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Dr James Renihan writes: Greetings to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity! December brings many joyful events. We celebrate the birth of our Lord with festivities and parties, we reflect on the events of the past year, and we look forward with anticipation to the arrival of a New Year. This is how we all look at this twelfth month. For those of us in the world of Seminary education, we might sometimes think of it differently. It marks the half-way point of the academic year. Students are busy submitting papers, finishing their assigned reading, and working hard to pass final exams. Professors then must evaluate and grade all the work they receive. In this sense, December is a busy month. Whether we think of it as the final month of the year, or the mid-point of annual studies, it's a wonderful month! The most important thing is that we remember the Saviour in all we do. As you participate in Christmas celebrations, do so with great joy. And pray for our students and faculty as they seek to glorify the Lord in this first month of Winter.

Thanksgiving is an American holiday that stretches all the way back to a time long before America became a nation. The Pilgrims landed in 1620. They faced brutal conditions and were woefully unprepared. Roughly half of them died in that first year. Then they had a successful harvest of corn. In November of 1621 they decided to celebrate a feast of thanksgiving. Over the centuries, Americans continued to celebrate feasts of thanksgiving in the fall. Some presidents issued proclamations. Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation for a perpetual national holiday set aside for thanksgiving. In 1863, with the nation torn apart by the Civil War, he declared: "I do therefore invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next, as a day of Thanksgiving and Praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the Heavens."

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill intends to allow those in England and Wales deemed to be terminally ill and with less than six months to live to receive help to kill themselves. MPs have now voted by 330 to 275 in favour of legalisation. The backbench MP’s Private Member’s Bill will now proceed to Committee Stage, where it will be considered further. The Christian Institute’s Director Ciarán Kelly told Christians not to give up on challenging the dangerous proposals: “It’s deeply disappointing that the Commons has agreed to endorse this dangerous and divisive Bill. I’m grateful to the many MPs who spoke and voted against it, and the fight is not over. We know that the more people know about assisted suicide, the less they like it. Those MPs who supported the principle of the Bill but have concerns about its practical implications must now take the time to scrutinise it properly. They will find the promised safeguards are nothing more than a mirage."

Married to Vera and with two believing daughters, Mykhailo Pimonenko serves as the pastor of ‘Church of Grace’ in Sumy, Ukraine. From the start of the war, they have continued to serve the people of their community, praying for them and holding out the message of hope while at the same time distributing humanitarian aid to those in greatest need. Not only that, but those in the church have also provided medical aid, helped evacuate people who wanted to leave, and been a blessing to those in nearby hospitals as they share the Gospel with the wounded and provide them with small gifts. Over time, Bible Study groups have begun for people who have started attending the church, some of whom have come to faith. Due to the many new individuals who have started attending, every church service is full, and special services are held for those with disabilities.

Dear supporter, This time tomorrow, Friday 29 November, MPs will start to debate one of the most dangerous pieces of legislation ever presented to Parliament – Kim Leadbeater’s assisted suicide Bill. The phrase ‘It’s a matter of life and death’ is sometimes used for the most trivial of issues. But tomorrow’s debate is exactly that. It could make it legal for doctors to help adults deemed to be terminally ill to kill themselves. There are many good reasons to oppose this Bill: the lack of scrutiny, the absence of safeguards, the inevitable expansion, the impact on palliative care services, and the pressure it places on vulnerable people to end their lives for fear of being a ‘burden’. As Christians, we also know the proposal breaches the Sixth Commandment and denies the value of every person as an individual made in the image of God.

TRAIN(Kenya) is a charity that supports the work of the gospel in Kenya. The title stands for Truth Reaching Africa In Need. One of the principal areas of work is in Western Kenya amongst the Pokot people. There has only been one new leader in Pokot in the past 20 years. We regard helping with the development of such leaders as a matter of great importance for the many existing churches and the future of the work. We are helping two men with support towards their studies in the training programme (TPC) in Nairobi, one from Pokot and one from Mombasa. The Pokot brethren have planned the Bible Light School in Kasei to start, God willing, in January 2025. They are hoping for 20 men from the area to be the first class. There is a large church building that can be used, and we have helped towards the building of specific facilities, which yet have to be completed.

A family from TBC Nairobi have recently relocated to Rwanda to teach in the Rafiki Village (school) there. You might be aware that very many churches have been closed because of new government regulations. “They require that it’s built on a property owned by the church, with soundproofing and water harvesting. There are also requirements on parking areas, and security systems. Also, there must be something else other than the church, such as a school. So, it’s only one reformed (Baptist) church which was on their property but then they have had to start a school in the property. They hope to be approved to reopen soon. Most churches will not reopen, since their financial capabilities are way too low to meet these demands.” There are also requirements for formal training for leaders, something that the Kenya government also says it will implement. This is one reason why there are many applicants for the Nairobi TPC.

A BBC documentary called ‘Young, British and Anti-Abortion’ was released this week, exploring the growing pro-life movement in the UK. The documentary maker, Poppy Jay, is quite staunchly pro-abortion, which shows in some of the editing. However, in a pre-release interview she admitted that these passionate pro-lifers “did open up my eyes to a lot and they did challenge my own thoughts”. She said their arguments made her question “what makes a human ‘human’: what characteristics; is it when it looks human; is it when it can feel something; is it when it can form memories or live outside of the mother?” James Ascott, a young Christian who has visited Trinity Grace in the past and is an active anti-abortion advocate, was featured in the documentary. He said: “[the] right to life should happen because it’s a human. It’s at a different stage of development to a teenager – [that] doesn’t mean that we have the right to kill a fetus because it cannot walk, because it cannot talk. I say a 10-week-old baby should have equal protection, equal rights as myself. I believe both of us shouldn’t be killed if we’re innocent.”

Many Christians are grieved and angered by the moral degeneration of our culture. But let us be grieved and angry at the right things: sin and Satan have ruined our world and ravaged countless lives. Many fear for the future. But let us fear the right thing: the judgement of God against our unbelieving neighbours whose only hope is forgiveness through Jesus’ blood. You have wicked and sexually lost neighbours. Abraham did too. But he didn’t hate them, he loved them enough to pray for them. If we claim to know Abraham’s God, then we ought to follow his lead, pleading with the Lord to spare our lost neighbours because God hears the cry of their sins, but he also hears the cry of our intercession. God give us hearts filled with pity and mouths filled with pleading for the lost.

The aim of the conference is to inspire and equip the next generation of evangelical Christians with a deeper love for God, a stronger conviction in the faith and a greater commitment to practical righteousness. We believe that by investing in the spiritual formation of the younger generation, we can build up the church and develop strong leaders and members for the future. Join us as we pursue our shared goal of glorifying God and strengthening local churches throughout the UK. We seek to achieve this through the following means: (1) Teaching the whole counsel of God as found in His Holy Word and expressed in the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. (2) Addressing relevant issues for younger people in our modern society through discussions with both young people and their pastors, equipping attendees with practical tools to navigate the challenges of living out the faith in today's world. (3) Introducing young people to rich biblical resources that will help them grow in spiritual maturity. (4) Encouraging fellowship, friendships and connections between like-minded young people, providing opportunities for attendees to build meaningful relationships and support networks that will strengthen their walk with Christ.

As we prepare for out Christmas outreach 2024, we are mindful of the need to continue the work of making Christ known in our town throughout 2025. To this end, we have completed our calendar of outreach events for the year, which you can see attached. Please put all of these in your diary, be as involved as you possibly can and pray earnestly that the Lord will grant much fruit as we seek to proclaim the wonderful news that Jesus saves sinners just like you and me!

December's conference In Kisumu is titled "Getting The Gospel Right." Tonny Karwa asks, "Why this theme? We believe that the Lord is prayerfully guiding us in this direction for at least two reasons: (1) To re-evangelise and/or deeply root our respective congregations in the gospel. Out of the deep love and concern we have for them, we would love to echo the words of the writer of Hebrews to them, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.” (2) To present the gospel simply and clearly to our delegates drawn from diverse backgrounds. Paul is clear that there is only one gospel to be preached (Gal. 1:6-7). In the mind of an average ‘professing Christian’ in Kenya, the gospel is what is espoused by the typical message of the Word of Faith Movement preacher, and becoming a Christian is equivalent to responding to an altar call in such a context, regardless of whether Christ is not proclaimed."

Dear brethren, Receive my warm greetings in the Lord, and may the grace and peace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. I’m glad that God preserved me well throughout this month. It was a busy month for me since I was studying and working on the assigned work of Unit F – Doctrine of Man and Sin. I thank God for enabling me to do it well with my best, yet I still have a little work remained, I believe that it will be done before the end of this week. And so far, through this unit, I’ve been much benefited – in learning the basic realities of the man, his relationship with God, and the problem of sin. It was not only the TPC work that kept me busy, but also the work of ministry here in Kitale. As we run our mid-week programs as usual, I moreover abled to preach thrice in the morning services since I came from TPC. I thank God for enabling me to prepare and in presentation; though I greatly didn’t work on it well, but I hope I will grow on it. I also appreciate brother Oliver, after whom I sent my sermon’s notes, challenged me in correction.

The Bible consistently emphasises the importance of building biblical churches. Eph 5 underscores Christ’s deep concern for His Church, aiming for its perfection, “without spot or wrinkle.” Similarly, in II Cor 11, Paul expresses a profound desire to labour so that the Church may be presented as glorified, pure, and chaste; the bride of Christ. Acts 20 reminds us that Christ shed His blood to purchase the Church, while Revelation 19 portrays the Church as the bride awaiting her union with Christ. Consequently, the building of biblical churches must be our top priority as we prepare for Christ’s return. However, as we pursue this vital mission, we face significant opposition from the spirit of our age—a force entirely hostile to the growth of biblical churches. The challenges are immense, as contemporary culture works against this objective. Consider the following seven issues that reflect the spirit of our time and difficulty of our task.

Dr Renihan writes: "Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever." (Psalm 136:1). Greetings to you from our good LORD, who always shows us mercy. In the United States, the fourth Thursday of November is Thanksgiving Day, a national holiday. While many call it 'turkey day' (since turkey is the traditional meal served) and most watch parades and football games, for Christians, it is a unique annual opportunity to express to the LORD and to one another our gratitude for the many ways He has shown us His goodness during the past ten months. I bless God for the privilege of serving as a minister of Jesus Christ, and for the opportunity to serve Him through IRBS for 26 years. I am grateful for our graduates, men faithfully serving churches in the United States and several other countries. I am thrilled with the amazing growth our seminary has experienced in the past two years. I praise the LORD for our trustees, faculty and staff who all serve with diligence and devotion. And, I am thankful for all of you who faithfully support us with your prayers and gifts."

Lancashire Reformed Baptist Fellowship Wednesday meetings start with informal fellowship and refreshments from 19:15 and the main meeting to start at 19:45 and finish by 21:15. They include a time to exchange news of the churches and pray for each other. The Concert of Prayer starts at 10:00 and last an hour. Saturday 11th January: Concert of Prayer for Revival at North Preston Evangelical Church. Wednesday 12th March: ‘Effectual calling’ Speaker: Oliver Allmand-Smith (Trinity Grace, Ramsbottom) at Pemberton Free Grace Church. All welcome.

Following the publication of a report exposing serious neglect amongst senior leaders in the Church of England that led to the abuse of many children in summer camps, although the CoE has acknowledged failings and promised changes, its recent "Flourishing For All" report sent to primary schools demonstrates serious concern. The lobbying group, Family Education Trust, write as follows: "We are extremely concerned that the Church of England does not recognise that biological sex is immutable and is advising teachers to tell children that ‘sex is assigned at birth’. Sex is not ‘assigned at birth’ like some kind of magical Harry Potter sorting hat - it is determined at conception, observed in utero and recorded at birth. These are biological, unchangeable facts and no teacher should be lying to children that it is possible to be ‘born in the wrong body.’ We are also appalled that the CoE guidance suggests that schools should “create safe spaces for LGBT+ children”, which in practice will mean the creation of LGBT+ lunchtime clubs. We already know that activist school staff use such groups to groom children into believing that they are transgender and often operate without the knowledge or consent of parents."

Our Lord Jesus famously commanded His disciples to “Pray the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Mt. 9:38, NKJV). Almost two millennia have come and gone, and yet the harvest is still plentiful, and the labourers are still few. In mid-2021, for instance, of an estimated 2.5 billion Christians of every denomination living on the earth only 430,000 were serving as cross-cultural missionaries. To put those figures in perspective, this means that only 0.0172% of professing Christians then living were actively serving on the mission field. Clearly, the cause of world missions is not a priority for many modern evangelical churches. Rather than causing us to be critical of the church at large, such statistics should encourage us to examine ourselves. To ask ourselves: am I a part of the solution, or am I contributing to the problem by the apathy of my own sinful heart? It is true that many local churches are currently unable to send out missionaries because of lack in both biblically qualified men fitted for the task and necessary financial resources. But are we, both as individuals and churches, obeying our Lord’s command to pray regularly and fervently for the Holy Spirit to supply these deficiencies? It is obvious that our churches, overall, are falling woefully short in our calling to serve as senders. What can be done to change this? What needs to happen?

Human life has been created by God. He has made humanity special, being far above the animals in terms of having a soul, as well as many other valuable capabilities, the greatest of which is to know God. Every human being is accountable to God for their actions, and will face him one day. As such human life is to be greatly valued, and used for the honour of God. According to the Bible, there are certain circumstances where God allows government authorities to take life (see Romans 13:1-7). Examples of this may include defence of the nation or other nations in warfare, and just punishment for crimes such as murder. However, God does not delegate the authority of taking the life of the vulnerable in society for any reason. He is the author of life, and he alone has the right to take it away. As human beings, we must never take that authority to ourselves, which belongs to God alone.

IRBS UK is pleased to host four residential courses this upcoming year. IRBS serves a global constituency, offering Masters degrees which provides robust academic preparation theological and ministerial disciplines. The courses are also available to pastors and men who desire to grow in their understanding of theology and be refreshed by the sound biblical teaching. All our instructors are outstanding scholars and experts in their respective fields, as well as having a wealth of knowledge and experience as pastors. The first of these courses is Baptist Church History with Dr Robert Strivens, February 3-7th. In this course, the history and theology of the Baptists from their inception in the Reformation to their continued testimony in the 20th Century will be carefully considered.

The past six months have had a joyous upturn and prompted several changes, which we share below. We trust that reading this you are encouraged by the Lord’s goodness and would continue in praying for us, that we would magnify the Lord in all our works according to His Word. In April we inducted into membership four regular attendees who were baptised before the church. This saw a full church hall, was followed by a delightful, shared lunch which helped encourage extended hours of fellowship. The evening prayer meeting was passionate and the largest we’ve had at 16 attendees which included visiting brethren from the Ukraine. These Sunday evening prayer sessions have been well-attended of late as we pray for the service and evangelism efforts.

The new UK Government and MPs have been appointed by God. They need our prayers. “For there is no authority except that which God has established” ROMANS 13:1. Please pray: For the Prime Minister, his Government and the leaders of the opposition parties; For the First Ministers and governments at Holyrood, Cardiff Bay and Stormont; That God will bless all our national and local leaders with wisdom and integrity to restrain evil and promote what is good.

Nico van Zyl was, until recently, the manager of African Pastors Conferences. Earlier this year, he moved to Thailand with his wife Roxanne and his son Nicholas. They are engaging in missionary work alongside another couple from the Unites States. They are fully committed to the work of gospel preaching, seeking to make known the whole counsel of God, sharing with us a common commitment to the Second London Confession of Faith (1689). You can read about their challenges with language learning and the great needs that prevail by viewing their latest newsletter attached. May the Lord be gracious in providing for this valuable work and may the name of Christ be exalted amongst the people of Thailand.

The expectation of good in the future is a joyful feature of the Christian life, but only because the expectation is well-founded. Those who belong to Christ can confidently look forward to a bright future in glory because of who the triune God is and what He has done for our redemption. If, however, we place our confidence in the fickle things of this life, their sheer unreliability means that we are acting with the utmost folly. In just one week, the global news has included the sudden and shocking deaths of a UK politician, a pop singer, and a terrorist leader. It is rare that any of us go for long periods without some startling event upsetting some wish or expectation we had held. We are constantly being reminded of the unpredictability of life in ways that underline the immense tragedy of pinning our hopes of happiness and fulfilment on things in this life instead of on the Saviour.

“I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another” (Romans 15:14). In this passage the NIV uses the word “instruct,” while others translate it “admonish” or “counsel.” In all of these translations, Paul gives the Roman Christians credit that they had (through the Holy Spirit) the knowledge and spiritual ability to look after each other. In other words, they were capable of counseling one another regarding their obligations to the Lord, to each other and to the world around them. The majority of those Roman Christians probably had little formal education and many of them were slaves. Yet, Paul teaches them that they are to instruct, admonish, or counsel each other on how to live the Christian life.

The Bible teaches that Christians are not under the law as a way of salvation. Christ has set us free from the guilt and condemnation of sin by His bloody death and resurrection. But that does not mean believers are free to live licentious lives. In fact, the grace of God in the gospel enables us to keep His good law, summarized in the Ten Commandments, as an expression of love to God and others. Reformed confessions of faith teach that the law and the gospel “do sweetly comply” (WCF 19.7, SD 19.7, 2LCF 19.7).

Christian Concern reports: a Freedom of Information request made by the Mail on Sunday revealed that the University of Nottingham put a ‘trigger warning’ on one of the most famous works in English Literature, The Canterbury Tales, because it contains ‘expressions of Christian faith.’ Our Chief Executive Andrea Williams told the Telegraph: “Trigger warnings for Christian themes in literature are demeaning to the Christian faith and stifle the academic progress of our students. “To censor expressions of the Christian faith is to erase our literary heritage. True education engages and fosters understanding, not avoidance.”

A man has been found guilty of silently praying near an abortion centre in Bournemouth. Adam Smith-Connor was standing in a council-imposed ‘censorship zone’ in November 2022 when police officers asked him “what is the nature of your prayer?”. When he said he was praying for his deceased son, they claimed he was breaching the zone’s prohibition against “prayer and acts of disapproval” in relation to abortion. Bournemouth Magistrates’ Court has now ruled that his conduct was “disapproval of abortion”, because he bowed his head and clasped his hands. The army veteran has been ordered to pay prosecution costs of £9,000, and will be sentenced if he is convicted again during the next two years.

On Sunday, June 28, 2015, two days after the US Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges, legalizing so-called “same-sex marriage”, a deacon came up to me before our evening service. “Pastor, there’s a camera crew here that wants to speak with you.” I went outside to find a reporter from a major broadcast TV network who asked me, “We have heard that some churches actually don’t agree with the recent Supreme Court ruling and wondered if you’d be willing to comment?” I declined to comment on camera, but I did say to the reporter and his camera crew, “Our understanding of what the Bible teaches on marriage was written down in 1677, in agreement with what Christians have publicly confessed for centuries. Nothing the Supreme Court ruled on Friday has changed that.” That is not all I could have said, of course. In many ways, it barely scratches the surface. We could have discussed the key passages of Scripture that speak to men, women, sexual morality, and the purpose of marriage that our Confession summarizes in 2LCF Chapter 25.

You may have heard that MPs will vote before Christmas on an extreme Bill that, if successful, will legalise assisted dying. This Bill is the most serious threat to vulnerable lives since the Abortion Act was introduced in 1967. It’s now crucial that all MPs and the Government urgently see that there is a large number of voters in each constituency who don’t want this dangerous and extreme change to our laws - changes that would put the vulnerable at risk and see the ending of many lives through assisted dying. You can make a difference right now by contacting your MP to ask them to stop assisted dying from being rushed into law. It only takes 30 seconds using the link below.

In a demonstration of our commitment to national association, a multiplicity of people from each of the churches gathered from as far as Liverpool to the marshes of South Kent for our second annual Association Day at Living Hope Bible Church in Lydd. The morning was inaugurated by Nathan Tarrant’s message on chapter three of the Confession, on God’s Decree, covering God’s sovereignty, divine concurrence with second causes, the origin of evil, and monergistic salvation. This was followed up by Oliver Allmand-Smith’s one hour tour de force on Associationalism, looking at five biblically necessary elements of association from the Confession, Scripture, and Baptist history; highlights were that association increases our peace, love, and mutual edification, as we pray and provide for one another. We also share our gifts and graces, keep each other doctrinally accountable, and we manifest our unity in Christ.

Moses, the great leader of God’s people in the Old Testament, was characterised above all by his meekness. His brave leadership in exceedingly testing circumstances was marked neither by harshness nor self-aggrandizing. Although it subverts worldly ideas of what a strong leader looks like, those who want to be the greatest in Christ’s church have to be servants, and serve God by serving others. Many things are fixed on in the world, as things which commend people after their death, according to the diversity of their lives. Some have been commended for their honour, some their courage, some their wisdom, some their riches. Where there is a concatenation of these, how eminently commendable that person must be! Well, in spending your life in service to God, a multitude of these concur. How deservedly then is a servant of God commended!

As usual, in the second week of this month, we travelled back to Nairobi for TPC classes. I thank God for the safe journey – TO and FRO. Our lecturer Tom Hicks, took us through Unit F – The Doctrine of Man and Sin. We had a good time together with him, since he was friendly, and patiently answered our many questions. It was interesting to me to notice the creation of man which was very distinct from other creatures, we were also abled to know the different WILLS – of Adam before the fall (innocence), after the fall as our representative (sinful will), and the two wills of Christ – the divine and human will. We considered also, about the total depravity of man, and other many helpful things.

God gave up his own Son as a ransom for us—the holy one for the unjust, the innocent for the guilty, the righteous one for the unrighteous, the incorruptible for the corruptible, the immortal for the mortal. For what else could cover our sins except his righteousness?… O sweet exchange! O unfathomable work of God! The sinfulness of many is hidden in the Righteous One, while the righteousness of the One justifies the many that are sinners.

A Christian woman held without charge in Iran since September 9 wept uncontrollably during the five minutes her mother was allowed to visit her last Monday, a relative said. The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps arrested Mojdeh Falahi, aged 36, a convert from Islam, when she went to the prosecutor’s office in Shiraz at the request of a Christian who had been arrested the previous day and told her he needed documents in order to be released, Morning Star News (MSN) reported. Please pray for Mojdeh, who has been transferred to the Pelak-e 100 Detention Centre, a prison run by Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence, according to Sam Khosravi, Falahi’s brother-in-law.

The African Pastor’s Conference in Northern Nigeria this September opened in Kano State, one of the North Eastern States in Nigeria and one of the states in which Christians are being persecuted the most. The conference in Kano was held between 13th and 14th September, 2024 with 161 delegates in attendance. Some of the delegates interviewed after the conference expressed their joy and gladness for the privilege to be trained as several of them have not had any formal theological training. They were also thankful for the gift books as well as the highly subsidized books made available to them in the course of the conference.

Amber is hard, brittle fossil resin, mostly from coniferous trees (fig. 1). It is usually yellow to brown and is translucent or transparent. Amber is an organic gemstone and has been used as jewellery since early man first occupied Europe (fig. 2).1 Upon rubbing amber, it becomes electrically charged and attracts other objects. Because of this, the Greek word for amber (elektron) became the root for words such as electricity and electron. Amber burns with a fragrant incense when ignited. Thus the German word for amber, Bernstein, and the Dutch barnsteen, from ‘burning stone’. The English word comes from Arabic anbar.

The House of Commons is expected to vote on legalising assisted suicide in the coming weeks. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater is set to formally introduce her Private Member’s Bill on 16 October. Although the details have not been finalised, she said her proposals would allow those deemed to be terminally ill to receive help to kill themselves. The Prime Minister has pledged to allow parliamentary time to consider a Private Member’s Bill on assisted suicide. The House of Commons last voted on the issue in 2015, when MPs overwhelmingly rejected an attempt to introduce assisted suicide by 330 votes to 118.

James Renihan writes: Greetings in the Savior's Name. It is wonderful to write to you again and to thank you for your support for the work of IRBS. We are thrilled at what the Lord is doing. Recently, we admitted our 100th student, and more have applied since. Our plans for the January and Spring terms are coming together very nicely. Two Spurgeon scholars, Drs. Ed Romine and Brandon Rhea will be offering an elective course on aspects of Spurgeon's thought January 13-16, and our biennial missions course will again be offered on the Radius International campus in Tijuana, Mexico during the week of January 27-31. These January courses will lead into our regular semester schedule beginning in February. Praise the Lord! Thank you for your prayers and your support. Great things are happening!

The Broken Wharf Mission in Pakistan began in August 2023. The first project was the translation of the book "Christian Basics." This book was highly appreciated, and several schools and churches acquired it. In many schools, this book is being used as part of the curriculum. After "Christian Basics," the book "Milk for Little Ones" was translated into Urdu. This book was greatly liked in Pakistan, and not only churches and schools but also parents showed their eagerness to obtain it. The representative of the Pakistan mission, Fiaz Masih, has distributed this book in several cities across Pakistan.

I’m convinced that love is the key to faithfully practicing church discipline. I’ll confess it is hard for me to love hardened sinners who have destroyed their consciences and refuse to listen to the truth. It’s hard for me to feel genuine compassion for someone who is abusing his family. But it’s only hard because of the remaining sin in my own heart. When I see my own sin and realize that I could be just as hard-hearted as the worst of sinners, and when I see that the only thing keeping me from unrepentant sin is God’s great grace toward me in Christ, only then can I speak the truth in genuine love and sincerely feel compassion and longing for the souls of hardened sinners. Christ calls pastors to be loving shepherds who deal firmly with those who endanger the flock, but always to do so while bearing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, just as Jesus did, while He hung on the cross.

NHS nurses working at Darlington Memorial Hospital, who were forced to share their female changing room with a sexually active biological male, have been given what they describe as a ‘humiliating’ ‘temporary’ locker room after taking legal action against an NHS Trust. Ahead of the General Election in June, five nurses, dubbed the ‘Darling Darlington Five’ and compared to the Ford Dagenham workers, went public with their story and their landmark legal case, supported by the Christian Legal Centre, against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust. A meeting is now expected to take place between the nurses and Wes Streeting, who is now the Labour government’s Health Secretary

Pastor Igor Bandura, Vice-President of the Ukrainian Baptist Union, shared the following: Among the most painful consequences of the Russian war in Ukraine is the growing number of widows and orphans. Since official statistics on the number of soldiers who died at war in Ukraine is not made public, we can only speculate how many young women have lost their loved ones at war. How many families, parents, children, relatives have suddenly lost someone they loved and cherished? The news about perished soldiers reaches every village and town. More blue and yellow flags are flying in graveyards each day, a sign that the person buried died in action defending Ukraine. Behind every flag there are tears, unhealed wounds, deadly sorrow and despair. Oftentimes these families lost their sole breadwinner, but all have lost a dear, beloved person. The wounds of these people are deep. The church in Ukraine is faced with a challenge – to see people who have lost their loved ones, warm them with love, and respond to their social, physical, and spiritual needs.

There has been a good deal said and written about “expository preaching,” “Christ-centered preaching,” “redemptive-historical preaching,” etc., but very little has been said about “pastoral preaching.” Pastoral preaching is certainly expository, Christ-centered, and it always takes redemptive history into account, but it goes much further. Pastoral preaching is intensely personal and directed to a particular local church. It requires Christlike holiness of the preacher and aims to shepherd a church in the same. Consider some of the following qualities of a pastoral preacher. (1) The pastoral preacher’s sanctification is his main task in sermon preparation. Certainly, the preacher needs to study his text and do all of the technical work required to prepare to preach the Word faithfully. But the pastoral preacher understands that his strength and sincerity in the pulpit is tightly tied to his own life of communion with Christ.

Steve Lawson has been removed from ministry at Trinity Bible Church of Dallas due to an inappropriate relationship with a woman who is not his wife. Other places he is affiliated with have acted swiftly to remove him from his duties (e.g., Ligonier, The Masters Seminary, OnePassion Ministries). Clearly his sin was of a very serious nature. Marital unfaithfulness is a grievous sin and rarely an isolated one. Proceeding from pride and unbelief, it involves a great deal of calculation and deception. Adultery strikes at almost every commandment, and in the case of Christians, this sin is heinous, especially in the case of ministers who are held to a higher standard... Ministers possess a “position of authority” that often creates a power imbalance with the person they sin with and against. The honor they receive should be used for good, not evil. Besides breaking the first three commandments, the adulterer (7th commandment) does not respect authority (5th); he is a murderer (6th - hates his neighbour, spouse, children), thief (8th - steals what is not his), liar (9th), and covets (10th). When you commit that many sins, you’re likely to be found out sooner or later (Prov. 10:9). Marital unfaithfulness usually requires a lot of deception, scheming, and work before the persons are eventually found out.

To come to faith in Christ in Afghanistan is to risk all. ‘They live a changed life there but they can’t openly announce their faith. They will look for like-minded people to share their faith with them. Outwardly they have to look like Muslims; even though inside they have Christ in them. Some have said to me, “When we die our bodies are going to be in a Muslim graveyard, but our spirits are going to be with Jesus.”’ The [radio] programmes our partner make aim to address both evangelism and the discipling of believers. A team of people are available to follow up calls that are made. ‘People are sometimes afraid to make calls because they think they are being listened to and monitored. And yet the calls are coming in,’ said Abraham. In his book Tortured for Christ Richard Wurmbrand wrote about one of the great challenges of gospel ministry in restricted countries: namely, that the joy of bringing someone to Christ was always mixed with the feeling that there might be a great price to be paid.

The Liberal Democrats have indicated that those who uphold Christian values cannot be party candidates. In leaked legal papers, the party defended its decision to deselect former BBC journalist David Campanale by claiming his “expressed religious beliefs against abortion, gay marriage and legal sex change conflicted with the fundamental values set out” in the party’s governing document. Mr Campanale is suing the Lib Dems for religious discrimination, after he was deselected as Sutton and Cheam’s parliamentary candidate for intending to vote according to his conscience on non-whipped votes such as pro-life issues.

Please pray for churches in China serving North Korean sex-trafficked women which are being targeted for raids by the authorities. Our partner, Voice of the Martyrs Korea (VOMK), said search and seizures by Chinese officials are on the increase for churches serving North Korean sex-trafficked women. ‘The Chinese Government’s continued crackdown on local churches across the country is well known, but its specific efforts against churches serving minority populations, like churches ministering to North Koreans in China’s northeast region, has largely escaped international notice,’ said Dr Hyun Sook Foley of VOMK.

In this episode, the guys discuss an often forgotten element of the Gospel - the active obedience of Christ, with Patrick Abendroth, Pastor of Omaha Bible Church, Nebraska. They discuss what active obedience is, why the Bible teaches it, why it's important for us to understand it, how it relates to covenant theology, and how we are saved by it! Other things discussed are the relationship between good works and justification, the doctrine of final justification and the usefulness of confessions of faith. Tune in to find out more.

José (6 years) and his brother Toni (4 years), started attending House of Ants in May this year. The local government council asked if we could care for them. Their father and mother are separated, and their maternal grandmother is taking care of them, but sadly she is alcoholic and is seen daily at the rubbish dump. As you can imagine, living with their grandmother in this situation is not good. When the neighbours realised that the boys were living in this situation, they contacted the counsel and asked if House of Ants might be able to help support the boys. As they live quite close to House of Ants, every day, (including weekends and holidays), they come and play together with the resident children. We provide meals for them each day, and they return home to sleep. Sadly most mornings they arrive unwashed.

The UK Government has ditched plans to adopt the biological definition of sex in the Equality Act. In response to a written question from Shadow Paymaster General John Glen, Minister for Women and Equalities Anneliese Dodds stated that the Government “does not plan to amend legal definitions in the act”. The previous Government had planned to amend the Equality Act 2010 to clarify that “sex” refers to biological sex, rather than gender identity. The Equality and Human Rights Commission has said this would make it simpler for single-sex groups and sport teams to exclude men who identify as women. Women’s group Sex Matters urged the Government to “listen to women”, as “confusion” around the Equality Act is helping men gain access to “women’s spaces, services and sports”. It warned: “Men who identify as women are allowed to be Girlguiding leaders, to use women’s showers at the gym and to be employed in jobs where they strip-search women.”

Geoffrey writes: Greetings in the Lord. It is a joy to me to let you know that I am well, pressing on the fight of faith by the gracious power of God. I thank God for the month of August. From the beginning to the end of the month, the Lord reminded me of His precious gift of life, that we deserve nothing other than His grace. I had some sharp pains – since the day I requested your prayers for God’s healing, but with time, especially a week after I completed the oral drugs that I was given, I got better though still the doctor wanted to identify the cause of pain. I ended up doing various blood tests, and the results later showed that the bacteria that was attacking my kidneys are no longer there.

How do the Ten Commandments apply to us today if they were given so long ago in the Old Testament? It is a basic theological question that many Christians have asked throughout the history of the church and it is an important query. Many answers have been given to that, not all of them good. Obviously, there are two answers that are dead wrong and lead to two opposite ditches that the follower of Christ must avoid: Antinomianism (the law of God has no place in the life of the believer and he/she is free to live however they please) and legalism (I am saved by how closely I adhere to God’s commands—works righteousness). One of the best and most helpful answers, in my opinion, that has been given was set forth by the Genevan reformer, John Calvin. In his venerable systematic theology, the Institutes of the Christian Religion, Calvin set forth three “uses” for the moral law of God. The Lord of history has given His law, Calvin wrote, to serve as a mirror. Calvin argued that the law functions to expose our sin and unrighteousness. When a sinner looks into the mirror of God’s law, he sees himself as he really is: depraved, sinful, wretched, undone, lost and in need of cleansing, in need of a savior. This reality causes sinners to despair of their own righteousness and leads them to flee to the Savior, the cross of Christ, for mercy.

The Metropolitan Police were urgently called to The Angel Church in Islington, London, after a Muslim woman stormed the building screaming ‘Allahu Akbar’ and ‘I am here to kill the God of the Jews.’ Inside the church, Pastor Regan King and his Jewish wife and young children were preparing for morning worship when the woman entered shouting Islamic calls to prayer in Arabic and directly addressing and reaching out to the children. After moving them to safety, Pastor King demanded that she leave the building, but instead her aggression continued to escalate. Calling the police, the woman began shouting antisemitic abuse and according to Pastor King screamed: ‘I am here to kill the God of the Jews’. She then repeatedly shouted through the church’s sound system ‘Allahu Akbar.’

