Winter 2004
From the Pastor
At the start of another fellowship magazine, I take this opportunity to thank all the members and adherents of Ballee Baptist for your faithfulness through 2003. Every fellowship depends on the faithfulness of God’s people, and again you have risen to your responsibility with commendation. I trust that in 2004 in the will of God, we will continue to know that very real sense of God’s presence in the services … for that there is no substitute.
I also wish all our readers a very blessed New Year.
I
have been thinking a lot about a verse that is found in Isaiah 55:11
“So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it.”
The start of the year is as good a time as any to think of what we are doing with our lives.
A time of assessment, appraisal, and then make any necessary adjustments. Most of us can fill our lives with things that could be called in biblical terms “vain”. That is, they are without any real significance, value, or importance. Of course the Devil is quite happy for us to spend our lives in such a way … to have us waste our lives, and end up “throwing in the towel” when it comes to the things of God.
I want to remind you of things that are not worthless, and things that we can focus on in the year that lies before us in the will of God.
Our
Preaching is NOT in Vain … 1st Corinthians 15:14
If Christ did not rise from the dead, we would be wasting our breath talking about salvation ----but He did rise from the dead, the grave is empty. Therefore we can open God’s precious Word with confidence, and preach its contents boldly. It will not return unto the Lord vainly and it will accomplish all that He intents it to. I remind you that God ordained Gospel preaching (Rom.10:14)
It is through preaching sinners hear, repent and believe. Our preaching is also not in vain, because of the power of the Gospel message (Rom.1:16), and we have the promise of Matt.7:14 that a few will be saved.
Our
Participation is NOT in Vain … Hebrews 6:10
It
is true that God places our sins into the sea of His forgetfulness. But it is
also true that He will never forget all that we have done in His name towards
others. What you do for the Glory of God in 2004, will reap great dividends for
you, not only in this life, but also in the one that is to follow. Service for
the Lord is always worthwhile and beneficial.
Our Parenting is NOT in Vain … Proverbs 22:6
If we train our children in spiritual things, what we have taught them will follow them all the days of their lives, even if they do not turn to the Saviour for salvation. There is no way to remove a godly example and spiritual instruction completely from one’s mind. Even if you feel like you are accomplishing little or nothing, don’t be weary of giving instruction.
Our
Prayers are NOT in Vain … Matthew 7:7
Since
we have access to God as sons, we are to ask, seek, and knock. The word
“knock” suggests one seeking access. Revelation 3:20, speaking of the Church
of the Laodiceans, records the very strange yet sad situation of the Lord
outside His church, wanting to be let in.
As
we embark upon another year, it will be those who believe the promises of God,
who will be found “knocking” on God’s door.
Our
Planting is NOT in Vain … Psalm126:6
We
are to sow the seed of the Word, both diligently and expectantly. May our God
grant to us in Ballee Baptist a fruitful harvest in this year of service for
Him.
Enjoy
the rest of the magazine, and use it as material to make your prayer for the
fellowship
more direct and specific.
Pastor
Kennedy.
_______________________
These
well thought words of wisdom were in my ‘quiet time’ reading wrote by Corrie
Ten Boom. I’d like to share them with you.
‘If you
look at the world, you’ll be distressed.’
‘If you
look within, you’ll be depressed.’
‘If you
look to Christ, you’ll be at rest.’
How
true it is that we will be distressed looking at the world because of the sin
and evil we see; we will be depressed looking within at ourselves cause all we
see is failure and unworthiness but praise God if we look to
Christ
He gives us rest from the trials and problems life throws at us.
Hebrews 12 v 2.
Submitted
by Diane Johnston.
THE
CHRISTIAN'S Battle —
SELF OR CHRIST ?
There are two kinds of Christians, easily identified and clearly distinguished from each other. The question may be asked, “ How can there be two streams from one fountain-head which flow so widely apart ? ” We must get an answer to this question if we are to choose to be spiritual Christians and live consistently as such.
The
Co-existence of two Natures in every Believer.
