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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 greay 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 rountine. 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 His 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 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, 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 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 - Solomon to persuade obedience sheweth what instruction he had received from his parents, to study wisdom, and to shun the path of the wicked: he exhorteth to regards his admonitions, and to keep a guard upon the heart, and to be circumspect in all our ways. Proverbs 4 Preface - Paul asketh what had moved the Galatians to depend on the law, having already received the Spirit through faith. As abraham was justified by faith, so they who are of faith inherit his blessing. The law brought men under a curse, and could not justify. Christ hath freed us from the curse, and laid open the blessing to all believers. Supposing that the law justified, God's covenant with Abraham would be void. But the law was only a temporary provision against sin till Christ's coming, and in no wise contrary to God's promises: serving as a schoolmaster to prepare men for Christ. But faith being come, the law is at an end, and all believers are without distinction become children of God, and heirs of the promise. Galatians 3 Daily Light - Morning He shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him. Ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. - Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree. He hath made us accepted in the beloved. - As lively stones...built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. - I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faltless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Lev. 1.4; 1 Pe. 1.18-19; 1 Pe. 2.24 Eph. 1.6; 1 Pe. 2.5; Ro. 12.1 Jude 24.25 Daily Light - Evening In all points tempted like as we are, yet wihtout sin. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. When the tempter cam e to him, he said, if thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered... It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God... The devil...sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, bnad the glory of them... Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the prise of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. In that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted. Blessed is the man that endureth temptation. He. 4.15; Ge. 3.6 Mt. 4.3-4,8,10 1 Jn. 2.16 He. 2.18 Jas. 1.12 A Puritans Catechism Q 13 - Did our first parents continue in the estate wherein they were created? A - Our first parents, being left to the freedom of their own will, fell from that initial state wherein they were created, by sinning against God, by eating the forbidden fruit. The Church Chapter 26 PARAGRAPH 10 The work of pastors being constantly to attend the service of Christ, in his churches, in the ministry of the word and prayer, with watching for their souls, as they that must give an account to Him;19 it is incumbent on the churches to whom they minister, not only to give them all due respect, but also to communicate to them of all their good things according to their ability,20 so as they may have a comfortable supply, without being themselves entangled in secular affairs;21 and may also be capable of exercising hospitality towards others;22 and this is required by the law of nature, and by the express order of our Lord Jesus, who has ordained that they that preach the Gospel should live of the Gospel.23 19 Acts 6:4; Heb. 13:17 20 1 Tim. 5:17–18; Gal. 6:6–7 21 2 Tim. 2:4 22 1 Tim. 3:2 23 1 Cor. 9:6–14 Robert Murray M'Cheyne - God Makes A Path - Daily Devotional Readings Companions I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts. - Psalm 119 v 63 In choosing connections or friends, O choose with regard to this - will they help or hinder your prayers? Will they go with you, and help you on your journey? Or will they be a drag upon your wheels? In going into companies, in reading books, choose with regard to this - will they fill your sails for heaven? If not, go not near them. In yielding to your affections, especially if you find them hindering your journey, drop them instantly. Never mind the consequences. 'If thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee. It is better to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to be cast into hell-fire.' 'Wherefore let us lay aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jeus.'
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