South Featherstone Gospel Hall

  Contend, O Lord – Psalm 35 Dear Friends, there are times when opposition comes not because we have done wrong, but because we have sought to do what is right. Psalm 35 is David’s cry in just such a situation. He is surrounded by those who hate him without cause, who repay him evil for good, and who seek his ruin. In response, he turns to the only One who can truly defend him. The psalm opens with a bold request: “Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!” (Psalm 35:1 ESV). David does not take vengeance into his own hands. Instead, he asks the Lord to take up his case. He calls on God to be his shield and buckler, to draw the spear and javelin against his pursuers, and to say to his soul, “I am your salvation!” David describes the malice of his enemies in vivid terms. They dig a pit for him, spread a net, and rejoice when he stumbles. Yet he has treated them with kindness. When they were sick, he prayed for them and mourned as thoug...

  Atonement Theories & 4 Aspects of Christ’s Work Based On An Article By Glenn Butner Even the youngest Christians usually know that Jesus was born to save us, lived a holy life, died on the cross for our sins, and rose again from the dead. Yet many struggle to explain why these events save us. The doctrine of the atonement provides that explanation for the purposes of evangelism, apologetics, and instruction in the faith. The English word “atonement” was coined by combining “at” and “one-ment,” an older way of speaking of reconciliation. The theology of atonement explores how “God was reconciling the world to himself through Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Traditionally, discussions of the atonement have focused on different “models” or “theories” that explain what Christ’s death accomplishes and how. No ecumenical council ever defined a single official explanation for the whole church. Modern theology therefore often speaks of atonement models as either competing or complement...

  We are continuing our look at Numbers 6 24-26 to see how this blessing from God, through Moses, to the Children of Israel is now fulfilled for us as God’s redeemed people, and we now come to another lovely statement in v 26, “The Lord lift up His countenance on you, (Look upon you with favour!)”. Yesterday we considered God’s grace, unmerited favour and the above statement reminds us that when God sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross to pay the punishment for our sins, He was looking on us with favour. He was offering to us, pardon, a relationship with Himself and eternal spiritual life. We almost have a picture of God smiling on us and certainly treating us with love as His children. And all this has come from Jesus being willing to go to the very depths of spiritual degradation to pull us out of our dead-end life and lift us to be sons and daughters of His Father. Seeking to do His will in our everyday life, refreshes that smile and helps us to feel the love He has for us. Ar...

  We are continuing our look at Numbers 6 24-26 to see how this blessing from God, through Moses, to the Children of Israel is now fulfilled for us as God’s redeemed people, and we come to the lovely statement, “(May the Lord) be gracious to you”. God’s grace, unmerited favour, was shown all the way through the Old Testament to His earthly people. Yes, there were sad occasions when God had to mete out justice because of persistent rebellion, but He always returned with mercy and restoration. God is the author of grace, it is part of His character. But all the way through the Old Testament, God knew how that grace was going to be revealed in a once-for-all appearance of His Son, Jesus, on earth and in John 1 v 17 we have the contrast between the Old and New Testaments, ‘For the Law was given through Moses BUT grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’. Jesus was God’s ultimate offering of grace to us as failed human beings and Paul goes on to say, “For (we) know, (have experienced) ...

  Do Guardian Angels Exist? What the Bible and Christian Tradition Say In the fourth century, Basil of Caesarea wrote with confidence: “No one will deny that every believer has an angel that accompanies him, acting like a kind of pedagogue and shepherd and directing his life.” He based this on Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:10: “Do not despise one of these little ones, for their angels continually behold the face of my Father in heaven.” But is this interpretation correct? Do guardian angels exist? What Are Angels? The English word “angel” comes from the Greek angelos , meaning “messenger” (the Hebrew equivalent is mal’ak ). In the Bible the term can describe human messengers, such as John the Baptist, but more often it refers to supernatural beings sent by God. In a broader sense the word covers a range of spiritual beings: cherubim, seraphim, thrones, dominions, rulers, authorities, watchers and archangels. These beings worship God, carry out His purposes, and serve His people. Hebre...

