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.) Church Services Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (and also available online via Facebook) (Sunday morning) Scripture reading - Psalm 119 v 115 - 160; Matthew 10 v 1-15 Doctrine Class - in church (after lunch) (and also available online via Facebook) (Doctrine Class) Scripture reading - Revelation 22 v 18; 2 Timothy 3 v 16 (Title - Is there such a thing as an authentic text?) Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (and also available online via Facebook) (Sunday evening) Scripture reading - Psalm 119 v 73-88; Jeremiah 8 v 21-22; Jeremiah 9 v 1 Bible Study and Prayer Wednesday evening at 7:00pm in church (and also available online via Facebook) Lunch Hour Service Thursday afternoon between 1:00pm and 1:30pm in church (and 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 - The prophet's zeal in interceding for the accomplishment of God's glorious promises to his church. The ministers of God are incited to use the like importunity. God's gracious promises confirmed by oath. The preparation of the gospel salvation. Isaiah 62 Preface - Christ sendeth out his twelve apostles with power to do miracles. He instructeth them: and forewarning them of persecutions, suggesteth motives of comfort and constancy; he promiseth a blessing to those who should receive them. Matthew 10 Daily Light - Morning As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. - Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth. - He maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole. - Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. - I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction. He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men. - He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. Rev. 3.19; He. 12.5-6; Pro. 3.12; Job. 5.18; 1 Pe. 5.6; Isa. 48.10 Lam. 3.33; Ps. 103.10-14 Daily Light - Evening God is in heaven, and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few. When ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. They...called on the name of Ball from morning even until noon, saying, O Baal hear us. Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican... And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other. Ec. 5.2; Mt. 6.7-8 1 Ki. 18.26 Lu. 18.10-11,13-14 Lu. 11.1 A Puritans Catechism Q 31 - What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life? A - They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which in this life do either accompany or flow from them. The 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith Of Good Works Chapter 16 PARAGRAPH 2 These good works, done in obedience to God's commandments, are the fruits and evidences of a true and lively faith; and by them believers manifest their thankfulness, strengthen their assurance, edify their brethren, adorn the profession of the gospel, stop the mouths of the adversaries, and glorify God, whose workmanship they are, created in Christ Jesus thereunto, that having their fruit unto holiness they may have the end eternal life.
Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings Conversion Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3 v 19 The conversion of a soul is by far the most remarkable event in the history of the world, although many of you do not care about it. It is the object that attracts the eyes of the holy angels to the spot where it takes place. It is the object which the Father's eye rests upon with tenderness and delight. This work in the soul is what brings greater glory to the Father, Son, and Spirit, than all the other works of God. It is far more wonderful than all the works of art. There is nothing that can equal it. Ah! brethren, if you think little of it, or laugh at it, how little have you of the mind of God.
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