Every Christian is conscious of a battle within himself. Part of him wants to please Christ, part of him wants to satisfy every demand of self. Part of him longs for the rest of the promised land, another part lusts for the onions, leeks and garlic of Egypt. Part of him grasps Christ, part of him grips the world. There is a law of gravitation which pulls him sinward while at the same time a law of counteraction pulls him Christward The Scriptural explanation of this is that every believer has within him two natures : the sinful, Adamic nature, and the spiritual, Christ nature. The first Epistle of John gives us a clear unfolding of this truth. “ If we say that we HAVE no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us “— 1 john 1. 8. If any Christian, says he has no sin and is entirely freed from his old nature, he deceives himself. He does not deceive his family or his friends, least of all does he deceive God. He only deceives himself. In the next verse God makes provision for the sins of Christians. " If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness "—1 john 1. 9. The " sins " and " all unrighteousness " mentioned here are those of saints.
"
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him (God) a liar, and his
word is not in us” — 1 john
1. 10. The gross, fleshly sins may have gone from us, but what of the
hidden sins of the spirit; the harsh judgment, the wrong attitude, the unkind thought. Then what of the sins of
omission. Have you thought of James 4. 17,a serious verse in the Bible. It tells me that sin is not merely an act
or an attitude ; but it is an absence. It is what I do not do that I know
I should do. Who then is without sin ? In
every believer is that old nature that can do nothing but sin. Inherent within
it is a three-fold inability : it cannot know, obey or please God.
By physical birth we possess this God-ignorant, God defying, God displeasing
nature which is set on the gratification and the glorification of self. In every
believer is a new nature which cannot sin. Inherent within it is a three-fold
capacity : it can and does know, obey and please God. By spiritual birth we
possess this God-knowing, God-obeying, God-pleasing nature which is set on the
gratification and glorification of Christ. These two natures co-inhabit every
believer through life. John wrote to believers as though he did not expect them
to sin because they had this God-begotten nature. " My little children,
these things write I unto you, that ye sin not "—1 john
2. 1. Yet he made full provision for their sinning because they had this
devil-begotten nature. " And, if any man sin, we have an advocate
with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous "— 1 john
2. 1. This old nature can
not be removed or improved but God has a wonderful way of
victory over it.
The co-existence of these two opposing natures in one person necessitates conflict. It is the age-long conflict between Satan and Christ with the Christian's life as the battleground. The conflict is personalised in Rom. 7. Christ had come into Paul's life to possess and control it. Romans 7 is the picture of a Christian torn to pieces by this conflict and baffled and discouraged beyond words. It is this conflict which staggers many a young Christian and often causes a total eclipse of faith or a gradual backsliding into the world. The first step into the Christian life was taken because his conscience was awakened to the evil of his doings. His chief concern was for his sins. He sought Christ as his Saviour that he might have forgiveness of sins. In the realisation of forgiveness he experienced great joy and began witnessing for Christ. But soon he finds himself doing the same things again ; the evil habits persist; worse than all, joy in Christ lessens, the heart grows cold and he becomes utterly discouraged. But his love for God is not altogether quenched. Something in him cries out for God, while another something contests every inch of God's claim and control. He strives against sin, prays for release and makes every effort in his own strength to get victory. He comes to the place where he says, " Is it worth while ? " One day on the very verge of despair he cries out for deliverance, " Oh ! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? " What seems like his utter downfall is really his hour of deliverance. He had to come to the end of
Rom 7 before he could enter Rom 8. Are you living in Romans 7 to-day ? Do you wish to know the way out ?
The
Conquest of the Old Nature
God
has given us clear and definite instruction regarding our part in the
dethronement of self. We must condemn the flesh. God condemns the flesh
as altogether sinful. He sees
" no good thing " in it. We must accept God's estimate of the flesh
and act accordingly. This seems easy, but it is very difficult. God's standard
is very exacting. He says there is “ no good thing “ from the centre to the
circumference of the flesh. He condemns its innermost desires (Eph. 2. 3) and
its outermost deeds (Col. 3. 9). The first step that Paul took to life on the
highest plane was to condemn the flesh and “ to have no confidence “ in it
(Phil. 3. 3-4). But we do have confidence in the flesh. We divide it into the
good and the bad. Certain things in the flesh we condemn as sinful, others we
admit to be weaknesses ; but there is another good-sized portion of the flesh
that we rate very high and trust without reserve. We make a cross-section of the
flesh, good and bad together, and think it measures up fairly well. But let us
put the flesh to a test. Take the most God-like thing in human life, which is
love, and place the purest specimen of it in your life alongside of
1 Cor. 13, which is God's love. Is it always long-suffering with no trace
of impatience or irritability ? Is it always kind with no rudeness or harshness
? Does it never seek its own through selfishness or jealousy ? Does it think no
evil but is always without suspicion ? Has your flesh never broken down under
this divine test ? God asks us to condemn even the cross-section as unclean and
untrustworthy. We must consent to the crucifixion of the old man. God has
already crucified the old man, but we must give our hearty consent to the
transaction and consider it an accomplished fact. This was the second step Paul
took to life on the highest plane. He said, " I have been crucified with Christ "—gal.