  The Righteous Branch – Jeremiah 33:14-26 Dear Friends, in the middle of one of the darkest periods in Judah’s history, with the city under threat and the people facing exile, God spoke words of extraordinary hope through the prophet Jeremiah. Chapter 33 contains a series of promises that look far beyond the immediate crisis to a future only God could secure. “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and the house of Judah. In those days and at that time I will cause a righteous Branch to spring up for David, and he shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In those days Judah will be saved, and Jerusalem will dwell securely. And this is the name by which it will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 33:14-16 ESV) The “righteous Branch” is a clear Messianic promise — a descendant of David who would rule with perfect justice and righteousness. This points forward to the Lord Jesus Chris...

  I saw this poster recently which is true but then thought - what scripture supports it? And the answer may be longer than you think: Core texts on grace alone (not works): Ephesians 2:8-9 (the one already on the poster) - “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Titus 3:5  “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us…” 2 Timothy 1:9  “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace…” Romans 3:20, 28  “Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight… Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.” Romans 4:4-5  “Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is co...

  Have you noticed, that when someone is pleased and a smile breaks out, it is like a light illuminating their face. In fact there is a saying that ‘someone’s face lit up’. What a difference it makes, even with the most serious of people! Not only that, but if it is as a result of 2 people having a conversation, then the other person knows that they have found common ground and in general it will make the conversation go more smoothly.  The next line in the blessing that we are looking at, v 25 of Numbers 6, says, “The Lord make His face to shine on you”. This is just like a Father who is pleased with His children and wants to show them favour, even the best blessing He can shower upon them. And this truly is God’s attitude towards you and me as His children. But it presupposes that we, as His children, are doing our very best at our end to please Him. That we are seeking to follow Him and be obedient to Him. These are all examples of what a parent looks for in His children. ...

  What Is Messianic Judaism? For nearly two thousand years, the paths of Judaism and Christianity have largely diverged. Yet this separation often obscures a foundational historical reality: the earliest followers of Jesus were Jews. They worshipped the God of Israel, read the Hebrew Scriptures, and proclaimed that the long-awaited Jewish Messiah had come. The idea that faith in this Messiah would eventually produce a religion largely disconnected from the Jewish people would have seemed almost unthinkable to them. Messianic Judaism is the modern re-emergence of that original reality — Jewish people who believe in Jesus (often called Yeshua) while continuing to live as Jews. Ancient Roots The story begins in Scripture itself. God’s covenant with Abraham established a particular people through whom blessing would come to all nations (Genesis 12:1–3). Israel was chosen not to exclude the nations but to serve as the channel of God’s redemptive purposes. Jesus’ own earthly ministry was...

  Faith That Works – James 2:14-26 Dear Friends, James does not mince his words. In the second half of chapter 2 he asks a searching question: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” He then paints a vivid picture. If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and we simply say “Go in peace, be warmed and filled” without giving them what they need, what good is that? In the same way, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James is not saying that we are saved by our good deeds. He is saying that genuine faith always produces a changed life. Real faith is never alone — it shows itself in action. He points to two Old Testament examples. Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness — yet that faith was completed by his willingness to offer Isaac. Rahab the prostitute was also justified by works when she welcomed the spies and sent them out another way. In both...

  At the end of Numbers 6, God speaks to Moses and gives him words of blessing to say to the Children of Israel. The blessing is brief but absolutely beautiful and I want to look at it because it is something that equally applies to us and we can do no more than repeat the words to all we know and love in our age. It starts with “The Lord bless you and keep you”.  Then we can go to the new Testament where the Apostle Paul says to us in Ephesians 1, under the new covenant established between us and God as a result of Jesus’ death and resurrection, “God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly realms, in Christ.” Note the past tense, ‘has blessed us’. They are ours to claim but so often we don’t claim them through lack of faith. Note also that they are ‘spiritual blessings’. God does not promise material wealth or an earthly easy life, which are both temporary, but His blessings are to our heart and soul and so much deeper and will never pass away. Likewise, t...

