On
behalf of the
fellowship
at
Ballee
we wish
Patrick
& Rachel Kangi
many
congratulations
on
their marriage
and
wish them
God’s blessing in
their lives together
Summer 2005
FROM THE PASTOR
Welcome
to the latest edition of our Church magazine. It is my prayer that it will not
only be informative to all our members and adherents, but also an encouragement
to all who read it.
As
I write this article, the fellowship at Ballee Baptist is about to
celebrate
nine years in our Church building. The malicious fire that
destroyed
our previous meeting place is now a distant memory (1st
Oct. 1993), and we praise God for all His faithfulness to us as a local Assembly
of God’s
people.
This
summer will also see a big change in our fellowship, when Billy Jones
becomes
Pastor Jones and takes up the position of Assistant Pastor in our
Fellowship.
Please pray for both Billy and Agnes, together with Sarah and
Rebecca,
as they get re-adjusted to the climate and culture of Ballymena after their
years of missionary service in Santa Cruz in the North East of Brazil. Also pray
for Billy as he comes in to strengthen the Pastoral team and leadership, that he
might know the blessing and help of God on his ministry. (His Induction
service
will be Saturday 3rd September DV)
Such
major changes in the fellowship will not however make us immune from trouble.
They come with the territory! “Where you have people you have
problems!”
goes the familiar saying. But reading Acts 4:23-37 we discover that troubles are
not designed to break
us but rather to make us! When we face
persecutions,
pressures, and problems, they no doubt appear as undesirable and negative, but
just as precious metals are purified in intense heat, so it is in the “fiery
furnaces” of life that we as God’s Children are purged and transformed into
the image of Christ.
Notice
how the opposition that the early Church faced, actually benefited those early
believers:-
1.
Troubles Led to Prayer v24-30
v24
He prayed to the God of Creation
v25-26
He prayed to the God of Revelation
v27
He prayed to the God of Incarnation
v28
He prayed to the God of Determination
v28a
He prayed to the God of Observation
v29
He prayed to the God of Declaration
v30
He prayed to the God of Demonstration
When
pressure comes, it pays to avail ourselves of the sweet hour of prayer that is
meant to be ours, as we take the problems to the Lord in prayer. When we are
absorbed with Him, our problems and trouble will seem so much lighter,
compared
to when we try to carry them ourselves.
2.
Troubles Led to Power v33
Those
spiritual, heavenly things that we desire to see in our lives do not just
happen
automatically. They are birthed in an atmosphere of prayer. First there is
prayer and then comes power! The Spirit of God moves in response to a prayerful
people. Here in v33 we find that in response to prayer, there was a shaking! If
there was anything that we need in our churches today, it is a divine shaking
and disturbing. We need to be shaken from our religious status quo, shaken from
our spirit of apathy and criticism which is the spirit of our age, shaken from
lethargy and mediocrity. May God give us a shaking in Ballee Baptist!
After
the shaking there was a filling v33b, and I do not need to remind those
believers
reading this article, that the command of God in Ephesians 5:18 is that we be
“Filled with the Spirit”. Not that we get more of the Spirit but certainly
that the Holy Spirit has more and more of us!
After
the Shaking, and the Filling, came the Speaking v33c! They conveyed the truth of
God with Holy boldness. Saint of God .. never
settle for anything
less than this divine shaking; filling and speaking the truth of God with
boldness.
3.
Troubles Led to Partnership v32-35
As
the waves of persecution came upon the Church like a mighty tidal wave, it drew
the saints of God very close to one another. We still see that in a small way in
our church life. When a family of the fellowship is going through bereavement or
trouble, it is a wonderful thing to see the fellowship rally to their aid and
support.
How much more that will happen in times of persecution, which can be
demonstrated today in China, North Korea, Nepal etc where the flames of
persecution
still rage against the Church of Jesus Christ.
4.
Troubles Led to a Possession v37
They
possessed a “great grace”, because they knew they where in the centre of
God’s will and seeking to obey His voice. God gives great grace when it is
required.
Only
God knows what will cross our path, both as individuals and as a fellowship. May
we respond in such a way that we shall come forth as pure gold for His
eternal
Glory.