2. 20. Have you consented to your crucifixion with Christ ? There can be
no reservations, no holding back part of the price. The whole " I "
must be reckoned crucified. God asks you to put your signature to this
statement, " I have been crucified with Christ." If you have never
done so, will you do it now ? We must co-operate with the Holy Spirit in
keeping the old man crucified. What Christ has made possible for us the Holy
Spirit makes real within us, but only with our intelligent co-operation. God
states very clearly what our part is. (1)
Reckon yourself dead unto sin. " Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be
dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord
"—rom. 6. 11. Through the crucifixion of the old man the
believer is freed from sin's power and released from sin's dominion. Every claim
of sin has been nullified and he has been made dead to sin. Grace has made this
an accomplished fact; faith makes it an experimental fact. Through grace the old
man was put on the cross and buried in the tomb ; through faith he will be kept
there. As the Christian reckons
himself " dead unto sin " the Holy Spirit makes it real ; as he
continues to
reckon, the Holy Spirit continues to make real. (2) Make no provision for the
flesh. " But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for
the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof"—rom. 13. 14. Yet we daily and hourly make provision for the
renewal of the life of the flesh by feeding him upon the things that make fat.
We provide for the flesh by the books we read, by the pleasures in which we
indulge, by the companions we keep, by the pursuits we follow. Do you spend
hours in reading novels and then wonder why you have no taste for the Bible ?
The Holy Spirit lives on spiritual food. Are you starving your spiritual nature
by feeding it on husks ? Are you trying to feed the Holy Spirit on the TV or
Internet? Are your nearest friends
such as weaken you spiritually ? Is it your aim in life to make money and is all
your time and strength bent to attain that goal ? Then do not wonder that your
spirit is lean. “ For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to
the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- lasting “—gal. 6. 8. God's
law of sowing and reaping in the spiritual realm is the same as it is in the
material realm. If we sow to the flesh, we shall reap that which is fleshly. To
which are you sowing, the flesh or the Spirit ? " For they that are after
the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the
Spirit the things of the Spirit "—rom.
8. 5. " Mind "—it is a strong word. Upon what things is your
mind fixedly set and with what things is it habitually occupied ? Do you "
mind " clothes or a bank account ? We are responsible for the direction
that our thoughts take. What things do you " mind " ?
"
That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not
after the flesh, but after the Spirit "—rom.
8. 4. The world judges a Christian very largely by his walk. But what
does the world think of the Christian who walks with it six days of the week and
separates from it only long enough to go to church on Sunday ? Perhaps you have
taken the first step into the Christian life by accepting Christ as your Saviour.
You faced the choice of your sin or God's Son, and you chose Christ as your
Saviour. But since that time your life has been one long wilderness journey
filled with defeat and discouragement. You are tired of it all and your heart
cries out for
peace, rest and victory. Are you ready then for the second step ? God puts
before you another choice- self or Christ?
Christ is our Saviour, will we let Him become our Lord?
D. Mitchell.
The co-existence of these two opposing natures in one person necessitates conflict. It is the age-long conflict between Satan and Christ with the Christian's life as the battleground. The conflict is personalised in Rom. 7. Christ had come into Paul's life to possess and control it. Romans 7 is the picture of a Christian torn to pieces by this conflict and baffled and discouraged beyond words. It is this conflict which staggers many a young Christian and often causes a total eclipse of faith or a gradual backsliding into the world. The first step into the Christian life was taken because his conscience was awakened to the evil of his doings. His chief concern was for his sins. He sought Christ as his Saviour that he might have forgiveness of sins. In the realisation of forgiveness he experienced great joy and began witnessing for Christ. But soon he finds himself doing the same things again ; the evil habits persist; worse than all, joy in Christ lessens, the heart grows cold and he becomes utterly discouraged. But his love for God is not altogether quenched. Something in him cries out for God, while another something contests every inch of God's claim and control. He strives against sin, prays for release and makes every effort in his own strength to get victory. He comes to the place where he says, " Is it worth while ? " One day on the very verge of despair he cries out for deliverance, " Oh ! wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? " What seems like his utter downfall is really his hour of deliverance. He had to come to the end of
Rom 7 before he could enter Rom 8. Are you living in Romans 7 to-day ? Do you wish to know the way out ?
