Mount Barker Presbyterian Church

Jesus Christ is Lord!

Devotional

A Closer Walk With God: Daily Readings from Matthew Henry

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Compiled by Martin Manser

“Paul directs Timothy to what he had learnt out of the holy Scriptures: ‘Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned’ (2 Timothy 3:14). It is not enough to learn that which is good, but we must continue in it, and persevere in it to the end. What we have learnt we must labour to be more and more assured of, that, being grounded in the truth, we may be guarded against error, for certainty in religion is of great importance and advantage.”

-Matthew Henry (2 Timothy 3)

Deliberately persisting in pursuing “that which is good,” as emphasized by Matthew Henry, holds significant value and benefits for believers. This pursuit necessitates consistent prayer and daily time in the Scriptures. Furthermore, dedicating time to study and listen to Biblically sound men expounding sound theology serves as a valuable means to gain a deeper comprehension of the Word of God.

Allocating a few minutes each day to engage with a brief yet theologically sound passage from the Scriptures serves as an excellent morning routine. This practice aids in becoming more and more “grounded in the truth” and acts as a safeguard to “guard [us] against error”, whether in times of prosperity or when facing the trials that God has providentially ordained for us.

Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God

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Albert Mohler; Conrad Mbewe; Geoff Thomas; Gloria Furman; Ian Hamilton; Jeremy Walker; J I Packer; Joel R Beeke; John MacArthur; John Piper; John Snyder; Kevin DeYoung; Leland Ryken; Ligon Duncan; Mark Dever; Michael Reeves; Rosaria Butterfield; Sinclair Ferguson; Stephen Nichols; Steven Lawson

The Puritans differed sometimes on their understanding of a range of issues, yet their agreement and depth of seriousness across the vast expanses of truth and experience is striking. 

In our Christian Fellowship Group we are currently following the workbook and DVD teaching series: Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God to explore the lives and theology of a range of Puritan thinkers both in England and abroad. The Puritan approach to life is worth our attention, because they viewed all of human experience in light of Scripture. Henry Smith said,

“We should set the Word of God always before us like a rule, and believe nothing but that which it teacheth, love nothing but that which it prescribeth, hate nothing but that which it forbidden, do nothing but that which it commandeth.”

We believe that this is a great lesson for all of us!

Embracing this conviction, our church congregation regularly gathers every other Friday evening to sing hymns, and to explore the lives and theological perspectives of the Puritans, and we follow our study with fellowship, and the important matter of tea and cake.

As this is in a private members home, we invite you to join us by filling out the Contact Us page to get in touch with one of our church elders.

Puritan: All of Life to the Glory of God

Family Worship Bible Guide

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Michael Barratt; Joel Beeke; Jerry Bilkes; Paul Smalley

Joel Beeke said that to the Puritans, daily family worship was as essential to life as air or water. He wrote that Richard Baxter said that “a Christian family… is church, a society of Christians combined for the better worshipping and serving God”, and that similarly, William Perkins wrote of the goal we should all set before us: “These families wherein this service of God is performed are, as it were, little churches, yea even a kind of Paradise upon Earth.” Beeke continued, [the Puritans] “encourage us to view family worship not as a dutiful burden, but as a joyous delight- a taste of heaven on earth.”

In our busy family, this little book- the Family Worship Bible Guide– has made family worship efficient and productive. Each day, we sing, read a chapter of the Bible plus the rich, devotional thoughts on that chapter from this book, chat about it, and then we pray.

We recommend this book to every family!