**********************************
I
would like to ask you to join me in a dark flight of fancy. Suppose that
you’re a political leader with a specific agenda. A major part of that agenda
is to remove the church of Jesus Christ from your nation. Suppose that you had
more or less unlimited powers, powers that were not encumbered by you own
national legal code nor by international interference. Nothing stands in the way
of your attacks on the Christian church in your land. What steps would you take
to achieve your ends?
Your first step might
be to silence by intimidation or arrest, all national Christian leaders. You
might even kill some. Pressure the remainder into joining your version of the
church, one that mouths your ideological slogans and not the Bible, one that is
committed to putting Caesar (you) before Christ. If they refuse to bow the knee,
declare them to be counter-revolutionary criminals. Then using such tools as
‘accusation meetings’ and re-education mobilize your nation’s
non-Christian
population against them.
Then, remove from your
country all foreign nationals who do not mouth the ideology of your regime. As
for execute a few, imprison and rough-up some others. Then expel them all.
Intimidate your people to such an extent that they regard ongoing contact with
foreigners of any kind, especially the Christian kind, as too dangerous,
how-ever much they want and need that contact.
Take over control of
all channels of communication – radio, television, newspapers magazines and so
on. Use these media to exalt the glories of your leadership and policies.
Frequently broadcast whatever facts there are that make you look good. If there
are facts that make you look bad, rewrite them. Truth is to be defined only as
that which serves to exalt your regime.
Add to this scenario
media control over information about other countries. Continually proclaim that
they are in a terrible social and political state – in strong contrast to the
reports about the ‘blessings’ of life under your regime. Naturally, you
would use the media to convince your people of two lies regarding the church
overseas. Firstly, that anybody believes in Jesus in foreign lands anymore.
Secondly,
that those who do believe are corrupt, immoral and generally perverse.
Programmes that promote your view of the universe should be daily fare for your
people. You could even print ‘funny’ Bibles, which seem to be the real
thing, but in fact remove key doctrine and strip others of Biblical meaning.
Close down all
churches, meeting places, Gospel halls and any other form of gathering place for
Christians. Set in motion a neighbourhood-watch scheme that encourages your
citizens with rewards to turn in any Christians who might meet together in any
way whatsoever. Let them report any sounds of worship and of hymn singing. If
they see their neighbours reading the Scriptures or engaged in Daniel-like
prayer, then let them hand them in for Daniel-like punishment.
Of
course you would totally eliminate the preaching of the “Gospel from your
land.” Ban all evangelism – whether it takes place in a public context of
any kind (churches of other venues) or in private conversations (in the streets
or home or elsewhere). Encourage your citizens to report to your security forces
any
attempt
at group or personal evangelism. Reinforce that by giving horrific and very
public punishment to any person handed over to you for such a crime, so that
those who report them know that their faithfulness to you will be rewarded by
harsh criminal proceedings against the Christians and by personal promotion and
rewards for themselves. Especially encourage that kind of betrayal amongst
relatives
and close friends. In so doing, engender such insecurity amongst
Christians
that they will never be sure whom they can trust. Bring them to the place where
witnessing for Jesus carries such an enormous personal risk that even the
boldest waver.
Take this a step
further. Infiltrate the churches with those who can mimic prayer and Bible
study, Who can speak in such a way that even Christians think they are genuine.
Have them lie low for long periods of time, working their way in to church
leadership, whilst being totally faithful to your government and not to the
church of Jesus Christ. All the time let them be reporting to you and providing
lists of believers who are on fire for Jesus.
When the time is
right, have these men and women take over the churches, openly preaching your
political gospel and implementing your ‘doctrines’. For example, make sure
that they deny God’s creation of the world: that they are
silent about or deny the biblical version of the end of the world and the
return of Jesus Christ. Of coarse they must scoff at miracles, especially the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. Have them state often and clearly
that working with you is the real underline meaning of Christianity. Create
through all of this an environment where the fear of man (you) is far greater
then the fear of God.
Meanwhile, go for your
nation’s youth. Compel them to become members of the youth movement of the
Party. Make it clear that they will never get further education or good jobs if
they are not active in your cause – especially if they attend church or
believe in Jesus. Ban them from church, and also ban any
teaching
of key biblical doctrines to them. Encourage them to believe that God and
science are totally contradictory, that man (especially you and your party) are
masters of the universe.
Finally, round up and
destroy all Bibles, hymn books and Christian
literature,
whilst closing your borders to the import of fresh supplies. Ban your printers
on pain of fearful punishment form printing any such materials. Ban your
citizens form listening to any overseas radio stations impertinent enough to
broadcast
the Gospel...
