Daily Readings for Sunday 25th August 2024

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 - Jeremiah lamenteth the misery of Jerusalem: he complaineth thereof to God.
Lamentations 2
Preface - The faithful are called upon to praise God for his goodness; for his power seen in his works of creation, and in the stability of his counsel; and for his providence, and especial care over good men. Confidence is therefore to be placed in God.
Psalms 33


Daily Light - Morning
Look unto the rock whence ye are hewn,
and to the hold of the pit whence ye are digged.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity. - None eye pitied thee...but thou wast cast out in the open field, to the lothing of thy person, in the day that thou wast born. And when I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own blood, I said unto thee...Live.

He brought me up...out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God.

When we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. - God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love werewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ.
Isa. 51.1; Ps. 51.5; Ezek. 16.5-6
Ps. 40.2-3
Ro. 5.6-8; Eph. 2.4-5


Daily Light - Evening
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD,
my soul shall be joyful in my God.

I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad. O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together. - The LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O LORD of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. - Bless the LORD, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.

Is any merry? let him sing psalms. - Be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; giving thanks always for all things. - Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

At midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. - Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice.
Isa. 61.10; Ps. 34.1-3; Ps. 84.11-12; Ps. 103.1
Jas. 5.13; Eph. 5.18-20; Col. 3.16
Ac. 16.25; Phil. 4.4


A Puritans Catechism
Q 5 - Are there more Gods than one?
A - There is but one only, the living and true God.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of the Church
Chapter 26
PARAGRAPH 10
The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in his churches, in the ministry of the word and prayer, with watching for their souls, as they that must give an account to Him;19 it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability,20 so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves entangled in secular affairs;21 and may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others;22 and this is required by the law of nature, and by the express order of our Lord Jesus, who has ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.23
19 Acts 6:4; Heb. 13:17
20 1 Tim. 5:17–18; Gal. 6:6–7
21 2 Tim. 2:4
22 1 Tim. 3:2
23 1 Cor. 9:6–14

​Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Satan's objections answered
And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
Zechariah 3 v 2

If any man sin we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. Christ is the advocate of every one He saves, and not only is He an advocate after conversion, but before, and throughout conversion. He answers Satan's objections. There are two arguments here by which He answers Satan. The first is the free election of God. Jerusalem was the chief city in the world for wickedness. They had sinned against light, against love, against long-suffering mercy. Yet Christ chose it. He might say, Grant that it is the chief of wickedness, yet God hath chosen it. Grant that that soul is the chief of sinners yet the Lord is soverein. 'I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.' This is the argument of Christ. Is it not strange that the very argument which troubles souls is the one which Christ uses and the reason why you should be saved? Let Satan say, you have sinned against light, against conviction, against love. Still, the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee; is not this brand plucked out of the fire?' This shuts Satan's mouth - this is an argument which he cannot answer. The second argument Christ employ is, the brand is already plucked out of the fire. Christ here says, whatever that sinner may have been, he is now plucked out of the fire. And thus all Satan's arguments are urged in vain.