 10:30am (across the road from Town Hall - No. 64). Afterwards we go back to church for prayer. 

Daily Reading
Preface - Jehoiakim first submitteth to , and afterward rebelleth against Nebuchadnezzar: God hasteneth the ruin of Judah, as foretold by the prophets. Jehoiakim dieth: Jehoiachin succeedeth him. The king of Egypt is vanquished by the king of Babylon. Jehoiachin's wicked reign. Jerusalem is besieged and taken; Jehoiachin with his family and the chief persons of Judah are carried captive to Babylon. Zedekiah is made king, and reigneth wickedly: he rebelleth to the utter destruction of Judah.
2 Kings 24
Preface - The higher doctrines of Christianity are proposed to be treated of. The guilt and danger of apostasy. Charitable deeds will not be forgotten of God. An exhortation diligently to imitate the faith and patience of those who inherit it the promises. The promise of God to Abraham a sure ground of hope.
Hebrews 6

Daily Light - Morning
Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of.

Peter remembered the word of Jesus, which said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And he went out, and wept bitterly. - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. - The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, to that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head: therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; O LORD, make haste to help me.

Turn thou to thy God; keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. - He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. - He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?
2 Co. 7.10; Mt. 26.75; 1 Jn. 1.9; 1 Jn. 1.7
Ps. 40.12-13
Hos. 12.6
Ps. 51.17; Ps. 147.3; Mi 6.8

Daily Light - Evening
Is it well with thee?...
And she answered, it is well.

We having the same spirit of faith.

As chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body... For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.
2 Ki. 4.26; 2 Co. 4.13
2 Co. 6.9-10
2 Co. 4.8-10,16-18
3 Jn. 2

A Puritans Catechism
Q53 - What is required in the fifth commandment?
A - The fifth commandment requires the preserving the honour, and performing the duties, belonging to everyone in their several places and relations, as superiors, interiors, or equals.

The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith
Of The Holy Scriptures
Chapter 2 - Paragraph 2
God, having all life, 17)  glory,  18)   goodness,  19)  blessedness, in and of Himself, is alone in and unto Himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creature which He hath made, nor deriving any glory from them,  20)  but only manifesting His own glory in, by unto, and upon them; He is the alone fountain of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom ae all things,  21)  and He hath most sovereign dominion over all creatures, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever Himself pleases;  22)  in His sight all things are open and manifest,  23)  His knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature, so as nothing is to Him contingent or uncertain;  24)  He is most holy in all His counsels, in all His works,  25)  and in all His commands; to Him is due from angels and men, whatsoever worship,   26)  service, or obedience, as creatures they owe unto the Creator, and whatever He is further pleased to require of them.
17) John 5.26  18)  Ps. 148:13  19)  Ps. 119.68  20)  Job 22:2-3  21)  Rom. 11:34-36  22)  Dan. 4:25.34-35  23)  Heb. 4:13  24)  Ezek. 11:5; Acts 15:18  25)  Ps. 145:17  26)  Rev. 5:12-14

Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
All love's excelling
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. - 1 John 4 v 18
The love here spoken is not our love to God, but His love to us; for it is called perfect love. All that is ours is imperfect. When we have done all, we must say, 'We are unprofitable servants.' Sin mingles with all we think and do. It were no comfort to tell us, that if we would love God perfectly, it would cast out fear; for how can we work that love into our souls? It is the Father's love to us that casteth out fear. He is the Perfect One. All His works are perfect. He can do nothing but what is perfect. His knowledge is perfect knowledge; His wrath is perfect wrath; His love is perfect love. It is this perfect love which casteth out fear. Just as the sunbeams cast out darkness wherever they fall, so does this love cast our fear.