Daily Readings for Sunday 9th June 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.)


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
Preface - God displayeth his merciful providence in regard of his church: which he exhorteth to trust in him without fear; and challenging the idols to produce like proofs of power and knowledge, he sheweth their vanity.
Isaiah 41
Preface - John is commanded to measure the temple, all but the outer court. The two witnesses that shall prophesy: their power: the beast shall fight against them, and kill them: they shall lie unburied three and a half days, and then rise again, and ascend into heaven. A great earthquake. The second woe past. The seventh trumpet sounded: the heavenly choi celebrate the glories of God's kingdom.
Revelation 11


Daily Light - Morning
Never man spake like this man.

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. - The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a work in season to him that is weary. - His mouth is most sweet: yea, he is altogether lovely. This is my beloved, and this is my friend.

All bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. - He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom. - The sword of the Spirit...is the word of God. - The word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword. - (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.
Jn. 7.46; Ps. 45.2; Isa. 50.4; Song 5.16
Lu. 4.22; Mt. 7.29
Col. 3.16; He. 4.12; 2 Co. 10.4-5


Daily Light - Evening
The triumphing of the wicked is short.

Thou shalt bruise his heel. This is your hour, and the power of darkness. - As the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. - Having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith. - Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth. The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming. - The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. - The devil...was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone...and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.
Job 20.5; Ge. 3.15; Lu. 22.53; He. 2.14; Col. 2.15
1 Pe. 5.8-9; Jas. 4.7
Ps. 37.12-13; Ro. 16.20; Rev. 20.10


A Puritans Catechism
Q 11 - What ae God's works of providence?
A - God's works of providence are, his most holy, wise, and powerful preserving and governing all his creatures, and all their actions.


The 1689
Baptist Confession of Faith
Of Effectual Calling
Chapter 10
PARAGRAPH 3

Elect infants dying in infancy are regenerated and saved by Christ through the Spirit; who worketh when, and where, and how he pleases; so also are all elect persons, who are incapable of being outwardly called by the ministry of the Word.

1. John 3:3,5,6 
2. John 3:8

​

Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
For the elect's sake
Therefore I endure all things for the elect's sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. - 2 Timothy 2 v 10
I sometimes feel brethren, that I would willingly lie down beneath the sod in the churchyard, and be forgotten and trampled on, if only you were friends of Christ.