Bridlington

Bridlington Free Presbyterian Church, St John's Road.

 OK. It has been a while since I blogged. Apart from the fact that I don't blog as much as I used to anyway, I am just back from a great family holiday in Bridlington. "Brid" (as the locals fondly call it) is a seaside town on the east Yorkshire coast and home to one of our congregations in the Free Presbyterian Church. Numerically, it is not a large church, but very faithful people and it fell my lot (with a little bit of help on my side) to preach there for two Lord's Days (14th and 21st August) and two prayer meetings. We were joined on both Lord's Day by some visitors, including the McMullan family who were over on CEF business. Thursday morning is the outreach coffee morning in the church which is situated very strategically at a major T junction in an approach road to the city centre. The congregation has been pastorless since their previous minister, Rev. Dessie McComb, retired and so are dependent on relief preachers to supply the pulpit. Talking of pulpits, John Wesley preached in the pulpit here, although it was situated in another church at the time and obviously in another era. The present church was built around 1905 and carries the name of "Mount Zion" which is still incorporated into the congregational name. 

Castle Howard

We did the usually holiday things in glorious weather, including (among other things) two great day trips to York and took in the famous Minster, an hour long boat trip up the River Ouse, the Pickering to Whitby railway (out on one of the old diesel trains and back home on a puffer train), a visit to Eden Camp which housed German and Italian POWs in World War II, and a lovely visit to Castle Howard, best known for its use in the TV series Brideshead Revisited. All this costs a lot of money, but there is a 3 day York (and beyond) pass which works out tremendous value if you pick the right places to visit. It cost us £135 for 2 adults and 1 child, but when we totted up the admission prices and the food discounts, then we would have spent a total of £233, so you can see the value there. 

Did all the second hand bookshops but little to purchase when space on the shelves back home is at a premium. I did secure Authentic Christianity (IVP) which is an anthology of John Stott's works along with John Knox and the Reformation (Banner of Truth) by Martin Lloyd Jones and Iain Murray. I had taken a couple of books over with me and got time each evening to read JC Ryle - Prepared to stand alone (BOT) again by Iain Murray and The Legacy of Sovereign Joy (IVP) by John Piper. Both Stott and Piper would not be my cup of tea in many things, but the text that they author is pretty good and I just swerve round the odd pothole in the road.

Appleby on the Pennines

The trip home yesterday was glorious back to Cairnryan in Scotland to get the ferry back to Belfast. A total trip each way of 350 miles plus the sea journey. The trip over the Pennines from Scotch Corner to Penrith is breath taking. Even travelling all day didn't water down the holiday feeling any.  

All in all, a good time away, even if "a busman's holiday" and good to be back again and pretty relaxed. I am due to preach this Lord's Day and so on the only read wet day when we confined to the mobile home (graciously provided by a lady in the congeregation) I worked on the Lord's Day morning message. Still off the rest of this week, but will fit in another sermon preparation. 

So that's it for another while. 

P/s Yes, it was that York Minster.

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Ian Paisley_again

Olive Maxwell (nee Scott), Dr Ian Paisley, Colin Maxwell

I wrote a short piece about Dr. Ian Paisley on his passing last week. I looked high and low for the photograph to the left, but couldn't find it. It finally turned up yesterday. It was taken in Bethany Free Presbyterian Church in Portadown (Co. Armagh) sometime around 1987 when yours truly and his new wife (or wife to be, depending on the precise dates) both graduated from the Free Presbyterian Church's, Whitefield College of the Bible. Dr Paisley served as the President of the WCB. Dr. Paisley preached an encouraging Graduation sermon from Psalm 48:14 "For this God is our God for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death." 

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fpc

 Having already looked at the Presbyterian end of things, the following is the precis of a message preached on the "Free" of Free Presbyterian:

 INTRODUCTION:

 Because we uphold the doctrines and practices of Presbyterianism, we looked briefly at the origins of our denomination. Being convinced of the rampant apostasy of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, a group of men in 1951 decided against the relatively useless tactic of "staying in to fight" and obeyed God and separated from the apostate body (2 Corinthians 6:14-18/Ephesians 5:11 etc.)

We are Free Presbyterian because:

A/ WE ARE FREE FROM MODERNISM:

We uphold and preach and contend for the fundamentals of the Christian faith - which we listed - and actively and aggressively oppose modernism especially that represented by Professor J.E. Davey who was acquitted in the famous 1926 Heresy Trial in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Professor Davey shamelessly denied the Virgin Birth, attacked the Westminster Confession of Faith (although he swore before God and men at his ordination to uphold it ) and some of the major Christian doctrines e.g. the blood atonement of Jesus Christ and admitted to Unitarianism.

A modernist would not be tolerated in the FPC (Titus 3:10) never mind elevated to the Moderator's chair as Davey later was in his denomination.

B/ WE ARE FREE FROM ECUMENISM:

I gave the proper interpretation of the prayer of the Lord Jesus in John 17 which has been hi jacked by the ecumenists.

The Presbyterian Church of Ireland were heavily involved in the World Council of Churches - although they left direct membership, yet they are still in membership of associate bodies (i.e. nothing has substantially changed).

The FPC actively opposes the co-operative ecumenical evangelism of the likes of Billy Graham who sends his converts back into the Church of Rome (Matthew 23:15)

C/ WE ARE FREE FROM WORLDLINESS:

Admittedly, this is the hardest thing to be free from!

Every FPC minister at his ordination vows to oppose "the social vices of: drinking, gambling and dancing" The Church does not approve of smoking and worldly attire which, among other things, breaks down the God given distinctions between modesty and immodesty.

THE END 

 The above is only a brief outline of a sermon. More information on the FPC available here