Daily Readings for Sunday 27th April 2025

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


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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.)

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Daily Reading Plan - First Year
Preface - The age and time of service of the Kohathites. They are appointed to bear the sanctuary and its vessels, after that the priests have taken down and covered them. The charge of Eleazar. The care of the priests required in covering the holy things. The age, time of service, and burden, of the Gershonites; and of the merarites. The number of the Kohathites; and of the Merarites. The number of the Kohathites; of the Gershonites, and of the Merarites.
Numbers 4
Preface - David moveth God to take compassion of his sad condition, confessing his sins to have been the cause of it.
Psalms 38

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Daily Reading - Morning
Brethren, the time is short.

Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and ontinueth not. - The world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever. - As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive... Death is swallowed up in victory. - Whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's - To live is Christ, and to die is gain.

Cast not away....your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. For ye a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry. - The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us put on the armour of light. - The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
1 Co. 7.29; Job 14.1-2; 1 Jn. 2.17; 1 Co. 15.22,54; Ro. 14.8; Phil. 1.21
He. 10.35-37; Ro. 13.12; 1 Pe. 4.7



Daily Reading - Evening
A new name.

The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. - Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. - They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. - Ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

Be ye....followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour. But fornication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, let it not be once named among you, as becometh saints.... Now are ye light in the Lord: walk as children of light.
Rev. 2.17; Ac. 11.26; 2 Tim. 2.19; Ga. 5.24; 1 Co. 6.20
Ga. 6.14-15
​Eph. 5.1-3,8

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A Puritans Catechism
Q 4 - What is God?
A - God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Effectual Calling
Chapter 10
PARAGRAPH 3
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Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit;  (10)  who works when, and where, and how He pleases;  (11)  so also are all elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.
(0)-John 3.3,5-6  (11)-John 3.8

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Mark the change
And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
Genesis 12 v 2

Abraham, before his conversion, was doubtless as selfish and ungodly as any unconverted man among us. Doubtless he thought it beneath him to have family prayer, or to teach his children and servants to know the Saviour. Doubtless he was as cold and selfish in these things as most are among ourselves. But mark the change! When Abraham becomes a child of God, he builds a family after wherever he goes; and though he had hundreds of servants under him, yet he cared anxiously for the souls of them all. 'For I know him,' says God, 'that he will command his servants and his household after him, to keep the ways of the Lord.' Before, he had been a curse; but now he is a blessing. 
Dorcas before her conversion was doubtless as selfish, and as fond of worldly things, as all unconconverted people are. Doubtless she thought it beneath her to make coats and garments for the poor, doubtless she was as selfish in these things as most are amongst us. But mark the change! When she becomes a child of God, then to do good and to distribute seems to have been the pleasure of her life. This woman was full of good works and alms-deeds, which she did. Before she had been a curse; but now she is a blessing.
Paul before his conversion was as great an enemy to the truth and as keen a persecutor of Christians as most unconverted persons are: 'I thought I should do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth; I was a blasphemer, and persecutor, and injurious.' But mark the change, when he became a child of God: 'In the bowels of Jesus Christ I long after you all;' 'I will very gladly spend and be pent for you.'
Are you converted? Then see that you be a blessing. Once you were a curse. See that you be as much a blessing.