Dear Congregation,
I want to thank all of you who have prayed and supported the work of the Gospel through the church in 2023 and this first month of 2024. It is a great joy to minister at Westminster Baptist and I love the church here greatly. Through this past year, there have been heart-wrenching tragedies alongside blessings too. This is often the case in Christian life and yet we are called to keep trusting and believing. We often bear the battle scars of past experience and circumstance, as we live in this sinful world and anticipate heaven. We see Mordecai, mocked and scorned for years in Esther and on the brink of execution, yet he latterly knew blessing from God. The most important thing was he was faithful in serving the Lord. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful - 1 Corinthians 4.2. This verse especially applies to ministers, church workers, but to all Christians. We are stewards of the oracles of God and to us has the light of the gospel been revealed. We should therefore be striving to be faithful, not popular, faithful. May that be our aim by the grace of God. In the beginning month in recent years we have spent a week praying together on each day for certain things. As a reminder that with continuing faith that prayer is essential. Key to our hope and joy and endurance and love, and with new resolve to make time to pray regularly alone and with your family and with some group of fellow believers. 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 a 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. 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 same day 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 be a prayerful church and prayerful individuals, knowing that we have a prayer hearing and answering God. Pastor Jonathan Arnold Daily Prayer - Sunday - God thanks to God for His character, perfect, unchangeable, the same yesterday today and forever. - Give thanks to 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.) Daily Reading Preface - Ordinances for the prince in his worship, and for the people. An order for the prince's inheritance. The courts for boiling and baking. Ezekiel 46 Preface - The prophet complaineth bitterly of his afficted case: he taketh comfort in the eternity and mercy of God. The mercies of God are worthy to be recorded. The prophet, sensible of his own weakness, resteth his hope on the unchangeable nature of God. Psalms 102 Daily Light - Morning From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard. Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. - The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. - Thou the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off. - Humbe yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. - God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Give ear. O LORD, unto my prayer, and attend to the voice of my supplications. In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou wilt answer me. Dan. 10.12; Isa. 57.15; Ps. 51.17; Ps. 138.6; 1 Pe. 5.6; Jas. 4.6-7 Ps. 86.5-7 Daily Light - Evening Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Understanding what the will of the Lord is. It is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish. This is the will of God, even your sanctification. - That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth... Werefore lay apart all filthiness. Be ye holy; for I am holy. - [Jesus said] Whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and my sister, and mother. - Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. - The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. Mt. 6.10; Eph. 5.17 Mt. 18.14 1 Th. 4.3; 1 Pe. 4.2; Jas. 1.18,21 1 Pe. 1.16; Mk. 3.35; Mt. 7.24-25; 1 Jn. 2.17 A Puritans Catechism Q 54 - What is the reason annexed to the fifth commandment? A - The reason annexed to the fifth commandment is, a promise of long life and prosperity - as far as it shall serve for God's glory and their own good - to all such as keep this commandment. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith Of God's Decree Chapter 3 PARAGRAPH 7 The doctrine of the high mystery of predestination is to be handled with special prudence and care, that men attending the will of God revealed in His Word, and yielding obedience thereunto, may, from the certainty of their effectual vocation, be assured of their eternal election;18 so shall this doctrine afford matter of praise,19 reverence, and admiration of God, and of humility,20 diligence, and abundant consolation to all that sincerely obey the gospel.21 18 1 Thess. 1:4–5; 2 Pet. 1:10 19 Eph. 1:6; Rom. 11:33 20 Rom. 11:5–6, 20 21 Luke 10:20 Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings Faultness Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. Jude v 24 My heart sometimes sickens when I think upon the defects of believers; when I think of one Christian being fond of company, another vain, another given to evil speaking. O aim to be holy Christians! - bright, shining Christians. The heaven is more adorned by the large bright constellations than by many insignificant stars; so God may be more glorified by one bright Christian than by many indifferent ones. Aim at being that one. Soon we shall be faultless. He that begun will perform it. We shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. When you lay down this body, you may say - farewell lust for ever - farewell my hateful pride - farewell hatefull selfishness - farewell strife and envying - farewell being ashamed of Christ. O this makes death sweet indeed! O long to depart and to be with Christ!
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