Joao writes: Grace and peace from our Lord and God, Jesus Christ. It is with great joy that we write this newsletter to extend our gratitude to Trinity Grace church family for your prayers and for supporting my studies at IRBS. Please find briefly what the Lord has been doing in our family, studies, and Local church, and the future plans. May this serve as an encouragement to continue praying for us.

Dr James Renihan writes: Many times when I have visited churches I have asked the question 'who will be the pastor for your grandchildren?' That inquiry is regularly on my mind. September has come, marking the beginning of a new semester for our faculty and students. This is a good time to remember our task--to bring the 'pattern of sound words' we have received and pass it on to faithful men who will be able to teach it to others (2 Timothy 1:13-2:2). We desire to be faithful to this task so that there will be a continual supply of well-trained men to serve the next generation. But how is this labor proceeding? The Lord has abundantly blessed our work. We have seen a continual increase in our student body, so that we now have the largest enrollment ever; our international presence is growing, for we now have students from five continents, and opportunities to develop new relationships seem to be arriving every week.

Yesterday we went to Dhonkal, Wazirabad to conduct a seminar on ''Christian Basics''. That seminar was very successful. Around fifty people participated in it. All the people who participated in this seminar were very surprised. The pastor who organized the seminar told us that the material was really nice and every boys and girls must read this book. And he also expressed that he is willing to organize such seminars in the future as well. All the participants who attended the seminar which lasted for about two hours were very impressed. At the end, food was served to all who attended the seminar. After that we will conduct seminars in other areas of Wazirabad. Remember us in your prayers.

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. Christ died to forgive our sins and to reconcile us to God. And Jesus taught that His disciples must forgive those who sin against them. He said, “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:15). Forgiveness is not an option for believers. Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mk 11:25). Christians must forgive because they have been forgiven (Matt 18:21-25). But there is a difference between forgiving a person and reconciling your relationship with that person.

For most of its history, the church has believed that God created everything that exists ex nihilo (out of nothing). The church affirmed this doctrine based primarily on the opening verse of Scripture: “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). God, who eternally exists as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, purposed to and did create a universe distinct from himself. Other passages add to the foundation of this belief. For example, the psalmist attributes creation to the word and breath of God: “By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. . . . For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33:6, 9). According to a traditional understanding of this passage, God the Father spoke the universe into existence through the Word (God the Son) and by his Breath (God the Holy Spirit). Creation was a mighty act of the triune God.

Tonny Karwa writes: In these past three months, we have sought to pay a special attention to the subject of Christian Marriage. In June, we held a men’s breakfast that gave us an opportunity to address a group of men from various churches within Kisumu. The Lord helped me to open up Ephesians 5:25-33 to demonstrate what a husband’s love for his wife should look like. One of the invitees lamented, “we have never had such sessions in our church, yet my marriage is calibrated with serious perennial struggles.” Early last month, I had another opportunity to address a small group of men from 1 Peter 3:7 over breakfast. We had men from the word of faith movement attending. One of the young men seeking to marry confessed his fears, “Now that feminism has crept into the church and influenced many sisters, I have been hesitant to get married.” About three weeks ago, I had an opportunity to lead a marriage workshop on “contentment in marriage.” The group discussions turned out to be so profitable. We invited our contacts from other churches and the attendance was encouraging.

Prominent atheist Richard Dawkins was once asked what he would say to God if he encountered Him after he died. Dawkins quoted what Bertrand Russell is reputed to have said when asked the same question: “Sir, why did you take such pains to hide yourself?” I think I can understand why some might echo that sentiment. After all, God is invisible; we can’t perceive Him directly with our physical senses. Yet the signs of His existence—indeed, of His goodness and greatness—are everywhere. The Apostle Paul was right when telling a first-century pagan audience that God has always given evidence of His existence through the good things He has done, such as “rains from heaven and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with food and gladness” (Acts 14:17). God has put up signposts everywhere to help us find our way to Him. One is the natural world. When we look at nature, there are many signs that, because of the tragic events in Eden, it is fallen and ‘groaning’ (Romans 8:20–22). But we see in abundance order, design, complexity, variety, and great beauty. All this points to a Creator who is wise, imaginative, delightful, and immensely powerful.

It is of no small importance that Exodus grounds the Fourth Commandment upon God’s example in creation. Chantry offers this reason for referring back to creation: “God’s written fourth commandment recalls the first historic observance of the Sabbath in order to stir up our own compliance with Sabbath-keeping.” Using the text of Genesis 2 as a guide, this post will examine three creation narrative observations, followed by a discussion of whether God’s rest should be viewed as descriptive or prescriptive. First, six days of work followed by a Sabbath day of rest imitates God’s own pattern (Gen. 2:2). Ryken puts it simply: “We are called to work and rest because we serve a working and resting God.” Frame, borrowing from Meredith Kline’s work, offers three categories in which to classify the rest of God: consummation, enthronement, and consecration. God’s rest on the seventh day is the consummation of His creative work: “As a celebration of the finishing of the world-temple, the Sabbath proclaims the name of the creator to be Consummator.” The Sabbath rest of God, foreshadowing Christ’s future rest at the Father’s right hand, also demonstrates Divine enthronement: “God created the heaven and the earth to be his cosmic palace and accordingly his resting is an occupying of his palace, a royal session. The dawning of the Sabbath witnesses a new enthronement of Elohim.”

In the latest Broken Wharfe podcast, John-Mark sits down with Ryan Davidson, a pastor and professor in Pastoral Theology from the State of Virginia, to discuss the subject of the body and soul, the task of pastoral counselling, and the reformed doctrine of the means of grace. They delve into how physiological and neurological conditions might impact our spiritual lives and how pastors ought to be confident in applying the Word of God, whilst being sensitive to the impact that physiological conditions have upon the human mind. How are we to think about mental illness as Christians? Why are the means of grace so fundamental to every believer, whatever their situation? How does the fact that we are composed of both body and soul impact our Christian lives? These questions are discussed, alongside many others... Ryan Davidson is author of "Green Pastures: The Ordinary Means of Grace", you can purchase the book in Hardback, Paperback or Kindle on Amazon or on our website brokenwharfe.com.

On occasion, public speakers, including preachers of the gospel, will belittle “duty” as if it is an inferior motivation for action or compliance to standards. Delight is seen as a superior motivation while duty is—Well, if I have to do it, OK—synonymous with begrudging action. One brings his wife flowers because it is his delight to do so, for he is delighted with her. If he gives her flowers presenting them to her out of a sense of duty, this is connoted as a lackluster action deserving scorn. But this tendency to diminish the excellence of a sense of duty is misguided. It is a moral error. The husband’s duty is to love his wife as his own body, for he who loves his wife loves himself (Ephesians 5:28; Genesis 2:22, 23). To treat one’s wife tenderly, to look to her desires and happiness, to bring her flowers, to live with her according to knowledge is to love her, to delight in her, and at the same time to do one’s duty.

Joshua Sitet recently had three consecutive daily sessions on marriage at the main centres of Kasei, Kamketo and Chepkinagh. He used a book by Sala, God’s Family Plan. A total of 50 young couples attended, a few being polygamous, such an endemic problem among the Pokot. In God’s providence this spells out hope for the future of the church and its leadership.

Peace be with you in Christ Jesus. The Lord used us the whole last week in different cities of His glory. Yesterday we went to Islamabad and preached the word of God there, Islamabad is about four hours away from our city. There we preached the word of God and this word touched many people's hearts. We gave thirty five people the Holy Bible there. Over the years we have given Bibles to thousands of people who express their willingness to receive the Bible. I also shared our books there too. People were really amazed to know about our books. We also distributed books there. That pastor who invited us there asked for seminars on our books too. Soon we will plan to do this. We have to visit some areas in the next week as well. I request you to remember us in your prayers. That our books touched many people's hearts. In Jesus Fiaz

What are the doctrines of grace? Are these doctrines biblical? How do they relate to what is known as "Calvinism"? What is the connection between the doctrines of grace and the Reformed faith? Are these lables helpful? What Is "TULIP", and why would a flower have anything to do with the Bible's teaching on salvation? All these questions, and more, are addressed in Jeff Riddle's recent book, published by Broken Wharfe, titled "Before The Foundation Of The World". You can purchase the book using the link below, and in addition, you can listen to a podcast with the author as well. May the Lord bless you richly as you consider what he has done, in his matchless grace, to save sinners like us!

After warning them not to exasperate their children, Paul fundamentally admonishes parents—specifically fathers—to raise their own children. This plain, simple command is so profound that were it grasped and obeyed by every parent, most of the social ills associated with juvenile behavior would be eliminated. The job of raising children does not belong directly to the school, society, church or the youth group. It belongs to parents. According to the Apostle Paul, it doesn’t take a village to raise a child. It takes a dad. If we were to think of Ephesians 6:4 as a parental tool kit, we would need to recognize that the two main tools that God intends for parents to use in raising children are “discipline” of the Lord and the “instruction” of the Lord. These words convey two vital parental activities. The former is physical and the latter is verbal. The discipline of the Lord is that which is done to a child while the instruction of the Lord is that which is said to a child. They must be used together for children to be properly trained for living well in the world.

Christian Concern have called us to pray for the nation in light of the recent riots. They write: pray for the police who are struggling to respond to violence in so many places. Being on the front line of violent attacks is stressful and dangerous. We pray for wisdom and proportionality in their responses. We pray for them to uphold the law without fear or favour. We pray also for communities up and down this land where people are fearful and angry. We pray for God to heal the bitterness and resentment and to bring peace. We pray for changed hearts. We pray for people to quicky realise that violence is not going to help their cause. We pray for the Church too. There are Bible believing churches in every town where there has been violence. The Church needs to pray and to be a witness to the world at this time. The gospel is the solution. There is forgiveness for everyone. Healing will only come if people are able to repent and forgive. We need fearless proclamation of the gospel, but also compassion and support for those who have been harmed or who are in fear. The Church is the hope of the nation.

CMI has produced a very helpful biblical and scientific response to the climate alarmism that has overtaken our culture. This is one of the helpful points made: We have a biblical basis for our confidence that the climate is designed to be broadly stable. After the Flood, God promised: “While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease” (Genesis 8:22). This suggests that Earth would quickly recover from the catastrophic climate change that occurred with the Flood and the ensuing Ice Age. That is, Earth’s climate was designed neither to be chaotic nor prone to extreme changes. Imposed on an overall stable climate are smaller natural cycles. In such a situation we might expect times in the past where temperatures were similar to today. Indeed this is so.

The ladies meeting at Trinity Grace is a warm, welcoming place where we seek to grow in our faith and in our love for God and each other as we study the word of God together. We usually have our meetings once a month on Saturdays from October to June. The meeting usually follows the same format: tea, coffee and a chance for a quick catch up as we arrive; we then begin with a study from the Scripture lead by one of the ladies; this is followed by a time of informal discussion on the issues raised by the passage studied; and we finish with a time of open prayer informed by what we have learned and by the needs around us. The meetings last from 10am-12noon and are on a Saturday. Theme for 2024/25: Reflections on Jim Renihan’s book “True love”, relating to love as it is revealed in 1 Corinthians 13. The first meeting in this series is scheduled for October 5th. All ladies welcome!

Olympian athletes are legendary for their skill and dedication to their sport. Writing to the church of Corinth, the apostle Paul alludes to such athletic prowess in order to motivate Christian believers to live holy lives. In Ancient Greece, the Isthmian Games were held before and after the Olympic years, in a location close to the city of Corinth. This is one of several vivid cultural references Paul makes in this section of his epistle, with the intention of prompting believers to care for each other’s spiritual welfare. Discussing Paul’s argument in 1 Corinthians 9, David Dickson points out that Christians have all sorts of liberties now that Christ has set them free, yet they should use their knowledge and freedom in a way of love, not out of pride. As Dickson explains in the following updated extract, the same level of utmost self-discipline that an athlete displays in how he or she eats and trains in order to compete at the peak of their performance should be seen in the spiritual realm as believers suppress their own self-gratification in order to assist other believers heavenwards.

War! Violence! Destruction! Death! These are the dominant ideas which enter our minds when we think of Ukraine today. It seems impossible that Gospel work could survive, never mind flourish, in these tragic circumstances. Yet, reports from even the most dangerous conflict areas tell of believers witnessing and living out their Christian hope in a sea of hopelessness. The seed is falling into good soil. A recent report from an SGA sponsored missionary in Boryspil near Kyiv, Oleg Gerasichen, tells of a new church there. When it gets too dark, the stars become even brighter. The same is true for us today: even though we live in the dark times of the war and there is a lot of suffering and grief around, God’s love and blessings have become even more visible… Many new people are coming to our new church… many have already accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. We have 20 to 30 people coming for the Bible studies! All glory to God!

MDiv student, Pete Petra (UK), has this to say of his experience: I can’t recommend the Missions and Evangelism course in Tijuana more highly. The course content itself was (as usual with IRBS!) rich and stretching. It has been instrumental in helping me work through how the small church I lead can play a part in God’s purposes for the nations. The particular treat of being in Tijuana was to be able to mix with the missionaries in training at the Radius campus. It was not only a great blessing to enjoy fellowship with them for the time that we were there, but also to be able to learn about the real-life practicalities, considerations, concerns, and hopes for church-planting amongst unreached language groups. To be able to have this fellowship really helped to flesh out what we were learning in the course material. I am still receiving prayer updates from some of the missionaries I met, and it is a thrill to be able to follow the progress of the Lord’s leading them into the mission field.

Kitale Ministry: We thank God for the mercies in sustaining us (the church) and still being our refuge and comforter. Teka and I were able to preach to several people in the streets during evangelism, and though some of them were drunkards, a good number of them seemed to have been convicted of their sins. Ministry in Embrace (children home) is also encouraging due to the fact that many children are getting helped in growing and knowing the Person of Christ and his work for sinners. Kasei Women Retreat: Pastor Lokerisa and I had a conversation and he talked about having upcoming women retreat at Kasei (date 21-24 August). He also encouraged me to prepare one lesson and leading in devotions. He promised to send me the topic to prepare. Prayer: 1. Thank God for our previous TPC classes and grace in assignments. 2. That salvation of souls we evangelized. 3. Remember churches in Pokot as they continue to prepare for women retreat. 4. I am also not feeling well, diagnosed with infection in the kidney. I am in Nairobi for further checkup and treatment. Pray for healing, provision for treatment and grace.

It is clear from the Scriptures, that we are living in the end times, the period between the ascension and return of the Lord Jesus Christ. These are times of many challenges and difficulties, but also many joys. This September 6th - 7th, we warmly invite you to join us as we explore the significant impact that the Bible's teaching on the end times has on our lives as Christians, so that we may be equipped to live for God's glory in the light of Christ's ultimate victory and rule.

There was much blessing in the recent APCs held in Zambia - click on the link below for Oliver's full diary of the trip. After a break in August, the next run is due to take place in Northern Nigeria, beginning September 13th. Our partner, Peter Abutu Joshua, has done much work to prepare for this run of five conferences across a very unstable region. Please pray for safety and blessing. We thank God that funds have been raised to send a good quantity of books for this run, but please pray that there will be no difficulties with carriage or customs or any other hold-ups, so that the men can benefit from having a good range of books. Also please pray for our South African director, Joshua Bolaji, who has been taken into hospital this week with pneumonia. He is stable now, but still very fragile. Pray for a full recovery. Pray for the directors, as they plan for 2025. They have been greatly encouraged by the response to this year's theme, and are seeking wisdom for next year as they plan.

A 2024 issue of New Scientist magazine had an intriguing article about babies before and after birth.1 The author is Claudia Passos-Ferreria, professor of bioethics at New York University. She documented that they can react to some surprising stimuli similarly to conscious adults.

Ugandan pastor Richard Malinga was attacked and killed on the evening of 17 June while travelling home from church. The 36-year-old had been conducting prayer sessions with his congregants in Pallisa District, around 130 miles northeast of the capital Kampala, when he was attacked as he rode home by motorbike. The pastor suffered multiple head injuries and his body was found on the road the next morning. His motorbike had been stolen. Authorities say that this is not the first incident of its kind: a few months earlier, a teacher was killed in a similar ambush. The police investigation is ongoing at the time of writing. Lift up to the Lord the family and congregation of Richard Malinga and pray that God will comfort them in their loss. Pray that, especially in the anguish of the loss of their under-shepherd, they will know the powerful but gentle assurance of the Good Shepherd’s presence and guidance (Psalm 23:4). Ask that violence in Uganda will cease and for protection for God’s people whose duties compel them to travel the roads at night.

Nobody knows for sure the present number of Yemeni Christians. The majority remain quiet about their faith. In the past, there were incidents of severe persecution and even a few martyrdoms. However, in recent times, sensational claims of persecution could not be credibly documented. Yemeni believers gather in homes for worship and Bible study. Internet contact enables us to connect faithful Yemenis to one another. In urban areas, some interact with believers in other countries by internet. Sadly, since 2011, Yemen has suffered immensely from a protracted proxy civil war between the two branches of Islam, the Shiite north versus the Sunni south. Each is supported by rival countries in the region, like Iran and Saudi Arabia. So, much of the population suffers economically, deprived of sufficient food and medical care. This has resulted in significant levels of disenchantment with Islam in both communities.

In 60 years, we have utterly demolished the connection between children and their natural parents – the families that every serious study will tell you lead to the best results for children. Our culture increasingly appears to see children as a lifestyle choice at best, and a burden at worst. Few are willing to recognise the devastating consequences that will come from our birth rate dropping far below replacement level. As our population ages, there will be more and more elderly people, no expectation that their families (if they have any) will take care of them and not enough people working to pay the taxes that might pay for a government solution. Not that government can ever be a substitute for the family and the responsibility of the family to care for those within it. And as we hurtle towards this future, many politicians are pushing for euthanasia. The generation that killed its children – 250,000 per year and counting – will be killed by its children.

The new Labour government will introduce a draft bill to outlaw conversion practices, the King’s Speech at the state opening of Parliament has confirmed. A ban on ‘conversion practices’ means it could become a crime to preach, pray, or give pastoral care in line with biblical sexual ethics. Parents’ and doctors’ conversations with gender confused youngsters could also be affected. But the government has only committed to a ‘draft’ bill, which means there will be a public consultation and pre-legislative scrutiny which could reveal the many difficulties inherent in legislating in this area. Before the election, Labour stated that such a ban would include transgenderism, so that it may become a crime not to affirm someone’s preferred gender identity. Please pray that the Lord will intervene to protect our freedom to preach the gospel, and minister to those in great need. Pray that as churches we will remain true to the word of God, and continue to call people to repentance and faith.

The first GHCF Annual Conference promises to be a notable event, featuring Dr. Samuel Renihan as the main speaker. Dr. Renihan will deliver four insightful sessions focused on Church Identity. In Session 1, he will explore the church's identity in the context of history. Session 2 will address the church's identity in relation to other churches. Session 3 will examine the church's role and identity within the current culture. Finally, Session 4 will look ahead, considering the church's identity for future generations. Broken Warfe will provide a bookshop and the International Reformed Baptist Seminary will also have a stand there. We look forward to welcoming all our brothers ans sisters in Christ for a blessed time of fellowship.

Please pray for TASTE Nigeria, that: * Our staff will continue to honour God in all that they do both in the UK and in Nigeria. * All our staff would be kept safe and particularly for Nuhu and family who continue to live away from their community for security reasons. * The fundraiser, LE JOG Sponsored Hike/Bike would be completed this year and raise the target amount of £13,000. * The rig would be repaired in the next few weeks so that that our drilling team can then deploy to the Northeast. * The communities being attacked would be given the protection and the help that they need to rebuild their shattered lives. * We would use every opportunity during our projects to share the Gospel with communities. * The Lord would protect our staff and partners from the endemic kidnapping for ransom being fuelled by terrorism and the worsening economic state of the country.

In his first speech as Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer said that the government would be marked by pragmatism and service: “From now on, you have a government unburdened by doctrine, guided only by a determination to serve your best interests…” He is suggesting that serving the nation’s best interests requires a government to lay down its beliefs at the altar of ‘whatever works’. The notion that ‘doctrine is a burden’ is itself a doctrine. Being charitable, we should take the Prime Minister’s statement less literally and say that he is simply emphasising ‘action’. But what kind of action? One of his first appointments was Dame Diana Johnson as a Minister of State in the Home Office. In the last parliament, she pushed for the decriminalisation of abortion up to birth, meaning (for example) that a 30+ week unborn child, who could be delivered and would likely survive outside the womb, could instead be killed by his or her mother, via dangerous and falsely-obtained abortion pills, with no consequences. The Home Office’s principal duty is to protect people. How can someone who cannot recognise and protect life be given power and influence there?

All too often, when the doctrine of limited atonement is considered, people only see it as a theological debate over the extent of Christ’s atonement. Rarely is a direct connection drawn between this doctrinal divide and its implications in the Christian life. Of course a biblical study on the atonement is foundational for what we believe, but we must also remember that what we believe impacts how we live. Our theology drives our practice. In other words, living the Christian life flows out of the doctrinal truths that we believe. This is why we are not to be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewal of our minds. When our minds are renewed by the Word of God, then our lives will be transformed in living a life according to the will of God. So what difference does limited atonement make in our lives? Christ fully accomplished my salvation on the cross. As one chosen by God, He sent His Son to save me from my sin. In love, He sent His Son to live a life of righteousness for me. In love, He sent His Son to receive my condemnation in my place through His death on the cross. In love, He sent His Son to exchange my sin and unrighteousness for Christ’s obedience and righteousness. I have been saved through the sacrifice of Christ!

Several weeks ago, I had a very embarrassing interaction at a small Asian restaurant in my town. I was grabbing lunch with one of the elders from Christ Presbyterian Church to have a time of fellowship. After we prayed for the meal, a very kind old lady approached us and asked us: “Are you gentlemen Christians? What kind of Christians are you?” And after a very brief interaction with her, we found out that she was a member of Kingdom Hall (Jehovah’s Witnesses) in the nearby town, and she approached us because she heard us praying in the name of Jesus. After I finished having a lunch with the elder, I had to stay little longer at the restaurant to order takeout for my wife. And as I was waiting for the food, I saw the old lady sitting at one of the booths with her companions. I decided to approach and interact with her further, curious to find out how much she knew the doctrines of Jehovah’s witnesses and also to invite her to the church.

In a recent sermon on Revelation 21 titled "Who Will Dwell In God's Utopia?" we were reminded about the atheist bus campaign in 2009. A group of atheists sponsored an advertising campaign with the following wording: "THERE'S PROBABLY NO GOD. NOW STOP WORRYING AND ENJOY YOUR LIFE." The organiser of the campaign, Ariane Sherine, met with David Larlham and the conversation is very revealing! The assumption that God kills joy and destroys peace is the opposite of what the Bible teaches. Watch the clip, then listen to the sermon.

SGA writes: Daily news about the deaths of soldiers at the front is a reality in every Ukrainian city and village. On our streets, we meet people with amputations, injuries, and signs of PTSD every day. Churches minister to the families of the fallen, some are already planning and implementing the establishment of veteran centres, organizing events and trips for families and children of military personnel. This month, the graduation of the first chaplaincy school “Warrior’s Heart” took place in Irpin. Almost fifty people successfully completed the 9-month training. Most of them already practice chaplaincy — they are full-time chaplains, visit soldiers at the front, in stabilization points, hospitals, and are involved in the ministry to soldiers, veterans and their families.

Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, a group of nurses working at Darlington Memorial Hospital, which comes under the control of County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, have filed legal action against the Trust for sexual harassment and sex discrimination. Five of the nurses bringing the claim, Bethany Hutchison, Lisa Lockey, Annice Grundy, Tracey Hooper and Joanne Bradbury (image), who work in the Day Surgery Unit at the hospital, have decided to be identified and speak publicly after the Trust has continued to brush aside their concerns. Other nurses have chosen to remain anonymous. They said that female nurses at the hospital, including vulnerable women who have experienced sexual abuse and international nurses who cannot get changed in front of men, were having panic attacks before working on wards after having to get undressed in front of a sexually active biological male. The male operating department practitioner, who openly said that he does not take female hormones and was trying to get his girlfriend pregnant, claimed that he ‘identifies’ as a woman and is called ‘Rose.’ The Trust’s policies permit any member of staff to ‘identify’ in the opposite gender and to access single-sex changing rooms, toilets or showers on that basis.

Male players who identify as female should not be allowed to compete against biological women, Wimbledon and BBC legend Sue Barker has said. Barker, who presented BBC coverage from the Championships for thirty years, said she backed Martina Navratilova’s opposition to gender self-ID in women’s sport. Earlier this year, tennis great Navratilova warned that trans ideology risks alienating a generation of women from participating in sport. Commenting on transgender athletes displacing women in sporting events and competitions, Barker told The Daily Telegraph: “I just think you take away the young girls’ dreams, so I am definitely with Martina.” According to the website SheWon.org, as of May more than 650 female world athletes have been deprived of 998 medals, records, scholarships or other opportunities by biological males competing in women’s categories.

Brett Shaw writes: Greetings to you in the name of Christ. We are a new church plant which began this past fall and is being planted from Sycamore Reformed Baptist Church in East Moline, IL. We give thanks to God for how he has blessed the ordinary means of grace and given the growth. We started with six adults meeting in our home for bible study and now have around 32 meeting on the Lord’s Day for worship. The gospel is bearing fruit among us and in us.

What is precious to you? If your house caught fire, what would you brave the flames to save? Your spouse and children, of course. Maybe a beloved pet, family photo, or treasured heirloom? That word, “precious,” is used throughout the Old Testament to describe costly jewels like the one upon the brow of David’s crown (2 Samuel 12:30). David employed the same word in Psalm 116:15 to describe God’s valuation of the death of a Christian: “Precious in the sight of the Lord, is the death of his saints.” But how can that be? The Bible calls death “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23) and “the last enemy to be destroyed” (1 Corinthians 15:26). Death is so tragic that Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus. How then can death be precious in God’s sight?

Tonny Karwa writes: There is so much pastoral wisdom and sensitivity needed at this time in Kenya since we are ministering to a people who have despaired. The government has introduced backbreaking taxation laws and is resolutely bent towards implementing them despite national outrage and uproar. The economic experts have not only condemned but also termed the proposed finance bill as both punitive and draconian. Our younger population, now christened ‘Gen Z’, are completely disillusioned. They have taken to the streets across the republic in a bid to compel the government to rescind these laws. In part, they were expecting a ‘better Kenya’ owing to the mouth-watering promises by the current regime during their campaigns. The older folks have slouched in hopelessness, probably hoping that the government may listen to the young people who are now acting as their mouthpiece. It seems, however, that the government will not be bludgeoned into rescission. Last evening, a military contingency was deployed in Nairobi to reinforce the police in what the government gazetted as ‘security emergency’.

Have you heard the latest church scandal? Sadly, the question is too broad and too evergreen to signal what situation is in mind. Ask that question any time in the last decade and it will be relevant. No church that is comprised of sinners is perfect, which is to say that there is no perfect church. Yet, Jesus has given us clear instructions to deal with sin in a church. If biblical church polity and authority were better appreciated and exercised, many of the scandalous sins and crimes that have plagued churches over the last ten years would have been far better handled than they were. When church membership is taken seriously and both formative and corrective discipline are implemented carefully there can still be sinful things (even egregiously sinful and sometimes criminal) things done in a congregation. But when such sins and/or crimes occur, both the victims and perpetrators will be better loved and cared for than would otherwise be the case.

With the General Election looming, Christians need to be well informed in order to vote wisely. The Christian Institute have done a fine job in making available a wide range of resources to assist with this, such as summaries of party policies on key moral issues, information on voting records and guidance concerning questions that we ought to pose to candidates.

Your prayers are needed for Christians in Eritrea who have been imprisoned for their faith in Jesus. Please especially pray for three pastors who have now been in prison for 20 years. None of the three have ever been charged or faced trial. Pastors Haile Nayzgi and Dr Kiflu Gebremeskel were arrested on 23 May 2004. Pastor Meron Gebreselasie was arrested a month later. These pastors are among more than 500 Christians in Eritrea who endure long-term imprisonment in harsh conditions, often suffering violence and abuse. Some of these Christians never get to leave prison after their arrest.

Two teenage boys in North Korea have been heavily punished for possessing and distributing South Korean pop music, and singing songs and performing South Korean dance routines in public. One has been given 15 years’ hard labour, with the other given a life sentence. At the trial – which was made public as a warning to others – the authorities said ‘the two boys can’t be allowed to live in the same society as other North Koreans’. The boys’ mothers wept aloud and fainted as they heard the verdicts. “This inhumane punishment shows that Kim Jong-un is serious about prosecuting people who possess ‘illegal’ materials,” says Brother Simon*, Open Doors coordinator for ministry among North Koreans.

Christianity is the most successful movement of all time because it has true love at its core. Its love is quite literally from another dimension. Christianity’s message of love shook the world (Acts 17:6). Nations, including our own, which grounded themselves in the Christian ethic of love are the most prosperous in history. Humans thrive where love abounds. So why does our culture seem so hell-bent on abandoning the Christian way? Families – physical and spiritual – that love one another unconditionally are emblematic of God’s love for us. This pure form of love is deeply attractive to all of us. And so the societal breakdown of both the physical family, and the correlated decrease in church attendance (spiritual family), is one of our biggest tragedies. If you break down the greatest representation of love that our world has (the family – physical and spiritual), is it any wonder that you then witness the decline of a society?

Geoffrey Muketi writes: Receive warm greetings in the Lord. It is a joy to let you informed that we had a Weekend Challenge with Kamketo Trinity Girls High School. It held on 14th – 15th this June. The school accepted our request for the two-days preaching, and we (Pastor Thomas and myself) were greatly welcomed by the school, as they well provided food for us in those two days. I appreciated this labor, since we gave our best, and the Lord was gracious to enabled us to make it simple as possible for their understanding. My joy is also that some of their teachers were available throughout the sessions. The students were very encouraging because of their activeness and interest to learn the truth, they as well asked a lot of questions in regard to salvation and the personal life.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr Ryan Davidson coming to teach “Pastoral Counseling” for 5-days to the students here in the UK, and all visitors are welcome to join. This course is a survey and introduction to the role of the pastor as a counselor of God’s people using the Word of God. The course will survey theological, historical, and practical areas related to pastoral counseling and will focus on the use of the Scriptures in the counseling ministry of the church. Spaces are limited in order to facilitate discussion and personal engagement in the classes, so be sure to make your booking as soon as possible to secure your place.

The Iguazu Falls of South America are among the most spectacular falls in the world. At the border between southern Brazil and northern Argentina, they drop 80 metres (260 ft) in two steps over layers of black basalt rock.1 Islands along the edge break the flow into numerous separate waterfalls. When the river is high, some 300 waterfalls cascade along the 2.7 km (1.7 mile) edge—longer than either the Niagara or Victoria Falls.

You probably have heard the phrase, “love is love.” Over the last few years it has been made famous by yard signs, songs, movies, and even a comic book. The “love is love” campaign was started six years ago as an LGBTQ+ advocacy initiative with the purpose of “spreading positive images of the LGBTQ+ community, with a focus on increasing visibility in spaces where LGBTQ+ issues may not be well-understood.” The phrase, “love is love” has even earned an entry in the Urban Dictionary where it is defined as “meaning that the love expressed by an individual or couple is valid regardless of the sexual orientation or gender identity of their lover or partner.” This notion of love is often used as a trump card to shut down any critique of various perverted opinions and actions that are being pushed into contemporary cultural values. A man wants to have sex with a man or a woman with a woman? Who are you to object, because “love is love.” Adults sexually preying on children? Don’t call them pedophiles, call them “minor attracted people.” Because “love is love.” Will Smith and his wife want to commit unfettered adultery? Who are you to judge, because, you know, love is love. But love is not love. At least real love isn’t. Otherwise, the Apostle Paul would not have exhorted Christians in Rome by saying, “Let love be genuine.”

In April African Pastors' Conferences were held in four locations in Kenya: Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru and Baricho on the theme “The gospel according to Romans”. Pray that the resources and preaching would bear much fruit to God’s glory. May the Lamb that was slain receive the rewards for his suffering. Also pray for blessing upon the forthcoming conferences in Zambia beginning on June 13th.

The recent mob attack in Pakistan, which saw the death of a Christian shoe factory owner, was a ‘calculated’ and ‘manipulative’ assault, according to a human rights commission investigation. As Release International reported last month, Nazeer Gill was beaten and his factory set ablaze after a neighbour falsely accused him of desecrating the Koran. He later died in hospital of his injuries. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, which investigated the incident, has concluded that it was a ‘calculated assault, manipulated through religious fervour to gain maximum leverage.’

Dear Friends of IRBS, Greetings in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our recent celebration of twenty-five years of IRBS was wonderful. About 125 people joined us at our banquet, a large group gathered for our faculty conference, and many rejoiced with us at the commencement exercises. I can say in all honesty that everything exceeded my expectations. Praise the Lord for His abundant blessings on our seminary. As you read this newsletter, you will learn about several appointments to important administrative positions. I am very grateful that the Lord has brought these together, for they demonstrate important steps forward for IRBS. Now it's time to prepare for the next academic year which begins on July 1. Please pray for us as we continue to serve Christ, His churches and our students. Thank you for your participation in this important work. James Renihan.

A big stage with smoke machines and flashing spotlights, emotional music and songs, a man wearing jeans and a shirt with tattoos standing on a podium, a sign that reads “Welcome! You are loved here!” These are the pictures that come into our minds when we think about typical broad evangelical churches in the United States of America. In recent centuries, many modern American churches have gone through a significant shift in their cultures. For example, in the 20th century, American evangelicalism was impacted by the “Seeker-Sensitive movement,” where churches actively contextualized their cultures, practices, worship, and message to attract irreligious people.[1] In the 21st century then, American evangelicalism is impacted by various social and political movements such as “Black Lives Matter” or “Sexual Revolution”, causing many churches to embrace and promote such cultural agendas to embrace socially marginalized people. And while these cultural and social movements, such as the seeker-sensitive, social-justice, and sexual-revolution cultures, have influenced many evangelical churches in various ways, one undeniable influence they have played is convincing churches to reshape their identity – an identity that communicates they are safe, friendly, and casual places to the world and to people.

