Daily Readings for Thursday 31st July 2025

Daily Prayer - Thursday
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 11:00 am in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Doctrine Class - in church (after lunch) (and also available online via Facebook)
Sunday evening at 6:30 pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Bible Study and Prayer
Wednesday evening at 7:00 pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Lunch Hour Service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00 pm and 1:30 pm in church (and also available online via Facebook)
Outreach/Witnessing
Saturday morning at Victoria Street (outside the big Boots store) for 10:30 am (across the road from Town Hall - No. 64). Afterwards, we go back to church for prayer.  



Daily Reading Plan - First Year
Preface - Samson desireth to take one of the daughters of the Philistines to wife. In his journey to Timmath he killeth a lion. In a second journey thither he findeth honey in the lion's carcase. Samson's marriage feast. His riddle, which his wife prevaileth upon him to unfold to her, and she discovereth to the guests. He slayeth thirty Philistines, and giveth their spoil to those who had expounded his riddle; he leaveth his wife in anger, who is given to another.
Judges 14
Preface - Paul worketh for his subsistence, and preacheth Christ at Corinth, first to the Jews, and, upon their opposing and blasheming, to the Gentiles with more success: he is encouraged by the Lord in a vision, and abideth there a long time. The Jews accuse him before Gallio the deputy, who will have nothing to do with them. Paul passeth from city to city, confirming the disciples. Apollos, instructed more perfectly n the Christian doctrine by Aquila and Priscilla, preacheth it at Ephesus, and afterward in Achaia, with great efficacy.  
Acts 18



Daily Light - Morning
Endure hardness,
as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

I have given him for a witness to the people, a leader and commander to the people. - It became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. - We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.

We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God. - We do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

The God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.
2 Tim. 2.3; Isa. 55.4; He. 2.10; Ac. 14.22
Eph. 6.12-13; 2 Co. 10.3-4
1 Pe. 5.10



Daily Light - Evening
The unity of the Spirit.

There is one body, and one Spirit. - Through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard: that went down to the skirts of his garments.

Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
Eph. 4.3; Eph. 4.4; Eph. 2.18-22
Ps. 133.1-2
1 Pe. 1.22



A Puritans Catechism
Q 9 - What is the work of creation?
A - The work of creation is God's making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.



