Daily Readings for Thursday 23rd January 2025

Daily Prayer - Thursday
- Give thanks to God that we are part of a global church made up of true Christians across the world.
- Give thanks to God for the freedoms we have to share the Gospel in England and pray that it may continue.
- Pray for missionaries across the world who are seeking to preach the Gospel and establish a faithful church.
- Pray for those in persecuted countries who have to meet in secret. Even those who are now in prison for their faith. Give thanks to God that we are part       of a global church made up of true Christians across the world.


Church Services
Sunday morning at 11:00am in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Doctrine Class - in church (after lunch) (and also available online via Facebook)
Sunday evening at 6:30pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
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 Plan - First Year
Preface - Abraham sweareth his servant to seek a wife for Isaac. The servant's journey; his prayer and sign. Rebekah meeteth him and fulfilleth his sign. She receiveth jewels, sheweth her kindred, and inviteth him home; he blesseth God. Laban entertaineth him. The servant telleth his errand, and asketh for Rebekah. Laban and Bethuel approve of his proposal, and on his desiring to be gone, Rebekah consenteth to go with him. Isaac meeteth her on her way, and bringing her home, marrieth her. 
Genesis 24
Preface - Christ exhorteth to observe the doctrine, but not to follow the evil examples, of the scribes and Pharisees; and particularly not to imitate their ambition: he pronounceth various woes against them for their blindness and hypocrisy: and prophesieth the destruction of Jerusalem.
Matthew 23


Daily Light - Morning
Hope maketh not ashamed.

I am the LORD....they shall not be ashamed that wait for me. - Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and whose hope the LORD is. - Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the LORD for ever: for in the LORD JEHOVAH is everlasting strength. - My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation he is my defence; I shall not be moved. - I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed.

God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.
Ro. 5.5; Isa. 49.23; Jer. 17.7; Isa. 26.3-4; Ps. 62.5-6; 2 Tim. 1.12
He. 6.17-20


Daily Light - Evening
The offence of the cross.

If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. - We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God. - Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. - Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence.

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. - I am crucified with Christ. - THey that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us.
Ga. 5.11; Mt. 16.24
Jas. 4.4; Ac. 14.22; Ro. 9.33; 1 Pe. 2.7-8
Ga. 6.14; Ga. 2.20; Ga. 5.24
2 Tim. 2.12


A Puritans Catechism
Q 74 - How do Baptism and the Lord's Supper become spiritually helpful?
A - Baptism and the Lord's Supper become spiritually helpful, not from any firtue in them, or in him who does administer them, but only by the blessing of Christ, and the working of the Spirit in those who by faith receive them.

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The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of the Civil Magistrate
Chapter 24
PARAGRAPH 2
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It is lawful for Christians to accept and execute the office of a magistrate when called thereunto; in the management whereof, as they ought especially to maintain justice and peace, (2) according to the wholesome laws of each kingdom and commonwealth, so for that end they may lawfully now, under the New Testament, wage war upon just and necessary occasions. (3)
(2) 2 Sam. 23.3; Ps. 82.3-4 (3) Luke 3:14


Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
Rivers of water
And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beast also.
Numbers 20 v 11

Christ is the smitten rock because his blood has been poured out for sin.

1) The rock was smitten before it gave out the stream. So is it with Christ. He was smitten of God and afflicted. He bore the wrath of God; and therefore his blood gushed forth, and cleanses from all sin. Oh! you that fear to be smitten of God, wash in this blood, - it flows from a smitten rock.

2) The water gushed forth abundantly when Moses smote the rock. It was no scanty stream - it was enough for all the thousands of Israel. So is it with the blood of the Saviour. It is no scanty stream. There are no sins it cannot wash out, there is no sinner beyond its reach, there is enough here for all the thousands of Israel.

3) It was a constant supply: 'They drank of the spiritual rock which followed them, and that rock was Christ.' We are not expressly told in the Old Testament that the waters of the smitten rock did actually follow the camp of Israel, but some learned divines are of the opinion that it was so - that the water continued to flow wherever Israel went; so that it might be said the smitten rock followed them. So it is with Christ. He is a rock that follows us. He is like rivers of water in a dry place. You may wash, and wash again.