Solomon says we must “Get wisdom.” That means it is not something that we inherently possess. It is not something we reach down inside and muster up. It is not something that we can meditate upon long enough and ultimately think ourselves up to. Wisdom, we later find out, is a gift from God (James 1:5) that he gives to those who ask. Both popular culture and other false religions teach us just to “follow our hearts” or “let your heart be your guide.” These malicious maxims, which are drilled into us from birth (through fairytale movies, bad literature, faulty parenting books….), are actually the worst possible advice. Jeremiah tells us that our hearts are “deceitful above all things and desperately sick” (17:9). Like a mis-calibrated compass that leads sailors slowly but surely off course, our hearts can’t be trusted. Our emotions, feelings, affections, intuitions, and all other subjective judgments can be wrong. However, the wisdom of God, revealed through His word and applied by the Spirit, will never lead us astray. That is what should be our guide.

All our safety and wellbeing depends on keeping close to the Lord. Yet our sinful hearts keep drifting away from Him, to our own cost as well as His dishonour. When we then come to our senses and realise He is far away and we are in a desperate place without Him, what can we do? In the following updated extract, William Guthrie’s advice to helpless, sin-stricken people is not to give in to a passive, lethargic, despairing kind of inactivity, but to “wait” on the Lord by rejecting unsafe alternatives and by persisting in the expectation of grace from Him. While Isaiah speaks for himself, he speaks for all the godly, when he says, “I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him” (Isaiah 8:17). In these words you have the duty of the people of God: to wait on the Lord until He pleads their cause, and executes judgment for them. One of the doctrines we can deduce from this verse is that when people are shaken out of their self-confidence, it is their duty then to wait on God.

I made my first ever visit to Poland from 1-6 May, to Poznan and then to a Conference centre about 120 kms. north-east towards Torun, near Bydyoszcz (try pronouncing that!). I was struck by how flat the land is here in west Poland, and I don’t remember seeing any animals in the fields at all. The Conference was organized by three small Reformed Baptist churches and there were about 50 people in attendance. The theme was on the Planting and Growth of Local Churches. This is a very great need, and yet there are difficulties of division in the few that there are. It is an overwhelmingly Catholic country. I sought to encourage them to centre their labours in preaching to the lost and in preaching to their Christians as God’s great means. I exhorted them to expect problems from the analysis of New Testament churches, and to persevere in the work.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak called a snap General Election which will be held on 4 July. This means that the immediate parliamentary threats to decriminalise abortion and to ban so-called 'conversion practices' will not go ahead. Praise God with us that these amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill have been stopped. Throughout this parliament, Christian Concern supporters made a huge difference by contacting their MPs, rallying and raising awareness on these issues. By God's grace, multiple attempts have been foiled in these areas. Five years ago, bans on 'conversion therapy' were widely supported - even, to some degree, by other Christian organisations. Now there is serious opposition, thanks to the consistent campaigning of the Christian Concern community. However, these policies, and other dangers like legalising euthanasia, will be pushed after the General Election. The MPs who are elected in July will decide whether those harmful laws go forward.

At the recent meeting of the Association of Confessional Baptist Churches, Peter Petra, Pastor of North Church Leicester, gave a helpful message on the biblical and confessional doctrine of divine immutability - the truth that God does not change, ever, in any sense or in any way! He explores immutability in the scriptures, in its historic and confessional formulation, and its deeply pastoral implications. Questions like "why does it matter that God does not change?" and "does the doctrine that God does not change affect the Christian life?" are answered alongside many others. Listen in and be enriched by this glorious confessional doctrine.

North African countries border the Mediterranean Sea in the north and the Sahara Desert to the south. These include Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya. More than 100 million live in the region. The vast majority are identified as Muslims. Islam and the official language of Arabic were brought there by Arab Muslim conquerors who colonized the Amazigh people of North Africa in the 7th and 8th centuries after Christ. Yet, the native Amazigh (Berber) language was quietly preserved, spoken at home and in rural towns and villages. It is estimated that over one third of the population today are still native Amazigh speakers. Before the Islamic conquest, through the witness of first century Christians, a native church was established. It produced great early Christian leaders whose writings still bless the church today, such as Tertullian and Augustine of Hippo

Christian MP Miriam Cates is a fearless advocate for policies that protect children. Since being elected in 2019 she has campaigned on sex education, gender ideology, online safety and much more. On a recent visit to the Christian Institute’s offices in Newcastle upon Tyne, she shared why she got into politics and how her Christian faith sustains her as an MP. She also thanked the Institute and its supporters for their prayers over the years. Miriam is one of a number of courageous Christian parliamentarians making a difference in the UK today. Please pray for her, and for all those in authority.

Flash flooding due to intense rainfall has hit many regions in East Africa, including Uganda and Kenya. The sudden influx of rain has caused mudslides that have already claimed many lives and destroyed thousands of homes. “Mudslides are still happening, mainly in the mountainous areas. People are in need of food and shelter,” continued our partner. The situation is similar in Kenya. John, a Christian from Mai Mahiu in Kenya told our Africa coordinator on 18 May, “The worst happened on April 29. Many of the homes in our neighbourhood were carried away with people in them.” Entire families have been killed in the floods. Villages have been swept away, leaving only small sections of their foundations remaining. John, who runs a small operation in his village that looks after vulnerable children, summed up the situation, “The floods here have been a nightmare. They are still going on… There is much sadness here.”

It is a sad reality that the conflict in Ukraine continues to take its tragic toll, and many believers and churches are deeply affected. Pray for many concerned parents as they face the prospect of their son being called -up to serve in the armed forces on the frontline. Pray for missionaries and pastors who are facing unimaginable circumstances and deal with painful loses. Many are exhausted, feeling the pressures of the war almost unbearable. Pray that they will be strengthened by the Lord to continue their ministry. We encourage you to continue to pray for Ukraine and the distressing situation in which many believers are caught up. Pray for those who have the responsibility of preaching God’s Word, as much uncertainty engulfs this country.

Acts 4v36-37 reads, "Joses, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles (which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." What a blessing to be named "Son of Encouragement" by your colleagues! That was the experience of Joses. What about us? Our churches desperately need such encouragers, and we must begin with ourselves. Tony Flanders gave a series of three messages on this subject, which you can access on our SermonAudio page by clicking below. There is also a summary of the 19 points that he made. May God bless us all to be encouragers!

Right now, conservative evangelicals are at an impasse on the issue of boldness. A few months ago, I observed that today there is greater stigma attached to speaking the truth in a tone that seems slightly unnerved or terse than speaking dangerous falsehoods sweetly, politely, and deferentially. A number of controversies over the last few months have confirmed that hypothesis. By way of prolegomena, let us recognize that to speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) requires attention to both content and tone. And here, we must plainly confess that there are ditches on both sides. The jerks-for-Jesus model of discernment ministry is destructive of Christian love, but just as pernicious is the equal and opposite error of the whitewash of “winsomeness”— virtue-signaling of the sort Jesus condemned in the parable of the Pharisee and the publican (“Lord, I thank thee that I am not like those angry Reformed Baptists on Twitter. I fast from social media twice a week, and I only post photos of sunsets”). Between these two extremes is the light-giving-yet-salty speech (Colossians 4:6) modeled by the apostles—“wholesome” (Titus 2:28) and “not quarrelsome” (2 Timothy 2:24), yet willing to say the hard thing, and sometimes with rhetorical flair (cf. Galatians 5:12).

Pastor Simione writes: Our country is vulnerable of tropical diseases such as malaria and many others. Last year many people were infected and some of them even died. Since January, there has been many cases of conjunctivitis. In the case of children it is not severe, but in adults it is hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. Some of house of ant’s children and adult were infected, but not so severe. I telling this to demonstrate how lovely and careful is God with all of us. As you knew, in March we received a missionary visit from Brazil (Pr. Pedro Leal), and it was a precious time of encouragement. The team was very motivated to serve and sharing, during their visit here. There was a lot of assistance in terms of medical, psychological, and spiritual leadership, it was cross-cultural experience – Mozambique and Brazil.

Pastor Tonny Karwa writes: This year, the African Pastors’ Conference (APC) in Kisumu attracted about 65 delegates, many of whom were drawn from the charismatic denominations. The theme was, “The Gospel According to Romans.” Our inaugural conference last year attracted 54 delegates. One of the most difficult tasks in hosting the APCs is delegates mobilisation. The charismatics, for instance, must receive invitation letters personally addressed to them. They also insist on being addressed by their correct titles in the letters. And just when you think that is all, one of the generalised criticisms or tags against the Baptists by many of our Pentecostal counterparts in Kenya is that that we are mere Bible commentators, not preachers. In fact, they easily switch off when the preacher isn’t dynamic or spirited in his delivery. In most cases, they never come back afterwards. Therefore, the targeted points of application by Pastor Joshua Bolaji (South Africa) coupled with his zestfulness were greatly appreciated by most of them. I

Andrea Williams writes: Two radical amendments to the Criminal Justice Bill have been put forwards that would decriminalise abortion, essentially eliminating legal consequences for killing an unborn child, as long as that child is unwanted. I suspect that nearly everyone at the rally would tell you that all abortion is wrong; it takes the life of an innocent child. But there is something particularly perverse about this push from the abortion industry. We know that premature babies can often live outside their mothers’ wombs from the existing abortion time limit of 24 weeks (and even earlier). Since abortions at an earlier stage are de facto available for any reason, it is these older, more viable babies who are particularly being targeted by Diana Johnson’s amendment. They are no different to babies who are being cared in a nearby hospital neonatal unit, but could be deliberately poisoned with deceitfully-obtained, dangerous abortion pills, with no legal consequences whatsoever. It was this threat of such an inhumane threat to human life that pulled so many people (about 300) together at such short notice. The unity between all the pro-life groups was a joy to witness. The supporters from various groups who had dropped plans and made the effort to come along was inspiring.

Children are set to be protected from sex ed materials which promote radical trans ideology, under the Government’s long-awaited proposals to reform Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE). Last year, the Prime Minister ordered a review of the controversial subject in light of the “safeguarding scandal” of inappropriate materials being used in English schools. Once finalised, schools will be required by law to have regard to the Department for Education’s updated guidance. It says gender identity is a “highly contested” subject which should not be taught, and teachers should not use materials claiming as fact that “gender is a spectrum”. If asked about the issue, they should teach the facts about “biological sex”.

In a recent moment of candour, irreligious comedian Bill Maher made a shocking admission about abortion on his television program, Real Time 1. The episode aired April 12 and, since then, clips of Maher’s comments have been circulating on the internet and social media. Maher first corrected the misconception held by many on the political left that pro-lifers hate women. “They don’t hate women. They just made that up,” Maher chastised. Then, he was honest enough to admit he agrees with pro-lifers about the real rationale behind their opposition to abortion. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead him to join their ranks. Maher said: "They think it’s murder and [pause] it kind of is. I’m just okay with that. I am. I mean, there’s eight billion people in the world. I’m sorry. We won’t miss you. That’s my position on that." Yikes. Even with Maher’s hedge phrase, ‘kind of’, this strikes people as morally appalling, and ought to. Maher is okay with people being ‘kind of’ murdered.

Dr Renihan writes: The long-anticipated month is here. The process of planning is complete, now it's time to remember the Lord's blessings and to give thanks for all He has done during the last quarter century of IRBS. If you will be with us in Mansfield, it will be wonderful to greet you; if you are unable to join us, please give thanks to the Lord for all His blessings to our school. And, as we gather to celebrate 25 years of IRBS, please pray that the Lord will prosper the next 25 years of service in His name.

African Pastors Conferences is planning to hold a Northern Nigerian conference run in September 2024. Although we held conferences in Abuja last year, we did not go any further north. However, we are convinced that taking the message of Romans, along with the books, fellowship, and other resources, to church leaders suffering persecution and privation in these difficult regions, will be vital in encouraging them and equipping them to persevere. We estimate that the five conferences to be held, God-willing, in Kano, Jos, Gindiri, Kaduna and Abuja should attract over 1000 delegates.

To get right with God, Muslims are taught to follow the 5 pillars of Islam: 1. Confess belief in one God and Mohamed as His prophet 2. Perform prescribed purification and bowing ritual Islamic ‘prayer’ 5 times daily 3. Purification by giving to charity and the needy 4. Fast the daylight hours of the lunar month of Ramadan 5. Travel once in a lifetime in ritual pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. (A city to which nonMuslims may not approach.) Muslims from Arab lands and around the world who desire to get right with God travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia all the year round. Saudi Arabia welcomes visitors. The country brings in more revenue annually from hosting Muslim pilgrims than from its vast oil resources.

Chaos and moral confusion abound in our fallen world, causing many Christians to wonder if we are living in the end times. Ligonier Ministries recently streamed a conversation on eschatology with Drs. Robert Godfrey, Burk Parsons, and Cornelis Venema. There is so much confusion and error surrounding these things, and it is vital that we understand what the Bible teaches! We need to grasp the whole counsel of God, and view the biblical material on the end times in the context of its whole message. These men consider vital matters with helpful clarity, calling believers to understand the Bible's call to persevere faithfully to the last of all days, when Christ will surely return in glory.

Evangelist Rico Tice has split with the Church of England, saying it has abandoned its biblical views on sexuality and he needed to “demonstrate some clear separation” from it. The Anglican clergyman, who is perhaps best known for co-writing the evangelism course Christianity Explored, said he still considered himself a “cradle-to-grave Anglican”, and found the current situation utterly heartbreaking. However, he said he could not remain while the church’s views about same sex marriage and repentance clash with his. The 57-year-old, who has now started attending an International Presbyterian Church near where his sons go to school, said “the church’s onward trajectory toward affirming same-sex marriage, specifically the new Prayers of Love and Faith” had left him and others with a heavy heart, and he needed to do something about it.

Rishi Sunak has been urged to launch a public inquiry into the harm caused to children in the name of radical gender ideology. Writing to the Prime Minister, over 140 prominent individuals from a wide range of backgrounds and professions said the inquiry was necessary for the “future safety and wellbeing of our children”. Signatories to the letter include parliamentarians, clinicians, medics, campaigners, lawyers and detransitioners. The letter stated that “gender identity ideology” – the idea that “everyone has a ‘gender identity’ that may differ from, and overrides, their birth sex” – had caused untold damage to children. It described the teaching of gender ideology in schools and medical interventions known as ‘gender-affirming transition’ as “a major scandal that requires a Public Inquiry”.

Your prayers are earnestly sought for Laleh Saati, an Iranian Christian convert from Islam, who has been sentenced to two years’ imprisonment for “acting against national security by connecting with ‘Zionist’ Christian organisations”. Farsi (Persian)-speaking Christians are converts from Islam and therefore punishable as apostates according to Islamic law. Unlike the historic Armenian- and Assyrian-speaking Christian communities they are not permitted to hold church services or worship freely. On 13 February, Laleh, 45, was arrested at her father’s home in Ekbatan, Tehran, and interrogated for three weeks at the notorious Evin Prison. After searching the house, intelligence agents confiscated her mobile phone, laptop and several Christian books. During her detention photographs and videos of her baptism in Malaysia and other Christian activities were identified as evidence of her “crime”.

“Then I saw in my dream, that the Interpreter took Christian by the hand, and led him into a place where was a Fire burning against the wall, and one standing by it, always casting much water upon it, to quench it; yet did the Fire burn higher and hotter.” There are times when theology can be very practical, times when what we believe and what we preach to ourselves can have a profound impact on our spiritual wellbeing. Nowhere is this more true than when we face times of darkness—suffering, persecution, trials and temptations—times when we are doubting, distressed and unsure how to press on. John Bunyan offers a vivid illustration of this in his allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress.

Media reports have recently highlighted Richard Dawkins’ comments that he considers himself to be a cultural Christian. This was in a London Broadcasting Company (LBC) radio interview over the Easter weekend (1 April 2024), with Rachel Johnson, sister of former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Good news you may think, but it doesn’t mean that he has given up on his belief in atheism and evolution, or his attacks on biblical creationism which he referred to as “pernicious nonsense” in the interview. It is of course good that he has moved to find Christianity appealing culturally, but what about the deeper reality of faith, and what does it mean to be a cultural Christian?

Let's join with the Christian Institute in their week of prayer for the nation, April 28th to May 4th. Each day we are invited to pray for an aspect of our national life: our leaders, society, the sanctity of life, education, free speech, conversion laws and the work of the Institue in the midst of all this. See the full prayer diary below.

We appreciate your prayers with and for us as we seek to serve the Lord in our church. Much has happened in the past few months, with several trials but much to be thankful for. This year we have elected and appointed two new deacons. This was prompted by the untimely stepping down of our former deacon after many years of faithful service to the church. We rejoice in having had four candidates baptized on the 7th of April and brought into membership! All available members met ahead of time and volunteered or were assigned specific roles and worked well in setting up cleaning up afterwards, with a sufficient lunch enjoyed by all on the day.

Joshua Sitet, a pastor from Kasei in Pokot, Kenya, writes: Glory to God for the special donation towards the Kasei Bible College. Pray for God to enable us complete the now started construction work of this long awaited Bible School. Materials for construction of the 4 rooms of the Bible School are on the way. It is our prayer that we will be able to complete the work up to the ring beam soon amid this rainy season. Pray for serious students and a workable syllabus. Praise God for the new people joining our Sunday services in Kasei. 4 are requesting for membership and 2 joined our membership on 17/3/24. Now our membership is 45, though sadly one of our members is to undergo church discipline after adding a second wife. The Gospel of Luke, which I am preaching through and now on Lk. 10:1- 24, is marching well with The URGENCY OF THE GOSPEL. No business is as sweet as being part of the Church Militant.

Recently, in my regular reading of Spurgeon’s sermons, I have discovered an excellent and pithy approach to the Gospel, one that is fully biblical and establishes well both man’s universal dilemma and God’s antidote in Christ: Spurgeon’s “Three R’s,” Ruin, Redemption and Regeneration. This past weekend, I taught this to my people to help them understand the entire scope of the biblical story of God’s redeeming love for sinners in Christ. I commend it to our readers for evangelism and to fellow pastors as realities that must permeate their preaching. Spurgeon called them “three doctrines that must be preached above all else” and he drew as his text for them “Three third chapters (of Scripture) which deal with the things in the fullest manner:” Genesis 3:14-15 (Ruin), Romans 3:21-26 (Redemption), John 3:1-8 (Regeneration).

The word hallelujah is a transliteration of two Hebrew words: “הָלַל” (hallelu) and “יָהּ” (ah). Write down those two Hebrew words using the closest equivalent letters we have in English, and you end up with that strange and beautiful word hallelujah or alleluia. The first Hebrew word hallelu means “let us praise.” And the second word is Yah, which is the short form of Yahweh—the very specific, personal name of the God of Israel. Yahweh has its origin in the name God revealed to distinguish Himself from all other gods. In Exodus chapter 3, when God speaks to Moses for the first time and calls him to bring His people out of slavery in Egypt, Moses says, “If the Israelites ask me Your name, what should I say?” And God responds, “I AM WHO I AM.” The name Yahweh is built out of the Hebrew word for “I AM.” So it’s a name that is intended to make us marvel at the self-sustaining, eternally existing, utterly transcendent nature of this God, the true and living God who is quite unlike any other pretender to the throne. When the name Yahweh appears in the Old Testament, it’s often translated “LORD” in capital letters in our English translations, to mark it out from the more generic word “God.” So hallelujah means “Let us praise Yah.” Let us join together in worshiping and praising this God—Yahweh—and no other.

This year our 1940s weekend runs from May 26th to 28th. Visit our page to find out more, or click on the link to view the flyer.

Jesus said, “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell” (Matt. 5:29–30). Jesus is not speaking literally. If you steal with your right hand, then simply amputating it will not cure you of thievery. You could continue stealing with your left hand. And if you remove your right eye because it has been an instrument of lusting, you still have your left eye that can be used for the same purpose. Our Lord’s words are intended to shock us into recognition of the seriousness with which we must deal with the sin that remains in our lives as believers. We must treat it ruthlessly. We must be willing to give up even good things (analogous to eyes and arms) in our effort to put sin to death.

Mercy is a recent convert at GBC Kisumu. This is part of her testimony given at her baptism: There is nothing I am, or I have, or I do that is enough to save me. I realized my wretchedness and sinfulness before a righteous, just, and Holy God. In tears and all brokenness, I called on the Name of the LORD Jesus Christ and asked Him to save me, confessing and repenting of all my sins and asked Him to forgive me. Now, I know that I am born again for it is only Christ who saves, He is the Way, the only Way. I affirm that I have no other hope, no other assurance of the forgiveness of my sins, only Christ. This is the certainty that I hold onto “...that He who began a good work in me will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

The much-anticipated final report of the Cass Review of gender identity services for children and young people was published today (10 Apr). The review makes clear that vulnerable children have been failed by clinicians who have followed an affirmative approach to treating children with gender dysphoria and prescribed powerful drugs which lack evidence to support their use in such ways. The report states: “The reality is that we have no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related stress.” Addressing children and young people in her foreword, Cass states: “I have been disappointed by the lack of evidence on the long-term impact of taking hormones from an early age; research has let us all down, most importantly you.” She also blames an “increasingly toxic, ideological and polarised public debate,” and notes that: “There are few other areas of healthcare where professionals are so afraid to openly discuss their views, where people are vilified on social media, and where name-calling echoes the worst bullying behaviour. This must stop.”

A Christian evangelist who led several Muslims to faith in Christ has been brutally martyred in an eastern district of Uganda. Sources say Ronald Twinomugisha had received text message threats before he was hacked to death on March 30. He was just 32. Ronald had moved to Iganga district in February 2022, and by the following year had led four Muslims to Christ. These converts have all fled elsewhere, after receiving threats from their own families.

Praise God for answered prayers with the acquittal of Christian brothers Umar Saleem and Umair Saleem on charges including “blasphemy” following the anti-Christian riots that ravaged the Christian area of Jaranwala in August 2023. Defence lawyer Tahir Bashir told the Anti-Terrorism Court in Faisalabad on 29 February that the brothers were innocent and there was no evidence against them. Bashir, a lawyer with the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which provides legal aid to Christians, with support from Barnabas Aid, informed the court that a police investigation had exonerated both brothers. Police confirmed to the court that two Muslim men plotted to implicate the brothers because of a “personal enmity” against them. The Muslim men have been arrested and are being held in jail. The Muslim men’s unfounded allegations that the Saleem brothers had desecrated pages of the Quran stirred up a Muslim mob to rampage through the Christian area of Jaranwala city on 16 August 2023, burning at least 24 churches and several dozen smaller chapels and attacking the homes of more than 100 believers.

CONNECT is our young people’s group for age 11 to 18 years. We seek to meet the practical, social and spiritual needs of our young people in two different meetings: CONNECT ACTIVE meets twice each month on the first and third Saturdays during term time 6:00pm to 7:30pm. CONNECT FOUNDATIONS meets on Sunday afternoon of the fourth Sunday of the month at 1:30pm. The club is open for youth to enjoy the many games we play, engage in the wide variety of activities, discuss their problems/views with other teenagers and to share in learning something beneficial based on biblical teachings.

Though Scripture relates other resurrection accounts, such as the raising of Lazarus, they were all in a different category. Lazarus died again. The uniqueness of Jesus’ resurrection was tied to another aspect of His uniqueness. It was tied to His sinlessness, a dimension of the person of Jesus that would be even more unique if uniqueness were capable of degrees. For God to allow Jesus to be bound forever by death would have been for God to violate His own righteous character. It would have been an injustice, an act that is supremely impossible for God to commit. The surprise is not that Jesus rose, but that He stayed in the tomb as long as He did. Perhaps it was God’s condescension to human weakness of unbelief that inclined Him to keep Christ captive, to ensure that there would be no doubt He was dead and that the resurrection would not be mistaken for a resuscitation. The resurrection sets Jesus apart from every other central figure of world religions. Buddha is dead. Mohammed is dead. Confucius is dead. None of these were sinless. None offered atonement. None were vindicated by resurrection.

Our God is sovereign over time. He holds the future with same perfection and certainty that He holds both present and past. He was in the beginning (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1) and He is “the Alpha and the Omega,” the One “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). He declares “the end from the beginning” (Isaiah 46:10). In the opening verses of Psalm 90 Moses reflects on the sovereignty of God over time: "Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever you had formed the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God." (Psalm 90:1–2) God is above time, He created time, and He delights in taking time to make known His glory. At creation God did not speak the world into existence all at once. He took time to delight in the act of creating. For six days He worked and then rested on the seventh day.

Systems engineering has been recognized for over 60 years as essential to the proper development of complex and complicated man-made systems. It has been applied to a wide range of technological projects involving design, development, construction and maintenance. Examples are automobiles, urban infrastructure, environmental controls, aircraft, spacecraft, software, hardware, and ships. Systems engineering is the discipline that integrates complicated systems, ensures operability, balance and integration, and defines systems success. One example of a complex system that clearly displays the hallmarks of skilled systems engineering is that of planet Earth and its external support systems (the sun, our galaxy, our moon, etc.). It is beautifully designed, optimally positioned within the solar system, and intricately balanced to enable and sustain life. System Earth has all the tailor-made features researchers have determined are necessary for a planet to be capable of supporting living things.

In her Daily Mail column this week (March 2024), Nadine Dorries, former Secretary of State, former health minister and former nurse, describes the day she came face-to-face with the savagery of abortion. “When I was a young nurse of 18, I experienced something that changed me profoundly. My months on the gynaecological ward had been the happiest and most rewarding of my short career – until the day I was asked to help during the termination of a pregnancy at 27 weeks. “Back then, the legal limit for abortion was 28 weeks. This was reduced to 24 in 1990. “The expectant mother, who was only 16, had been injected in her uterine cavity with the hormone prostaglandin. Several excruciating hours later, the foetus – a little boy – was delivered. He was dropped in a bedpan and the ward sister handed him to me, saying: ‘Take this into the sluice room and leave it there until I come. Stay with it.’

In Leo Varadkar’s resignation speech, he said: “I’m proud that we have made the country [Irealand] a more equal and more modern place when it comes to the rights of children, the LGBT community, equality for women and their bodily autonomy.” Although he said his “reasons for stepping down now are personal and political”, journalist Ruth Dudley Edwards highlighted that it was “under his leadership that the government a couple of weeks ago lost two atrociously badly-framed referendums that were essentially pointless”. One amendment to the Constitution, promoting “durable relationships” as equal to marriage, was rejected by 67.69 per cent of votes, and a second on ending the State’s commitment to stay-at-home mums was voted down by 73.93 per cent. Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Dudley Edwards said: “They horrified a large section of the population who saw them as an attack on the family, not least in taking the words woman and mother out of the constitution. The outcome was among the most humiliating referendum results ever for any government.”

Broken Wharfe is working with a local church and devoted indigenous missionary on the front lines of challenging missions in Pakistan. Converted to Christ several years ago, he came to reformed Baptist convictions. A deep conviction drives this missionary to see healthy churches planted and thriving in the faith. However, the context of their mission is challenging, making safety a paramount concern. In September 2023, this missionary reached out to Broken Wharfe with a heartfelt plea for assistance translating reformed Baptist books into Urdu. Their vision was clear - distributing these books throughout Pakistan, touching the lives of churches, ministers, church members, university students and schools. Broken Wharfe, recognising the significance of this endeavour, quickly responded. Together, their first project, Christian Basics, resulted in the printing of 10,000 copies and is currently being distributed, making its way into various corners of Pakistan. Notably, the impact has reached local schools, where the book has been incorporated into the school's curriculum, influencing a younger generation with the basics of confessional Baptist principles. Now there are plans for further materials to be made available and we need your support.

We give thanks to the Lord that He is gathering his people in Bozeman for the purpose of establishing a confessional reformed Baptist church. The harvest is indeed plentiful, and by the Spirit of God we are seeing the gospel bear fruit. God’s wisdom, power and grace are being displayed amongst us, even in the heavenly realms, as Paul said in Ephesians 3:10, that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord.” We began our first services in January. As of right now we are meeting in the afternoons at a local Christian school, but we hope to move to a morning and evening service at some point later this year.

We are both full time members of MERF’s Arabic Media Team involved in digital audio and video productions. We joined MERF’s staff because MERF’s ministries are clearly based on biblical principles. It is committed to the historic teachings of the evangelical Reformation. This is very important because media work can easily drift into man-centred strategies and methodologies. Also, it was clear that MERF ministry content and approach are very relevant to the younger generation of the Arab majority, our Muslim neighbours. They are our main, ministry target group. The Lord is blessing our team’s joint efforts with encouraging fruit.

There’s a new liberalism making its way through our churches and transforming our denominations. No, this liberalism doesn’t deny the virgin birth or the historicity of Jesus’ resurrection. This liberalism is steeped in biblical exegesis and historic-Reformed categories. Today’s liberalism attempts to use the common creeds and confessions we know and love, and it emphasises the importance of using scripture to defend our ideas. This liberalism has a foothold in virtually every major Reformed seminary and denominational group. Like the liberalism that Machen fought, this liberalism isn’t simply an aberration away from biblical Christianity; it’s an entirely different religion. Using the same language, borrowing from the same history, often preached side by side with orthodoxy, this liberalism poses no less a serious threat to orthodox Christianity than did the liberalism of the early 20th century.

Tonny Karwa writes: Prayer and preaching are like the two wheels of a bicycle. They must be in tandem (Acts 6:4). Unfortunately, little emphasis is placed on prayer in our modern churches. We want to preach but we do not want to pray! We want to see fruit, but we do not want to plead for the fruit! Yet we read that “Those who sow in tears shall reap with shouts of joy! He who goes out weeping, bearing the seed for sowing, shall come home with shouts of joy, bringing his sheaves with him.” (Psalm 126:5-6). It is little wonder then that the early church devoted themselves to the prayers, and it pleased the Lord to add to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:47). Pray that we would be a weeping church for gospel fruit. Pray also for the Lord to reap some gospel fruit from among those to whom we speak His word.

Please pray for the Christian Institute at this time, as they seek to continue their ministry seeking to protect our freedoms and lobby Parliament on many issues. Pray for them especially in the light of the sudden death of their director Colin Hart this week. Pray that the Lord will comfort his family as well as his colleagues as they mourn his loss. Pray too for wisdom as they seek to continue the ministry without him. Pray that the Lord will provide all that is needed.

In 1990, the abortion limit was reduced from 28 to 24 weeks due to the increased chance of survival for extremely premature babies. In the 30 years since then, medical technology has greatly improved and babies are increasingly likely to survive at earlier gestations. The latest guidance from the British Association of Perinatal Medicine enables doctors to intervene to save premature babies from 22 weeks. The latest research indicates that a significant number of babies born at 22 or 23 weeks gestation can survive outside the womb, and this number increases with proactive perinatal care. This leaves a real contradiction in British law. In one room of a hospital, doctors could be working to save a baby born alive at 23 weeks whilst, in another room of the same hospital, a doctor could perform an abortion that would end the life of a baby at the same age.

Stuart Townend’s hymn, “How deep the Father’s Love for Us,” says that the Father’s love is beyond all measure. Nevertheless, if we were to attempt to measure it, how would we go about doing that? We use a thermometer to gauge the temperature and a ruler to measure the height and width of an object. But how do we determine, to borrow Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:18, what is the breadth and length and height and depth of the Father’s love? One instrument that we can use is the object of our love. Love for those who are good or who are like us is commendable, but it isn’t extraordinary. So too is love for those who love us. Frankly, that is easy to do. As Jesus said, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same (Matt. 5:46-47)?” Love shows its depth, not in loving those who deserve our love or in loving those who are easy to love, but in loving the unlovable, which is exactly who God loves. He loves the weak, the ungodly, sinners, and even his enemies (Rom. 5:6, 8, 10).

In 2018, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on British Muslims proposed a definition of Islamophobia which reads as follows: "Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness." The definition is incredibly broad and subjective and can be used to shut down legitimate criticism of Islam as a religion. Indeed, it has already been used in this way. ...[but] Islam is not a race. Therefore it is wrongheaded to define Islamophobia as “a type of racism.” You cannot change your race, but you can change your religion. Furthermore, the definition talks of “perceived Muslimness” – which is entirely subjective. If someone perceives you have been Islamophobic then by definition you have been! There is no defence. You are guilty by allegation. Alarming though this definition is, it has been widely adopted by multiple organisations across the country. This includes one in seven local authorities in England. Most concerningly, it has been formally adopted by mainstream political parties such as the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, the SNP, the Scottish Conservatives, Plaid Cymru and the Scottish Greens. Adoption by political parties means that members of these parties risk being disciplined or expelled from the party if they are accused of Islamophobia.

I cannot recall how many times I met people who honestly told me that they did not want to have children because children would just interfere with their lives. They viewed children as a burden, rather than a blessing. In fact, a certain woman frankly told me that she was too selfish to have a child. She did not want to have a child, because she knew it would mean an inconvenient life. Children are not a burden but a blessing, created for God’s glory. As the Bible says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD” (Ps. 127:3). In Hebrew the word heritage (also translated as inheritance) indicates that ultimately our children are not a result of our work. When you receive an inheritance from your parents (a sum of money), you receive it as a gift from them. You did not work for it; they did! They simply gave it to you out of their own good pleasure. Likewise, ultimately it is our God who makes children. And he gives them to us as a gift out of his own good pleasure. Children are one of the ways that God chooses to bless us and to glorify himself.

Tomé Ofélia Malhope is 7 years old. Tomé lives with his mother. His father has sadly died. His mother has physical limitations due to a stroke. She collects and sells plastic packaging for recycling. She came to ask for help at the House of Ants for her little boy Tomé and 2 other siblings. Tomé and his siblings do not live at House of Ants, but attend as students and come every day for lunch, Bible class and school tutoring. This has been a real blessing to them all, especially their mother, who is quite ill. Please pray that the testimony of the team at House of Ants would be a means whereby they can see and hear of the gospel through their practical Christian witness.

IRBS President, James Renihan, writes: Over the next few weeks, Christians everywhere will meditate on the great events recorded in the final chapters of the four Gospels. Jesus Christ, acclaimed as He entered Jerusalem, was within a few days denounced, arrested, placed on trial and crucified. Heaven and earth observed as He endured the cross, bearing the wrath of God for the sins of His people. He died, was buried and on the third day triumphantly rose from the dead. Hallelujah! Everyone who trusts in Him will receive the gift of eternal life. IRBS exists to prepare men to proclaim this Gospel message. Our professors instruct in the truth, and our students receive it and bring it to their communities and churches. Thank you for your prayerful support. Our task is the greatest cause in the world. Glory to God!