The
Conquest of the Old Nature.
God has given us clear and definite instruction regarding our part in the dethronement of self. We must condemn the flesh. God condemns the flesh as altogether sinful. He sees " no good thing " in it. We must accept God's estimate of the flesh and act accordingly. This seems easy, but it is very difficult. God's standard is very exacting. He says there is “ no good thing “ from the centre to the circumference of the flesh. He condemns its innermost desires (Eph. 2. 3) and its outermost deeds (Col. 3. 9). The first step that Paul took to life on the highest plane was to condemn the flesh and “ to have no confidence “ in it (Phil. 3. 3-4). But we do have confidence in the flesh. We divide it into the good and the bad. Certain things in the flesh we condemn as sinful, others we admit to be weaknesses ; but there is another good-sized portion of the flesh that we rate very high and trust without reserve. We make a cross-section of the flesh, good and bad together, and think it measures up fairly well. But let us put the flesh to a test. Take the most God-like thing in human life, which is love, and place the purest specimen of it in your life alongside of 1 Cor. 13, which is God's love. Is it always long-suffering with no trace of impatience or irritability ? Is it always kind with no rudeness or harshness ? Does it never seek its own through selfishness or jealousy ? Does it think no evil but is always without suspicion ? Has your flesh never broken down under this divine test ? God asks us to condemn even the cross-section as unclean and untrustworthy. We must consent to the crucifixion of the old man. God has
already crucified the old man, but we must give our hearty consent to the transaction and consider it an accomplished fact. This was the second step Paul took to life on the highest plane. He said, " I have been crucified with Christ "—gal. 2. 20. Have you consented to your crucifixion with Christ ? There can be no reservations, no holding back part of the price. The whole " I " must be reckoned crucified. God asks you to put your signature to this statement, " I have been crucified with Christ." If you have never done so, will you do it now ? We must co-operate with the Holy Spirit in keeping the old man crucified. What Christ has made possible for us the Holy Spirit makes real within us, but only with our intelligent co-operation. God states very clearly what our part is. (1) Reckon yourself dead unto sin. " Likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord "—rom. 6. 11. Through the crucifixion of the old man the believer is freed from sin's power and released from sin's dominion. Every claim of sin has been nullified and he has been made dead to sin. Grace has made this an accomplished fact; faith makes it an experimental fact. Through grace the old man was put on the cross and buried in the tomb ; through faith he will be kept there. As the Christian reckons himself " dead unto sin " the Holy Spirit makes it real ; as he continues to reckon, the Holy Spirit continues to make real. (2) Make no provision for the flesh. " But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof"—rom. 13. 14. Yet we daily and hourly make provision hours in reading novels and then wonder why you have no taste for the Bible ? The Holy Spirit lives on spiritual food. Are you starving your spiritual nature by feeding it on husks ? Are you trying to feed the Holy Spirit on the TV or Internet? Are your nearest friends such as weaken you spiritually ? Is it your aim in life to make money and is all your time and strength bent to attain that goal Then do not wonder that your spirit is lean. “ For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- lasting “—gal. 6. 8.
God's law of sowing and reaping in the spiritual realm is the same as it is in the material realm. If we sow to the flesh, we shall reap that which is fleshly. To which are you sowing, the flesh or the Spirit ? " For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh ; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit "—rom. 8. 5. " Mind "—it is a strong word. Upon what things is your mind fixedly set and with what things is it habitually occupied ? Do you " mind " clothes or a bank account ? We are responsible for the direction that our thoughts take. What things do you " mind " ?" That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit "—rom. 8. 4. The world judges a Christian very largely by his walk. But what does the world think of the Christian who walks with it six days of the week and separates from it only long enough to go to church on Sunday ? Perhaps you have taken the first step into the Christian life by accepting Christ as your Saviour. You faced the choice of your sin or God's Son, and you chose Christ as your Saviour. But since that time your life has been one long wilderness journey filled with defeat and discouragement.
