Hi all. 

Just reading Harry Ironsides Daily Meditations and I thought I would share some of his writing with you regarding his life in Jesus Christ and a reference to the Apostle Pauls life as written in Galatians 2:20:

Galatians 2:20
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Now I will Glory in the Cross

For this I count the world but dross

There I with Christ was crucified

His death is mine: with Him I died

And while I live my song shall be

No longer I but Christ in me. - Harry Ironside

How good it is to know Jesus Christ. Not as the world knows Him but as One who is my Saviour and Lord.

One who gives me the peace of understanding about my eternal destination with Him.

I pray if you are reading this that you will take time to consider this Jesus who was given that all could be saved.

Peter Skillen (Pastor)

braehillbaptist@gmail.com

Hi all.

What a Joy we have in knowing that God's Mercy in forgiveness for our sin is available to all even:

• from the beginning of time (Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel)
•  to the present (Romans 10:17  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved) and beyond.

The Psalmist below gives clarity below of the immense forgiveness to all.

Praying this is a Blessing to all who read it. 

My Soul Waits for the Lord

Peter Skillen (Pastor)

braehillbaptist@gmail.com

 Psalms 130:1-8

(1)  A Song of degrees. Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O LORD.

(2)  Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.

(3)  If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?

(4)  But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared.

(5)  I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.

(6)  My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.

(7)  Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption.

(8)  And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.

Free thinking

 'What we think about when we are free to think about what we will - that is what we are or will soon become' - A W Tozer

God is our Refuge in times of Trouble

Hi All. 

Hope you are all well. 

In today's daily reading by J Sidlow Baxter there is profit in what he declares for us today in a dire situation. I won't write it all but consider these few points. 

He considers Psalm 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the Rock that is Higher that I.  David was fleeing the danger of Absalom his son and was well away from the usual security of Jordan. Baxter points out about this prayer of David that: 

1. Prayer is never invalidated by geographical position (where you are)  

2. Prayer is never in validated by extremity of circumstance (how bad your situation is)  

3. Prayer needs firm resolve ('I Wills' of David).  

David is overwhelmed as we are today with saddened hearts that we cannot worship as we should, together in His Name. But that of all times is the time to pray. Lead me to the Rock - most certainly that is Jehovah (The Great 'I AM' self existent and never changing) - is David's cry in the trouble he is in and that is or should be our cry. Lessons to learn are these: 

1. God in Christ is our immovable Rock of Refuge - our hiding place  

2. this Rock is Higher than we are and high above all storms.  

3. we need to be led there - that is the Holy Spirits power.  

David was the Lord's Anointed and as such you would think he should have no trouble. David's troubles of course where the result of his own ill doing and and so may ours often be. As Christians we are not exempt from harm in the physical but most certainly we are assured that nothing will change our redemption status in Eternity. 

God is Faithful in that our eternal future is secure in Jesus Christ and most certainly not in anything we try to do here on earth to conjure up that assurance. 

May our prayer be 'Lead me to the Rock that is higher than I' resting in the everlasting arms of our loving and merciful God  

Hope this helps someone  

God Bless 

 Peter Skillen (Pastor)

braehillbaptist@gmail.com

A Place where Love is

Hi all

I was just contemplating that I had neglected my blog for a long time.

Its not that I did not have anything to say but sometimes there is an overtaking of time and then comes neglect for the things we love.

I love God's Word and always look to impart it to whoever would listen.

I hope you have found the past blogs helpful and I look forward to writing some more in the coming weeks and months.

Below was a message spoken to those who are saved with the desire to help in the sense of the Church being a family were the Love of Christ is cherished and not neglected.

There are so many today who continue to neglect the authority of what God's Word instructs us to be 'in Christ' and then there is a wonder of why we are dissatisfied with life.

The search for peace always ends when we surrender to what God wants and not what we want in the flesh of our emotional mind.

Praying this helps someone 🙏

Peter Skillen (Pastor)

braehillbaptist@gmail.com

A Place where Love is

Luke 10:38-42

Two family supports that the believer has.

1. Physical Family
2. Spiritual Family

My home when growing up was:

A place of comfort
It was a place of Security
It was a place that had a great bed.
It was a place where I never went hungry. 



When you think about it there is no place like home.
It’s also a place where we are loved.
Well ? Most of the time.



In our reading we see that Jesus was a welcome guest in the home of Mary and Martha – He came there to have fellowship with them – and like all homes that anyone visits there was tea and food on the go.
That was a sign of welcome – that was a sign of acceptance.

There was a time when it seems that both sisters sat at His feet (v39) and then Martha got distracted.
The honour of sitting at the feet of Jesus Word is something that we must be experienced in.
Gathering together in Prayer and Praise and reading His Word is something that we need to have a love for.

The desire for every Pastor or oversight should be one that promotes this and yet there is always a frustration when it doesn’t come to pass.
The Pastor cannot of course make anyone do anything – nor should he wish to.
The desire for Christ from the believer must come from within.
A love for Jesus as the head of the family and a love for each other as the children of that family.

Our true spiritual family is one that is unique and invisible to all but Christ.
No genuine repentant sinner who has come through faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ can ever be expelled from that family.

Remember the attitude of Martha v40 Finally after much mumbling and grumbling she blurted it out.

Can you not see Lord that I am doing all the work and this lazy sister of mine is doing nothing?

We should be about family in this Church of Redeemed brethren.
This was a family that these three people in this house had a close relationship with Jesus Christ.
God loves families – that's why His Word has so much to say about the family.
That why He has to say so much about the Unity of His Family – as we are.

Let us be of one mind and one purpose and that is to present ourselves before Christ faithfully and honestly.
Supporting those in our family that need help both physically and spiritually.

God will bless the Church and you as an individual.

To God be the Glory


AMEN

Peter Skillen (Pastor)
braehillbaptist@gmail.com

God is All in All

Hi All

There are many moments of despair in life and there is a propensity to let them overcome us, dragging us down into the depths.
God of course is the only constant factor in the life of the Christian and it is to Him we must always look to and depend upon.
Reading this morning from a faithful man of God's Word, J Sidlow Baxter I have been pointed to the greatest of thoughts that combat the despair of life.
Baxter's reference verse is that of Zephaniah 3 verse 5:
(5)  The just LORD is in the midst thereof; he will not do iniquity: every morning doth he bring his judgment to light, he faileth not; but the unjust knoweth no shame.

It is the three little words contained in this verse that are an immense encouragement to the Church of Jesus Christ today:
'he faileth not'

To those who think the things of God are foolishness then you will never get the great compassion of these words.
To those who have come as the sinners they are and in Repentance have placed their Faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the Cross then there is a Peace of understanding.

My prayer is one of selfishness as regards my thoughts toward God in that I want to be the recipient of God's strength everyday of my life.
Yet my prayer is also selflessness in that I have a desire for those who have rejected the very thought of God as their Creator and Saviour to come and see that although we have failed in life, He never does.

Hope this helps someone in need today or whenever it is read.

In Jesus Name

Pastor Peter Skillen
Braehill Baptist Church
Northern Ireland
braehillbaptist@gmail.com

Just a Thought

Hi All

For believers that maybe find they have failed God recently I give you this little thought:
'Its not my love for Christ that sustains me but Christ's Love for me'

Hope this helps someone

Pastor Peter Skillen

Braehill Baptist Church

Belfast, Northern Ireland

www.braehillbaptist.org

braehillbaptist@gmail.com