When the Lord Jesus came to do His work of redemption, it cost Him dearly. He suffered in His body and in His soul and indeed died for the sake of sinful people like you and me. Preaching on Isaiah 53, “He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities …” John Welsh of Irongray showed first the depth of Christ’s sufferings. He then asks, how should we respond? The following updated excerpt gives his four suggestions as to appropriate responses, concluding with a reminder of who should especially recognise themselves as summoned to act on the gospel call.

The Christian Institute Reports: Very soon, MPs will vote on whether to give pregnant women the unconditional freedom to kill their babies up to birth. Pro-abortion MPs led by Labour’s Dame Diana Johnson are seeking to hijack the Government’s Criminal Justice Bill. Her amendment covers England and Wales. Abortion is wrong – a clear breach of the Sixth Commandment. Obtaining one is already easy in the UK, but this crosses a new moral Rubicon and will inevitably lead to full decriminalisation of abortion. If you legalise abortion up to birth for women, it’s a short step to legalising it for doctors too. A separate pro-life amendment has been tabled by Caroline Ansell MP to reduce the abortion limit to 22 weeks. The current 24-week limit was set in 1990. Advances in neonatal medicine mean very premature babies are now far more likely to survive. Please pray: that God would be merciful and spare England and Wales from the decriminalisation of abortion; that the pro-life amendment is strongly supported.

Ethiopia is the 2nd largest country in Africa. It is the mountainous source of the Blue Nile. It has always remained independent, never colonized by foreign powers. Ethiopia is home to 116 million from many different tribes and languages. It is landlocked on the Horn of Africa. Its coastal neighbors along the Red Sea and Indian Ocean are Eritrea, Djibouti and Somalia (including Somaliland). Other neighbors are Sudan, South Sudan and Kenya. About 18% confess to be evangelical Christians. These belong to various tribes, but are the majority in Nuer and Anuak language areas bordering South Sudan. Since so many in Ethiopia have had little or no opportunity to hear the gospel of Christ and small believing fellowships are so widely scattered, radio provides an excellent means to share the good news and nurture young believers.

More than two-in-three mothers would choose to stay at home to look after dependent children instead of engaging in work outside the home according to new research. A survey by Amárach Research for the Iona Institute found 69 per cent of mothers with children under the age of 18 would prefer to stay at home with their children rather than go out to work if they could afford it. The results come as Ireland prepares to vote on changes to its Constitution that would remove the State’s existing commitment to stay-at-home mothers. The results reflect an increase from 62 per cent since a 2017 survey commissioned by Sudocrem using the same questions. Amárach, which surveyed 500 women over the age of 18, also found that 76 per cent said that women who work in the home are undervalued by society compared with women who work outside the home and 71 per cent do not feel valued by society for their work as mothers.

The ordeal of two Pakistani Christian brothers kidnapped by radical Muslims in Punjab province should drive us to prayer. On 22 January 2024 Azam Masih, 39, a tailor, and his older brother Nadeem Masih, 41, were tortured into “converting” to Islam. Their two captors repeatedly hit them with iron bars and threatened them with death if they did not comply. The brothers were forced into reciting the shahada Islamic creed. Some Muslims assert that the mere recitation of shahada (or kalma in Urdu) is sufficient to convert a non-Muslim to Islam, even if the “conversion” is extracted through coercion. If a person later returns to their original religion after being forced to become a Muslim, he or she is considered an apostate, just as much as if he or she had voluntarily embraced Islam. According to Islamic law, apostasy is punishable by death, although in modern times this is rarely practised at a state level. Nevertheless, the apostasy law can inspire zealous Muslims to murder apostates.

John-Mark and Darrin from Broken Wharfe sit down with James Renihan in this podcast to discuss lessons that we learn from the preaching of the Puritans. What were their strengths? What were their weaknesses? How did they incorporate doctrine into their sermons? Did the puritans have a high view of preaching? How do we apply their sermons and style to our lives, ministries and churches? These questions and some others are discussed in this episode...

Two kinds of conscience are desirable, and cannot be commended too highly. A good honest conscience. Conscience is good in respect of its integrity when it gives a right judgement of everything according to the Word of God. I grant that the law of nature binds, ecclesiastical laws bind, and political laws bind, but the Word of God is the principal rule, which precisely binds the conscience, because of its author. “There is one law-giver, who is able to save and to destroy …” (James 4:12). A good peaceable conscience. Conscience is good in respect of its peace when it excuses, absolves, and comforts as it should — that is, when it is pacified by the blood of Christ. There was once a dying man, and it is said that the devil appeared to him, and showed him a very long parchment, where his sins were written on both sides, and they were many. Three quarters of the words he had spoken in his life were idle words, and all his actions were classified according to the ten commandments. Satan said to the poor sick man, “Do you see this? Behold your virtues! See how you will be judged!” But the poor sinner answered, “It is true, Satan, but you have not included everything, for you should have added here below, The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all our sins, and you have also forgotten, Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The Pharisees made a list of 39 [Sabbath] prohibitions instead of 39 privileges. Isn’t it interesting that instead of seeing the miraculously healed man and rejoicing, they only saw his rolled-up mat and recoiled in anger? Isn’t it interesting that instead of praising the miracle worker, “they persecuted Jesus for breaking one of their rules” (John 5:16)? Why? Because a pharisaical view of the Sabbath is focused on the prohibitions not the privileges of the Lord’s Day. Shouldn’t we approach each Lord’s Day with... [an] attitude of anticipation? Shouldn’t we be so enraptured by the covenant love of God for us sinners, by the pleasure of communing with our creator, the relief of resting in the finished work of Christ, the delight of corporate singing, the joy of Christian fellowship, the peace and power that come through the teaching of God’s word and the preaching of the gospel that our ordinary work and play would naturally fade into the background? David sang, “I was glad when they said to me ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD’” (Psalm 122:1)! But are you? Are your children? Or is your heart overcast by the prohibitions of the day? Are you so upset about the things God’s forbidden you can’t see and savor the things he’s inviting you to do and the promises he’s made to you?

The Christian Institute writes: Thank you for praying for Friday’s Lords debate on Baroness Burt’s Bill to ban ‘conversion therapy’. Thank you also for writing to Peers. We have been working with Peers in the weeks leading up to the debate, providing legal briefings and research. Two-thirds of those who spoke opposed the Bill. There were excellent speeches from across the political spectrum, often from Peers who have not agreed with Christians on other issues. We still have a long way to go in fighting this issue, but we give thanks to God that good arguments are being heard. We’ve put together brief highlights from a few of the speeches in a short video.

Could it be that one reason so many churches seem to be making so little difference in the world today is because we have lost sight of the kingship of Christ? He is Lord. He is Head of the church. God has raised Him from the dead and made Him head over all things for the church. We carry out our marching orders to make disciples because all authority belongs to Him and we are His ambassadors. Pastors and elders must teach their congregations to recognize every true church is a Christocracy. We do what we do in obedience to our Lord. We conduct our affairs and carry out His mission in the Name of our King Jesus. Perhaps, as the Lord grants us grace and courage to live this way, we will, like the early church before us, have reason to be charged with turning our world upside down.

If parents are going to bring their children up “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Ephesians 6:4), then they should understand the role of both the law and the gospel in that task. The former reveals to us God’s all-encompassing will and the latter reveals to us His all-sufficient provision for sinners who violate that will.

Bob Fu is the president and founder of RI partner ChinaAid. He says one mother was teaching her five children at home about literature, maths and religion, when she found herself surrounded by police and arrested. ‘She learned that her husband had reported her faith. You can only imagine the kind of trauma this is causing right inside the family.’ RI’s partners say the Church in China is undergoing the most severe persecution since the Cultural Revolution of the 1960s. They report: ‘The Communist Party is cracking down on the church across the board. It has declared war against Christianity.’ The principal tool in China’s armoury is surveillance technology. According to ChinaAid, the population of 1.3 billion people are under constant surveillance by 2.5 billion face-recognition cameras. ‘Every Chinese citizen is followed by at least two digital face recognition cameras every day, 24 hours a day, combined with big-data technology.’

Keith writes: I have developed a relationship with Grace Reformed Baptist Church, and was last here in November 2022 for their 10th anniversary. The connection is through Alan & Kez Kimunguyi who were young people in the church in Nairobi and now live in Dubai. Before they came the church was entirely Filipino and used Tagalog (90% of the UAE population are workers from outside the country). Now they use English and the church is more multi-cultural. Elly at Kasei Primary School Keith at Kamketo Trinity Girls Secondary They wanted me to deal with the problem of legalism. So for the Friday night Bible study I took Matthew 22:34-40, emphasizing that that being anti-legalism does not mean antinomianism. I preached twice Sunday morning, on the Cost and Return of Following Jesus (Matthew 19:27-30), and on being Ready for the Second Coming (Matthew 25:1-13). Being so-called ‘winter’ with temperatures in the lower 20s C. we had food in one of the parks and they requested me to talk about courtship and marriage with many of them unmarried and getting older.

Following Oliver's recent trip to Kenya, you can find out about all the places he visited and the experiences he had in "real time" by reading through his "Diary Of A Pokot Traveller". Here you will discover many things about goats and camels, toilets and bats, chai and honey, churches and schools, ministers and wazee, marriages and families, and many other things! Most of all, we hope that you will be informed and motivated by the diary to praise God for all that has been accomplished in this needy region over the past two decades, AND to pray most earnerstly that the work will be established and progressed in the face of massive challenges and obstacles at so many levels. The honour of Christ and the future of his churches amongst a million needy people is at stake. Brethren, let us pray!

During a recent visit to Ukraine the SGA team had the opportunity and privilege of attending and addressing a ‘Strategy Conference’ in Irpin where over 200 pastors and ministry leaders gathered from across the country to discuss how war has impacted their work. While there was weariness, especially from those close to the frontline there was also great excitement as they focused and discussed the best methods and means of spreading the Gospel. The challenges to ministry during wartime are huge, but these faithful servants are determined that ministry will not stop. One of the attendees and ministry leader, Valeriy Antonyuk, has spoken of how this period in Ukraine is a very special time. “In times of trials like this, we see how God multiplies his grace. It’s difficult but we see God at work”. Pray that all who attended the conference will be guided by the Lord and will be able to stay focused on sharing the Gospel.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Greetings in the Savior's name. Although according to the calendar it is winter, February brings the beginning of the Spring semester. Our professors are making final preparations for their lectures and our students have begun reading assigned texts. We are all full of expectation, knowing our classes will assist us in serving Jesus and His people. As you pray for IRBS, please ask the Lord to assist our professors and students. We want to grow in holiness and the fear of the Lord. We need a growing comprehension of Scripture, and an increased ability to communicate it to our churches. Thank you for your continued support. The Lord is at work. In Christ, James M. Renihan, President, IRBS.

Tonny Karwa, pastor of Grace Baptist Church, Kisumu, Kenya, writes: It isn’t merely enough to listen to a good or challenging sermon. If the word of God is sweeter than honey and drippings of honeycomb; if the word of God is more desirable than gold, then one ought to meditate on it day and night. One ought to chew it like cud; ruminate and assimilate it for much spiritual good. It is upon this background that we have started assembling every Sunday afternoon to meditate on what has been taught and preached on the Lord’s Day. Later in the evening, we gather for an hour for another worship service.

Christians rejoice that God has called us out of our spiritual darkness into his marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). We walk by faith in the Light of the world. Yet sometimes God calls us to walk at night, when his providence perplexes or pains us. Even then, God has given us his word to guide us, like “a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns” (2 Pet. 1:19). One helpful guide is the story of Naomi, who was also called to walk through the spiritual dark of suffering. As we see God’s gracious work in Naomi’s life, we learn three lessons for enduring spiritual nights.

Steve Meister, pastor of Immanuel Baptist Church in Sacramneto, writes: Many churches that subscribe to a confession of faith often seem to make little use of it. While their confession may be on file formally, it has little functional value in the congregation’s life. Are Confessions of Faith any use to the local church? And if so, how are they supposed to be used? As a pastor of a church that confesses the Second London Confession of Faith (2LCF), here are five ways we seek to employ our confession of faith in the routine of ordinary life and ministry. They are laid out in something of a logical progression, considering how our confession is a resource for everyone, from pastors to prospective church members.

Throughout the year we seek to engage with our community by opening up the church building to those who might not attend regularly. These meetings are intended to be especially suitable for visitors and newcomers. There are meals, coffee times, family events and seasonal specials. Please see our full schedule for the year and come along to see what we are doing, join in with our church fellowship and hear the message of the good news in Christ Jesus. See below for the full schedule and get the dates in your diary!

At least 25 Christians were killed by militant Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists in attacks on villages in Plateau state, Nigeria, on Wednesday, local residents said. Christian Daily International–Morning Star News (CDI-MSN) reported residents as saying that thousands of people were displaced in the attacks in Mangu County that had begun on Monday. Hosea Ibrahim, a local villager, told CDI-MSN in a text message: ‘The invaders surrounded the village at about midnight, and they shot at anyone they sighted. Twenty-five Christians who were mostly women and children were killed during the attack.’ Pray for strength for Christians in Nigeria who have suffered immense persecution at the hands of terrorists for many years. Ask God to help all those bereaved, injured or traumatised by these latest acts of terror and to provide for those who have been displaced by the violence. Pray that the perpetrators would come to repentance and put down their weapons.

The Christian walk is characterised by newness of life and closeness to the Lord. Yet as time goes by, those who are in the way can grow conscious of distance from the Lord as well as a degree of lifelessness and lack of energy for the journey. At significant milestones, it can help to refocus on our priorities and remind ourselves of the things that will assist our progress and reduce hindrances. Samuel Rutherford is a pilgrim who shared what he himself had learned on the way to help those coming behind to make better progress. Give some hours of the day, maybe more, maybe less, to read God’s Word, and to pray. Prefer these activities to the greatest affairs and employments of your calling, even if you spend the shortest time in them. Let the firstfruits of your morning thoughts smell of such religious duties, excluding all else till they have taken possession.

Late last year, two amendments were proposed to the Criminal Justice Bill which would have the effect of decriminalising abortion right up to birth. The Christian Legal Centre has submitted evidence on the dangers of these amendments to the committee which is considering this Bill. Amendment NC1, proposed by Dame Diana Johnson MP, removes any criminal culpability for a woman who ends her pregnancy, no matter at what stage, or at what danger to herself or her unborn child. Amendment NC2, proposed by Stella Creasy MP, would have the same effect, but would also decriminalise abortion for medical staff involved and remove any criminal sanctions from someone who conceals the live birth of a child. The effect of these amendments would be to make abortion legal for any reason, right up to the moment of birth. This would include sex-selective abortions or an abortion merely because the mother has decided she would rather discard her baby.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr James Renihan, IRBS president and professor of historical theology, teach Puritan Preaching for Today in February 2024. The Puritans modeled a theology and form of preaching which is worthy both of study and contextual emulation. Examples of Puritan preaching from the past will be examined together with more contemporary followers of their theology and preaching theory (Bunyan, Spurgeon, LloydJones, etc.). Without copying the Puritans, it is hoped that the student will understand their core preaching theology and its application in order to integrate their lessons into his own gifts, personality, and practice.

A faithful husband loves his wife. While this may seem obvious, it is far from obvious. Loving our wives does not mean enjoying how much they love us. When I do premarital counseling, I often ask couples, “What is it you love about the other person?” Sometimes the man says: “I love how she puts me first;” “I love how she makes me feel;” or “I love how she seems to really understand me.” But love for a wife is not loving how well she loves you. I once heard a husband say, “I finally figured out why I’m so happy in my marriage. My wife and I are both in love with me.” But a faithful husband loves his wife by serving her without demanding anything of her in return. He loves his wife by putting her needs first, not selfishly demanding that she meet his needs. She is not his servant or caretaker. She is his love.

238 people were killed in attacks by Fulani militants between December 23 and 30 and more had been killed since. The governor of Plateau state has declared a week of prayer and mourning. The Christmas massacres were among the worst ever against the Christian community in Nigeria. Those attacks, which drove 20,000 from their homes, are continuing in Borno and Kaduna states. Attacks by Boko Haram terrorists on January 4 claimed the lives of a pastor and at least six members of his church. Other assaults by Boko Haram and Fulani terrorists in Borno and Kaduna have taken a further 50 lives, according to our partner. The Stefanos Foundation said the attacks were part of a concerted plan to provoke religious conflict across several states. Stefanos was alerting villagers by text of intelligence of impending attacks and providing trauma counselling for victims. The latest spate of attacks began on December 23 and escalated on Christmas Eve. Our partner interviewed an eyewitness, the Rev Gideon Dawel, a District Overseer of Christ’s Apostolic Church, whose wife and five daughters were killed in the attack in Kambarpelli.

Keith writes: Oliver Allmand-Smith and I will be going as trustees of TRAIN(Kenya). The specific purpose is to look on the ground at what the charity has been doing with donors’ money in Pokot – a church building in Chepkinagh, the support of church leaders, and support for extra teachers in primary schools. We depart late Monday 15th. January, fly overnight to Nairobi via Dubai, then it is a short flight to Kisumu where we will be met by Elly Achok and be taken to his place of ministry in Mumias. On Wednesday 17th we drive with Elly to Pokot arriving late in the afternoon. In the 6 full days we will have four places where we stay. We are three in the team and it will enable us to be constantly ministering the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Perhaps there was a time when parents generally over-disciplined. Today too we must believe that “correcting [children] unduly” is a sin against the fifth commandment. But the more common modern problem seems to be insufficient discipline. Couple our cultural moment of permissiveness with the unpleasantness of administering discipline and we understand why parents err on the side of lenience. But lenience, like severity, is still an error. We need to recover the biblical paradigm of loving but firm physical discipline, especially for little children. “The Lord disciplines the one he loves” (Heb. 12:6). So must we.

Miriam Cates has urged the Government to promote the benefits of marriage to society in order to help tackle family breakdown. The Christian MP said that although many politicians know “marriage works”, they have been “denigrating the importance of marriage” while the UK becomes the “family breakdown capital of the West”. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Mrs Cates encouraged ministers to facilitate conditions where marriage can flourish. She explained that it “often protects children from the harmful effects of family breakdown”, and those who grow up living with both parents are more likely to have better outcomes.

The Men’s meeting at the Trinity Grace Church Ramsbottom is a welcoming place where we seek to grow in grace and faith, in our love for God and each other as we study the word of God together. We usually have our meetings once a month on Saturdays from January to November of the year. We usually study a book written by a trusted Christian author and is usually led by one of our elders and then followed by a time of informal discussion on the issues and prayer. The meeting is preceded by breakfast with tea, coffee and a chance to catch up before getting stuck in to the study. In addition one of the Saturday meetings is dedicated for outreach as pizza night where we invite relatives, friends and work colleagues to share fellowship with us and listen to God’s word. The first meeting of 2024 is scheduled for Saturday January 20th at 9am.

African Pastors' Conferences is grateful for another year of God's blessings as we equipped pastors and church leaders in nine countries over eleven conference runs. Our Conference Manager, Nico van Zyl, recently recorded a video showing what our ministry was able to accomplish throughout Africa by Christ's grace. You will want to watch this encouraging update! The theme for our conferences in 2024 is The Gospel According to Romans, and we launched a special project appeal in the autumn to raise the funds necessary to print and distribute 3,000 copies of Rob Ventura's Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers. We are excited to announce that we have successfully reached 100% of our goal! Due to your generous gifts, we have received the £6,500 GBP needed to begin printing these books. Additionally, we have decided to raise the total number to 4,000 copies as we are planning a bold conference schedule in 2024, and these additional books have also largely been funded through your support. We are grateful for the Lord's provision and look forward to seeing how he will use this book for His glory in the years ahead!

Despite all the evidence to the contrary, we persist in assuming that our lives here on earth will continue indefinitely, and that we are free to plan whatever we like. Everyone knows that life is short and uncertain, but we tend to treat it as a truism and we don’t let it impact us personally. James wrote in his epistle about the folly of this approach — it comes from misplaced pride and it must end in dreadful disappointment. It’s not me who’s in control, but God. Instead of rebelling against this, it would bring us contentment and safety to believingly and thankfully embrace it. In the following extract from his commentary on James, Thomas Manton shows that the wise response is to recognise God’s right to direct all things in His providence, and to use the short time we have to prepare for endless eternity.

"Even when we have rumours of war the Gospel should still be preached; this is the main purpose of Christ’s church." This profound comment was made during an interview with SGA’s long-standing friend Pastor Igor Bandura, three days before the start of the war in Ukraine. It reinforces the incredible dedication of Ukrainian churches to the work of the Gospel in what was to become an extremely challenging region of the world. Over the past 21 months we have observed believers who, by God’s grace, display unyielding faithfulness and unflagging zeal to share the Gospel. When we read Paul’s letter to the Philippians (1:12-14), we discover another man who was totally committed to Gospel advance. It was more important to Paul than his own freedom! He writes this section of the letter to show the Philippians that his imprisonment was actually helping the cause of the Gospel, rather than hindering it.

Dr Renihan writes: Dear Saints in Christ, Happy New Year! By God's grace and your prayerful support, 2023 was an outstanding year for IRBS. We are exceedingly thankful for all the things He has done, and we anticipate that His grace and mercy will continue to abound in 2024. For Israel under the Old Covenant, the first day of the New Year was a day of remembrance (Exodus 12.2) as it began the month when the people would celebrate Passover, and it became a day to anticipate further blessings (Exodus 40.1 ff.) as the Tabernacle was set up in the midst of the camp. While we as Christians do not have a command to set aside January 1 as a religious holiday, nevertheless it will be of benefit to our souls to look back at God's gifts in 2023 and to seek that His will may be done on earth as it is in heaven in 2024. Our prayer for you is that in this new year, your knowledge of God will deepen, your love for the Lord Jesus Christ will increase, and you will abundantly bear the fruit of the Spirit.. And, would you pray for all of us at IRBS--Trustees, Faculty, Administrators, students--that we might know the same divine gifts?

One of the ladies who was tremendously impacted by the preaching that day had been invited by her sister who is a member of our church. It seems the Lord by His Spirit used these sermons to open her eyes to the truth of Christ. She is now finding it difficult to go back to her Word of Faith church in Webuye town where she lives with her family. Webuye is over 100km from Kisumu. Her desire now is to be in a church where she can hear the same gospel of Christ every week. Sadly, we do not know of any biblical church in this town. However, I have been trying to contact some of the brothers labouring in Western Kenya for any referrals. Kindly plead with Christ Jesus to truly save this soul. The Lord is also working in other hearts. Do also pray that many biblical churches will be planted in Western Kenya.

The government has released new draft guidance on how schools should deal with children who want to transition gender. Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre, responded: “We are glad to see significant steps forwards in the government’s draft guidance addressing transgender ideology in schools. “We believe that the government has listened to many of the problems we have been raising through legal cases and with the department over the last ten years. Had this guidance been followed, many more children would have been protected and several Christians we are supporting would not have lost their jobs. Today, they are vindicated."

In the biblical account of Christ’s conception and birth, a remarkable dignity is ascribed to humanity. In Christ, God himself took humanity to his divinity (John 1:14). Who can fathom the elevation of humanity entailed in the fact that God has appropriated humanity to himself in the person of the Son? Furthermore, he has done this forever, so that the man Christ Jesus is eternally enthroned in the heavens and seated at the Father’s right hand (Heb 1:1-4). Remember that the humanity of the Lord Jesus did not commence at birth, but at conception in the womb. The dignity of divinity was brought to humanity even in the womb of the virgin Mary. While we cannot begin to fathom what this meant for the Son of God by experience, it is surely clear that God hereby grants the womb a dignity that elevates it to the highest place. Upon conception in the womb, human life is brought into existence and its inherent, immense, even incalculable value springs into being. It is greater than the sum of its parts, in the image of God and the likeness of Christ from conception into eternity.

Not for the first time, and likely not the last, a new island has rapidly emerged from the sea. The most recent one appeared around 1,200 km (750 miles) south of Tokyo, Japan, between 21–30 October 2023.1 An active underwater volcano situated south of the Ogasawara Island, Iwo Jima, spewed out enough material to eventually breach the Pacific Ocean’s surface and created a new landmass of approximately 100 m across (330 feet).

“Are you making a movie?”. This was the question asked of SGA partner in C Asia, David Prokoshin. He and a team of believers had just taken part in a Joy of Christmas event in a local Kazakh village. Stopping on the way back, they decided to give their remaining “Joy of Christmas” boxes to a group of children sledging on a hillside. As the children gathered around, the team quickly donned their Nativity costumes, thus prompting the question above. David explains: “More children came. We were able to explain the Gospel to them, tell them that Jesus loves them and gave each one a gift”. Forty-five children heard the real message of Christmas that day, as well as receiving Bible stories in Kazakh, Bible colouring books and other small gifts in their Joy of Christmas boxes. Forty-five children, just like the shepherds in the Christmas story, found unexpected joy out on a Kazakh hill, when they heard that a Saviour had been born, Who is Christ the Lord.

“Bah! Humbug!” These two words are instantly associated with Charles Dickens’ immortal fictional anti-hero, Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge was the prototype of the Grinch who stole Christmas, the paradigm of all men cynical. We all recognize that Ebenezer Scrooge was a mean person-stingy, insensitive, selfish, and unkind. What we often miss in our understanding of his character is that he was preeminently profane. “Bah! Humbug!” was his Victorian use of profanity. Not that any modern editor would feel the need to delete Scrooge’s expletives. His language is not the standard currency of cursing. But it was profane in that Scrooge demeaned what was holy. He trampled on the sanctity of Christmas. He despised the sacred. He was cynical toward the sublime.

Conscience is our ability to decide whether something is morally right or wrong according to some standard. Conscience needs information in order to judge accurately, but we are not always good at evaluating the information available to us, or indeed assessing whether we have done right or wrong ourselves, so as to take legitimate peace and comfort for well-doing and appropriate shame and trouble for evil-doing. Samuel Annesley published a sermon on the conscience with the aim of helping people come to the peace which comes from a good conscience. Conscience is basically either ‘good’ or ‘evil,’ but Annesley provides a further breakdown of different kinds of conscience. The four kinds discussed in the following extract from his sermon can belong to either the converted or the unconverted. Helpfully, Annesley provides an analysis of what causes each of these problems and how the troubling conscience can be remedied.

Thumleima is a 17-year-old Christian girl from Manipur. She and her brother lived with her parents in a small village 10 hours’ walk from the major city of Imphal. Thumleima’s parents are unskilled daily labourers who did not have a chance to go to school or find better jobs because of the ongoing oppression they experienced in their community. They lived in a modest, thatched roof house and relied daily on God for their survival. When Thumleima’s family heard about the violence that swept across Manipur in May 2023, they were extremely anxious that the violence would reach their village. Hoping to spare their children’s lives, Thumleima’s parents sent her and her younger brother over 1700 miles away to Hyderabad where they would be housed and supported by Christian partners of Release International. After a week of travel these young people arrived in Hyderabad where they were greeted by Adite and other believers who embraced them. ‘Thumleima, her brother and two of their friends arrived here with torn dirty clothes, no spare clothing or shoes, and hungry,’ said Adite. ‘But we immediately took them to a home where they got cleaned up, ate a nice meal, and received treatment for some minor medical needs.’

Equalities Minister Kemi Badenoch told parliament this week that the government's draft 'conversion therapy' bill will be published for pre-legislative scrutiny, despite it not being included in this year's King's Speech. This is unnecessary and unhelpful - as the government has said before, harmful practices are already illegal. However, there was a twist. Badenoch told parliament that the main threat that should be addressed is not "conversion related to ... sexuality" but that gender reassignment surgery and puberty blockers are "a new form of conversion therapy". Click the link below to view Christian Concern's assessment of the implications, pointing out that they have made this point for many years and hinting at the battle that seems to be going on behind the political scenes.

Since hostilities began in 2022, over 200 pastors have left the occupied territories. The challenge for the Baptist Union is to support them and help them to stay in their calling. For many, they have lost not just their homes but their churches and ministries. Many towns and villages have been completely destroyed and it is hard to know if they will have a ministry to go back to. One way of addressing this problem is to encourage churches across Ukraine to invite these displaced pastors to serve them. Many churches lost members, who either moved to other parts of the country or went abroad. But….then new people started to come and churches are full of people every Sunday, especially close to the frontline. Over 3000 were converted last year with this number likely to increase by the end of this year. There is much work to be done for God and we pray that these pastors will be enabled to fulfil their calling and ministry in new ways.

Spurgeon preached a message entitled, “Mary’s Song,” based on Luke 1:46-47. In it he says, Observe the sacred joy of Mary that you may imitate it. This is a season when all men expect us to be joyous. We compliment each other with the desire that we may have a “Merry Christmas.” Some Christians who are a little squeamish, do not like the word “merry.” It is a right good old Saxon word, having the joy of childhood and the mirth of manhood in it, it brings before one’s mind the old song of the waits, and the midnight peal of bells, the holly and the blazing log. I love it for its place in that most tender of all parables, where it is written, that, when the long-lost prodigal returned to his father safe and sound, “They began to be merry.” This is the season when we are expected to be happy; and my heart’s desire is, that in the highest and best sense, you who are believers may be “merry.”

James Renihan writes: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill to men (Luke 2:14). Two of my favorite Bible characters always come to mind during the Advent season, the elderly believers Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:22-38). Simeon was "just and devout," eagerly anticipating the fulfilment of the promises about Messiah given to the prophets. I often wonder what it was like for him to hold a little baby in his hands, knowing that this child was the savior. And Anna, likewise seeing the Christ child, worshipped the Lord and spoke of Him to everyone she met. What wonderful testimonies! Two experienced believers, having served the Lord for decades, patiently waiting for that moment when faith would be made sight. Their witness calls out to us: be patient, trust the Lord, and He will bring His promises to pass. Thanks be to God. May His blessings be upon you and yours as you remember the wonder of the incarnation.

My God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) God shall all your need supply, Ask not how, nor question why. All you need, whate’r it be, All the need you cannot see. Need for grace to conquer sin, Need for power to fight to win, Need for patience every day, Need for trust when dark the way. Need for healing for each pain, Need for cleansing from each stain, Need for Love to make life sweet, Need for charity complete. Need for pardon for each fall, Need for mercy most of all, Need for grace to live or die, God shall all your need supply.

Tonny Karwa writes, At 1500 hours every Sunday, we gather for an hour to meditate on the messages received throughout the day before transitioning to the evening worship service at 1600 hours. Spiritual growth is evident in the congregation. The Lord is graciously reviving and revitalising the church’s commitment to the means of grace and pursuit of holiness. Brethren are giving personal testimonies of how the Lord is graciously working in their lives by His word and Spirit. It is at such times that we are helped to remember the sobering confession of Martin Luther, “I did nothing; the word did it all.” Please plead for the salvation of our visitors and unconverted attendants and continue praying for spiritual and numerical fruit according to God’s gracious will.

Augustine described the love that we are to have for God as “the motion of the soul toward the enjoyment of God for His own sake, and the enjoyment of one’s self and of one’s neighbor for the sake of God.” To love God is to enjoy Him above everything and everyone else and out of that joy to live in glad obedience to His will. But Jesus does not stop there. He goes on to teach us that, after loving God supremely, our next greatest responsibility is to love people sincerely. Contrary to what some teach about this, Jesus is not commanding self-love. Nor should His words be taken to imply that we cannot love others until we learn to love ourselves. Jesus assumes that we already do love ourselves. Paul explicitly makes this point by noting that “no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it” (Eph. 5:29). This kind of natural self-love is manifested by the choices that we make to serve our own interests. No matter how destructive such choices are, they are expressions of self-love. Once we understand the inevitability of self-love, Jesus’ command that we love others as much as we love ourselves becomes incredibly broad. The health, comfort, companionship, and benefits that I desire for myself I am also to desire for my neighbors.

Gospel Missions Agency Church is the church in the north of Mombasa where brother Barnabas Olare has been the pastor for many years (you can view in Google Earth Pro by typing Gospel Missions Agency Church, Mombasa). Through the influence of his brother Elly and then training at the TPC 2012-4 he rejected the prosperity teaching which he had been promoting for more than 15 years and embraced the gospel of God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Reforming the church has been a struggle, with many leaving having rejected the new Biblical teaching, and requiring a patient teaching of Christian basics rather demanding immediate and total change. There are now 27 members with many more attending.

Catechism (from the Greek word catechesis) is simply instruction in the basic doctrines of the Christian faith. Instead of replacing or supplanting the role of the Bible in Christian education, catechism ideally serves as the basis for it. For the practice of catechism, as properly understood, is the Christian equivalent of looking at the box top of a jigsaw puzzle before one starts to put all of those hundreds of little pieces together. It is very important to look at the big picture and have it clearly in mind, so that we do not bog down in details, or get endlessly sidetracked by some unimportant or irrelevant issue. The theological categories given to us through catechism, help us to make sense out of the myriad of details found in the Scriptures themselves. Catechism serves as a guide to better understanding Scripture.

The gospel proceeds into the world through suffering, succeeds through suffering, and gives power to endure suffering. The gospel certainly will succeed, and Christ will lose none of his sheep; not a one for whom the Shepherd has died will fail to enter the sheepfold. But such certainty arises and is perfected in suffering: Christ suffered and died; the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church; and believers will choose eternal life in Christ even in the face of the threat of death for believing. “How unworthy it is,” Calvin proposes, “that we should think more of the fleeting life of this world than of the Holy Name of the Son of God.”

North Korea is once more the hardest place in the world to follow Jesus, and a brutally hostile place for Christians to live. If discovered by the authorities, believers are either sent to labour camps as political prisoners where the conditions are atrocious, or killed on the spot – and their families will share their fate as well. Christians have absolutely no freedom. It is almost impossible for believers to gather or meet to worship. Those who dare to meet must do so in utmost secrecy – and at enormous risk. Even owning a Bible is a serious crime and will be severely punished. A report issued in 2022 by The International Bar Association and The Committee for Human Rights in North Korea said that Christians are particularly targeted and exposed to torture in North Korean prisons. "Detention periods have been documented as being longer for Christians than other groups, and witnesses have reported that ‘identified Christians are interrogated for longer periods, usually under torture’, and subjected to some of the worst forms of torture to force them to incriminate others during interrogation,” it said.