You are tired of it all and your heart cries out for peace, rest and victory. Are you ready then for the second step ? God puts before you another choice- self or Christ? Christ is our Saviour, will we let Him become our Lord?
D.
Mitchell.
Ladies
Fellowship
Over
the past few months we have had a variety of speakers at our ladies meetings.
Our season opened in September with a visit from Sally Clarke from SASRA. Sally
won our hearts as she spoke of her work amongst soldiers and of the way God has
used her in influencing many of these men and women under the sound of the
gospel. October seen new ground for us again in that we had a box opening on
behalf of ACRE. Stephen and Hetty Smyth came and Hetty gave a word of testimony
before Stephen showed us some slides and gave a closing message. Including our
offering that evening there was over £1000 raised for ACRE. A big thank you to
all who contributed to the boxes and to the offering that night. November
brought a visit from Lavina Abrol from Ballynahinch. Lavina shared her testimony
and everyone was deeply moved by her childhood experiences in Belfast. However,
she has a wonderful sense of humour and the night was interspersed with quite a
few hearty laughs! If you want to know more—buy the book!
We
had no meetings in December and look forward to January when we are expecting
Rosemary Armstrong to come and share about the work of ECM. We extend a warm
invitation to all ladies to come and join with is and enjoy a time of friendship
and fellowship.
Our
prayer meetings continue as usual and they have been very well supported this
year. If you are free please come and join with us in the prayer meeting on the
last Wednesday of each month.
Our
best wishes for a speedy recovery is extended to Emma Simpson after her surgery
and we look forward to welcoming her back amongst us as soon as possible.
We
look forward to seeing all ladies in January again and may I wish each of you a
very happy and peaceful 2004.
Leslie Kennedy.
THE
PRECIOUS BLOOD OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
The
meaning of the blood
Lev 17 vs. 11 & 14.
Security
through the blood
Ex 12 v 13.
Propitiation
through the blood Rom 3
v 25.
Justification
through the blood Rom 5 v 9.
Forgiveness
through the blood Eph 1 v 7
Peace
through the blood
Col 1 v 20a
Access
through the blood
Heb 10 v 19
Sanctification
by the blood
Heb 13 v 12
Redemption
by the blood
1st Pet 1 vs. 18 & 19.
Cleansing
through the blood 1st Jn 1 v 7
Loosing
from sin by the blood
Rev 1 v 5
Glory
eternal by the blood.
Rev 7 vs. 14 & 15.
On
the golden street of heaven all men hope to walk someday,
Yet
so many are not willing to accept the living way.
So
while others build on good works, or opinions, if they may.
Hallelujah,
hallelujah, I’m depending on the blood.
In
the soul-cleansing blood of the Saviour,
I’ve
been washed in the crimson flood.
Though
the world may say “there is hope some other way,”
I’m
depending on the blood.
Some
will tell us that God’s mercy is their only hope and plea,
That
a soul He could not punish throughout all eternity.
But
I read that my dear Saviour died for sinners just like me.
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! I’m depending on the blood.
As
we look back through the ages where the kings and prophets trod,
We
may see their alters reeking with the sacrifice and blood.
But
those types were only pointing to the paschal Lamb of God
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! I’m depending on His blood.
‘Tis
the burden of that chorus over on the street of light,
That
the blood from Calvary’s mountain hath washed all their garment white.
So
I’ll shout along life’s pathway till I reach that land so bright;
Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! I’m depending on the blood.
Submitted by Wilson Burgess.
The
Twenty Third Psalm
Possession
My Shepherd.
Provision
Shalt not want.
3.Position
Lie down
4.Pastures
Green pastures
5.Progress
Tough I walk through the valley
6.Peace
I will fear no evil
7.Presence
Thou art with me.
8.Protection
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies.
9.
Power
Anointest my head with oil.
10.Plenty
My cup runneth over.
11.Prospect
I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
Perfect
Sevenfold
Perfect
Satisfaction -
I shall not want.
Perfect
Rest-
Maketh me to lie down.
Perfect
Quietness-
Leadeth me beside still waters.
Perfect
Consecration- Anointst
my head with oil.
Perfect
Joy-
Cup runneth over.
Perfect
Glory-
Dwell in the house of the Lord.
Perfect
Guidance-
Leadeth me in the paths of righteousness.