  How would you define freedom? We all have a vision of what freedom means but there are so many types and examples of freedom that it difficult to produce a single definition. When I was at school, we defined school holidays as freedom, because we had no lessons and could in many ways please ourselves. But we weren’t really free from any restriction. We still had parents to obey and even the laws of the land, if we want to put it into a higher context. Even if we defined freedom as the ‘absence of restrictions’, that is just another word for chaos because we all need parameters by which to live our lives. The nearest I can come is to a definition is to have an unrestricted ability or right to choose. But even that is lacking in full content. On the other hand, being set free is perhaps easier to define, that is the removal of some restriction or barrier. So when we come to the words of Jesus, “If the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed”, what does that mean? Well, Je...

  When we come to study the book of Revelation, it is very easy to lose any sense of interpretation. Indeed, well-known and respected commentators have subscribed to differing interpretations and have backed up their interpretations by other passages in the Bible. As all of the events and outcomes are totally beyond our control, I have a tendency to look for ‘jewels’ found in all of the chapters which speak to me, guide me and encourage me in my own spiritual life on earth now and the verse I am looking at, though due to occur in the future, is so relevant now and particularly around the Lord’s Table. The verse is found in Revelation 11 v17 and refers to a group of people in the future, but its message is for us all today. “We give You thanks, O Lord God Almighty!” This is not just an action reserved for Sunday morning but should be a constant attitude of our hearts. We have been saved, we have a wonderful Saviour, and we worship and are sustained by the sustainer of the whole and ...

  Rise Up, My Love – Song of Solomon 2 Dear Friends, the Song of Solomon is a book filled with the language of love — deep, personal, and intimate. In chapter 2 we hear the voice of the Beloved calling to His bride, and we catch a beautiful picture of the relationship Christ desires with His people. The chapter opens with the bride saying, “I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.” She sees herself as ordinary, yet the Beloved replies, “As a lily among thorns, so is my love among the young women.” In His eyes she is precious and set apart. That is how the Lord Jesus sees those who belong to Him — not because of our beauty, but because of His love. Then comes the invitation that runs through the whole chapter: “My beloved speaks and says to me: ‘Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away…’” (Song of Solomon 2:10 ESV) Winter is past. The rain is over and gone. The flowers appear. The time of singing has come. The Beloved calls His bride out of the cold and into the warmth...

  In America, there is a song which comes next to the American National Anthem in importance, which is called, the Battle Hymn of the Republic and its first line goes like this, “Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord”. I haven’t a clue how the rest of it goes, but it contains the word ‘Glory’. It turned me to 2 verses in the Bible, one in the Old Testament and the other in the New. The first verse is found in Deuteronomy 5 and says, “The Lord our God has shown us His glory and His greatness!”.  This was the response of the Children of Israel when Moses came down with the 10 Commandments and the way they were given by God to Moses. This was the best way they could think of to express the physical miracles and events when God spoke to Moses on the Mount and also the escape across the Red Sea. God worked in a miraculous way and showed some of His infinitely glorious character by physical signs to encourage the People. And then we turn over to the New Testament, ...

  If the Jesus You’ve Met Hasn’t Changed Your Life… There’s a searching truth that needs to be spoken clearly in our day: If the Jesus you’ve met hasn’t changed your life, you haven’t met Jesus — you’ve met religion. It is possible to know a great deal about Jesus and never actually know Him. You can attend church regularly, serve faithfully, quote Scripture, sing the songs, and still remain essentially unchanged on the inside. Religion can look impressive on the outside while leaving the heart untouched. True relationship with Jesus is completely different. It is rooted in love, grace and acceptance. It transforms from the inside out. It is personal, intimate and ongoing — you talk to Him, walk with Him, and rely on Him daily. When a person truly meets Jesus, something radical happens. The Bible puts it this way: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV) God does not simply improve the old...