Partaking of the Lord’s Table is a privilege reserved for honoured guests. Who are they? Those honoured because the Lord has chosen, redeemed and called them to himself (Revelation 4:11). They are honoured to be identified spiritually with Christ in his death, burial and resurrection, an identity professed in baptism (Colossians 2:12). They are honoured to walk with Christ in faith, hope, and love in a world of unbelief, self-righteousness, and hatred toward him and his glorious gospel of grace (2 Thessalonians 1:11). This is a privilege, therefore, that none must take for granted. It is the Lord’s Table because he is the welcoming host, and all its elements speak of him. The unleavened bread is a symbol of his blameless character as God in the flesh – the Lamb without spot or blemish (1 Corinthians 11:24).

A woman in eastern Uganda has been hospitalised with serious burns after her Muslim husband discovered she had converted to Christianity and reportedly set her on fire. Hajara Namwase, a 32-year-old mother of three in Kenkebu village, Budaka town, is still receiving hospital treatment after her husband, 42-year-old Musa Kalele, threw petrol and a lighted match on her, a friend of the victim told Morning Star News. After accepting Christ on May 3 while her husband was away on business in South Sudan, Namwase regularly attended a small group fellowship in Budaka with the friend who had introduced her to the gospel and other Christians. After the group’s meeting on October 17 she went back home to find her husband had returned from a trip to South Sudan. ‘I got scared upon seeing him, because I had some gospel tracts and a small New Testament Bible which I could not hide,’ Namwase told her friend, whose identity is withheld for security reasons. Upon seeing the Bible and other Christian literature, Kalele became furious, left the room and returned with a container of petrol, she said.

Come and learn about the immensity of God's saving grace alongside other young people on 5-6th Jan at Quinta Hall. We will be studying the Christian doctrine of salvation and there will be lots of time for Christian fellowship. To top all of this off there will be hot meals, tea, coffee and biscuits throughout!

The Wednesday fellowship meetings start with informal fellowship and refreshments from 7.15pm and the main meeting to start at 7.45pm and finish by 9.15pm. They will include a time to exchange news of the churches and pray for each other. The Concert of Prayer starts at 10.00am and last an hour.

It is an undeniable fact that everywhere we turn we find decay and deterioration in the natural realm. Entropy is increasing at such a rate that an objective observer should acknowledge that the world and the universe cannot be as old as many scientists claim. Paul wrote, “For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now” (Romans 8:22). The universe isn’t old, its just tired, because of sin! But this is not the end of the story. Just as there is spiritual renewal for those who are in Christ (John 3:3, 7), and just as the bodies of believers will be made perfect at the general resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20–23; 1 Thessalonians 4:15–17), so Jesus will destroy this decaying universe and the world and create a new universe (2 Peter 3:10–13; Revelation 21:1). In this new universe, God will remove entirely the effects of ever-increasing entropy—creation’s bondage to decay (Romans 8:21). Just as there will no longer be any death or pain (Revelation 21:4) in the new universe, there will no longer be any decay.

Western cultures insist all humanity is essentially good; but if that is the case, how can wickedness be explained? Perhaps this is why many in the West insist that tragic actions are the unfortunate outcome of centuries of mistreatment, rather than looking to any fundamental flaws in our humanity. Blame is not placed upon those acting wrongfully in the present day; responsibility is shifted to the actions of those long ago, who weren’t as ‘enlightened’ as we are today. In stark contrast, the Bible and the historic Protestant Tradition have a far clearer understanding of wickedness. This article is for all who struggle to interpret the great wickedness of the world.

Dave Brennan of Brephos writes: More than 130 attendees of the Keswick Convention 2023 (about as evangelical as it gets) were asked, "Aside from situations where the life of the mother is at risk, do you think abortion is ever justified?" Three in every ten said, "Yes." Six in ten of the Keswick interviewees hadn't heard "abortion" even mentioned in church over the last five years. Is it any surprise that our public witness is so feeble? From the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. If we, the people of God, allow our hearts to be conformed to God's on this all-important issue of child sacrifice, we can expect the overflow to follow and bring truth, righteousness, justice, and grace to Church and nation. God is looking for faithfulness rather than great size or physical strength... {so} we don't need to become more numerous before we can repent and recapture that clarity, conviction, and courage that can and will make all the difference.

The pastor of Grace Baptist Church in Kisumu (Tonny Karwa) writes: There is a sense in which the so-called celebrities and social media influencers of our day have a strong grip on our populace in moral, relational, and marital matters, including a number of those who profess faith. They set the standards of morality in almost every area of life. They become the point of reference in ethical issues on what is ‘good’ and ‘acceptable’ in the society. For instance, they proliferate the notion that if marriage doesn’t reward you with tangible happiness and the much-needed freedom, then there’s no point staying in a marital relationship. In other words, it is okay to seek divorce if you don’t ‘feel happy and satisfied’ in your marriage. The biblical standards of marriage, they argue, are slavish and antiquated, and are thus, repugnant to one living in the 21st century. It is against this backdrop that we seek to rethink marriage the biblical way.

As we prepare to celebrate Reformation Day on October 31st, we remember the life and service of Martin Luther, the man God used to recover the gospel, renew the churches and transform society. Use the resources on our website to explore this man and his vital ministry, as we give thanks to God for all that was accomplished through him.

The situation for Armenian Christians who have fled Nagorno-Karabakh remains critical in the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s invasion of the region on 19 September (see Prayer Focus Update, October 2023). Almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh – which is 120,000 people – left the Armenian Christian region in the weeks following the military offensive, in which Azerbaijan seized control of the enclave. An estimated 30,000 Christian children are among the refugees who have sought safety in Armenia itself from what church leaders have described as “a scene of war crimes”.

Our friends at the Christian Institute are inviting us to join them for a week of prayer for our nation, November 5th to 11th 2023. How we need to cry out to our sovereign and gracious Lord for mercy at such a time of confusion, rebellion and ungodliness. As is so often the case, those who suffer most in such times of wickedness are the elderly, the vulnerable and the defenceless, such as those in the womb. May God show us mercy as we come before his throne of grace in our time of need.

The theme for African Pastors' Conferences in 2024 is The Gospel According to Romans. This will be the first time we will be devoted to studying a book of the Bible, and we are looking forward to enriching African pastors' and church leaders' understanding of the gospel during our time together. In God’s providence, a new book has also been published which should prove very helpful to our conference delegates by Rob Ventura, Expository Outlines and Observations on Romans: Hints and Helps for Preachers and Teachers. Rob Ventura is one of the pastors of Grace Community Baptist Church of North Providence, Rhode Island, USA, and he developed this resource as an accumulation of Reformed exposition for church pastors and teachers together with practical tools and application. After reviewing this commentary on Romans and discussing how useful this book would be in Africa to the author and publisher, we have made arrangements to print 3,000 copies for distribution at our conferences next year for a total cost per book of less than $3 USD.

Two investigations are underway into the alarming rise in attacks against Christians and other religious minorities in India. The United Christian Forum (UCF) has recorded 525 violent attacks to the end of August, more than for the entire previous year. The UCF say attacks are rising ‘not just year-on-year, but month-on-month’. Investigations are being carried out by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and the Indian government’s Minorities Commission. UCF has recorded 525 violent incidents across 23 Indian states to August this year. This is a sharp increase on the figure of 505 attacks for the whole of 2022, suggesting an annualised rise of more than 45 per cent. UCF says the growing violence follows the passing of sweeping anti-conversion laws in almost 40 per cent of India’s 28 states. Most of those states are governed by the ruling nationalist BJP.

Only about 2% of confessing Muslims sufficiently understand the teaching of the Quran. Less than 30% know what they believe or why they are Muslims. This is related to the fact that officially, the Quran is not translatable to other languages. The vast majority of Muslims live in non-Arabic speaking countries. In Nigeria, Ethiopia, Somalia, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Indonesia, most Muslims do not understand Arabic. Millions of Pakistani, Afghani, Indian and other Muslim children attend madrasas (Arabic language classes). For years these were generously financed and popularized by wealthy Muslim zealots, mostly from the Arabic-speaking Middle East. Such institutions are used to recruit young people for jihadist activities. Things, however, seem to be rapidly changing. More than 60% of Muslims are under the age of 34. With more education and travel, younger people in the Muslim world are now increasingly exposed to much more opensource information about Islam. Information provided online by modernist, agnostic or atheistic former Muslims is very influential. Much of it is very critical of Islamic convictions and practices, even about the Quran and the life of their prophet Mohammed. This is impacting the thinking and commitments of a significant number of educated young Muslims.

Fallen humans categorically do not like to wait. We want instant gratification. We want life’s knottiest dilemmas solved in a half hour or so. Why is it so hard for sons of Adam to wait? Conventional wisdom says doing absolutely nothing should be easy for us, but it is not. Over the years, I have learned that waiting on the Lord one of the most potentially sanctifying (and necessary) aspects of the Christian life. It is one of those glorious “gospel paradoxes” that makes us say with the prophet, “O Lord, your ways are higher than our ways, your thoughts higher than our thoughts.” We pray in hope and then we wait on the Lord to answer. A Christian man prays for a job so that he can provide for his family as God has commanded and then he waits. A mother prays that God will draw her wayward son to himself unto salvation and then she waits. We pray that God will make our future path clear and we wait. We read Matthew 6:34 for a thousandth time for comfort.

Many anti-Christians claim that Christianity and science have been enemies for centuries. This is the opposite of the truth. Informed historians of science, including non-Christians, have pointed out that modern science first flourished under a Christian worldview while it was stillborn in other cultures such as ancient Greece, China and Arabia. This should be no surprise when we ask why science works at all. There are certain essential features that make science possible, and they simply did not exist in non-Christian cultures. There is such a thing as objective truth. Jesus said, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’ (John 14:6). But postmodernism, for example, denies objective truth. One example is, “What’s true for you is not true for me”. So maybe they should try jumping off a cliff to see if the Law of Gravity is true for them. Another postmodern claim is, “There is no truth”—so is that statement true?; or “We can’t know truth”—so how do they know that?

A Christian preacher and campaigner faces being sent to prison for six months for holding a sign with a verse from the Bible’s renowned Psalm 139 on it within a ‘buffer zone’ outside of a London abortion clinic. Stephen Green, 72, from South Wales, was prosecuted by Ealing Council under section 67 of the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 for holding the sign outside of an MSI Reproductive Choices clinic in Mattock Lane, West London, on 6 February 2023. The sign said: ‘Psalm 139:13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.’ Psalm 139 is arguably one of the most famous and well-known pieces of scripture in the Bible. During the incident, Mr Green, who is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, was alleged to have broken a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO), which, including prayer, criminalises “protesting, namely engaging in an act of approval/disapproval, with respect to issues related to abortion services”.

It was a delight to see members from each of the 5 churches of the Association of Confessional Baptist Churches (UK), as well as the host church, Christ Church, Loughborough, gathering together for our first Association Day on 30th September 2023. The day was aimed at fostering the fellowship between the members of the churches, so that we could grow in love and support for one another. It was a truly blessed day, with over 100 people of all ages and backgrounds from across the country, joining together with one heart and mind.

Keith writes: I am asking you to pray for the following: 1. That I might be an encouragement to Barnabas, Ibrahim and George, and those with them. 2. The work of reformation against the prevailing false teaching will advance. 3. The Lord will give me physical stamina for these many hours of teaching and preaching. The days promise to be sunny with temperatures at night 24oC, and day time 32oC, and humidity over 80%. I have always got on well with such heat, but I am not so used to it now. 4. For Priscilla in my absence. Grand-daughter Carys will be staying with her after work over the nights.

Ruslan is now ministering in Rogatyn, Western Ukraine. He writes about one young man and his family as follows: I spoke with the mother of a boy called Mykyta. Her husband (Mykyta’s father) is at war and when he returns, it is hard for the whole family. Due to lot of stress his father suffered at the front, even when he comes home for a week to see his family, it is difficult for him to return to a normal family lifestyle. This severely affects him, his wife and his son Mykyta. His father now is not as he used to be. It became hard for them to find a common language, and it is hard for them to be together as father and son. Mykyta waits for his father to return, and when his father is home, the boy waits for him to leave again. That is because his father brings the war home with him. Apparently, this is a common problem for many people today. But Mykyta’s mother said that after our Workshop for Boys meetings, her son feels better. According to her, he feels like himself with us.

As we return to our studies in the book of Revelation, we warmly commend this podcast with Timothy Decker, which is most helpful in outlining how we can understand it rightly. The podcast host, Joe Anady wirites: In Episode 99 of Theology In Particular, Dr. Timothy Decker joins me to discuss the proper interpretation of the book of Revelation. I’d like to encourage the listener to stick with us through the early technical talk. This conversation gets clearer and evermore practical as it progresses. Recommended Resources: The Book of Revelation (The New International Greek Testament Commentary), by G. K. Beale and Revelation: A Shorter Commentary, by G. K. Beale and David Campbell Links: International Reformed Baptist Seminary: irbsseminary.org If you have feedback, questions, or suggestions, please email Joe at: tip@irbsseminary.org

The House of Ants’s activities continue as normal with regard to child care in all their ongoing stages. There are 270 children registered every day, 40 boys and girls who live at House of Ants. There are others who also come for help and food. Sometimes we provide more than 400 meals a day. We are thankful for the ongoing work with the various classes, such as the practical skills workshops, music, craft and especially the bible teaching and discipleship classes. The needs of the children are varied and can be very extreme. With so many children suffering from family crisis and trauma, we feel there is a need for some form of psychiatric help for the children. Next month, there will be an special program called “Acampadentro” (Youth Camp) for teenagers aged 14 – 18. We want to provide for them a Christian based, dynamic environment, talent competitions, lots of games, but most importantly be able to share the Word of God with them, as it this has often been the means to transform lives to the Saviour.

As happens when many months pass by between newsletters, there are many updates to be shared. God has been faithful in sustaining and upholding us as always. In this update we have several positive developments for praise to share with you. Shortly after our last update earlier this year, our brother from the Metropolitan Tabernacle, Chris Cooper, visited us for a weekend. Speaking on second Peter chapter three, he encouraged us to be diligent and unified as servants of Christ, maintaining pure minds and seeking to grow in knowledge and likeness of Him. This was a timely encouragement as we had an unfortunate incident of a long-time attendee who was seeking the benefits of membership while not qualifying for membership, and in the process caused much hurt amongst the members and heartache for the pastor who has been working with them for several years. They left and the matter was laid to rest with a clear conscience on the part of the leadership. We do pray that they will return to fellowship with us and repair the relationship.

A Christian teacher faces losing her career for refusing to promote and teach extreme LGBTQI ideology at a Church of England (CofE) secondary school and for expressing her biblical beliefs on human sexuality in response to student questions. This week, Glawdys Leger has faced a Teaching Regulation Agency hearing to determine whether she should be banned from teaching. A Modern Foreign Languages teacher, she also had to teach RE, but raised concerns when the school's materials promoted LGBTQ ideology. In the context of RE lessons, Ms Leger also explained her Christian beliefs about LGBTQ issues. After a complaint from the parent of one student, Ms Leger was sacked and subsequently reported to the TRA.

Christian MP Miriam Cates has urged politicians to ‘preach what they practice’ by promoting the benefits of marriage to society. Writing for The Daily Telegraph, the MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge highlighted that although many politicians personally know that “marriage works”, they are more “keen to polish their liberal credentials by denigrating the importance of marriage”. Mrs Cates said “it is the role of government to create the conditions that enable families to flourish” and “we must be prepared to talk – and act – to try to ensure more British children experience the lifelong advantages of growing up with both parents”.

Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists killed eight Christians in Plateau state, Nigeria, and wounded five others on October 1, according to local Morning Star News sources. The raiders attacked Du village, in Bassa County’s Kwall District, with two children among those slain and the wounded requiring hospital treatment, said Davidson Malison, spokesman of the Irigwe Development Association (IDA), in a press statement. ‘The Fulani militias stormed the community at about 8.10pm … and sprayed bullets on the bodies of innocent Christians who were asleep,’ Malison said, adding that children aged nine and 11 years old were among the dead. He called on the Nigerian Government urgently to task security personnel to arrest those responsible.

The idea that the biblical stories are symbolic is charitable to the point of absurdity. What would we think of a university professor who, happening upon unambiguous errors in a favourite student’s work, concluded that the student was speaking symbolically and awarded her top marks? The whole notion that Genesis is metaphorical, and that evolution is a testament to the glory of God, smacks of the kind of spin doctoring that gives politicians a bad name. Liberal Christians alter their original religious beliefs to make them compatible with evolutionary theory, and then scoff at the idea that there was ever any threat. In doing so, they casually downplay just how radically they’ve rewritten their religion. Arguably it is not the same religion as the one it evolved from; it merely shares the same name.

When I was a young father I remember reading J.W. Alexander’s Thoughts on Family Worship and being convicted, excited and bewildered. What he described was both attractive and foreign to me. The idea of worshiping daily in my home with my wife and children made perfect sense and seemed to have ample biblical warrant to make me feel compelled to take up the practice. If Noah (Genesis 8:20), the Patriarchs (Genesis 12:7; 26:25; 35:1-2), Joshua (Joshua 24:15) and Cornelius (Acts 10) could lead their families in worship, surely by the help of the Holy Spirit I could, too.

James Renihan writes: When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he expressed his thankfulness to the Lord when he remembered the saints in that congregation. Like him, and on behalf of everyone at IRBS, I can say that I thank God for all of you, wherever you may be. The first semester of our twenty-fifth anniversary year has begun. Students are receiving their assignments, professors are offering their first lectures of the term, and all are rejoicing in what the Lord is doing among us. We continue to see growth, we are thinking through several important opportunities the Lord seems to be presenting to us, and we all marvel at the good things He showers upon us. Here at the beginning of this anniversary year, I want to thank you for your prayerful support for the work of International Reformed Baptist Seminary. We serve the Lord because your gifts and intercession bring these blessings to us.

MERF’s Arabic Media Ministries focus on reaching Arab youth. The objective is clear - attract them to Christ. The strategy is to provoke serious thinking and so, carefully challenge the deeply held Islamic world and life view. However, a major complication faces the team. It is the fact that to the Muslim mind, generally, the West represents “Christianity.” Recent social, ethical and religious developments in Western nations, especially about gender, raise serious questions about what “Christianity” truly stands for. Some influential Islamic writers happily point to modern Western culture to claim that “Christianity” corrupts the morals of individuals and even whole societies, contributing to the destruction of family life. They point to statements adopted by Western church bodies and religious leaders endorsing things such as gay marriage and sex-change surgeries.

Katia lives with her three children, the youngest born on 3rd June this year. Her husband Pavlo was drafted into the Ukrainian army in September 2022. He fought in Kherson region, and later took part in the battles near Soledar where he was killed. Pavlo contacted his wife, Katia, on 1st January 2023, after which he was reported missing. The search continued throughout January, but, unfortunately, his body was found in February. His daughter Sofiia was born in June, after his death. While she was grieving the loss of her husband and struggling with many challenges, the local evangelical church reached out to her through SGA widows’ fund. Katia is one of hundreds of conflict widows who are recipients of this special project across Ukraine. Her life was very powerfully impacted through this practical Christianity. Katia briefly shares her story. I lost the dearest person to me and the father of my children. He loved us and for the sake of a better fate for our family he went to fight and gave his life as a hero. We miss him so much! God revealed himself to me and my children through the love and care of the local church. Without this support, I would not have survived! I lost my husband, but I gave birth to a daughter. She is a good sign of hope and future from God for me.

Prayers are needed for a pastor in Punjab who was hospitalised after being shot in the shoulder by an Islamist extremist on the evening of Sunday 3 September. Eleazar Sidhu – also known as Pastor Vicky – is the minister of a church in Faisalabad. He was returning home from conducting an evening service in nearby Jaranwala when he was accosted by an armed extremist. The gunman asked Pastor Vicky to recite the Islamic declaration of faith, which would have been considered a conversion to Islam. The pastor was shot when he instead began reciting a declaration of faith in Christ. Islamist slogans were discovered painted on the walls of Pastor Vicky’s church building on 28 August. The graffiti also included a curse against him.

John Divito writes: The Lord has richly blessed African Pastors Conferences this year as we have continued holding conferences all across the continent on the theme of Conrad Mbewe's book God’s Design for the Church. Once again, we want to express our gratitude for the generous sponsorship of Crossway Books, 9Marks Ministry, and our faithful ministry partners. While we are planning to share more about our recent conferences soon, we have also been busy preparing for next year. As a result, we are excited to announce the annual theme for next year's conferences: The Gospel According to Romans! This will be the first time we will be devoted to studying a book of the Bible, and we are looking forward to enriching African pastors' and church leaders' understanding of the gospel during our time together.

Christ intends for His churches to be led by men who meet certain qualifications. In his letters to Timothy and Titus, the apostle Paul writes very plainly about what the elders of a church must be. The main concern is character. They must be men whose lives are exemplary in holiness. In addition to this, however, men who would shepherd God’s flock must also be doctrinally sound. They must believe truth sincerely and be able to teach it clearly. In the first chapter of Titus, after highlighting the moral qualifications that every elder is to possess, Paul makes this point in verse 9. An elder, he writes, “must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” Churches are to be served by pastors who are sound theologians.

All are welcome to join us for our fellowship day on September 30th 2023. Even if your church is not yet formally associated with us, please come along to benefit from ministry, fellowship and prayer, as we seek to mutually encourage one another as churches.

A new Armenian Genocide “may already be taking place” in Nagorno-Karabakh. That’s the view expressed in an emergency report published by the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention on 5 September. The report “points to the existence of several serious red flags for genocide, typical genocidal patterns, and evidence of the special intent to commit that crime”. Nagorno-Karabakh is an Armenian Christian region that, owing to a quirk of history, lies within the borders of Muslim-majority Azerbaijan. The area has been populated by Armenians (who accepted Christianity in 301 AD) for at least 2,500 years. Under Soviet rule it was governed as an independent oblast within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, and was incorporated into the Republic of Azerbaijan at the dissolution of the USSR. Nagorno-Karabakh has been under siege for nine months, beginning on 12 December 2022, with Azerbaijan blockading the Lachin Corridor – the only land route between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Church leaders have warned that “mass starvation is likely in the coming months”.

Please do not forget to pray for our brethren from S0mal1a. AO continues to live in Ethiopia and minister over the radio the gospel of Jesus Christ in his s0mal1 tongue. He will be with me all the time I am in Kenya from late October, and then I will spend a few days at the end with him and his family in Addis Ababa. MO settled in the States from 2009, and has been in Seattle for a couple of years. He has been hospitalized for quite a few weeks now, at least with trauma, although I really do not know what has happened. I usually phone him weekly, but have not been able for quite a time now. I thankful that a number of brethren in the area have sought to minister to him. May the Lord keep him faithful to the end. NH lives with is wife in Nairobi. His ministry is speaking “the Word of God on Telegram, (and) now we are 73 S0mal1 believers around the World”. AS fled to Kenya earlier this year, professed faith, and is now part of TBC. A couple of months ago his wife and two daughters were able to flee from home and join him in Kenya. Please pray that as they learn about Christ, they might also be saved.

I believe the Lord keeps some people from returning to our church because he wants to make sure that His ministers will keep first thing first: to love and care for the existing flock. A common temptation and error that many church planters and revitalizers make during their ministry are that they are often consumed with a desire for growth that they mistakenly end up neglecting the existing members of the church. It is important for all ministers to recognize that we are first and foremost given to the flock which Christ has entrusted to us. Evangelism is important. Church growth is important. Strategizing to draw more people into the church is important. Nonetheless, the most important command which Christ has given to all ministers is to feed His sheep under our care (John 21:21).

A pastor was shot and wounded by hardline Muslims earlier this month in Jaranwala, Pakistan, just two weeks after churches and Christian properties in the area were destroyed by an Islamist-inspired mob. Rev Eleazar Sidhu was returning home with an assistant after pastoral visits to church members on September 3 when two men stopped him. ‘One of the attackers pulled out a pistol and asked me to recite the Islamic Kalima, [profession of faith],’ he was able to state afterwards in the First Information Report (FIR) filed at the Saddar Police Station in Jaranwala. ‘When I refused and instead started to recite the Apostles’ Creed, the man opened fire, resulting in a bullet wound on the upper half of my chest [on the shoulder]. The assailants fled after the attack.’

The Bible’s teaching about the human will is immensely practical. It has been my experience that when people debate about the nature of free will, or discuss the differences between Calvinism and Arminianism, the practical implications of the discussion are sometimes lost or minimized. But all of the Bible’s doctrines are food for our faith, given to strengthen us in the knowledge of Christ and in obedience to His good commandments.

Alan Titchmarsh is a well-known gardener and TV personality in the UK. He has recently defended the traditional well managed garden that exists in Britain. This defence was in response to environmental campaigns that seek to rewild many of our gardens, parks, and countryside. Titchmarsh stated in a written representation to the British Parliament’s House of Lords that a carefully kept garden actually attracts more insects, birds, and small mammals than those areas of land that have been set aside for rewilding purposes. In other words, human activity, far from harming the environment, actually increases bio-diversity, and provides food and shelter for many more months of the year. He said: “Domestic gardens and well-planted parks offer an opportunity to all forms of wildlife—be they birds seeking nesting sites in hedges, berried plants that provide winter food, or shrubs that offer shelter to mammals.”

Like most churches, ours has a large team of volunteers. We have members who have volunteered to work in the nursery, to clean our building, to keep the grounds mowed, to operate the sound system, to make our tape recordings, to answer incoming phone calls, to teach our classes, to serve as Deacons, Elders and Trustees, to mention but a few. Without these “volunteers” our church could not carry out her ministry. Yet, when we look into the Word of God, it never speaks of volunteers. It speaks of those who freely serve and who recognize they have a joyful obligation to serve others in whatever manner they are capable (or gifted). In the New Testament the four basic passages dealing with the believers’ use of their gifts are Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. In these passages we learn that Christ has sovereignly distributed His gifts to His church through her various members and that they are responsible to use these gifts (interests, talents, training, resources, opportunities) to faithfully serve others. Nowhere in Scripture do we have the slightest hint that God’s people are to volunteer. Rather, the Scriptures indicate that the use of our gifts should be considered a joyful responsibility.

One thing most children have in common is a desire to grow up. They look forward to being big and experiencing life from the perspective of someone who has advanced beyond childhood. Whether that involves going to school or getting a driver’s license, the privileges and opportunities that attend maturity lead children to aspire to growth. Adults expect children to grow as well. When they fail to develop and mature, it is abnormal and therefore cause for concern. Scripture encourages such desires and expectations for believers. Peter writes, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). He commands us to desire that which will enable our spiritual growth (“milk of the word”; NASB) so that by it we mature into the salvation that is ours in Christ.

Tonny Karwa writes: The Lord has dealt very mercifully and graciously with the brethren in Kisumu. He continues to shepherd us through Paul’s Epistle to the church at Philippi. This coming Lord’s Day, we hope to learn how to glorify God in our afflictions like the apostle Paul (Philippians 1:12-14). Kindly pray that these studies will be especially practical and Christ-honouring. About 35 children had a great opportunity to see the riches of Christ in His parables during their brief school break. Bony, one of our deacons, is gifted in working with and amongst children. The Lord specially enables him to coordinate these programs. My task has always been to train and equip the teachers for increased faithfulness. Many of the teachers have tremendously grown, both in their Christian walk and their ability to delineate the biblical truths. Praise the Lord for the faithfulness of the teachers. Pray earnestly for fruit, especially of salvation. Plead with the Lord for more Sunday School teachers.

Conversion is at the heart of the Christian gospel and life. We believe that we are all born in sin and need radical transformation in every department of our lives in order to be pleasing to God. All our desires are corrupted by our sinful nature and we all need to be converted and transformed by the grace of God. Banning conversion "therapy" (so-called) is equivalent to banning the message of the gospel. Let us pray that our God will be merciful, and that the letter from the Christian Institute will cause Rishi Sunak to consider carefully and refuse to back any such ban.

Christians in Pakistan need our prayers after anti-Christian riots left churches and homes devastated in the city of Jaranwala, Punjab. On 16 August, armed mobs, reportedly incited by local mosque leaders, attacked the Christian community after torn pages of the Quran were allegedly discovered nearby. At least 22 church buildings were attacked, with five of them set ablaze, in riots lasting several hours. Dozens of houses of Christians were ransacked and set on fire. A Christian cemetery was also desecrated. “This mob have ruined not only our lives but also looted everything… what bad have we done? Where is justice? O God, have mercy on us,” said Fayaz Masih, a Christian resident of Jaranwala to the Barnabas team on the ground out there. Hundreds of Christian families fled for safety to nearby villages or to Faisalabad city about 40km away. The following day, some started to return. They came home to the stillburning remains of churches, and to discover the little they had has been taken or destroyed.

7 Thursday: Sam Waldron arrives tonight to teach Eschatology at our TPC next week. Please pray for him that he will travel safely and that he will enjoy good health while in Kenya. We thank God that his wife and church were willing to release him to serve us. Our connection with CBTS has crystalized with 7 of our men taking their MDiv. Pray that this partnership would benefit this men so that the work of training men would expand in Kenya. 8 Friday: The Meaty Forum is dealing with the subject of Eschatology. Dr. Sam Waldron will be on the panel. We hope to answer many questions on the subject which linger in people’s minds and help them to be more heavenly minded, and Christ expecting. It will be live-streamed on our YouTube channel - @tbcnairobi. 9 Saturday: Today afternoon we have the Shukrani Concert. It is a family themed concert. Various families are expected to make various presentations. Streams of mercy are never ceasing, calling for our loudest praise.

James Renihan writes: When Paul wrote to the Philippians, he expressed his thankfulness to the Lord when he remembered the saints in that congregation. Like him, and on behalf of everyone at IRBS, I can say that I thank God for all of you, wherever you may be. The first semester of our twenty-fifth anniversary year has begun. Students are receiving their assignments, professors are offering their first lectures of the term, and all are rejoicing in what the Lord is doing among us. We continue to see growth, we are thinking through several important opportunities the Lord seems to be presenting to us, and we all marvel at the good things He showers upon us. Here at the beginning of this anniversary year, I want to thank you for your prayerful support for the work of International Reformed Baptist Seminary. We serve the Lord because your gifts and intercession bring these blessings to us.

In the midst of this unrelenting war in Ukraine, God’s servants are determined to continue with their precious ministry. In a Christian printing house in West Ukraine, volunteers are packing food parcels and oversee the printing of New Testaments. Included in each food box is an adult and children’s Bible, as well as additional Gospel literature explaining the way of salvation. The printing house director, Slavic, outlined the continuing need: We cannot satisfy all the requests that are addressed to us. When we have money, we buy different food, make parcels with food and the Word of God. These are given to missionaries who distribute them in the east of the country. Children’s New Testaments are in great demand as this is summer camp period. New Testaments are also requested not only in the east, but also throughout Ukraine to serve refugees and displaced persons. We are delighted to report that the Mission sent substantial funds to help provide these precious boxes. Pray that many will have not only their physical needs but more importantly their spiritual needs met as they receive the Word of God.

Written confessions of the faith are tools in the school of the Holy Spirit (the church) for aiding and renewing the church’s task of confessing the truth. Confession and formulation of confessional texts are a product of the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit; in turn, confessional texts aid the church’s spiritual act of confessing the truths of Scripture. It is important to underline that written confessions are not Scripture! No confession claims to be Scripture or on par with it. The Westminster Confession, Savoy Declaration, and the Second London Confession all begin with chapters that state that Scripture is the final authority in matters of faith. Confessions are not Scripture, but they are the product of God’s revelation through Scripture and the work of the Spirit in illuminating the minds of those who study the bible. When seen in these terms, confessions are indispensable spiritual tools for the church’s life, worship and teaching.

Sometimes in their zeal to encourage spiritual vocations, pastors can unintentionally leave the impression among church members that unless one is in some form of full-time gospel work (such as a pastor, missionary or evangelist) that other forms of vocation are less spiritual, or of less importance to God. As a result many Christians do not seem to grasp how important it is for them to serve their employers with submission and excellence, as a way to bring glory to God. This misunderstanding is further highlighted by the use of the terms religious and secular vocations. The biblical position is that all work matters to God, whether one serves as a pastor, or sits at a computer eight hours per day, or engages as an evangelist, or works as a diesel mechanic.

Please join us for our association day, to benefit from ministry, fellowship and prayer, as we seek to mutually encourage one another as churches. September 30th 2023.

I have always been greatly encouraged by the positive tone of the monthly MERF newsletters. They are full of thanks and praise to God for His powerful works of salvation across the Muslim world. The desire for God’s ongoing blessing is expressed by lists of prayer requests as well as items for thanksgiving rather than requests for donations. Money cannot obtain the blessing of God, but God is glorified when He blesses the prayerful dependence of His people. Having said this, we praise God for moving His people to excitedly give financially so that MERF is enabled to serve Him. Almighty God does not need MERF – but we praise Him for blessing the work of His servants supported by MERF. To Him be the glory, so that we may share in the joy of the Triune God!

The Lord is lord of all truth. God is always truthful. He never deceives. The Lord’s yes is always yes, and his no is always no. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are united in the triune God of truth. How does man access that truth? Is God simply aloof to his creation and his truth inaccessible? Is truth reachable through mysterious means or incantations? No. God has made his truth readily available to anyone that takes up and reads. When Jesus prayed the High Priestly Prayer for his disciples in John 17, He said, “Sanctify them in thy truth, thy word is truth” (v. 17). God’s truth comes forth in the Bible which includes the author Moses who received a portion of inscripturated truth in the Ten Commandments on Mt. Sinai. The Decalogue was written by the finger of God in stone because its foundational presentation of His will for man was essential for Israel as both the spiritual church and the political nation. The Ten Commandments are blessings because each one definitively presents the truth of God regarding the prohibitions addressed.

It’s hard to be courageous when you know that you’re going to fail. How can a soldier charge the enemy’s lines if he knows that, not only will his life be spent in the endeavor, but the whole enterprise will end in disaster? If, however, the soldier has hope that, whether he lives or dies, maybe, just maybe, his actions, his sacrifice, will contribute to glorious victory, then he can be courageous. Because, in the end, courage is based upon hope. A person steps out to take the risks, the blows, the bullets, because he has hope that his actions will mean something. As believers, we are called to be courageous in the fight (Deut. 31:23, 2Cor. 5:6, Phil. 1:20). And make no mistake, we are in a fight. Our enemies are not flesh and blood, but we have enemies nonetheless (and some of them use flesh and blood as their mouthpiece). Our enemies are sin, our flesh, and the Devil. Our enemies are all those vain philosophies that set themselves up against the gospel of our Lord. Our enemies come straight from the pit of Hell and they wield an awesome power.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr Robert Strivens teach Puritanism for us in September. He is pastor of Bradford on Avon Baptist Church, a lecturer in Church History and former principal of London Seminary from 2007-2017. The course will explore Puritanism from the accession of Elizabeth I in 1558 through to the close of the 17th century. We will seek to identify what Puritanism is, how it developed, what its main theological distinctives were and how it sought to promote godly living. We will look at its manifestation in England, Scotland and America. We will examine challenges to Puritanism and related movements in continental Europe. The ultimate aim of the course is to help us in Christian ministry and living today.