Christ
reveals Himself as :
The
Good Shepherd in Death—John 10 : 11
The
Great Shepherd in Resurrection—Hebrews 13 : 20
The
Chief Shepherd in Glory—1st Peter 5 : 4.
The
Shepherd– rules, guides, feeds and protects.
The
Sheep—follow, obey , love and trust.
The
Pasture– green, large good and abundant.
The
Lord Is My Shepherd.
I
shall not want for Rest -
He
maketh me to lie down.
I
shall not want for Refreshment –
He
leadeth me beside still waters.
I
shall not want for Preservation-
He
restoreth my soul.
I
shall not want for Guidance-
He
leadeth me.
I
shall not want for Peace-
I
will fear no evil.
I
shall not want for
Companionship- Thou
art with me.
I
shall not want for Comfort-
Thy rod and thy staff.
I
shall not want for Sustenance-
Thou preparest a table.
I
shall not want for Joy-
Thou
anointest my head.
I
shall not want for Anything-
My
cup runneth over
I
shall not want for Happiness now-
Goodness
and mercy.
I
shall not want for Glory—
I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
The
summary of all these blessings
Luke 15 : 31.
Submitted
by James Alexander.
No
Room at the Inn
As Christmas and the New Year approaches, it gives us once again the opportunity to reflect on the year that is drawing to an end, and also causes us to consider the year that is about to commence and what it might hold for us. But whether we are looking back or looking forward, we must not forget to look at the Lord’s birth.
In Isaiah 33:17 we are told …“Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty”, yet for the population of Bethlehem we find that there was no room for the Lord Jesus at the Inn.
I was challenged by how much room I make in my life for the Lord Jesus.
Nehemiah 1:3-11 can be seen as a picture of the distress in our lives pictured by the broken walls of Jerusalem, the gates to our heart are burned down, enabling the enemy to easily move in. We need to start to rebuild, to put up new gates with the enemy securely on the outside. Just like Nehemiah we must pray to the God of Heaven, not just to a god, but to the Great and Awesome God, who keeps His promise of mercy to those who love Him and keep His commandments. A God of love, who stays closer than a brother.
In v6, Nehemiah calls out to God with expectancy that God will see and hear the need.
This prayer is not a “one off”, but rather day and night he brings the burden of His heart.
We can easily detect that Nehemiah has not only an intimate knowledge of God but also a fear of God. That fear is seen in v8, when we read “Remember I beseech thee, the word that thou commandest thy servant Moses, saying, if ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad among the nations”.
In v9 we have a “BUT”, God says if you return to me and keep my commandments … not only keep them but do them …He will bring us close to Himself again.
Nehemiah reminds us that we are redeemed by Great Power, and the price has been paid in full.
In v11 Nehemiah cries “Lord I beseech thee, let now thine ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant” … May God grant that our prayers be answered according to His will, and we would be faithful ambassadors for the King of Kings. That He will enable us to rebuild our walk with God, and make us trusted servants, who have frequent access to the King.
Let us look to that day when we shall see the King in His beauty, a risen Saviour at the right hand of the Father. It is little wonder that on that first Christmas those Herald angels sang … let us too sing praises to His name, and make sure that there is room in our busy lives for God.
Submitted by Brian Moore
YPF
Report
June
– November 2003
Once more it’s been a busy time for Youth Fellowship – so busy in fact we didn’t take time to update you on our summer activities in the last magazine!
For a variety of reasons, ranging from weddings to trips away, we reduced our usual number of summer activities this year to three. Our first event was held on 28th June when we visited Graham and Hilary’s farm near Broughshane. An evening of sliding, table quiz and eating ensued and we are really grateful to the Kernoghan’s for allowing us to invade their space!
On 9th August we set out for Belfast to participate in Laser Quest at the Ozone. We then followed this up with a trip to Bangor and the obligatory search for chips and ice cream.
The final event, on 30th August, welcomed those who were due to start Secondary/Grammar School in September. We took the group Pony Trekking and on a walk around the Giant’s Causeway. After all that energetic activity, it was a complete necessity to call in at McDonalds on the way home.
Our new season of meetings began on the 7th September when we had a relaxed evening of introductions and icebreakers to meet any newcomers and renew fellowship with those we’d missed over the summer.