The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
To the Judicial and Impartial Reader
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Courteous Reader: It is now many years since divers of us (with other sober Christians then living, and walking in the way of the Lord, that we profess) did conceive ourselves to be under a necessity of publishing a Confession, of our Faith, for the information and satisfaction of those that did not thoroughly understand what our principles were, or had entertained prejudices against our profession, by reason of the strange representation of them by some men of note who had taken very wrong measures, and accordingly led others into misapprehension of us and them. And this was first put forth about the year 1643, in the name of seven congregations then gathered in London; since which time divers impressions thereof have been dispersed abroad, and our end proposed in good measure answered, inasmuch as many (and some of those men eminent both for piety and learning) were thereby satisfied that we were no way guilty of those heterodoxies and fundamental errors which had too frequently been charged upon us without ground or occasion given on our part. 
And forasmuch as that Confession is not now commonly to be had, and also that many others have since embraced the same truth which is owned therein, it was judged necessary by us to join together in giving a testimony to the world of our firm adhering to those wholesome principles by the publication of this which is now in your hand. And forasmuch as our method and manner of expressing our sentiments in this doth vary from the former (although the substance of this matter is the same), we shall freely impart to you the reason and occasion thereof. One thing that greatly prevailed with us to undertake this work was (not only to give a full account of ourselves to those Christians that differ from us about the subject of baptism, but also) the profit that might from thence arise unto those that have any account of our labors in their instruction and establishment in the great truths of the Gospel, in the clear understanding and steady belief of which our comfortable walking with God, and fruitfulness before him in all our ways, is most nearly concerned; and therefore we did conclude it necessary to express ourselves the more fully and distinctly; and also to fix on such a method as might be most comprehensive of those things we designed to explain our sense and belief of; and finding no defect in this regard in that fixed on by the Assembly, and, after them by those of the congregational way, we did readily conclude it best to retain the same order in our present Confession; and also when we observed that those last mentioned did in their Confessions (for reasons which seemed of weight both to themselves and others) choose not only to express their mind in words concurrent with the former in sense concerning all those articles wherein they were agreed, but also for the most part without any variation of the terms, we did in like manner conclude it best to follow their example in making use of the very same words with them both in these articles (which are very many) wherein our faith and doctrine are the same with theirs; and this we did the more abundantly to manifest our consent with both in all the fundamental articles of the Christian religion, as also with many others whose orthodox Confessions have been published to the world on the behalf of the Protestant in diverse nations and cities. And also to convince all that we have no itch to clog religion with new words, but do readily acquiesce in that form of sound words which hath been, in consent with the Holy Scriptures, used by others before us; hereby declaring, before God, angels, and men, our hearty agreement with them in that wholesome Protestant doctrine which, with so clear evidence of Scriptures, they have asserted. Some things, indeed, are in some places added, some terms omitted, and some few changed; but these alterations are of that nature as that we need not doubt any charge or suspicion of unsoundness in the faith from any of our brethren upon the account of them.
In those things wherein we differ from others we have expressed ourselves with all candor and plainness, that none might entertain jealousy of aught secretly lodged in our breasts that we would not the world should be acquainted with; yet we hope we have also observed those rules of modesty and humility as will render our freedom in this respect inoffensive, even to those whose sentiments are different from ours.
We have also taken care to affix texts of Scripture at the bottom, for the confirmation of each article in our Confession; in which work we have studiously endeavored to select such as are most clear and pertinent for the proof of what is asserted by us; and our earnest desire is that all into whose hands this may come would follow that (never enough commended) example of the noble Bereans, who searched the Scriptures daily that they might find out whether the things preached to them were so or not.
There is one thing more which we sincerely profess and earnestly desire credence in - viz., that contention is most remote from our design in all that we have done in this matter; and we hope that the liberty of an ingenuous unfolding our principles and opening our hearts unto our brethren, with the Scripture grounds of our faith and practice will by none of them be either denied to us, or taken ill from us. Our whole design is accomplished if we may have attained that justice as to be measured in our principles and practice, and the judgment of both by others, according to what we have now published, which the Lord (whose eyes are as a flame of fire) knoweth to be the doctrine which with our hearts we most firmly believe and sincerely endeavor to conform our lives to. And O that, other contentions being laid asleep, the only care and contention of all upon whom the name of our blessed Redeemer is called might for the future be to walk humbly with their God in the exercise of all love and meekness toward each other, to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord, each one endeavoring to have his conversation such as becometh the gospel; and also, suitable to his place and capacity, vigorously to promote in others the practice of true religion and undefiled in the sight of God our Father! And that in this backsliding day we might not spend our breath in fruitless complaints of the evils of others, but may every one begin at home, to reform in the first place our own hearts and ways, and then to quicken all that we may have influence upon to the some work, that if the will of God were so, none might deceive themselves by resting in and trusting to a form of godliness without the power of it, and inward experience of the efficacy of those truths that are professed by them.
And verily there is one spring and cause of the decay of religion in our day which we cannot but touch upon and earnestly urge a redress of, and that is the neglect of the worship of God in families by those to whom the charge and conduct of them is committed. May not the gross ignorance and instability of many, with the profaneness of others, be justly charged upon their parents and masters, who have not trained them up in the way wherein they ought to walk when they were young, but have neglected those frequent and solemn commands which the Lord hath laid upon them, so to catechise and instruct them that their tender years might be seasoned with the knowledge of the truth of God as revealed in the Scriptures; and also by their own omission of prayer and other duties of religion of their families, together with the ill example of their loose conversation, having, inured them first to a neglect and the contempt of all piety and religion? We know this will not excuse the blindness and wickedness of any, but certainly it will fall heavy upon those that have been thus the occasion thereof; they indeed die in their sins, but will not their blood be required of those under whose care they were, who yet permitted them to go on without warning - yea, led them into the paths of destruction? And will not the diligence of Christians with respect to the discharge of these duties in ages past rise up in judgment against and condemn many of those who would be esteemed such now?
We shall conclude with our earnest prayer that the God of all grace will pour out those measures of his Holy Spirit upon us, that the profession of truth may be accompanied with the sound belief and diligent practice of it by us, that his name may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
The Saviour's desire
Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me,
be with me where I am;
John 17 v 24
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He does not mean that we should be presently taken out of this world. Some of you that have come to Christ may, this day, be favoured with so much of the joy of heaven, and such a dread of going back to betray Christ in the world, that you may be wishing that this house were indeed the gate of heaven; you may desire that you might be translated from the table below at once to the table above. 'I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ.' Sill Christ does not wish that. 'O pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.' 'Wither I go, thou canst not follow me now.' (like that woman in Brainerd's Journal - 'O blessed Lord, do come! Oh, do take me away! Do let me die and go to Jesus Christ. I am afraid, if I live, I shall sin again.') He means, that when our journey is done, we should come to be with Him. Every one that comes to Christ has a journey to perform in this world. Some have a long, and some a short one. It is through a wilderness. Still Christ prays that at the end you may be with Him. Everyone that comes to Christ hath his twelve hours to fill up for Christ. 'I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day.' But when that is done, Christ prays that you may be with Him. He means that you shall come to His Father's house with Him. 'In my Father's house are many mansions.' You shall dwell in the same house with Christ. You are never very intimate with a person till you see them in their own house, till you know them at home. This is what Christ wants with us - that we shall come to be with Him, at His own home. He wants us to come to the same Father's bosom with Him. 'I ascend to my Father and your Father.' He want us to be in the same smile with Him, to sit on the same throne with Him, to swim in the same ocean of love with Him.