At least 26 people were killed in Mangu, Plateau State – a Christian-majority area of Nigeria – in separate attacks by suspected Islamists less than a month apart. Fourteen people died on the evening of 13 June. Among them were 11 residents of Chisu village, who were burned to death when the gunmen set fire to the community leader’s house in which they were taking shelter. Another three were killed in the neighbouring village of Bwai, where the attackers also burned down a church building as well as other houses and vehicles.

Many years ago, a man visited our church meeting, claiming to have a special gift of discernment. He was under the impression that discernment was limited to a few who had been given the gift by God, probably through a misguided understanding of 1 Corinthians 12:10 discerning of spirits. In the apostolic age, many pretenders claimed to be divinely inspired, and it was important that the church was able to recognise that which was from God and that which was false. This is pointed out in 1 John 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. The completion of the canon of scripture made any special gift of discernment redundant. All mature Christians who have been instructed in the scriptures have the ability to discern what is good and evil, what is spurious and what is real seen in the book of Hebrews 5:14: But solid food belongs to those of a full age, that is, those by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good from evil.

(1) Kenya has enjoyed some weeks of tranquillity since the protests on the high cost of living were discontinued. The government and the opposition politicians are in the preliminary stage of preparing for a bipartisan dialogue, with each side nominating 5 members into the committee. The Kenyans hope that the cost of essential commodities will reduce. (2) Murungi has taken leave in the month of August so that he can recover from the many demands upon him this last month and concentrate on grading the TPC students’ work and other background work. (3) Four APC conferences were held successfully in Mumias, Meru, Nairobi and Mombasa. The overall attendance was great with about 400 delegates reached. The message of God’s Design for the Local Church was well received by the church leaders and Bible teachers. DK was the conference manager and the driver.

Thousands of Christians in the Sargodha district of Punjab in Pakistan have fled their homes after mosque calls for Muslims to protest over an alleged blasphemy. There are warnings the entire security of the Christian community in Maryam Town is now at risk after offending posters were pasted on mosque walls. The derogatory posters allegedly depicted Mohammed and his wife Aisha. They also applauded the recent burning and desecration of the Koran in Sweden. Some commentators believe the posters may have been pasted up by provocateurs to instigate violence against the neighbouring Christian colony. It’s the third allegation of blasphemy in recent weeks.

In the civil realm (ie society at large, rather than the church, which is the spiritual realm), what should be our first concern and highest priority? Inflation? Healthcare? The economy? Law & order? Defence? All these things, and many others, are important. But the No1 concern is very clear and manifest - unquestionably, it is the slaughter of the next generation in the womb. It has been gathering pace for a generation, but in the last three years (since the introduction of so-called at-home DIY abortions), it has increased "exponentially". Not only is this a great wickedness before the God who gives life, it is also a devastating crisis for our society, which depends upon the next generation for its health and strength and wealth-creation. This is the crisis nobody is talking about! It makes problems with inflation or healthcare or the economy, or indeed anything else, seem relatively very small. Will YOU talk about it? Will YOU call it what it is? Will YOU pray for an end to this wickedness?

Although the weather is "changeable", the gospel remains unchanged, and the true need of those taking holiday on our beaches remains the same: repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power of the Spirit, through the preaching of the cross. That is what many believers are seeking to accomplish through the work of beach missions this summer. Click below to read about one of those missions taking place in Tenby just now. Pray for the fruit of salvation to the glory of Christ.

Our next Trinity Grace Conference for young people aged 16-30 is planned for Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd September. The subject being tackled is, “Making the most of the means of grace.” Oliver, Tony and Nick Pollock will be addressing gathered worship, the Lord’s Day, preaching and the ordinances as a means of grace. Let us pray that the Lord will bless the preparations of the speakers and that many young people will be blessed through this conference. Please encourage any young people you know to sign up as soon as possible, and at the latest 25th August, as the bookings will close then.

We usually think of strength in physical terms. But the Bible often speaks of strength in reference to faith in God. This is seen at the end of the book of Deuteronomy, which contains Moses’ farewell sermon to Israel as the people of God prepared to enter the Promised Land. Moses reminded Israel that Yahweh fought for them (Deut. 1:21, 29-31; 3:22; 20:4; 31:6, 8). Therefore, Israel was to “be strong and courageous” as they entered the land (Deut. 31:6, 7, 23). They were not to fear the Canaanites, but they were to fear Yahweh (Deut. 4:10; 5:29; 6:13, 24; 8:6; 10:12, 20; 13:4; 14:23; 17:19; 28:58; 31:12, 13). This all comes together near the close of Moses’ sermon, as he exhorted Israel: Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you. (Deut. 31:6)

Whatever we may think about an idol, foolish as it may be, we must not be in doubt about the infatuation that these chunks of metal and blocks of wood inspire in their worshipers: idols are precious to idolaters. What is more, idolaters are often witnesses for their idols, even though their witness proves their folly. In fact, idolatry is the epitome of sin lacking sense. We see that in the Scriptures. Just think about the description in Isaiah 44:12-17. The prophet tells us that a man plants a tree, he prunes it, cares for it and when it is tall enough, he cuts it down and cuts it in half. With one half he builds a fire. He cooks his food and warms himself with it. And he says, “Ah, I am warm; all is well!” But with the other half of the log, he takes a chisel and shapes it. He measures it and uses a chalk like to make sure the lines are straight. He labors long like this even going without food and water using his strength to craft the wood and in the end the piece of wood looks like an image. The man sets up the image and then does the oddest thing, he bows down to the wood in worship and even prays to it saying, “Deliver me, for you are my god!

I don’t like to wait. No, let’s be completely forthright: I despise waiting. There is a certain highway in the city where I live that is notorious for traffic that is snarled for several hours on both sides of rush hour: I avoid it like cream of broccoli soup. Every Sunday morning, there are certain members of my family who move at the speed of a glacier in getting ready for worship and I’m convinced they make less haste on the days I have to preach. They make me wait and I don’t like it. I realize that I am not alone in this. Fallen humans categorically do not like to wait. We want instant gratification. We want life’s knottiest dilemmas solved in a half hour or so. Why is it so hard for sons of Adam to wait? Conventional wisdom says doing absolutely nothing should be easy for us, but it is not. Over the years, I have learned that waiting on the Lord one of the most potentially sanctifying (and necessary) aspects of the Christian life.

Have you ever noticed how many times and how many ways the Bible warns of being deceived? By clear admonition as well as by graphic example God repeatedly calls us to be on our guard against believing lies. That’s what deception is–believing what is not true. It is one of the great works of the enemy of our souls. So the Lord repeatedly warns us about it in Scripture: Luke 21:8, Jesus warned His disciples: “Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am [He],’ and, ‘The time has drawn near.’ Therefore do not go after them.” Romans 7:11, Paul describes the role of deception in his spiritual bondage: “For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed [me].”

There has been massive destruction of public and private property and looting in many major towns. The government has responded firmly in a way that does not make for peace by issuing threats, accusing the former president of funding them. Security has been withdrawn from many opposition leaders including the former president and the founding president’s first lady. All these serves to make a bad situation worse, and our prayer is that there will be sobriety on both sides. I am writing this letter in the spirit of Apostle Paul, urging that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, and especially for President William Ruto who professes to be a Christian and his cabinet secretaries; for Opposition leaders beginning with Raila Odinga, and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way (1 Timothy 2:1–2) so that the gospel of our Saviour may not be hindered.

Indonesia is a large nation made up of many islands, languages and cultures. It has the 4th largest world population, after China, India and the United States. The capital, Jakarta is a very large city located on the main island of Java. Java is the world’s most populous island. Although it has both rural and urban areas, 50% of the Indonesian population live there. Muslims are by far the majority in this huge island nation. Few are fanatics, most nominally follow Islam, but also are greatly influenced by traditional tribal beliefs.

Do you believe in Richard Dawkins? If your answer was yes, why? Most of us have assumed Dawkins’ existence based on very little evidence. I for one have never met him. And though I’ve seen a couple of pieces of video footage, a few pictures and his name as author on a number of books, when you think about it, it’s not that substantial. I’ve seen video clips and pictures of ‘Santa Claus’, too. And authors use pseudonyms all the time, so there’s no telling who really wrote The God Delusion or The Greatest Show on Earth.

In the spring of 2022, an encouraging relationship was forged between two dedicated pastors, Mikko Sivonen and Eelis Halmemies, hailing from the serene landscapes of Jyväskylä Reformed Baptist Church in Finland and Broken Wharfe. Their shared mission: to bring Samuel Renihan’s profound work, “The Mystery of Christ, his Covenant & his Kingdom,” to the Finnish-speaking world. Broken Wharfe, driven by a desire to spread the influence of confessional Baptist Christianity throughout Europe, eagerly embraced the opportunity to lend their support in any way possible.

18 Tuesday (1) TPC Classes will be concluding tomorrow with MI teaching on the various aspects of the church. We pray that the students will faithfully labour in their studies back home. (2) On 18th June he was preaching at the nearby Buruburu Baptist, that is moving in a reformed direction. Please pray for the pastor, Charles Maina who is also a TPC student since he has a lot of error and practices to uproot. 19 Wednesday The second leg of APC Conferences begin today in Mumias, and then Meru, Nairobi and finally Mombasa. DK is the conference manager, and driver. We have two pastors from the US, Carey Kimbrell and Mark Gervais and the last two conferences will also have Conrad Mbewe speaking on God’s Design for the Church from his own new book by the same title!

What is the role of musicians, vocalists, and choirs in the Reformed church? Simply this: To support the divinely-authorized element of congregational singing. Support, not overwhelm; support, not usurp; support, not entertain; support, not drown out; and especially, support and not discourage by making the singing of the congregation superfluous. Musicians, vocalists, and choirs have a secondary role, a subordinate role, not even a necessary role (we can sing acapella), what ideally should be a hidden role. They are there to support, encourage, and beautify the singing of the congregation.

One of the most common theological questions I’ve been asked as a pastor and professor goes something like this: Does God love everybody in the same way? In other words, did he love Nero to the same degree he loves Billy Graham? Does he love those who reject him the same he loves his redeemed children? Does God hate the sin, but love the sinner? Too often I’ve heard simplistic answers to this complex question. Historically, one theological camp has answered with an unqualified yes, while some in another offer an unqualified no. Yet truth often lies in the details.

Dr James Renihan writes: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. It's our 25th anniversary! July may usually be a slow month, but not for us. IRBS began in July 1998 in Escondido, California and in God's mercy continues today in Mansfield, Texas. We have been the recipients of divine grace and peace over these years, and begin our celebration of what the Lord has done with great thankfulness. We hope to mark this celebration with a series of events culminating with our commencement exercises in May 2024. Have you noticed our new logo? It commemorates and reminds us of our thankfulness to the Lord for all he has done. Please join us in giving thanks.

In the latest podcast from broken Wharfe, Jonny and John-Mark get together with Jeff Riddle, Pastor of Christ Reformed Baptist Church in Virginia, to discuss the perspicuity (clarity) of scripture. They discuss how we are to properly understand this doctrine from a confessional perspective and some related themes. Tune in to find out more!

Caterpillars ‘inch’ forward notoriously slowly, using their classic motion of wave-like (peristaltic) muscle contractions. But some species also have a rapid backwards escape strategy, known as ballistic rolling. The larva of Pleuroptya ruralis, the mother-of-pearl moth, is one such example. When it encounters potential danger, this caterpillar can quickly transform itself into a wheel. It can roll for up to five complete revolutions, travelling at about 40 cm (15 inches) per second—about 40 times faster than its ordinary speed of locomotion. The caterpillar can go from flat-and-stationary to rolling in just 60 milliseconds (six-hundredths of a second).

More than 40 Christians were killed by militant Fulani herdsmen in raids on a cluster of villages in Nigeria’s Benue state earlier this month, it has been reported. According to sources, the attackers invaded Imande Mbakange village in the early hours of June 3, killing 28 Christians, reported Morning Star News. On June 4, Fulani raiders killed another 18 Christians, six in each of the villages of Michihe, Achamegh and Mbagene Kpav, according to a press statement from the Shitile Development Association. The association stated: ‘Most disturbing also is the fact that the identity of the perpetrators is known to security agencies and the Nigerian government, and yet nothing has been done to end this carnage.’ Those who escaped the attacks fled the areas, leaving their homes and farmlands, it said.

Often, when we think about work, we tell ourselves that if only we could find the right job, career path, or passion project, then life would be so much easier. And as a society we perpetuate the false truism that if we find the right line of work, or the perfect job, we’ll never work a day in our lives. But this isn’t true. Life requires hard work, and that’s not a bad thing. Millennials and Gen Z adults, who are quickly becoming a significant portion of the workforce, have generational ideals that don’t always align with the reality and challenges of today’s workplace. In fact, Purdue University built an infographic detailing some of these different ideals. For example, Millenials and Gen Z adults prefer work that allows for flexible scheduling, a premium placed on work-life balance, a fun work environment, and the ability to have an immediate impact. In and of themselves these ideals aren’t wrong, nor should they be discarded; however, the reality is that these young adults will face a work environment very different from these ideals.

A teacher has come under fire for telling a 13-year-old girl to move schools after she challenged the notion that her classmate could identify as a cat. Following a Year 8 lesson on “life education” at Rye College, two friends secretly recorded the reprimand they received for upholding the reality of biological sex during class. After asking why their view couldn’t be respected, the teacher can be heard calling it “really despicable”, responsible for “homophobia”, and saying if they don’t agree they “need to go to a different school”. The girls refused to back down, saying that most people believe in the reality of two sexes but they “just don’t say it because then all this happens”.

Christian brotherhood depends on Christian faith. The New Testament often sets forth “the faith” as central to the apostolic mission, the pastor’s task, the Christian’s grasp of truth that is saving and sanctifying, and the true test of unity in the Christian profession. The first use of this phrase as a specific body of truth is in Acts 6:7, where it is written, “and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” This involved a clear adoption of truth connected with the apostolic “teaching and preaching Jesus as the Christ” (5:42). Had they not embraced that body of truth, there would be no evidence of faith.

Have you ever wondered about the amazing features of Earth’s atmosphere? It permits light to pass through to us and illuminates the beauty of creation, while providing oxygenated air to breathe, and plant fertilizer in the form of carbon dioxide. It also creates a warming greenhouse effect, and acts as a shield which greatly diminishes the amount of the sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays that can reach us. In short, it is wonderfully designed for life.

In an interview with the BBC, Forbes said that although she was always open about her biblical stance on sexual ethics, she was surprised when “those who knew my position, immediately distanced themselves from me” during the SNP leadership contest. But the MSP for Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch said that instead of attempting to make her views “more palatable or politically correct”, following Jesus’ teachings “means that I don’t feel I’m in a position to just pick and choose what I believe is truth or not”. Forbes, a member of the Free Church of Scotland, said that in her opinion “people of faith are a minority” in politics, and “certainly my experience is that they are, by and large, fearful. “So they either feel like they have to hide their faith or they have to adapt their faith. And that, I think, is a cause for concern.” The MSP reported that some said her experience made them “feel braver when expressing their faith in work or with friends”, but did acknowledge that seeing a public figure being “absolutely traduced” can “make you fear that you too will be treated in the same way”.

When one woman came to Jesus asking for His help, He apparently tried to send her away unanswered. But that woman was as humble as she was trusting, and humility prompted her both to accept what Jesus had against her and to persist in waiting for Him to bless her. True humility complies with God in all His accusations of sin. Let God charge you with whatever He wills, true humility accepts it all. If the Lord calls us a dog, we respond, “It is true, Lord; we are justly called this, for we come of a bad kind, and we ourselves are far worse, and likely to grow no better. We are guilty of all these things.” In this way true humility grants everything, and yet is never a bit the further from obtaining its goal [of receiving blessing from the Lord]. Comply with Him therefore today in what He says about sin.

A North African, Simon of Cyrene, was made to carry the cross for Christ, on the way to Golgotha. The Holy Spirit miraculously first brought the gospel to North Africans in their own language through the preaching of the apostles on the Day of Pentecost. Afterwards it spread widely and flourished among the Amazigh (Berber) people of North Africa. In Roman times, many churches were established. Early church fathers, such as Tertullian and Augustine arose from among them to bless the whole church. Vestiges of Christianity remain in the Amazigh language and culture. However, in the 7th century, Arab Muslim invaders quickly swept over and conquered North Africa. In the following centuries, large numbers of Arabic speaking Muslims migrated to North Africa. So, Arabic became the dominant language and culture.

Abortion activists are pushing to remove legal protections for the unborn, after a mother was jailed for taking DIY abortion pills when she had been pregnant for around 33 weeks. Stoke-on-Trent Crown Court found that in 2020 Carla Foster obtained the pills after pretending that she was seven weeks pregnant. She later gave birth to baby Lily who was stillborn. In Britain, abortion is legal for most reasons up to 24 weeks. Temporary regulations from the coronavirus pandemic allowing women who are less than ten weeks pregnant to take abortion pills without seeing a medic became permanent last year. The Christian Institute’s Ciarán Kelly said: “The loss of life is always a tragic event, and we grieve for the death of baby Lily. It is appalling that activists who lobbied to end in-person consultations are now weaponising this situation to push for abortion on demand. “They have persistently ignored warnings that home abortions exacerbate all the risks. Haemorrhaging, cramps and excruciating pain without medical help close at hand is hardly good care for women. We should be seeking to care for women and the unborn, not cause them harm”.

Mobs of Islamist militants are reported to have stopped Christians from worshipping in two cities on Indonesia’s Sumatra Island. The hardliners are believed to have disrupted Christians as they worshipped in a café in a village in Binjai, 13 miles from Medan, capital of North Sumatra Province, last month. In Riau, capital of Pekanbaru Province in southern Sumatra, a mob reportedly stopped Bethel Indonesia Church’s (Gereja Bethel Indonesia or GBI) worship service. Morning Star News (MSN) reported that in the North Sumatra attack, at least 40 militants stopped the midday worship service at the café in Binjai where the Mawar Sharon congregation met, according to Binjai-based MetroLangkatBinjai.com. In Riau, a video appearing on social media shows ‘outsiders’ keeping the GBI church from worship.

What is true wisdom? Does the preacher in Ecclesiastes give us any guidance about this? Indeed he does, in outline at any rate. Trust and obey God, reverence him, worship him, be humble before him, and never say more than you mean when you pray to him (Eccles, 12:13; 5:1-7): do good (3:12); remember that God will someday take account of you (11:9; 12:14), so avoid, even in secret, things of which you will be ashamed when they come to light during God’s final judgment (12:14). Live in the present and enjoy it thoroughly (7:14; 9:7-10; 11:9-10) — present pleasures are God’s good gifts. (J.I. Packer)

June is so-called "Pride" month. There will be much flag-waving, marching, petitioning, speaking and promoting of all things LGBTQ+. How should Christians respond? We need to understand what the Bible teaches and ensure that we stand fast upon what is true and good, out of humble love for so many who are lost in their proud rejection of God and his saving grace. Remember the words of Isaiah: 'Thus says the high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, whose name is holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones."' (Isaiah 57:15). Only the humble will be exalted to dwell with God, so let us manifest such humility as Christians and appeal for humility against the 'Pride' of our age.

Anticreationists consider the Grand Canyon a showcase for uniformitarian geology and proof against biblical creation and the Flood. They regard it as being on the ‘front lines’ of the origins battle. 'The famous landscape of the Grand Canyon lies along the front lines of competing scientific and nonscientific [i.e., creationist] views of Earth’s antiquity and evolution.' Secularists regard creationist views as ‘nonscientific’ because we do not accept that present ‘slow and gradual’ (uniformitarian) processes explain the rocks and fossils. The point of contention is Noah’s Flood. Uniformitarian scientists assume that the Colorado River, or some precursor river, cut the canyon. But the canyon’s path does not follow secular geological logic. It cuts through high plateaus, is not diverted by faults, and does not follow the topographic slopes of the bounding plateaus. Thus, Grand Canyon defies the principle of uniformitarianism upon which all secular geological interpretations are based.

Keith writes: Thank you for praying for the visit to Kenya the first two weeks of May. In God’s providence I was able to do all that had been planned and I was kept strong throughout. Priscilla was well cared for back in Liverpool and we were able to talk on the phone almost every day. One day I was driven north the 140 miles to Meru where I met with two brothers I first knew when I came to Kenya in 1968. I taught with Paul Kianji in Miathene Secondary School. He was converted some years later and became one of the pastors in Miathene TBC. David Mutembei was one of the local Christians who is now 92 years old! He was converted in 1946 in the East Africa Revival. I was able to video him speaking of what the Lord did in the convention of 1958 at Kahuhia which is said was attended by 30,000 people. He described scenes of deep conviction of sin, and of the joy of sins forgiven and reconciliation. He finished by singing the trademark song of the Revival, ‘Tukutendereza Jesu’ = let us praise Jesus!

Fulani militants have been attacking Christian villages in Mangu, central Nigeria. The latest wave of attacks on some 30 villages began on May 16 and killed at least 125. Similar attacks over the same period claimed another 43 lives. Partners of UK-based Release International have been providing emergency relief aid. Children were killed and injured during the attack on Mangu. Among them 8-month-old baby, Precious Mani. Precious was shot twice but survived. Her parents and five siblings were among the dead in the attack on Nbun Ward in May. One survivor from the village of Jwakom, told Release International’s partners: ‘We saw people running and started to hear consistent gunshots. Our men told us to go. We all fled. We barely survived.’

The sorrow that we feel when a believer dies is not a hopeless kind of sorrow, because we know they are now happy with the Lord. But heaven can seem very misty and distant to us as we trudge on in our own beleaguered lives. Even when we believe in Jesus and are washed from our sins in the blood of Christ, we do not always take the comfort that is available from all the implications and consequences of this. In the Bible, however, the amount of information Jesus gives us about heaven shows that if we can sharpen our focus and get a clearer grasp of where we are heading, then some of the happiness of heaven can infuse our lives here. James Durham’s commentary on the Book of Revelation includes his analysis of the various “steps” of happiness in heaven from Revelation 7.

Jim Renihan writes: Greetings to all our fellow pilgrims on the path to the heavenly city! May the Lord strengthen you as you walk the road He appoints. According to many traditional academic calendars, June is the final month of the school year. During June, the last exams of the semester are written, papers are submitted, and grades recorded. Our students have done well, and we are exceedingly thankful to the Lord for His smile upon their labors. It also marks the retirement of our beloved Core Professor of Pastoral Theology, Dr. Fred Malone. We will all miss him. He is well-loved by our students and highly respected by his colleagues. We pray the Lord's blessing on him and his wife Debbie.

1 Thursday TBC Family Day is happening today. We shall spend the day together in fellowship, singing, eating, and drinking and playing different games. We hope today’s hangout will be a day when the many new members may be integrated into the life of the church, as young and old get to know each other at a close range. We trust God for both edification and fun in one day! 2 Friday Baptisms: Two young men were baptised last month. A few more professions of faith have been reported and we thank God for extending his grace to save his elect among us. What a blessing to know that the Lord is crowning our labours in the gospel. We look forward to seeing more people come to faith. 3 Saturday Ladies’ Breakfast is happening early morning today. Our sisters are dealing with the subject of Christian Contentment. We thank God for the growth witnessed in many sisters who are keen on ministry to one another. Please pray for the older ladies to teach the younger ones.

A civil war erupted within broad evangelicalism, and the idol of LGBTQ+ is dividing the house. This issue is personal, political, and spiritual for me. In 1998, I became one of the first crop of so-called “tenured radicals” in American universities, proudly touting my lesbian street cred. In 1999, Christ called me to repentance and belief, and I became a despised defector of the LGBTQ+ movement. But progressive sanctification came slowly, and I have failed many times during these past decades. After I have learned lessons, I have earnestly tried to course-correct. And that’s the problem. My use of transgendered pronouns was not a mistake; it was sin. Public sin requires public repentance, not course correction.

In an outcome believed to be the first of its kind, a Christian maths teacher has been banned by the Secretary of State for Education for “bringing the profession into disrepute” for not using the preferred pronouns of a female student who identified as a boy. A Teaching Regulation Authority (TRA) professional conduct panel has, with the backing of Education Secretary Gillian Keegan, ruled that Joshua Sutcliffe was guilty of unprofessional conduct and has banned him from teaching in any capacity for at least two years and potentially indefinitely.

IRBS UK is pleased to have Dr. Richard Barcellos teaching Hermeneutics for us July 10th to 14th 2023. This foundational study treats principles of Reformed hermeneutics so that we might be better interpreters of Scripture for the good of Christ’s Church. Dr. Barcellos, is pastor of Grace Reformed Baptist Church. Palmdale, CA, and Associate Professor of Exegetical Theology at IRBS. He is also the Managing Editor and Book Review Editor for the Journal of IRBS, and has written on Reformed hermeneutics and biblical theology. All are welcome to attend.

Sixteen years ago, my wife and I became parents. Now we have four children, and God continues to teach us many things as we seek to bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. So I feel somewhat awkward laying out lessons that we have learned from parenting, as if we have everything figured out or can provide some hidden insights for current and future parents. At the same time, in God’s kindness we have learned several lessons through the years as our children have been growing up, and I hope that some of these lessons will prove helpful to others. With this in mind, here are five lessons: Trust in Christ. Parenting is an incredibly humbling experience. I thought that I was getting a handle on marriage and doing pretty well in my spiritual growth until I had children. Then I was confronted with how much sin remained in my life.

In parts of Far East Russia there are those who have never heard the name of Jesus. Denis Tolstov, an SGA-sponsored missionary in Far East Russia, is involved in the difficult and demanding task of reaching them with the message of the Gospel. Villages and communities there are isolated, resulting in sometimes long and tiring journeys. Denis reports that the car they bought over ten years ago had been restored after a car crash resulting in no interior heating. He explains the need for heating! ‘The temperature in winter here gets below -40 degrees and such weather lasts for several months.’ As a result, he was not always able to carry out a full ministry programme in winter.

One in ten teenagers aged 16 to 18 want to ‘change their gender’ or have already done so, a top think-tank has revealed. A report from Civitas, based on research conducted by Deltapoll, analysed responses from over 1,000 16 to 18-year-olds and parents of 12 to 16-year-olds about the teaching of LGBT ideology in schools across England. It found that two thirds of the teenagers (67 per cent) had been told that biological sex is “assigned at birth”, while one in three (32 per cent) were informed that a “woman can have a penis”. Although 80 per cent of teenage respondents said their school “positively encourages different viewpoints when discussing contentious social issues (on gender, sexuality, and sex)”, more than a third (35 per cent) admitted: “I don’t feel comfortable contributing my opinion in case it leads to me being judged or bullied by other students”. Nearly six in ten parents (59 per cent) opposed schools “telling pupils that a man could get pregnant”, with only 17 per cent in favour. On Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), 77 per cent said parents should have the “unrestricted legal right to see all” materials and lessons plans, with only 14 per cent against. A further 64 percent supported the right of withdrawal.

Christians are a significant minority in this Islamic country, especially in urban areas and the Nuba mountains. There is a small, but growing number of converts. Most churches are Arabic-speaking, but some are from southern tribes, such as Nuer and Dinka. Christians are not party to the present hostilities. Yet, there are at least 12 evangelical congregations in the greater Khartoum area where street fighting has taken place. The security situation deteriorated quickly. Movement in the city is very risky. Food, water and medical supplies are scarce. Please pray for Sudanese Christians, including MERF’s media team and especially for pastors and other spiritual leaders. Ask for the Lord’s protection and provision for their needs and that they are enabled to care for one another and for their Muslim neighbours.

Atheists frequently pose this question to justify their disbelief. Bertrand Russell (1872–1970), a famous British philosopher, in his influential little essay, Why I am not a Christian, put this forward as his first objection. Today’s atheists repeat the objection, including Richard Dawkins (The God Delusion) and Australia’s own Philip Adams at the 2010 Global Atheists’ Congress in Melbourne Australia, who said, “The great argument for God was that there had to be a Creation, a beginning. … But my objection was simple. If God was the beginning who began God?” The universe had a beginning; almost no one disputes that, because the laws of thermodynamics demand it: the universe is running down and it cannot have been running down forever, or it would have already run down. No stars would be still churning out energy and we would not be here. Some have proposed one universe giving birth to another, but again, there cannot be an infinite series of such births and deaths, as each cycle must have less energy available than the last and if this had been happening for eternity, the death of everything would have already happened.

Saturday 6th June saw the coronation of Charles III as King of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, in a ceremony which included anointment, public acclamation and enthronement. These core components of the ceremony can be traced over a thousand years for English kings, and stretch back further still in our heritage to the coronation of King Solomon. A prominent theme in the coronation service is that the King of kings is the Lord Jesus Christ, whom all monarchs are called to reflect, and to whom all must give account. In the Bible, several psalms are written to exalt the Lord Jesus Christ when He is enthroned as king over all. In the following updated extract, David Dickson comments on the kingdom of Christ from Psalm 97.

JP Earnest writes: As many of you realise, I have the privilege of leading regular schools assemblies locally. Over the 20+ years I have done these, a good rapport has been developed. At 10:45pm one evening I had an email from a local Head-Teacher, ‘Please, please, please can you come and do another assembly for us. We appreciate you are busy and this is very short-notice, but we are in the middle of an inspection and have been criticised for a recent in-house assembly. The staff have asked me to contact you to see if you could come and show the inspectors what you do regularly’ - How could I refuse? Not only was this another gospel opportunity, it shows that they are not embarrassed to have an evangelical Christian come to the school. Off I went the next morning and did what I always do (teaching and applying a Bible story, praying with them, followed by a quiz). The staff were grateful and the inspectors were impressed by the regular school assemblies. As I walked to the car, the secretary ran after me to give me a box of chocolates as a ‘thank you’!

James Renihan writes: Grace and Peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ to you all. May is always a busy month. The academic year is winding down, students are writing term papers, submitting projects and enduring exams. Please pray for them as they have much to do. It's also the month when our Trustees gather here in Mansfield for their semi-annual meeting. In addition to the regular matters of business on the agenda, they will be encouraged by many good reports, elect a new Trustee, approve a new Core professor and deliberate about further relationships with two more educational institutions. Together, we will be able to rejoice in the blessings the Lord has given us during the past twelve months. In our June newsletter, we hope to be able to announce some of the wonderful projects we've been working on. Thank you for your continuing prayerful support. We are deeply thankful to the Lord and to all of you.

10 Wednesday Passion for Missions Conference was a blessing to all those who came. We thank God for Don Thomas who was the Speaker and trust that the seed of grace planted will be fruitful as we dealt with the subject of order of salvation. 11 Thursday We thank God for giving a lot of rain in the country, even in Rendille. Please pray for these brothers as they preach the gospel to this least reached community nearby and far. They greatly desire for a church near a town called Ilaut and have been visiting the village regularly. 12 Friday The Dine & Listen is an evangelistic dinner happening tonight. Joe Thwagi, pastor of Upendo Gospel Community Church is preaching. Members have invited relatives, friends, colleagues, and neighbours to hear of the wonders of God’s grace. May these efforts yield much fruit for our Master, Christ.

This September, we warmly invite you to join us as we explore the importance of using the means of grace in our lives. Through this conference, we aim to provide a platform for Christians to come together and deepen their understanding of the practices which God has ordained for us as believers. The conference commences at 4pm on Friday 1st September and closes at 5:30pm on Saturday 2nd September, and comprises a full itinerary of teaching and fellowship. All conference attendees are most welcome to attend the Sunday services at Trinity Grace Church Ramsbottom (host church) on Sunday 3rd September at 10:30am and 5:30pm.

Not only does one’s soul truly know what his or her body and organs and hormones testify outwardly, a man or woman’s DNA cannot be denied by his or her heart of hearts. What may be manipulated crudely from without can never be actually altered within. Every one of our estimated 60 to 100 trillion cells (amidst 200 cell types) would need to have an X or Y chromosome replaced; yet this utter impossibility would still not recreate functional physiology opposite from how one was born. Every cell from within a person’s body announces an undeniable and unalterable sexual gender identity designation of male or female as pre-coded by our Designer. All humanity has instinctively known in every fibre of our being what Jesus, the final Prophet of Deuteronomy 18:15-18 through Whom all things were created, proclaimed in Mark 10:6: … from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female—and each of us is only one and not the other and certainly not both.

Milnrow Evangelical Church, God willing, are planning to host two upcoming special events to which you and other members/friends of your church are warmly invited. Both events are free. On Saturday 13th May Answers in Genesis have a full day conference (10am til 4pm) entitled "Science and the Bible". The speakers are Simon Turpin, Andy Mcintosh, Stuart Burgess and Joseph Hubbard with time between sessions for browsing/purchasing resources, refreshments and fellowship. Please bring your own lunch. On Tuesday 27th June at 7:30pm the "Ark Man", Rod Walsh, from Creation Ministries International will be speaking on "The Genesis Flood and the Ark" alongside his scale model Ark. This meeting is suitable for all aged around 11 years and over.

Stephen Silamo from Rendille writes: We are always grateful to the Lord for His continued mercies and providences. It's a great pleasure and a joy to have you and other brethren pray for us and the ministry among the Rendille people. What an encouragement and a blessing! Here's an African Parable - most good African Parables involve animals. So there's a story here about an Ant and an Elephant. Now the Ant is on a journey and comes to a raging river and he couldn't get across. He doesn't know what to do. And then the Elephant comes along and he says, Hey will you take me across? And the Elephant says no problem, so the Ant crawled up, got on top of the back of the Elephant. The Elephant plunged into the raging river, the Ant got scared. He's afraid that even the splashes will take him off as the Elephant powered right through undeterred by the river because of his great strength and they got over the other side. The Ant yelled in jubilation - we did it! We did it together! The point of the parable is that God is the Elephant and we are the Ant . The Elephant is at the centre of the story and the Ant is along for the ride.