Portrush braced itself on 19th September when a group of over 40 young people arrived at Windsor House for our annual fellowship weekend. There was the usual mix of fun and sleeplessness but also a real sense of God’s presence with us. Meetings were taken by the committee on the subjects ‘Mentoring’, ‘What does it mean to be a Christian?’ and ‘Running the Race’. These proved a challenge to all of us.
During October we had several visits to other churches. On 5th October we joined with Wellington Street Youth Fellowship for an evening of praise. We then attended two special youth meetings in Whitehead on the subjects ‘Creation vs. Evolution’ and ‘Evidence that demands a verdict’.
On 2nd November we took time to hear from the some of the team who’d gone to Brazil over the summer to work alongside our missionaries Billy and Agnes Jones. Aside from the slides and the stories we were reminded that we too could support this work and our other missionary family through prayer.
We had a Chilean visitor on the 16th November when Victor Henriquez who is currently attending Belfast Bible College came to speak to us. That evening we studied what it meant to have ‘The Real Thing’ and how an imitation could never be good enough.
At our last November meeting we had a video night where we watched the Jesus video. This told the story of Jesus life and death on earth and certainly caused us to think of what he went through to save us.
Finally we would like to thank all those who have helped us in various ways. Whether it be providing food, opening your home or upholding us in prayer – your support is very much appreciated. Particular thanks must go to Billy
Portis for his willingness to drive for us as we visit various places. We ask you to continue to pray for us as a group that God will be able to use these times we spend together to draw us closer him.
——————————————-
The
Sounds Of Christmas Day.
The
crackling logs on the fire
With
the sweet aroma of peat
The
snow being crunched at your window
By
the carol singers feet.
The
sleigh bells we hear in the distance
As
Rudolph prepares for his load
The
laughter of hearty old Santa
On
return to his frozen abode.
The
ripping of paper from presents
With
their colourful ribbons and bows
The
children who get so exited
Their
laughter and fun overflows.
The
gentle fall of the snowflake
So
softly it melts away
Brings
quiet sweet thoughts of Christmas
Of
a child who was born this day.
Sweet
music is heard in the distance
Of
a birth the archangels sing
For
God sent a Child who is special
To
be the world’s supreme King.
The
hushed lowly sounds of a stable
The
oxen and lambs as they lay
Keeping
watch over this Child in a manger
Are
the sounds of a true Christmas Day.
Submitted by Julie Harbinson.
New
Prayer Line Ministry
We have set up this new facility in our Fellowship to reach out with the great ministry of prayer for every given situation. The telephone number is 2564 8916 and we have already advertised this in the local press. When someone rings that number, they will hear a recorded message inviting them to leave their prayer request and at the same time being assured of support and confidentiality. They are given the opportunity to leave a telephone number or name if they wish to receive a return call.
Dates
for January to March 2004 dv
January.
Week
of Prayer … Monday 5th
January to Friday 9th January.
Tuesday 13th January 8.00pm Mr. Tom Lewis (BEE)
Sunday 18th January am & pm Pastor Harold Chambers
Tuesday 20th January 8.00pm Mr. Sherrard McKay (PTS)
Sunday 25th January am & pm Mr. David Mitchell
February
Tuesday 17th February 8.00pm Pastor Sammy Gordon (TWR)
Friday
20th to Sunday 22nd February Missionary Weekend
Friday 8.00pm Mr. Tom Rice (Society for Distribution the Hebrew Scriptures)
Saturday 8.00pm Mr. Gordon Campbell (Lo de bar Trust)
Sunday 11.30am Mr. Stephen Smyth (Acre Gospel Mission)
Sunday 6.30pm Mr. Douglas Mark (Open Doors)
Sunday 29th February am & pm Mr. Joseph Bailie (New Tribes Mission)
March
Tuesday 9th March 8:00pm Mr. Stanley Mawhinney (IMF)
Thursday 25th March 8:00pm Mr. Bill Friel (Scotland)
Sunday 14th March am & pm Pastor Alan Hoey (Monkstown Baptist)
Baptismal
The
following believers were baptised on Sunday 7th December 2003
David
& Heather Campbell, Anne Simpson, Rachel Chambers, Anna Portis, Naomi
Johnston.
New
Members
Susan
& Joe Lynn 14th Dec 2003
Raymond
& Anne Simpson 21st Dec 2003
New
Arrivals
Congratulations
to Kennedy & Tara Clinton on the birth of their daughter
Rachel on
Wednesday 19th November 2003