  Waiting on God – 1 Samuel 13:5-18 Dear Friends, there are moments in life when pressure mounts, fear rises, and waiting on the Lord feels almost impossible. Saul faced exactly such a moment early in his reign, and his response changed the course of Israel’s history. The Philistines had gathered a vast army — thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and troops “like the sand on the seashore.” Israel was terrified. Many of Saul’s men hid in caves, holes, rocks, tombs and cisterns. Others fled across the Jordan. Those who remained with Saul at Gilgal were trembling. Samuel had told Saul to wait seven days until he arrived to offer the sacrifices. Saul waited, but when Samuel did not appear and the people began to scatter, he took matters into his own hands. He offered the burnt offering himself. The moment he finished, Samuel arrived. Samuel’s question was sharp: “What have you done?” Saul offered excuses — the people were scattering, Samuel was late, the Philistines were ...

  Today again we are staying in Philippians but moving on to another challenging verse, if we want to follow Jesus. Remember what the Apostle Paul was before he met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He had a bright future ahead of him, as far as the Jewish religion and hierarchy were concerned. He was even on a mission from the High Priest himself when his life was changed forever. Maybe our conversion was not as dramatic as Paul’s but the verse we will look at briefly should still dominate and direct our Christian life and our conversion ambitions.  Paul’s world and future was turned inside out and upside down when he met Jesus and in Christian history there has never been a more committed Christian than Paul. The verse in Philippians is found in Chapter 3, “Indeed, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord”.  Where do we stand in terms of this verse? I believe none of us who are reading this can come anywhere near this commitm...

  Led by Shaun Fereday, Leader @ SFGH Churc h Continuing the Qualifications for Elders: Sober-Minded, Self-Controlled, Respectable, Hospitable & Able to Teach 1 Timothy 3:2-7 Good evening, friends — we continued our careful journey through 1 Timothy chapter 3 last night, picking up where we left off on the character qualities God requires for those who serve as elders/overseers. Shaun reminded us of the overall plan: we’ve already explored what an elder and a deacon are, and we’re now working systematically through the qualifications. Some of the list will be covered before the summer break, with the rest (including deacons) resuming in September. Shaun read the full passage from 1 Timothy 3:2-7 (ESV) to give us the complete picture: “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own hou...

  I have been unable to get a verse in Philippians 2 out of my mind. We often turn to this chapter on a Sunday morning because it tells us so graphically of how much Jesus was prepared to put to one side, when He didn’t have to as the Son of God and it tells us just what depths He was prepared to go to secure our salvation.  We can read and marvel at the way He endured what man and Satan did to Him and then we have the glorious result of all His suffering, that God has highly exalted Him. But I just want to join 2 parts of the passage together because it tells us what our normal Christian life should be like. “Let this mind be in you, that was also in Christ Jesus …… who humbled Himself….”.  We know that Jesus example is all that we should aim at with the help of the Holy Spirit, to be like Him. But do we realise that we have nothing in ourselves to be proud of and that we too should ‘humble ourselves before a holy and righteous God. Paul could ask the question, “Where is...

  After Pentecost, when the new church was forming, based on Jesus’ sacrifice and resurrection, the new believers, all Jews, had effectively been cut off from their families and friends because they had turned from the Jewish religion to what was going to be known as the Christian religion. So it was natural for them to stick together because they still needed the fellowship of people. We have that classical Christian growth and unity statement in Acts 2 v 42, “And they continued steadfastly in the Apostles doctrine, breaking of bread , fellowship and prayer”. Was their fellowship based purely on common belief? Well, partly but that common belief itself had its roots in a person, none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also the Son of God, god in human form. The Apostle John, writing his first letter to the churches, many years after Jesus had returned to heaven and Pentecost, summed up the basis of our fellowship, “Truly, our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son, J...