Christian parents Izzy and Shane Montague are to appeal their case after the Central London County Court dismissed their claim against their child’s former school, Heavers Farm, for attempting to force him to participate in an LGBT themed Pride Parade. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, the parents brought the claim after a series of events which left them feeling intimidated and discriminated against for challenging the school over the LGBT education of their 4-year-old son, which included mandatory participation in a school run Pride Parade to celebrate Pride Month. Parents were informed about the LGBT themed Pride celebration only days in advance when they received a rainbow-coloured invitation to attend the event. In preparation for the parade, children were taught the popular ‘gay anthems’, ‘We are Family’ and ‘True Colours’, which they had to sing while marching around the school. The children were also required to create rainbow themed art, which the school’s lesson plan held out as an assignment to show support for the diverse LGBT community.

Sergei, who is 70 years old and diagnosed with cancer, recently requested help to purchase a second-hand vehicle so that he could provide food for people in nearby villages and transportation for many who are struggling. He and his wife Luba are an inspiration. They shared about their desire to serve the people of Kherson. Some of his children who live in the US pleaded with him to leave Kherson for treatment elsewhere, but he replied, “I cannot while people need food around me”. Kherson is a port city located by the Black Sea on the Dnieper River. It was the first city to be captured by Russian military but was liberated last autumn. Shortly after the war began, numbers reduced to only 30 attending Sergei’s church, but today there are more than 400 attending 4 services every week. 95% of these are new to the church. God is working, people are getting converted and the church is growing. Every day Russian missiles hit the city and people are being injured and dying, but in the midst the tragedy God is working!

As Christians in America, and especially the PCA, are still reeling and grieving with our brothers and sisters at Covenant Presbyterian Church and the Covenant School in Nashville, there is an understandable and appropriate righteous indignation that we have all felt welling up inside of us in these recent weeks. Six precious images bearers of God were gunned down in cold blood in what can only be described as a brazen act of terror. Many are angered by the LGBTQ+ movement and its radicalization of this young woman who identified as a transgender-man. Others have voiced their opposition to President Biden’s appalling decision to declare March 31st Transgender Day of Visibility within mere days of the shooting.

As a congregation we believe that entry to the membership of the church of Christ Jesus is on the basis of true repentance, real faith and submission to the Lordship of Christ. This is all displayed in baptism, which Christ commanded his apostles to make the sign of real conversion and addition to the church. We see this in Matthew 28:18-20 and Acts 2:36-47. At a recent baptismal service of four candidates, we saw this worked out before our eyes, and we were greatly blessed. Four different sinners saved by sovereign grace and added to the church through baptism. Be encouraged as you watch.

Uman is a city located in the Cherkasy region of central Ukraine, north of Kherson, which was liberated during last autumn. Like most regions in Ukraine, Cherkasy has felt the tragic loss of many lives and the subsequent trauma, as many people continue to lose their loved ones, and their health, homes, and belongings. Many lives have been destroyed and uprooted. The suffering is real. The pain is excruciating. In contrast to the surrounding destruction and death, the evangelical church in Uman stands out as a centre of help and hope, a place where people can find warmth and comfort. When widespread missile attacks left thousands of Ukrainians without electricity, water, or internet, the church opened up a centre on its premises to feed and shelter those in need. A space that can accommodate at least 60 people has been equipped with a generator, without which it would be impossible to provide food and heat for those who come.

Scientists recently discovered that our brains are made for music—that a deep musical appreciation is a foundational aspect of being human. Why do we have this special relationship with music, yet apes and other large-brained ‘higher’ animals don’t make, or even desire, music as we do? Like speaking and writing in grammatical language, music is a peculiar and distinctive trait of human beings only. Where did this mysterious habit and liking of ours come from?

Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists killed more than 30 Christians in an attack on a predominantly Christian village in Nigeria’s Kaduna state which began late on Saturday night. Local residents said herdsmen alongside other armed terrorists invaded Runji village in Zangon Kataf County at about 10pm. The attack continued into the early hours of Sunday morning. ‘Please pray for us … as 33 Christians were killed by herdsmen and terrorists in the early hours of Sunday,’ resident Mugu Zakka Bako said in a text message to Morning Star News.

A false narrative is a conclusion in search of an argument. It is an agenda in need of patrons, a goal that, in the mind of the narrator, is worthy of being supported by lies because, you know, the end is so noble that it fully justifies the means. Because false narratives are inherently unscrupulous and ungodly, no Christian should ever traffic in them. Yet, too many who bear the name of Christ do exactly that today. In fact, in our tribal age the zeal to justify “my side” can easily numb otherwise well-meaning believers to the biblical standards of truth-telling.

The Augustine Programme provides intensive biblical training for God’s servants in MERF fields. It was developed for those in church leadership lacking opportunity for Bible and Christian doctrine education, especially in war-torn South Sudan. Over the years, the programme has extended to train church leaders in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania and beyond. During Covid, online Bible study resources were developed. Now some are being adapted to Indonesian languages. Most engaging to both young and old, the 6-minute illustrated simple catechism video series is on YouTube: www.merf.org/thecat (Please enjoy & share the link.)

The Bible never sugarcoats the painful realities of living in a fallen world. Sin is portrayed in all of its dark hues, and the best of men are acknowledged to be at best, mere men. Similarly, the church is portrayed as in a constant state of conflict until the Lord Jesus returns. The church in the world is the church militant—always engaged in warfare, under attack and advancing doggedly onward through enemy territory. As is true with any army, the church is not immune to the loss of some of her members. In fact, the skill and tenacity of our enemies are intent on destroying as many as they can. Paul warns Timothy of such loss in the opening verses of 1 Timothy 4. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (v. 1). Those “later times” are here. They have been present since Christ’s first coming and will continue until his return.

The suffering of Christians in Nigeria is causing international outcry, concern and alarm. There is continuing violence targeted against Christian communities there, which has led to mass killings of our brothers and sisters in Christ from terrorists and extremists. From April to June this year Release International’s new engagement campaign Out Of These Ashes will draw special attention to the persecution of Christians in north and central Nigeria. Please join us to raise the voice of persecuted Christians in Nigeria before the throne of grace. Terror groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa continue to defy the authorities, and Fulani militants attack Christian villages with impunity. In 2022, reports indicate Fulani extremists killed more than 6,000 Christians and destroyed 17 villages. Please pray for peace for Nigeria and pray also for protection for Christian communities across Nigeria.

Respected Scottish preacher Alistair Begg, who has pastored Parkside Church in Cleveland, Ohio since 1983, recently sat down with the Christian Institute's Deputy Director Simon Calvert to discuss how we should respond to attacks on biblical teaching in the form of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ bans. As you’d expect, he focused particularly on the role of preachers in preparing their congregations for life in the real world.

Confessing the Faith: Volume 2 is an expert guide into the palace treasure rooms of God’s Word and provides the reader with a lifetime of gold mined from the eternal depths of God’s revelation. In this volume, Dr Renihan works through the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith chapter by chapter and paragraph by paragraph insisting on hearing it in its historical context. In each chapter and the sources and issues that stand behind the confession, we encounter the spirit and practice of a generous orthodoxy that was at work among the writers of the confessions which came from a conviction that the central activity of the church is confession of the truth. The Confessing the Faith Series is likely to become the “standard reference books in this field for years to come”.

Channel 4 has faced criticism for its new show in which grown-ups revealed their nude bodies in front of children as young as 14. 'Naked Education' claims to be “all about body positivity” and is “on a mission to normalise all body types, champion our differences and break down stereotypes”. However, writing for the Spectator, journalist Robert Jessel reveals how such programmes break down the social boundaries that keeps children safe from adult predators. While the TV show has received significant criticism and almost 1,000 Ofcom complaints, Christian Concern's Head of Education, Steve Beegoo, recently warned GB News viewers that what takes place on the show isn't far off what's taking place in many UK schools. If you're concerned about the nature of sex education in your child's school, Steve has written advice on how best to raise your voice as a parent, which can be accessed on the Christian Concern website.

Nick Fletcher shares his faith in Jesus Christ with fellow MPs in a debate about the importance of Christianity to society.

In this episode we discuss some of the story in the life of Dr James Dolezal, author of ALL THAT IS IN GOD (now on special offer): how he came to a great appreciation of philosophy as the handmaiden to theology, how so-called 'biblicism' is grounded in Kantian metaphysics, why John Owen had such an appreciation for the theology of Thomas Aquinas and much more! Tune into for this fun, detailed and coffee-inspired conversation.

Many attempts to define ‘science’ are circular. The point that a theory must be acceptable to contemporary scientists to be acceptable, basically defines science as ‘what scientists do’! In fact, under this definition, economic theories would be acceptable scientific theories, if ‘contemporary scientists’ accepted them as such. In many cases, these so-called definitions of science are blatantly self-serving and contradictory. A number of evolutionary propagandists have claimed that creation is not scientific because it is supposedly untestable. But in the same paragraph they will claim, ‘scientists have carefully examined the claims of creation science, and found that ideas such as the young Earth and global Flood are incompatible with the evidence.’ But obviously creation cannot have been examined (tested) and found to be false if it’s ‘untestable’!

Cambridge historian Richard Rex suggests that there have been three great crises in the history of the Church. The first, in its early centuries, revolved around the question ‘What is God?’. That is to say: how many natures were in Jesus Christ, how many persons in the Trinity, and so on. Then, during the Reformation, ‘What is the Church?’. The third crisis, he argues, is happening now, over the question of ‘What is man?’. This relates – as he memorably puts it – to ‘an entire alphabet of beliefs and practices: abortion, bisexuality, contraception, divorce, euthanasia, family, gender, homosexuality, infertility treatment…’

Prominent Christian MP Miriam Cates has spoken with The Christian Institute’s Deputy Director Simon Calvert about her headline-grabbing Parliamentary work. Repeating her call for better guidance for schools on how to deal with trans issues, Mrs Cates said: “…over the last ten years there’s been an exponential increase in the number of children presenting with gender distress – typically girls wanting to be boys, wanting to be treated as boys… the on-the-ground impact of that is that many schools don’t know what to do. Some are transitioning these children socially, changing their names and pronouns, allowing girls to use boys’ toilets and vice versa… some aren’t telling parents. But it’s not a problem that schools can deal with on their own. They need guidance – legal guidance, medical guidance – and at the moment it’s a Wild West.” “It’s not just about the children who present with [gender] distress. They should be safeguarded and they should be assessed for other vulnerabilities. But it’s also the other children. …When schools say to a class full of children ‘this girl is now a boy and is going to be known by this name, use the pronouns “he” and “him”’, those other children are then compelled to say that this girl is a boy even if they don’t believe that. And I think that’s significant and also needs addressing in the guidance.”

5th Wednesday Paul Gachungi was installed as the pastor in GRBC Ruiru on the 12th March. The church received two men into their membership last month. More families and individuals have come recently, and Paul continues to preach through Ephesians. He hopes to relocate his family to the area soonest. 6th Thursday Ebenezer & Michelle Kimathi have relocating to Isiolo with a view of planting a church there. There are two families that have promised to join up with them and different potential gospel opportunities. Please pray for them as they have to deal with lots of emotional pain recently. 7th Friday Passion for Missions Conference begins this morning on Order of Salvation. Later in the evening we have the Easter Cantata. We pray that the Lord will bring many to benefit from this rich spiritual manna.

If we are to worship God in a way that honors Him, we must first be in Christ, resting in His righteousness alone, trusting in Him alone for our acceptance before God. But we must also, as people called by His name, put on love. In Colossians 3:12–15 Paul tells us: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.

People feel guilt for a variety of reasons with some reasons justified while others are not. Parents feel guilty about not providing for their children who in turn later feel guilty themselves for complaining because when they were growing up they did not have the gadgets shown-off by their classmates in school. Some adults regret failing to take full advantage of their educational opportunities as they work with little hope of advancement and no way to provide better for their families. Then there are convicted criminals who wish they had not made bad choices but instead heeded advice from the wise. However, the battlefields of war which require decisions based on extended analysis as well as split-second precision may offer the greatest opportunities for feeling guilt.

God is beyond us. However much we think we know about Him, He is an inexhaustible, unfathomable depth. He is not an object for us to scrutinise, or a challenge we can absorb, or something malleable which we can mould into a form of our own liking. Our basic starting point when we think of God is to realise that our minds simply cannot encompass Him. Yet He is knowable, when He makes Himself known. And when He makes Himself known, the knowledge of Him makes us not only realise our own littleness but also entrust ourselves to Him to be saved by Him and to live to His honour.

‘Every indication suggests Nigeria is at a pivotal point in its history,’ says Release International’s partner in that country. Terror groups Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa continue to defy the authorities, and Fulani militants attack Christian villages with impunity. In 2022, reports indicate Fulani extremists killed more than 6,000 Christians and destroyed 17 villages. The violence has driven more than two million people from their homes. Along with that has come increasing lawlessness. ‘Kidnapping for ransom has now become the major money earner for terrorist groups, while the numbers of victims of rape and people living with disabilities due to attacks continue to grow among the Christian communities,’ says Release International’s partner. ‘Hundreds of thousands of children in these Christian villages are unable to go to school or access good education.’ Please pray for peace for Nigeria and pray also for protection for Christian communities across Nigeria.

When we think of God, it is alarmingly easy to fall into the trap of thinking that God is just another kind of creature – of course the best and greatest and most impressive in whatever dimension you consider, but ultimately just another creature. This line of thinking is something we should resist, because God is altogether other. He is in reality completely beyond us and above us, a different order of being entirely. We can truly know Him, but in order for this to be possible He has to accommodate Himself to us and make Himself known to us in ways that we can grasp. Hugh Binning highlights and underlines God’s transcendence in the following updated extract. He uses God’s self-description, “I AM THAT I AM,” as the basis for emphasising from various points of view that we must at all points maintain in our minds the distinction between the Creator and the creature, between God and everything else in existence. Only once we sense the littleness of our understanding are we in a position to start to learn who and what God is.

In this latest episode, we share some exciting news. We talk about our work with Richard Barcellos and acquisition of RBAP, upcoming book titles, some new podcasting efforts, and our recently released US shop. Grab a cup of coffee, sit back, and join us for some relaxed conversation about the latest happenings down at Broken Wharfe!

TASTE works in Nigeria helping needy communities and civil society organisations gain access to clean drinking water and improved sanitation using a local labour force who are given the necessary training. In so doing, we seek to work in ways which demonstrate practical Christian values of honesty, trustworthiness, integrity and respect for all. The trustees consider that modelling values like these and delivering educational workshops and sustainable projects provide the best long-term method of supporting such communities. TASTE has been able to continue its work of providing safe clean water and hygienic latrines to communities and to deliver Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) workshops over the period covered by this report. The delivery of these life changing water projects has continued despite the severe challenges posed by equipment, plant and vehicles, breakdowns, the Coronavirus pandemic, the countrywide insecurity and the country’s financial meltdown.

The issue of race has become extremely contentious in the last few years. Unfortunately, many proposed solutions ignore the real history of humanity, so will just exacerbate the problems. However, the answer is straightforward—returning to the Bible’s history starting in Genesis. When preaching the Gospel to the Athenians on Mars Hill (Acts 17), Paul went back to creation. This includes the fact that all nations come from “one man” (Acts 17:26), whom Paul affirmed as “the first man Adam” (1 Corinthians 15:45). This totally rules out the claim that a population of humans evolved from a population of ape-like creatures that evolved from pond scum. Because God made Adam and his wife Eve in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26–28), all their descendants are God’s image-bearers. That means all other people who have ever lived, regardless of ‘race’ (or sex). Sadly, even many in the church do not believe this.

Reason three: because they must know that the Bible is worth dying for. One of the definitions of church history I give my students is simply “a battle for the Bible,” which is to say, church history is an account of the 2,000-year war between heresy and orthodoxy, between competing interpretations of God’s holy Word. I want my children to know that our Bibles—especially that we have an English translation in virtually every room of our house—did not come cheap. Men and women were imprisoned, harassed, beaten, and killed so we could read the Bible in our native tongue. They also argued, fought, were persecuted, even died over standing firm upon an orthodox interpretation of it.

MARY Harrington is a rare woman: clever (a First from Oxford in English Literature) and arguing from a secular standpoint, she brings formidable powers of analysis and intellectual clarity to the feminism she embraced unthinkingly in her youth (she was born the year Margaret Thatcher became prime minister) and entirely demolishes the ideology behind it. My (trivial) complaint is that she still describes herself as a ‘feminist’. I think she should ditch residual loyalty to this word, with all the distracting, unhelpful baggage that comes with it, and simply call herself a ‘woman’. For what emerges powerfully in her book is a re-examination of what it means to be a woman: a woman in relation to man. A Christian would quote Genesis here: ‘Male and female he created them’. Harrington has reasoned herself into a similar position, but does so outside religious faith. She begins with the birth of her daughter. Other honest would-be feminists and mothers will recognise her surprised admission: ‘Having a baby changes everything.’

For about 40 years, MERF has been reaching the countries of the Middle East and North Africa with Arabic gospel programmes. This started by radio broadcasts but gradually expanded to become more and more internetbased. These countries are largely Muslim. Arabic is by far the most widely-spoken language in the region. It is also the language of Islam. MERF uses a creative and innovative approach to disseminate Christ’s teachings among the predominately Muslim Arabic-speaking populations.

We are delighted to host the Release International annual supporters meeting for the north of England at Trinity Grace this autumn. This is for all volunteers and any supporters interested in volunteering with Release International. You will have the opportunity to hear from: Allister du Plessis, Engagement Manager for the North & Midlands; Laura Hayes, Director of Engagement; Andrew Wilmshurst, Volunteering Manager. A free light buffet lunch will be served 12:00pm, with the main program starting at 1pm. Light refreshments will be served after the event.

Our temptations typically arise from within us, as we are lured away by desires that give birth to sins such as unbelief and sinful lust (James 1:14–15). Jesus was free from these types of temptations. He did not possess an inclination towards evil or the “inclination and propensity” of desire towards evil from within. For example, as the Sinless One, filled with the Spirit beyond measure, he did not experience lust in his heart towards a woman; however, that does not mean he did not find certain women attractive. As a man, he would have experienced a natural attraction to a beautiful woman. Beauty is necessarily attractive. Nevertheless, this “attraction” was always kept perfectly in check. Never once did it move to the realm of lust or covetousness. He not only treated but thought of women with “absolute purity” (1 Tim. 5:2). To depend on oneself or to give in for a moment to a lustful thought or action always carries an appeal, but Jesus could not and did not do that. He always entrusted himself to his Father. He always responded perfectly to any situation in which he found himself tempted.

Benjámin, his wife Zsófi, his brother Máté and their friend, Bence, joined us temporarily in 2020 as they awaited the Lord's leading in plan)ng a church on the Buda side of town. The time has come, with both joy at the prospect of the opportunities inherent in this work, and with deep sadness as they leave a void in leadership, music (Bence regularly played the organ and has compiled our new hymnal), assistance with transla)on from all three men, hospitality, and a rich and compassionate brotherly affec)on, to the glory of God and benefit of others. This departure has raised a further sense of urgency in praying for addi)onal elders and deacons. May you join us in that to the growth of the church, spread of the gospel and glory of God.

Stephen Silamo from Rendille in northern Kenya writes: It's hot, boiling and extremely dry in Korr as it is in most parts of the country, as its long drought spell continues. The situation is dire, the outlook forlorn. The future of Rendille and neighbours looks bleak for facing disaster, great hunger looms at a time when most of people have lost all their livelihood (animals). The sun has been merciless these past four months. Majority of Rendille people were hit hard by a devastating drought and chances of any timely recovery are dwindling with each passing day as the sun rises with a vengeance early morning. But in all these, the Lord God is sovereign, gracious and faithful. To Him be the glory. We are grateful for His protection and providences. Please, pray for the situation, pray for us in our evangelistic efforts and as we reach out to these villages with the gospel. Pray that the Lord would raise people who would consider providing food aid to these vulnerable people. Grace to you.

Unlike us, there is nothing precarious about God’s existence. He has life in Himself and He is altogether perfect. He never changes, either for better or worse or to adapt to changing circumstances. So when a recent survey has shown that almost half of evangelicals in the US say ‘yes’ to the question, ‘Does God change?’ it raises questions about how solid someone’s faith is if they are not relying on the unchangeable God – and how lively their hope for the future can be. With our circumstances continually in flux and fears often threatening to overwhelm us, the comfort and hope that comes from the constancy of God cannot be underestimated. Faith in the unchanging and unchangeable God was what sustained one overwhelmed and fearful believer in Psalm 102.

One of the great joys of our inaugural assembly of confessional Baptist churches in the UK this week (full report forthcoming),, was to hear about the work of the gospel across the world in places like Poland, Serbia and Portugal. It was greatly encouraging to learn about a confessional Baptist church in Porto, located in the north of Portugal, where evangelical churches are very few and the gospel is largely unknown. By building close connection with such like-minded churches across the world, we can be all the more zealous and sacrificial in our prayers and our giving. Click below to read the latest newsletter.

Release International’s associate ministry in Poland has been working with Christians in Ukraine who have suffered persecution in the Donbas area under Russian occupation. They have been helping Church leaders in newly liberated districts deliver relief aid and preach the gospel. And many Ukrainians are responding. Release International’s associate Maciej Wilkosz says, ‘I have never seen such a hunger for God in any other country.’

Rishi Sunak has committed to bringing forward a review of statutory guidance on Relationships and Sex Education (RSE), in light of the “safeguarding scandal” of inappropriate materials being used in schools. The Prime Minister made the pledge in the House of Commons yesterday in response to a question from Miriam Cates MP. She told Mr Sunak that children are being “subjected to lessons that are age-inappropriate, extreme, sexualising and inaccurate, often using resources from unregulated organisations that are actively campaigning to undermine parents. This is not a victory for equality, it is a catastrophe for childhood.”

A judge has overturned the conviction of a Christian street preacher who was arrested and reported to Prevent for ‘misgendering’ a member of the public. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Dave McConnell, 42, from Wakefield, was appealing a conviction today at Leeds Crown Court after he was arrested under section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 for ‘insulting’ a member of the public in Leeds City Centre on 8 June 2021.

Here the daffodils are again a cascade of yellow and green. Since I planted mine eighteen years ago they have never failed to bring joy and hope for better days. Despite not paying them much attention and disturbing their winter slumber when digging out the weeds they faithfully appear in all their glory. They even pop their heads up in the depths of winter to give us some encouragement. These lovely flowers herald the good news that Spring is on its way. Most times they get bruised and battered as the remaining barrage of winter hail and snow lay them low, but undeterred they often rise again, stand tall, and tell us that the winter of this fallen world will soon bring forth the spring of perfect heavenly bliss.

Educate & Celebrate is a controversial LGBTQ campaign group, which promotes the use of LGBTQ materials in schools across the country. In 2018, the group was invited to Trent College, to train staff. Elly Barnes, leader of Educate & Celebrate, opened the training by telling staff to chant “smash heteronormativity.” ‘Smashing heteronormativity’ might sound like a complicated term – but what it means is that they want to destroy the Christian, and biological understanding of sex, that there are men and women, and that men and women belong together. This is the view most people have held for millennia, and the vast majority still holds today. We believe that a group like this should have no place in schools. Please sign the petition urging the Secretary of State for Education to be taken out of schools and receive no more public funding, as a matter of urgency.

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for praying for our week in Tijuana Mexico and the Missions and Evangelism class we held there. It was truly an amazing time. In every way it exceeded my expectations. The lectures were excellent as we considered the theology of mission in the Old and New Testament Scriptures; we heard from three different couples about their experience of planting churches among unreached language groups and thanked God for His saving mercies to people who had never heard of Jesus Christ; we met young couples who have dedicated their lives to reaching other unreached people group. Our students were given a wonderful exposure to the Lord's work. Please pray for long term benefits from the week, such as couples who will go and men who will lead their churches to support missions aggressively. The Lord is doing great things!

Nigeria’s ruling party candidate Bola Tinubu has been declared the winner of the country’s weekend presidential election. The 70-year-old received 37% of the vote, official results show. However, those statistics suggest voter turn-out was only 27%, one of the lowest since the end of military rule in 1999. In the build-up to the election Release International partners warned that on-going internal security is the number one issue that the new administration would have to face. Over the past two decades Christians in the north of the country and across its central belt have faced horrific, violent persecution at the hands of Islamist militia groups.

1 Wednesday 1) Pray that the Elders of TBC Donholm will be granted Christ-like shepherd hearts and wisdom and be rooted in the Word and Prayer. 2) EA will be doing the Kiswahili Sermons from March. He will start a series on Daring To Be Different In a World That is Indifferent. 3. The Lord has opened a door for ministry at the Nairobi West Men’s Prison. This begins today and so KN will bring the gospel to the prisoners, the warder, & other staff who work in the prison trying to rehabilitate the prisoners.

Recently we sent two of our young men to the Radius International Campus in Tijuana Mexico for a vitally important part of their training in relation to missions. What did they learn? How can we share in that learning? The two messages available below help to answer that question. The first by Radius President Brooks Buser is titled "Forging a Durable Theology of Suffering." It is well done, using Adoniram Judson as his model throughout to illustrate the point. The second address is given by Brooks' wife, Nina, and is teaching given to women on "5 Things Women in Missions Need to Know." These messages help us to count the cost if we believe we are being called to labour in cross-cultural missions, but they are also helpful for those of us who stay behind and hold the ropes in practical support and prayer. Warmly recommended!

We want to again thank all of our generous supporters in reaching and exceeding our recent special project goal! God has answered our prayers for a reliable vehicle to handle our ministry's regional travels. Our ministry now owns a 2018 Toyota Hilux Raider. As you can see, this truck should serve us well for years to come. We were also able to buy a canopy as well as cover several other related expenses. We have already begun using our new vehicle on this month's conference run in Botswana and Zimbabwe. What a blessing the Lord has provided us with to equip pastors and Bible teachers in Africa!

Not only in the mountains of Java, but we also serve in the valleys of Sumatra, specifically in two ethnicallymixed areas, namely Tulang Bawang Barat and Seputih Surabaya. We pass through muddy, pot-holed, badly damaged roads in that valley to get there. It took an hour and a half to drive only 10km (6.21 miles). These two churches are from six widespread communities, the furthest being about 25km (15 miles) from the mother church. In this location, we serve the elderly of the congregations by providing radios to listen to spiritual radio broadcasts. So that when they are at home alone, or even working in the fields, they can still listen to the Word of God.

Catch up on the latest podcasts from Broken Wharfe covering a wide variety of topics including Creeds & Confessions, Christology, The Word in John 1, Augustine, Philosophy and Theology! Along the way you might even find out what Jonny & John-Mark got for Christmas...

Marriage is the place where the difference of the sexes finds its central significance. Even the word signifies the joining of the two in a way which implies compatibility which arises from intrinsic difference; reflected of course in the act of married bodily union, but reaching into every other area of life. It is in the marriage of the sexes that their inherent, beautiful difference results in the blessing and fruitfulness of children. Nowhere is the difference of the sexes more clear, more celebrated, more beautiful, and more constructive. To redefine marriage is to erase all the good and rich things in human life which arise from the difference between the sexes, and to replace them with a flat, grey uniformity. Neither man nor woman brings anything to family, to society, and to each other, which is distinct from what the other can bring. They are entirely interchangeable.

The concerted attack on Kate Forbes from the media, the ‘twittering class’, political opponents and her own party reveals this has to do not with mere politics but with the darkness of our nation in its hastening rejection of all that is good, holy and true. The land of the Book has become the land of the Beast and hard days lie ahead for all who will stand with, and for, the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian and secular commentators have written on the hypocrisy of the witch hunt against Kate Forbes in the name of ‘tolerance’; the religious discrimination (and cowardice) which hounds a Christian on questions of homosexuality while walking on eggshells around a Muslim; and the absurd irony of making obeisance to the cult of ‘trans’ the touchstone of acceptability in political leadership – the very issue which finally sank Nicola Sturgeon.

Transhumanism is a movement that holds that scientific and technological advances can be used to improve humanity. For example, to increase life-span, to get rid of diseases through gene modification, to implant electronic microchips for security purposes, or to monitor a person’s location, purchases, and movements. Some of this might seem only vaguely relevant to creation science apologetics. However, at its heart it is a godless movement, and ultimately is one that is justified by belief in evolution. Creation Ministries International first tackled the question of transhumanism in 2011. Fast forward to 2023 and it is being promoted more than ever by notable academics and leading forums, together with well-funded research grants such as one from President Biden’s government.

House of Ants partnership with the Reformed Baptist Church of Sikuama continues. Pastor Baltazar is also a volunteer teacher at House of Ants and offers Pastoral care and youth counselling. The church is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. Joining with other local leaders, they give thanks for God’s kindness and provision.

Duty is defined as “that which one is morally or legally bound to do.” That defines duty in an absolute sense. Another definition is “action or conduct required by one’s profession or position.” That might, often does, involve absolutes, but the particular actions required are relative to the skill, qualification, interpersonal relations, and professional office of a person. My duties to my children are different from my duties to the children of others but are not on that account less than absolute. On occasion, public speakers, including preachers of the gospel, will belittle “duty” as if it is an inferior motivation for action or compliance to standards. Delight is seen as a superior motivation while duty is—Well, if I have to do it, OK—synonymous with begrudging action. It is argued that love is superior to duty. However, in truth, duty is before love.

Jesus reserved one of his toughest criticisms for those who lead children astray. The Archbishop of Uganda recently quoted Jesus’ famous ‘millstone’ passage to warn against campaigners promoting homosexuality to the young. But his words have been seized upon by LGBT campaigners Jayne Ozanne and Peter Tatchell. In a gross distortion of Jesus’ teaching, they accused the Archbishop of urging Christian parents to drown their gay children. What is even more shocking, is that in this video you will see the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, agreeing with their interpretation. He even says that he has rebuked the Archbishop of Uganda – and others – for their teaching on this Bible passage. But they teach what Jesus taught. For Justin Welby to be so easily taken in by LGBT campaigners is truly staggering.

Nicola Sturgeon resigned because of the outcry at her failure to recognise that men cannot be women, commentators have said. Scotland’s longest-serving First Minister announced her resignation earlier this week, citing the toll on her health. She did not mention her blocked Bill that would have allowed 16-year-olds to change their legal sex by self-declaration without a medical diagnosis. But political commentator Iain Macwhirther, former SNP MSP Joan McAlpine, and others argue that championing the unpopular ‘self-ID’ law lost her support in her party and in the country.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 has brought immense suffering to the Ukrainian nation. So many reports have reached us all of the terrible cost of this outrageous and cruel war. But what you might not be fully aware of is the fact that this conflict has led to the persecution and oppression of evangelical leaders and believers in Ukraine by the Russian forces and those supportive of the invasion. During this last year in the occupied areas of Ukraine, evangelical pastors have been arrested, interrogated, tortured and even expelled from their towns. Church buildings have been confiscated and used for purposes that fit the agenda of the occupying forces.

Forgiveness is at the heart of the Christian faith. Christ died to forgive our sins and to reconcile us to God. And Jesus taught that His disciples must forgive those who sin against them. He said, “if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matt 6:15). Forgiveness is not an option for believers. Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses” (Mk 11:25). Christians must forgive because they have been forgiven (Matt 18:21-25). But there is a difference between forgiving a person and reconciling your relationship with that person.

A failing health service, the social care timebomb, disregard for the safety of women and children, economic stagnation, the aftermath of the pandemic, immigration woes, a crisis in law and order, the deficiencies of our energy policy – yet even the boldest politicians seem to offer little more than sticking plasters, if not proposals that will positively make things worse. Even secular commentators are talking in terms of Britain’s “fall from grace” and expressing frustration at how little yield there is for our efforts. We seem to have inherited problems from the previous decades and generations which we cannot solve, while inheriting opportunities which we fail to exploit to our advantage. At the national level it is as if something is preventing us from achieving what we could.

The Church of England has voted to “welcome” and “commend” plans to allow churches to bless same-sex partnerships. The General Synod supported a bishops’ report recommending that “prayers of dedication, thanksgiving and for God’s blessing” may be offered for individuals who have been through a same-sex civil ceremony. Same-sex weddings will still not be permitted in churches. The motion to “welcome” the proposals required a majority approval from each House of the Synod – allowing the Bishops to block amendments to their own proposals. They voted for it 36 to four, the House of Clergy voted 111 to 85 and the House of Laity voted 103 to 92.

Any discussion about the God of scripture and His ways of dealing with mankind must start and end with the word of God. The Bible is the only authoritative voice on this topic. If that’s not true, then this topic is open to endless debate from all who have an opinion. If my favorite author, radio preacher, Uncle Bob, Aunt Sally, the New York Times, my most cherished Christian publication, or even my own ‘gut feelings’ are equally authoritative we will be hopelessly mired in confusion. So, we start and end with scripture. The words of Christ himself make this abundantly clear in John. 14:6, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” Jesus not only excludes access to the Father, the one and only God of the Universe, but he also excludes the idea that outside of knowing Christ there is access into the presence of the Father. ONLY through Him. Jesus is the exclusive way to access the God of the Universe. In Acts 4:12, the apostles voice that same statement.

For more than 20 years Trinity Baptist Church in Kenya has had a ministry in West Pokot in the far north-west adjacent to Uganda. This ministry has included the sponsoring of education. There are 10 primary schools that are sponsored, each one registered by the Government whose responsibility it is to provide the 10 teachers required for the 8 classes. As sponsors there is the opportunity to have spiritual impact in the schools. In no such school are there more than 5 such government supported teachers. It falls to the School Board through levying parents, and to the sponsor, to make up the shortfall. TRAIN(Kenya) in U.K. is seeking to help provide teachers in 2023 to help these schools function properly. Some photos of these schools are put below for your interest.

The biblical teaching on the assurance of grace and salvation is vitally important for healthy Christian living. The provisions that believers are given in Christ are transformative. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The sorting and working out of your new life in Christ will be greatly helped to the degree that you are confident that you have a saving relationship with Jesus. By assurance we mean a God-given confidence that you are in saving relationship to Jesus Christ. How well you progress in your Christian life will, to a large degree, depend on how confident you are that you are saved. The strength and quality of your confidence depends on how properly grounded your confidence is. The Bible gives much instruction on this very practical and important subject. One whole book in the New Testament was written for the expressed purpose of helping believers come to a settled assurance of their saving relationship to God through Jesus Christ.

