Daily Readings for Sunday 3rd March 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. Though 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 faimily 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. May these verses challenge us all at the start of this new year to be a people of prayer. 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 th eGospel 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 aprayer 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, adn 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 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 vai FaceBook)
Lunch hour service
Thursday afternoon between 1:00 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 - Elihu is angry with Job and his three friends. He excuseth the boldness of his youth, because wisdom doth not always come from age: he complaineth of the weak reasonings of those, who, instead of confuting Job, ahd been silenced by him: he sheweth his own zeal to speak, which he professeth to do without respect of person.
Job 32
Preface - Paul having shews a motive of tenderness for not coming to Corinth, as also for writing his former epistle, declareth himself satisfied with the censure inflicted on the incestuous person, and desireth them to forgive and comfort him, as he himself had forgiven him in Christ's name. His uneasiness for not finding Titus at Trous had caused him to go forthwith into Macedonia. He blesseth God for the successfulness of his labours everywhere, professing his sincerity and distinterestedness before God.
2 Corinthians 2


Daily Light - Morning
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways
acknowledge him, adn he shall direct thy paths.

Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before him: Gos is a refuge for us.

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee. Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about. - Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.

If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence. For wherein shall it be known here that I and thy people have found grace in thy sight? is it not in that thou goesst with us? so shall we be sparated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.
Pr. 3.5-6; Ps. 62.8
Ps. 32.8-10 Isa. 30.21
Ex. 33.15-16


Daily Light - Evening
The prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Thou shalt have treasure in heaven...come and follow me. - I am...thy exceeding great reward.

Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord. - They shall reign for ever and ever.

Ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away. - The crown of life. - A crown of righteousness. - An incorruptible (crown).

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou has given me. - So shall we ever be with the Lord.

I reckon that the sufferings o fthis present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall  be revealed in us.
Phil. 3.14; Mt. 19.21; Ge. 15.1
Mt. 25.21; Rev. 22.5
1 Pe. 5.4; Jas. 1.12; 2 Tim. 4.8; 1 Co. 9.25
Jn. 17.24; 1 Th. 4.17
Ro. 8.18


A Puritans Catechism
Q 82 -What is
meant by the words, "till he come," which are used by the apostle Paul in reference to the Lord's Supper?
A - They plainly teach us that our Lord Jesus Christ will come a second time; which is the joy and hope of all believers.


Of The Civil Magistrate
Chapter 24
PARAGRAPH 3

Civil magistrates being set up by God for the ends aforesaid; subjection, in all lawful things commanded by them, ought to be yielded by us in the Lord, not only for wrath, but for conscience’ sake;4 and we ought to make supplications and prayers for kings and all that are in authority, that under them we may live a quiet and peaceable life, in all godliness and honesty.5

4 Rom. 13:5–7; 1 Pet. 2:17
5 1 Tim. 2:1–2



Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings
... Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it; - Ephesians 5 v 25
This is unparalleled love. Love is known by the sacrifice it will make. In a fit of love, Herod would have given away the half of his kingdom. If you will sacrifice nothing, you love not. Hereby we know that men love not Christ - they will sacrifice nothing for Him. The ywill not leave a lust - a game - a companion, for Christ. 'Greater love than this hath no man.' But Christ gave Himself. Consider what a self. If He had created ten thousand millions of worlds, and given them away, it had been great love - had He given a million of angels; but He gave the Lord of angels - the Creator of worlds. 'Lo, I come.' He gave the pearl of heaven. O what a self! - Jesus! - all loveliness!