So much for our
gruesome flight of fancy. Using such methods and more, any political leadership
with such an agenda could be very certain to remove the church of Jesus Christ
form their land-or so it would seem. This has in fact been reality for the past
50 years in China and despite an attempt to weed out
Christianity
it has in fact grown and an unimaginable rate.
Elisabeth Farrell
Submitted
by Richard McCord
In
the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth, and its lovely to read in
Genesis chapter 1 & 2 what the Lord did in that first week. When the Lord
looked at each aspect of his creation he declared that it was Good
and
then at the end of his work the Lord looked again and declared that it was Very
Good.
However
there was one aspect of his creation that the Lord considered was
not good
and in Genesis 2v18 when the Lord looks into man he identified a need within
him, and he said “It
is not good that the man
should
be alone.”
The
need that the Lord identified was not a spiritual need as at that time he had
close communion with Adam when he walked in the garden and of course now, those
of us who are saved are never alone as we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and the
Lord said in Matt 28 v 20 “Lo
I am with you always, even until the end of the world.”
But
to meet the physical and emotional need for company the Lord looked for “an
help meet”. He looked first to the animals and there is no doubt that many of
us enjoy the pleasure of the company
of pets and the comfort that they can give us as we share our time with them.
However human, like-minded company was needed then and is still needed today and
like every other need some feel it stronger than others.
The
solution that the Lord found in “an help meet” was of course an earthly
partner for Adam with whom to share his life and the Lord blessed and
commended the partnership
of marriage for mankind from that time on.
However
the basic need for human company in our lives applies beyond the
immediate partnership of marriage and we all need friends and like-minded
acquaintances with whom to share our time.
Loneliness
can be a terrible experience and can drain a persons enjoyment of life and
indeed their joy in the Lord and I believe that in fulfilling our Love for one
another we each have a responsibility to identify potential loneliness in
others, the need for company and where possible to meet it.
Within
our fellowship we have many people who live alone, some through choice and some
through circumstances. However not all single people experience
loneliness,
it is also possible to be lonely as a couple and indeed we can feel lonely even
in a busy family setting. Loneliness is not restricted to any particular age
group and can affect anyone from the youngest child to the elderly, in fact
personally I believe its most tragic when it affects older teenagers and young
adults.
Indeed
we may be surprised as to how many of our friends and acquaintances actually
experience feelings of loneliness. We can and should bring these people before
the Lord in prayer but as we all know, prayer without works is dead
(James
2 v 20), but perhaps you are the person who holds the answer to that prayer.
This
short poem is perhaps an extreme case but it would be a poor reflection on us if
it applies to someone in our fellowship or indeed one of our neighbours.
Waiting
for something to happen
Waiting
for someone to call
But
no one does.
Sitting there, waiting alone,
Perhaps some old neighbour
Will pick up the phone
Kettle
whistles on the ring
But no one does.
A
warm welcome sound
Perhaps
a neighbour will come in
But
no one comes.
Sitting there alone in her chair
Face unwashed, hair
uncombed
Appearances who cares
Suddenly
knock at the door
No one does.
Quick
rush round, tidy up
Wash
face, comb hair
No
one there.
Took too long, didn’t wait
May come back, ready
then
This time she won’t
hesitate
Sitting
there staring at the walls
But no one comes.
Waiting
for something to happen
Waiting
for someone to call
But
no one does.
If
each one of us took it upon ourselves to call in on a regular basis to visit
someone in our fellowship or a lonely neighbour, while the cost in time
to us would be minimal think of the difference it could make to them.
Genesis
3v18 “It is not good that the man
should be alone ”
Alex
Kinghorn
ROMANS
CHAPTER 8. 35-39
God
is for me. I fear not, though all against me rise;
I
call on Christ my Saviour, the host of evil flies.
My
friend the Lord Almighty, and He who loves me, God!
What
enemy shall harm me, though coming as a flood /
I
know it, I believe it, I say it fearlessly,
That
God, the Highest, Mightiest, forever loveth me.
At
all times, in all places, He standeth at my side,
He
rules the battle fury, the tempest and the tide.
A
Rock that stands forever is Christ my righteousness,
And
there I stand unfearing in everlasting bliss.
No
earthly thing is needful to this my life from Heaven,
And
nought of love is worthy, save that which Christ has given.