Anxieties are rising as people are struggling to respond to a complex combination of problems. The cost of living crisis, fuel costs, the war in Ukraine, the discontent that has led to so much strike action, the weaknesses of the NHS and the social care system – there are plenty reasons for concern. Fear is an instinct which can sometimes helpfully prompt us to avoid danger, yet other times damagingly paralyses us. In spiritual terms, fear can get the better of us when we forget both how great and how good God is. According to Matthew 14, the disciples in the boat in the storm cried out for fear. In the following updated extract, William Guthrie discusses the debilitating effects of fear in the Lord’s people, before suggesting ways to avoid being wrongly fearful.

This week, Christian mother Izzy Montague has taken her case to court, challenging her four-year-old child's school for compelling him to take part in a school Pride parade without her prior knowledge. Izzy's case has continued to make headlines across the world, after she was subjected to aggression by the school's leadership - one staff member even met with her wearing a t-shirt with the slogan "Why be racist, sexist, homophobic or transphobic when you can just be quiet?"

3 Friday Ebenezer & Michelle Kimathi have been bereaved again as they painfully lost their second pregnancy. May the Lord uphold their faith through these trials and make them stronger gospel labourers. They are still considering relocating from Muthara to Isiolo for church planting where they have some contacts. Please pray that God may give them sufficient grace, much wisdom and enduring steadfastness. 4 Saturday Ladies’ Breakfast is taking place today at 8am. The Women ministry has been progressing well with their Thursday fellowship and third Sunday meetings. We pray that the Lord may continue to give grace to the older ladies to teach what is good to the younger ones and all may grow in grace and knowledge.

Dear Christian Friends, Our name, International Reformed Baptist Seminary, was chosen in part to reflect the fact that we believe the gospel must go out to the whole world. We want our graduates to lead missions-minded churches, and perhaps to serve the Lord as missionary church planters. If you are reading this during the first week of February 2023, you will be encouraged to know that many students have gathered in Tijuana, Mexico to learn about the work of spreading the good news around the world. Will you pray for all of us as we seek to follow Christ's command and proclaim his glory to the nations? Thank you. In Christ, James M. Renihan President, IRBS

Despite a reduction in attacks against Christians in Nigeria in the second half of 2022, with Release International partners initially speculating that this was because of the lead-up to the elections, violence appears to have returned in January with more and more believers killed or kidnapped on an almost daily basis. Morning Star News (MSN) reports that according to its sources suspected Fulani herdsmen killed five Christians on Sunday, January 22, in northeast Nigeria, following the slaughter of 12 believers the previous Friday in the country’s Middle Belt.

CONNECT is our young people’s group for age 11 to 18 years. We seek to meet the practical, social and spiritual needs of our young people in two different meetings: CONNECT ACTIVE meets twice each month on the first and third Saturdays during term time 6:00pm to 7:30pm. CONNECT FOUNDATIONS meets on Sunday afternoon of the third Sunday of the month. The club is open for youth to enjoy the many games we play, engage in the wide variety of activities, discuss their problems/views with other teenagers and to share in learning something beneficial based on biblical teachings.

In Prince Harry’s recent memoir we can see the effect of the insatiable voyeuristic appetite for celebrity gossip. We no doubt feel sympathy for those whose lives are picked over endlessly by commentators who seem to say what they like with little fear of contradiction. Perhaps we have all felt the impulse sometimes to tell our own side of the story, take control of the narrative, speak our own truth. There are more wise and less wise ways of doing this. Laying bare your heart does not necessarily lead to acceptance and respect, it can sometimes give more fodder for ridicule. Worse, telling your story may involve you in making accusations against other people. Now you have also shredded other people’s reputations. So the drama rolls on and the prospects of reconciliation fade further away. And it’s all words! The consequences of our words can sometimes be enormous, as the apostle James pointed out long ago.

Whenever I get the opportunity to speak about worship in either a Sunday School series or an Inquirers class, I try to work in the following thought from Hart and Muether's With Reverence and Awe: “God’s intention was to bless his people through the constant and conscientious observation of the [Sabbath], week after week and year after year. Believers are sanctified through a lifetime of Sabbath observance. In other words, the Sabbath is designed to work slowly, quietly, seemingly imperceptively in reorienting believers’ appetites heavenward. It is not a quick fix, nor is it necessarily a spiritual high. It is an ‘outward and ordinary’ ordinance, part of the steady and healthy diet of the means of grace.” In a world of quick fixes, easy steps, emotionalism, and intellectualism, Hart and Muether remind us of the slow and quiet work of the Spirit in congregational worship.

Like many people in the world, I grew up with no faith and no knowledge of God. I walked with no regard for God who created me and I was comfortable with the things of this world. I regarded the things of the Bible foolishness and vain imaginations of people desperate for something to comfort them. I am sure that I would have remained in this state of ignorance without God’s intervention. God opened my eyes to spiritual realities during my last year in Finland before I moved to the UK to study economics. It was at this time that I found myself asking questions that I had never asked before. Providently God brought into my life a Christian classmate who spoke of the things of the Lord to me. I was curious about the things that she shared with me, but I could not just take her word for it.

Now a confirmed atheist, I've become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people's hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good. I used to avoid this truth by applauding - as you can - the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It's a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith. But this doesn't fit the facts.

Focus more then on this grace of love. See it to be the fulfilling of the law, for “the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned.” The end of the law is not strife and debate, nor the intricate and perplexed matters which bring endless questions and no edification. Though people claim to be motivated by conscience and scripture, yet they violate charity, the great end of both, which mainly strives for edification in truth and love. It is a violent perversion of the commandment to love, to overstretch every point of conscience, or every point of difference, so far as to rend Christian peace and unity. All these names of war, and all these fiery contentions among us, what have they been kindled by if not the lack of charity? What James says of the tongue, I may likewise say of uncharitableness and self-love — they set on fire the course of nature, and they are set on fire of hell.

Our friends at Countesthorpe Baptist church are holding a day conference on April 22nd for those involved or interested in home education. All are welcome.

Violence against Christians in Nigeria shows no sign of let-up. Following the slaughter of at least 40 believers in the week leading up to Christmas, another was killed and 53 kidnapped on December 25 in southern Kaduna state. Militant Fulani herdsmen and other terrorists attacked Angwan Aku village in Kajuru County, at about 10am on Christmas Day, local resident James Akawu told Morning Star News (MSN). ‘Church worship service was about to commence when the attackers arrived at the village riding on motorbikes and shooting sporadically,’ Akawu told MSN. ‘They killed one Christian and kidnapped 53 others who are still being held captive.’

Throughout the year we seek to engage with our community by opening up the church building to those who might not attend regularly. These meetings are intended to be especially suitable for visitors and newcomers. There are meals, coffee times, family events and seasonal specials. Please see our full schedule for the year and come along to see what we are doing, join in with our church fellowship and hear the message of the good news in Christ Jesus.

The Men’s meeting at the Trinity Grace Church Ramsbottom is a welcoming place where we seek to grow in grace and faith in our love for God and each other as we study the word of God together. We usually have our meetings once a month on Saturdays from January to November of the year. We usually study a book written by a trusted Christian author and is usually led by one of our Elders and then followed by a time of informal discussion on the issues and prayer. The meeting is preceded by breakfast with tea; coffee and a chance for a quick catch up on arrival we then begin the study. In addition one of the Saturday meetings is dedicated for outreach as pizza night where we invite relatives, friends and work colleagues to share fellowship with us and listen to God’s word.

Should our little growth in grace and in the knowledge of Christ discourage us? Indeed it is our great complaint, “Our leanness, our leanness!” It’s fitting that folk grow downwards in low thoughts of themselves, for He dwells with the humble. The more folk have of grace, the more they see of corruption, and the more they have of faith, the more they see of unbelief. But perhaps we make an idol of grace, and prize it more than its author, the Lord Jesus. He may well say to us, “Am I not worth more to you than never so much grace?” The God of all grace is ours – the fountain is ours – we are complete in Him, and He is fit to hold the purse-strings for us. It is better that He should hold our treasure than we ourselves.

In 1879, some twenty years after the publication of his famous Origin of Species, Charles Darwin wrote a letter to botanist Dr Joseph Hooker. One sentence in particular underscored a vexing problem for evolutionary theory: “The rapid development as far as we can judge of all the higher plants within recent geological times is an abominable mystery.” By ‘higher plants’ Darwin had in mind the plants he viewed as being the most ‘highly evolved’, i.e. the Angiosperms—plants with flowers (with seeds produced inside the female reproductive organ). As BBC Science put it, “The famous naturalist was haunted by the question of how the first flowering plants evolved.”

It’s hard to be courageous when you know that you’re going to fail. How can a soldier charge the enemy’s lines if he knows that, not only will his life be spent in the endeavour, but the whole enterprise will end in disaster? If, however, the soldier has hope that, whether he lives or dies, maybe, just maybe, his actions, his sacrifice, will contribute to glorious victory, then he can be courageous. Because, in the end, courage is based upon hope. A person steps out to take the risks, the blows, the bullets, because he has hope that his actions will mean something.

Forces of culture influence and shape our thoughts. In turn, what forces shape evangelicalism and the Reformed faith? Two different forces have shaped each theological movement: the Romantic idea of the genius on one end of the spectrum and the doctrine of the church on the other. The two forces produce very different outcomes—in evangelical churches, the genius theologian looms large as the one who moulds a theological movement. Reformed churches, on the other hand, have a commitment to a scripturally subordinated confessional authority, or confessionalism, that shapes the church. Herein lies a significant difference between evangelicalism and the Reformed faith.

IRBS UK is pleased to host four residential courses this upcoming year. IRBS serves a global constituency, offering Masters degrees which provides robust academic preparation theological and ministerial disciplines. The courses are also available to pastors and men who desire to grow in their understanding of theology and be refreshed by the sound biblical teaching. All our instructors are outstanding scholars and experts in their respective fields, as well as having a wealth of knowledge and experience as pastors. These are the four courses in 2023: January 9th – 13th: Baptist Symbolics, Dr. Jim Renihan. April 24th – 28th: Gospels, Dr. Jeffery Riddle. July 10th – 14th: Hermeneutics, Dr. Rich Barcellos. September 11th – 15th: Puritanism, Dr. Robert Strivens.

As humans we are constrained by time. The passing of one year to the next is something entirely out of our control – all we can do is mark dates and recognise milestones. The only constant from one generation to the next is God. He is outside of time, because time is something that He created. The amazing thing is that as He stands outside of time and remains entirely unaffected by the passing of moments and millennia, He has chosen to make Himself a safe haven for sinful creatures vulnerable to change and decay. This thought was a tremendous comfort to Moses, the man of God, in his prayer to God in Psalm 90. David Dickson in this updated extract identifies the four sources of comfort that Moses draws from God’s unchangingness and unchangeableness for sinners who are reconciled to Him, especially when they may be wrestling with the swift passage of time and difficulties and sorrows in life.

On the border of Sumy region, shelling of villages continues. Residents live under constant tension and threat, literally living 500 metres from the border with Russia. Oleksiy Myroshnychenko, the pastor of Krasnopillia village church, is one of the volunteers regularly ministering there. He shares about the difficulties local people experience where electricity is often cut off for several weeks at a time, logistics and delivery of goods are poor, and quality communication almost impossible. Pastors and church leaders are monitoring the needs and trying to respond to them. Some are urgently bringing these people generators, fuel, bread, and other food products. It is reported that recent events and the large-scale war is making people more open to God. They are happy to receive Bibles, and believers are enthusiastic to share their faith with friends. Houses of Prayer [church buildings] are being filled with seeking people, while repentance and conversion to God are regularly happening – praise the Lord!

6 Friday We hope to begin preparing for the monthly Meaty Forum this year as we trust the Lord to give it a new impetus. The two Dine & Listen evangelistic dinners were well organized and attended. The Couple’s Dinner was also well attended. May the Lord use these efforts to save his elect. 7 Saturday Manases and Gloria Bor’s youngest son passed on last month leaving much grief and pain. The Lord gave them much grace to face this trial and the brethren are back in Meru. The young church came very well to offer them all the support. Let us continue to pray for TRBC Meru as they continue to proclaim Christ. 8 Sunday Ministry today: MI continues with the SS on Assurance and will pick up Romans 8:26-27 on the Help of the Spirit in Prayer. DK will preach in the afternoon from 2 Samuel. PG is ministering at GRBC along with Nate Davidson. Today we have the Lord’s Supper in both places.

We thank God for using the gospel of his Son to draw his elect to us and increasing our ranks. While Murungi has been doing an exposition of Romans on Sunday mornings and Micah in the afternoons, Eric has just concluded the Sermon on the Mount, Dominic is preaching through 1 John and 2 Samuel. Kevin has been doing 2 Peter with men fellowship. All the sermons are live-streamed on our You-Tube channel & Facebook page. Major evangelistic events this year were the 10-month Meaty Forum and two Dine & Listen (evangelistic dinner) events. We praise God for his kindness to us this year; From January to December, we admitted about 43 into our membership. This is the highest number ever since the church began in 1978, about half were baptized. We thank God for this is indeed the work of his grace. We have also seen a few members move to different parts of the world.

Today, secular activists are very concerned about climate change. Ethicists are toying around with human/animal hybrids. Issues concerning the value of extremely disabled and sick babies or old people cause people to wonder if their lives are worth prolonging. These issues and more can confuse Christians; what biblical principles help us navigate these tough issues? We should not be surprised that we find the answer in Genesis. Who owns the world? The Bible is clear: God is the owner of the world. He created it, and He retains the right to control it.

We love Him because He has taken on Him our nature. This is a very familiar thing that you have heard of very often, but it is soon forgotten, and little thought of. He took upon Him our nature. He took not upon Him the nature of angels, but the nature of poor ruined man. Oh, this is a heart-engaging consideration! Many think nothing of it, that Christ left His place in heaven, came out from the Father’s bosom, and took upon Him our nature. But is it not a great wonder? The eternal Son of God, the second person of the glorious Trinity, came down here on earth, and took on Him the nature of the seed of Abraham! O wonderful condescension! Many think nothing of it, but let me tell you, poor sinners could never otherwise have gone up to heaven to Him. No; for if He had appeared like Himself, the second person of the ever-blessed Trinity, if He had appeared in His regal robes of glory and majesty, we could not have looked near Him. The Lord became bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh. And should not this engage us to love Him very much?

A British woman has been arrested for standing silently on the pavement praying. The implications for freedom of speech, freedom of religion and even freedom of thought are staggering. Please pray that she will be given strength, wisdom and grace as she fights her arrest through the courts. Above all, pray for our nation in its utter darkness and wicked determination to destroy the testimony of Christ and the hope of life in the gospel of salvation.

Further concerns for the Christian community in Mozambique are raised by a demand by Islamic State Mozambique (ISM) terrorists for Christians and Jews to pay a jizya tax to signal their submission to an Islamic Caliphate in Cabo Delgado Province. ISM pledges to kill all Christians and Jews unless they convert to Islam or pay the tax. The message also threatens with death moderate Muslims who do not support ISM’s cause. These demands were also issued in IS’s weekly newspaper, published on 10 November. Classical Islam and sharia (Islamic law) teach that non-Muslim “People of the Book” – that is, Jews and Christians – who do not convert to Islam are permitted to live so long as they accept a second-class dhimmi status. They must then abide by various restrictions, including the payment of jizya to their Muslim conquerors, as a sign of their subjugation. These practices are no longer officially enforced by the government of any Muslim-majority country.

In this latest podcast from Broken Wharfe, with special guest Eddie Roberts from Stanley Park Church in Liverpool, the guys follow on from their previous discussion about preaching as God's primary means of grace. They ask, 'if the preaching of the Word of God is really such a special and unique event, what are we to make of boring preaching?' Is it a problem with the hearer or the preacher and how do we resolve this issue?

How good and pleasant it is when the Lord’s people meet together, united in the work of the Gospel. All who attended this year’s IC at the John Calvin Centre in Larnaca joined with one heart in praising God. Praising him for past benefits, His forgiveness of our sins, healing and hope and for the assurance of his steadfast love (Psalm 103:1-5). For many it was a time of renewal. Renewal of in-person fellowship and reinvigorating the vision for MERF’s mission. Ministry reports were of both harvest fields and battlefields; telling of blessings and conflicts. The international MERF support bodies provide the supply line of prayers and provisions. The front-line field workers seek to steadily advance the kingdom by gospel proclamation amid hardships. Like war correspondents reporting, representatives could tell of the victories of the Lamb and human weakness.

Thrilling reversal is what Christmas is all about. God insists on showcasing his power through weakness and his wisdom through foolishness so that we would stop and stare, wonder and worship. Thrilling reversal is the theme of Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1:46-55, in which we see that God moves in mysterious ways so that we would give him all glory. After learning from the angel Gabriel that she would conceive in her virgin womb by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear the Son of God, Mary flew to her cousin Elizabeth, who was also unexpectedly expecting. And as Mary drew near carrying the embryonic little Lord Jesus, John, the prenatal prophet, leaped in Elizabeth’s womb, and Elizabeth sang a song of joy, humility, and faith. So, Mary responded with a song of her own, stitching together patches of Old Testament passages, relishing in God’s reversals.

Something that really happened in the past and has some truth can easily get distorted. In the case of Bishop Nicholas, we have a good example of how a normal benevolent man who lived long ago was given an exalted status by the church, made into a Saint, and finished up as our present-day Father Christmas. We need to be careful to separate legend from fact. In contrast to the legend of Nicholas the record of Jesus Christ has remained the same ever since divinely inspired writers wrote about him in the Bible. The life and record of Jesus Christ, his ministry, atoning death and resurrection is not legend but reliable and dependable truth.

It is one of best-known facts of Bible; yet it is shrouded in mystery. Its details are rehearsed every year in preaching, reading and song; yet they defy our comprehension. The virgin birth - or, more accurately, the virginal conception - of the Lord Jesus Christ is the point at which the transcendence and immanence of God converge and they do so in a way that defines the destiny of the universe. The sheer wonder of it all is well captured in the words of a Graham Kendrick hymn: Oh what a mystery I see, what marvellous design, That God should come as one of us, a Son in David's line. Flesh of our flesh, of woman born, our humanness he owns; And for a world of wickedness, his guiltless blood atones.

This January we will be looking to dive into the deep ocean that is the theology of the person of Christ. Our speakers will seek to help us to grow in our understanding, that we might love, serve and praise him more. The Trinity Grace Conference is a conference for believers aged 16-30 who are serious about growing in their spiritual lives. Our mission is to lead the younger generation of evangelical Christians to greater love, conviction in the faith and practical righteousness, being firmly rooted in the truths of God’s word for their own sanctification. Thereby, to build up the next generation of church members and leaders, for the greater purity and strength of local Churches in the UK, to the glory of God.

10 Saturday The Christmas Cantata is happening today as we sing about joy to the world for the Lord has come. MI is preaching at the event. 11 Sunday Ministry today: DK continues with the SS today while MI preaches in the morning from Romans 8:23 and the afternoon from Micah 6:1-5. We have the Lord’s Supper and then receive into membership those joining the church. 12 Monday Pastoral Internship is one of the programs we run with the men training for gospel ministry. It gives practical ministry experiences while the TPC gives the theological training. We have two new applicants coming up – John Nderitu (GRBC) and Tito Sitati (has been helping in Kitale since he graduated from the university).

Pray earnestly for Christians in Burkina Faso, where Islamist militants threaten the very future of the country. That assessment comes from army Captain Ibrahim Traore, who was sworn in as interim president of the country on 21 October. “We are confronted with a security and humanitarian crisis without precedent,” said Traore. “Burkina’s existence is in danger.” Traore came to power after a second coup d’état in less than a year. Both coups resulted from anger among soldiers at the authorities’ failure to curtail Islamist groups who have carried out relentless attacks on civilians, many of them targeted at Christians, at the cost of thousands of lives. It is estimated that Islamist groups control at least 40 per cent of the country and that two million people have been forced from their homes because of the insurgency. According to a report received from a Barnabas project partner earlier in October, more than 6,000 schools are shut, 50,000 teachers are without work and many thousands of children have no education.

I have often thought that a book on pastoral ministry along the lines of The Secret Barrister – it would need to be written by an anonymous elder – would sell well. I suspect that a collection of stories on what really goes on throughout the week and in the internal monologue of an elder would be met with mutterings along the lines of “I’m not the only one who thinks that then?!” One of the chapters on preparing for next Sunday’s sermon could be entitled “Monday Mornings: Pushing the Boulder up the Hill…Again”. Alternatively, it could be called “Can I be Bothered to Prepare a Sermon for Only Four People in an Evening Service?” Pastors can often default to this way of thinking about the task of preaching, especially when they struggle to see results in ministry. However, Julius Santiago’s book, Preaching as the Primary Means of Grace, makes the weary pastor and preacher excited about preaching again. Jesus speaks each week to his sheep as preachers faithfully proclaim the content of scripture in the power of the Holy Spirit. Santiago shows us how the Bible and the Reformed tradition see preaching as the instrumental word of God.

Greetings in the wonderful name of Jesus We once again have much to be grateful for, wishing to share some good news of the Lord's work and a few specific requests with you. To start with, wonderful news in the dedication of baby Sari, the baptism of Bernadett and the welcoming of her and her mother, Zita, into membership! Both our morning and especially our evening services have seen several visitors in the past few months, and many of these have stayed well beyond the service while engaged in earnest conversation. Several have become more regular or semi-regular attendees, which is greatly encouraging.

Grab your cuppa and put on your slippers......It's Story Time! Theological confusion abounds amid social and political upheaval in 17th-Century Britain. Persecution, the rise and fall of kings, a maverick minister's shenanigans and long journeys combine to lead a group of churches to confess a common faith in the face of adversity. How will they fare? What will be the outcome? Will they remain faithful to the God of the Scriptures? Doc Renihan sits down with Jonny and John-Mark and tells them a story of confessional adventure and intrigue in this latest podcast from Broken Wharfe.

Our thoughts are programmed to expect certain consequences from certain circumstances. But God’s thoughts are not like ours. Where we would expect doom and judgment, God’s way surprises us with forgiveness and mercy. Sometimes as we look at other Christians too, our prejudices too often come into play and we don’t leave space for the powerful grace of God to bring disproportionately good effects from sources we tend to dismiss and overlook. We don’t even understand the appearances that God gives of His work, like when Jesus seemed to actually ignore the woman of Canaan who petitioned Him to help her daughter. Defying our expectations, Jesus was in fact drawing her increasingly closer to Him and preparing to pour out His blessing on her at the point when it looked least likely.

What do Liverpool, the IRA, conversion to Christ, a call to the ministry and a confessional Baptist church have in common? Born and bred in Liverpool, minister Eddie Roberts joins the Coffee House Sessions for an interview only a scouser (slang for Liverpudlian) can give. With an unconventional family background in both the IRA and Roman Catholicism, Eddie shares how Christ drew him from political protestantism to a saving knowledge of God. In the latest COFFEE HOUSE SESSION from Broken Wharfe, with characteristic good humour and humility, Eddie explains how he entered into the Christian ministry before eventually leading a Liverpool church to adopt the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith amid challenges facing the congregation.

We will be hosting the Trinity Grace Conference from 6th-7th January 2023. This conference is aimed at young people age 16-30, and seeks to provide solid Bible teaching to equip young people in their faith, life and witness. This January we will be looking at the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, with Brett Shaw, Kevin Bidwell and Tony Flanders as our speakers. The last conference was attended by over 40 young people. There was a good atmosphere, and many benefited from the teaching and fellowship. The conference is free, although we would ask those coming to consider a donation. However, each person attending needs to book. The booking form can be found on the trinitygraceconference.com website, where there is opportunity to donate. For more details either visit the conference website or see the flyer below.

In this episode of the Broken Wharfe podcast, the guys discuss the topic of the sovereignty of God and prayer. How are we to understand what prayer is and how it relates to the God of the Bible? They also discuss how the Confession aids us in cultivating a high view of God, which leads us to communion with God, in dependence upon his greatness and goodness. What did this look like in the life of Christ? Unlike the false gods of this world, the living God may be fully depended upon for all things needed for life and godliness.

On Saturday the 30th of October I went through the annual ritual of altering the clocks. I brought to mind the tip given a few years ago of spring forward and fall backward which helps to put an end to the confusion of losing an hour or gaining an hour, I did not realise at the time that by altering the clocks I would fulfil this little adage literally.

Over recent years one particular social and political movement has appropriated common words and symbols to its own cause. This has been done by LGBT+ campaign groups, and the organisers of the pride marches. The word gay has changed its meaning from the historical sense; and now the rainbow has been adopted on to the so-called ‘pride flag’; more commonly known as the rainbow flag. Although still professing to be a discriminated minority, the LGBT+ movement has become politically dominant in most Western nations, with pride marches often supported by corporations, the police, and government agencies. As such, the rainbow flag has become widely recognised as a symbol of gay pride, but biblically, God promised that the rainbow would be a symbol of something completely different.

The programme for 2023 has been finalised. Please visit our LRBF page for all the details.

The Christian Institute invites us all to join them in a week of prayer, November 13th to 19th. They write: Please join us in praying for our new king and our government, and other important national matters. We are particularly concerned for Scotland. The desire to appear ‘progressive’ has led to a series of proposals including ‘sex swaps’ for 16-year-olds, assisted suicide, and an extreme ‘conversion therapy’ ban. It is so important to pray. There is so much to pray for.

Halloween: It's a conscience issue, and my own conscience is pricked by the thought of participating in it. However, I also recognize that there are legitimate (even “biblical”) reasons that one might have for celebrating with the rest of their neighbors. It's important to realize that historians are divided over the origins of Halloween. Some say that it has Christian roots; others say that it has pagan roots. Either way, we are to make a decision based on what it communicates today and, therefore, if we should (or shouldn’t) participate based on that meaning. From a slightly different angle, we should not only ask if it is “wrong” to participate, but if it is “right” from a biblical perspective.

A single event on a single day changed the world. It was October 31, 1517. Brother Martin, a monk and a scholar, had struggled for years with his church, the church in Rome. He had been greatly disturbed by an unprecedented indulgence sale. The story has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster.

1 Tuesday The continued drought has brought a severe famine throughout the country, especially ravaging the churches in the northern part. We are in the process of sending food to feed 65 families in Korr. There are more who need immediate humanitarian intervention. It is complex how to send such help because we cannot feed everyone in the area. Please pray that the Lord may send the rains. 2 Wednesday (1) On the 2nd October, Kevin and Paul were set apart to serve as Elders at TBC to work alongside Eric, Dominic and Murungi. Kevin is bi-vocational, Paul is full-time. May they work well together for the prosperity of Christ’s church. (2) EA preaches tonight at Kenyatta University CU on The Christian & Suffering. 3 Thursday We had full-packed Couples’ Dinner on the 28th October. Over 30 couples came. MI preached from Proverbs 18:22 on “Love Finds Love’. We trust the Lord to give the grace and build homes in which godly offspring will be raised.

A Christian MP has called on Westminster to tackle the epidemic of pornography amid rising cases of child sexual abuse in England and Wales. During the House of Commons’ debate on the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse’s final report, Miriam Cates challenged the then Home Secretary Grant Shapps to recognise that pornography is fuelling child abuse. She said: “When will the Government acknowledge that online pornography is an enormous public health issue, child protection issue and criminal justice issue that is driving much of the child sexual exploitation that we see today?”

Anti-Christian violence is continuing in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, where Islamists including Fulani extremists persist in targeting Christian-majority villages and tribal areas. Gunmen launched an armed assault on a church service in Kogi State on Sunday 16 October, killing two worshippers and wounding three others. “Kogi is no longer safe,” said a witness who survived the attack. In another incident the previous month, suspected Islamists abducted 43 people from the Kajura area of Kaduna State, the majority of whom were worshippers at a mid-week church service. President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) Awemi Maisamari commented, “There is still no breathing space for communities in Southern Kaduna. Terrorists, jihadists, bandits and armed herdsmen have continued to plunder and wreck communities.”

Keith Underhill writes: By God’s grace I was able to spend from 7th to 23rd September in Kenya. From 8th to 16th we were in Pokot North, and it is about these days that I want to write to you in this report. Pokot North is an area in the far north-west of Kenya on the Ugandan border enclosed by the Turkwell/Suam River to the south and east. We started to have contact with the area about 30 years ago when the work of the gospel was in its infancy. Now there are 14 local churches, with up to 200 baptized believers, and in each place there are schools sponsored by Trinity Baptist Church.

'Hannah' is a Christian primary school teacher who was fired for raising safeguarding concerns for a child being advised by campaign group Mermaids to 'transition gender'. Supported by the Christian Legal Centre, Hannah is seeking a judicial review of the refusal of the school's governing body and local authority to address her safeguarding concerns. Ahead of the new term in September 2021, the school had implemented an extreme transgender policy after a primary school aged child (Child X), who would be joining Hannah’s class, said they wished to change their gender. When she saw that the child was was 'seriously distressed', Hannah raised safeguarding concerns through all the usual procedures. But the school brushed her concerns aside, backed by the Stonewall-supporting local authority and the local Church of England diocese.

Why is there no chapter on the Holy Spirit in the Second London Baptist Confession of Faith? We have seen in this short blog series that the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is distributed throughout the confession and described in relation to key points of doctrine. Our last blog noted how the confession outlines biblical teaching on the connection between the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. In this blog post, we will see how the confession summarises the Bible's teaching on the relationship between the Holy Spirit and the mediation of Christ.

Welcome to the Coffee House Sessions brought to you by Broken Wharfe! In our first ever full & unscripted Session we are joined by Dr James Renihan, President of International Reformed Baptist Seminary (IRBS). Doc, as he is affectionately known, discusses with others how confessions of faith impact theological education. Drawing upon his experience teaching at Westminster Seminary California and subsequently leading IRBS, he explains some helpful reasons for taking a confessional approach in the training of minsters.

On 27th September Trinity Grace Church hosted our sixth and final association discussion meeting. We have held these meetings over the past eighteen months seeking to establish a national association of confessional Baptist churches. We thank our triune God for blessing our meetings and being pleased to unite our churches together for the advancement of our good and his glory among us. At the meeting the messengers were able to finalise a draft constitution in order to take it back to our particular churches for consideration, review and approval. Our first association meeting is planned for 7th March 2023, where we hope to constitute as a national association of confessional Baptist churches. Please join with us in praying for our churches and this future association. We also ask that other confessional Baptist churches prayerfully consider holding communion with us under the 2nd London Baptist Confession of Faith 1677/89.

Joe Anady writes: In episode 63 of Theology In Particular, I was pleased to interview Pastor Oliver Allmand-Smith about his new book, “Under God, Over The People – The Calling & Accountability Of Civil Government”. I trust that this book, and this interview, will be helpful to pastors and church members alike as we seek to understand and obey the Scriptures as it pertains to our relationship to civil authorities.

Our country has seen unprecedented change of late. We must pray for our new monarch, and our new Prime Minister and Cabinet (1 Timothy 2:1-2). While this may be an unsettling time, we can take reassurance from the fact that God remains fully in control. The Institute is active on many fronts. We are grateful for the opportunities we and our supporters have had to be a Christian influence. In particular, we continue to challenge the possible censorship of Christian content by the Online Safety Bill, and moves in Scotland to allow children aged 16 to change legal sex almost on a whim. We give thanks to God that the Bill of Rights Bill has been dropped – at least for now – and that ‘abuse of trust’ laws protecting teenagers have finally been strengthened. We first campaigned on this issue more than 20 years ago. Please continue to pray for God’s mercy on the nation.

Why would God choose to love Jacob and not Esau? Well, it wasn’t because Jacob was to be firstborn. And it wasn’t because Jacob would be a mighty or supremely moral man. God’s election of Jacob was unconditional and depended solely upon the secret will and good pleasure of God. It was “not because of works but because of him who calls” (Romans 9:12). Though this mystery of God’s sovereign election is deep and difficult, it is inescapably biblical. Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit” (John 15:16). In the opening lines of his letter to the Ephesians, Paul said, “...he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will” (Ephesians 1:4-5). The Apostle John put it in the simplest terms: “We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Given the diverse number of people groups in Far East Russia, the vast geographical area, and the predominance of paganism, there remain many villages and towns that have yet to hear the Gospel. We thank God for the 11 missionary pastors sponsored by SGA partners in the UK and Ireland. God has been blessing their efforts in the Gospel. Pastor Benjamin, who oversees the missionary work of churches in the Far East shares: “Our main priority is to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ and reach the places where the Word of God has not been preached and continue to bring it where it is already spreading. Our churches travel to villages and towns with a mission.”

Back in 2005, Rick Warren—then hailed as "America's New People's Pastor" by Time magazine—made a revealing statement on his understanding of theology and doctrine: “The first Reformation was about doctrine; the second one needs to be about behavior. We need a reformation not of creeds but deeds. It’s time to stop debating the Bible and start doing it... This is the new reformation I’m praying for.” Sadly, what used to be a hallmark attitude of Protestant liberalism has since become a fit-for-Hallmark platitude of many so-called Bible-believing evangelicals. This stance is precisely what J. Gresham Machen so masterfully refuted in his classic, Christianity and Liberalism. To pit doctrine against duty, theology against community, or faith against life is unbiblical. For example, Paul spoke of "the truth, which accords with godliness" (Titus 1:1). This is why our forefathers defined theology as theologia est doctrina Deo vivendi, “Theology is the doctrine of living to God” (William Ames, Medulla Theologica, 1.1).

In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Tragically, the 2022 State of Theology survey reveals that the majority of American evangelicals* seem to reject this teaching from Christ. The Bible reveals that God is pleased only by the worship of those who approach Him through Jesus Christ, since He alone is the “one mediator between God and man” (1 Tim. 2:5). It is startling enough that 56 percent of U.S. evangelicals believe God accepts the worship of all religions. Yet more concerning is the fact that this percentage has increased by a soaring 14 percent in only the last two years.

Asim is 43 years old. He grew up in a nominally Muslim family in Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. His father was a successful and we l l - re sp e c te d b u s i n e s s m a n . Asim is an only son, with both an older and a younger sister. At an early age, he was employed by his father. He went on to get a university degree in business administration which enabled him to excel in his father’s business. At 24 years of age, he married a distant cousin whom he knew and liked since childhood. Their happy marriage is blessed with three children, two sons and a daughter. At 28 years of age, his father made him his sole business partner