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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 - The destruction of the Philistines. Jeremiah 47 Psalms 23) Preface - David's confidence in God's providential care and goodness. Psalms 24) Preface - God's sovereignty over the whole world. Who shall stand in his holy place. The solemn entrance of the Lord into his santuary. Psalms 23-24 Daily Light - Morning What God is there in heaven or in earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy might? Who in the heaven can be compare unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?... O LORD God of hosts, who is a strong LORD like unto thee? or to thy faithfulness round about thee? - Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord; neither are there any works like unto thy works. - For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things, to make thy servant know them. Wherefore thou art great, O LORD God: for there is none like thee, neither is there any God beside thee, according to all that we have heard with our ears. Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit. - The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children. Deu. 3.24; Ps. 89.6,8; Ps. 86.8; 2 Sa. 7.21-22 1 Co. 2.9-10; Deu. 29.29 Daily Light - Evening He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ. - I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth. - I have...whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God. Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee. - My Heart rejoiceth in the LORD...I rejoice in thy salvation. Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto thy name give glory, for thy mercy, and for thy truth's sake. 1 Co. 1.31; Jer. 9.23-24 Phil. 3.8; Ro. 1.16; Ro. 15.17 Ps. 73.25; 1 Sa. 2.1 Ps. 115.1 A Puritans Catechism Q 80 - What is the Lord's Supper? A - The Lord's Supper is an ordinance of the New Testament, instituted by Jesus Christ; wherein, by giving and receiving bread and wine, according to his appointment, his death is shown forth, and the worthy receivers are, not after a corporeal and carnal manner, but by faith, made partakers of his body and blood, with all his benefits, to their spiritual nourishment, and growth in grace. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith Of the Church Chapter 26 PARAGRAPH 3 The purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error;4 and some have so degenerated as to become no churches of Christ, but synagogues of Satan;5 nevertheless Christ always has had, and ever shall have a kingdom in this world, to the end thereof, of such as believe in him, and make profession of his name.6 4 1 Cor. 5; Rev. 2–3 5 Rev. 18:2; 2 Thess. 2:11–12 6 Matt. 16:18; Ps. 72:17, 102:28; Rev. 12:17 Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings O worship the King Praise ye the Lord, Praise the Lord, O my soul. Psalms 146 v 1 Believers should praise God for what He is in Himself. Those that have never seen the Lord cannot praise Him. Those that have not come to Christ, have never seen the King in His beauty. An unconverted man sees no liveliness in God. He sees a beauty in the blue sky, in the glorious sun, in the green earth, in the spangling stars, in the lily of the field; but he sees no beauty in God. He hath not seen in Him, neither known Him; therefore there is no melody of praise in that heart. When a sinner is brought to Christ, he is brought to the Father. Jesus gave himself for us, 'that he might bring us to God.' O! what a sight breaks in upon the soul - the infinite, eternal, unchangeable God! I know that some of you have been brought to see this sight.
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