Christ,
all my praise and glory, my Light most sweet and fair, the ship wherein He
saileth is scathless everywhere.
In
Him I dare be joyful, a hero in the war,
The
judgment of the sinner affrighteth me no more.
There
is no condemnation, there is no hell for me,
The
torment and the fire mine eyes shall never see.
For
me there is no sentence, for me death has no strings,
Because
the Lord who saved me shall shield me with His wings.
Above
my soul’s dark waters His Spirit hovers still,
He
guards me from sorrow, from terror and from ill.
In
me He works and blesses the life-seed He hath sown,
From
Him I learn the Abba, that prayer of faith alone.
And
if in lonely places, a fearful child, I shrink,
He
prays the prayers within me I cannot ask or think.
In
deep unspoken language, known only to that love
Who
fathoms the heart’s mystery from the Throne of Light above.
His
Spirit to my spirit sweet words of comfort saith.
How
God the weak one strengthens who leans on Him in faith,
How
He hath built a city of love, and light and song,
Where
eye at last beholdeth what the heart had loved so long.
And
there is mine inheritance, my kingly palace-home;
The
leaf may fall and perish, not less the Spring will come.
As
wind and rain of Winter, our earthly sighs and tears,
Till
the golden Summer dawneth of the endless Year of years.
The
world may pass and perish, Thou, God wilt not remove,
No
hatred of all devils can part me from Thy love.
No
hungering nor thirsting, no poverty nor care, no wrath of mighty princes can
reach my shelter there.
No
angle, and no heaven, no throne nor power, nor might,
No
love, no tribulation, no danger, fear nor fight,
No
height, no depth, no creature that has been or can be,
Can
drive me from Thy bosom, can sever me from Thee.
My
heart in joy upleapeth, grief cannot linger there.
While
singing high in glory amidst the sunshine fair !
The
source of all my singing is high in Heaven above,
The
Sun that shines upon me is Jesus and His love.
Submitted by Wilson Burgess.
|
On
behalf of the fellowship
at Ballee
we wish Patrick
& Rachel Kangi many
congratulations on
their marriage and
wish them God’s blessing in their lives together
|
If
God Should Go On Strike
How
good it is that God above has never gone on strike
Because
He was not treated fair in things He didn't like;
If
only once He sat down, and said "that's it! I'm through;
I've
had enough of those on earth, so this is what I'll do -
I'll
give my orders to the sun - cut off the heat supply:
And
to the moon, Give no more light, And run the oceans dry
Then
just to make things really tough, and put the pressure on,
"Turn
off the vital oxygen till every breath is gone"
You
know, He would be Justified, if fairness was the game;
For
no-one has been more abused or met with such disdain;
Thank
God, and yet He carries on, supplying you and me;
With
all the favours of His grace, and everything for free!
Men
say they want a better deal, and so 'on strike ' they go;
But
what a deal we've given God, to whom all things we owe;
We
don't care who we hurt or harm to gain the things WE like,
BUT
- what a mess we'd all be in IF GOD SHOULD GO ON STRIKE.
David Mitchell
Suppose
an angel told me at early morning light,
“Your
Lord will come this evening-You will go Home tonight,”
Would
ecstasy be clouded by thoughts of things undone,
The
seed I might have scattered, the crowns I might have won?
The
soul I meant to speak to, the purse I meant to share,
And
oh, the wasted moments I meant to spend in prayer!
The
weight of unsaved millions would press upon my heart,
In
their death am I certain that I had not a part?
And
just a few short moments in which to set things right?
How
feverishly I’d labour until the waning light.
O
slothful soul and careless heart, O eyes which have no sight-
Work,
lest you reap but vain regrets-Your Lord MAY come tonight.
(Author unknown)
Submitted by Sheila
Burgess.
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LADIES FELLOWSHIP
Our final meeting this year was held in March when we had a visit from Esther
Gillanders who shared a word of testimony on that evening. She touched many
hearts that night and it was good to have her share with us just prior to the
mission which was taken by her husband Trevor. Please pray as we plan for
the
recommencement of our missionary meetings in September. If you do not
make it your practise to come why not join with us on the 2nd Wed. of each month
and enjoy fellowship with us as we learn about the work of God in many different
places.
Our prayer meetings continue as usual throughout the summer months so if you
are free we would love to have you join with us in prayer on the last Wed of
each month. We are encouraged to "pray one for another" and where
better to
"wait upon the Lord" than in the place of prayer.
Our ladies outing took place this year on the last Sat. in April. We headed to
Newtownards and then Bangor where we enjoyed a lovely tea at the
Bryansburn Inn before returning home tired but happy. Again this is a great
opportunity to get to know some of our ladies so why not plan to come along and
join with us next year as we head out for some shopping and relaxation. (Some
might be cynical and say you can’t use those two words in the same sentence!)
Watch out for details
next Spring DV!
Lesley Kennedy
‘The
value of a smile’
It
costs nothing, but creates much. It enriches those who receive without
impoverishing those who give. It happens in a flash and the memory of it
sometimes lasts forever. None are so rich that they can get along without
it and none are so poor but are richer for a smile. It creates happiness in the
house,
fosters
good will in a business and is the countersign of friends. Yet it cannot be
bought, begged, borrowed or stolen, for it is something that is no earthly good
to anyone till it is given away. And if it ever happens that some people should
be too tired to give you a smile, why not leave one of yours. For nobody needs a
smile so much as those who have none left to give.
“While they communed
together and reasoned, Jesus Himself drew near” Luke 24/15
These
two friends, as they walked along with heavy hearts, had only one theme. They
were talking of their sore loss and of Him whom they had lost. They were so
intensely absorbed in their sorrow as they talked of it that they were not aware
of the near approach of a stranger until He had drawn up and joined them. Jesus
always
draws near when His friends are talking of Him. In an Old Testament
(Mal
3/16) book it is said that when the Lord’s people come together and speak of
sacred things, the Lords listens and keeps a book of remembrance.
Here
is something more. Two of Christ’s friends talked of Him, and He comes and
joins them. How much those Christian people miss who meet and pass hours
together, and have no theme of conversation but the silly gossip of society,
filled with back biting and bits of malicious criticism and mischievous scandal,
but without one single word about Christ. Does any one suppose that the Lord
harkens
to such conversation, or puts it down in His book of remembrance. Of course He
hears every word of the talk and every word goes down in a book of remembrance,
and we must give account of every idle word. But He does not
listen
and record the conversation in the sense the prophet meant, with loving
pleasure. Does any one think Christ will draw near and become one of any such
party of Christians who feed on every bit of fresh gossip but with never a word
about their Redeemer.
What
a blessing every hour of conversation would bring if we would only talk together
of Christ and His Kingdom. He would then draw very near and join us, adding the
joy of His presence to our hearts. Shall we not talk together more of our Lord.
David Mitchell
What's
on ?
Special
dates for July to September
Monday 4th to Friday 8th July
Holiday Bible Club
Sunday 10th AM
& PM
Mr. D. Mitchell
Thursday 14th July
Wedding of Alison Calderwood to Keith Hargie
Tuesday 26th July
Wedding of Lynn Houston to Gavin Paul
Sunday 7th August
AM & PM
Pastor H. Chambers (Cookstown Bapt.)
Sunday 14th August AM & PM
Mr. R McMaster
Sunday 21st August AM & PM
Mr. B. Jones
Sunday 28th August AM & PM
Mr. A. Calderwood
Saturday 3rd September 7.30pm
Induction of Pastor Billy Jones.
Tuesday 13th September
8pm
Pastor Jonah Savarapu (India)
Tuesday 20th September
Wedding of Julie Irons to Jonathan Pollock
Sunday 25th September AM & PM
Dr. James McKeown (BBC)
New
Members
The
right hand of fellowship was given
Karen
Boville …………………………………….…...3rd April.
Graham
Campbell………………………………..…...22nd May.
Tommy
& Pauline Fenton……………………….…….5th June.
Richard
McCord…………………………………..….19th June.
Julie
McCullough, Kennedy & Tara Clinton……..…..26th June.
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On
behalf of the Adult Bible Class we would like to thank Mr. Wilson Burgess.
His
dedication and hard work has been much appreciated.
We
would like to thank all who have so generously contributed to the Church
Building Fund. We anticipate your continued support in the future.
First
Sunday
Every
month
A
big thank you to all who have contributed to this magazine.
Please
use any of these e-mail addresses for sending your articles to the magazine.
editor@BalleeBaptist.org
Stephen@Johnston577.fsnet.co.uk