Well, thank you very much for the invitation to share with you this evening and this Your Harvest weekend. It is a privilege to be here. I have worshipped with you on many occasions down through the years, but it is a privilege to be able to bring the Word of God tonight and also to share something of the Christian Institute. So I'm grateful to the Reverend Brian for his invitation and for the privilege of that opportunity, and thanks also to our sister for ministering in song as well. I want to turn to the Word of God, first of all, to chapter 16 of the book of Acts. Acts chapter 16, reading from the 16th verse. Acts chapter 16, and commencing to read at verse number 16. And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her master's much gain by soothsaying. The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the Spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour. And when her masters saw that the hope of their gains was gone, they caught Paul and Silas and drew them into the marketplace unto the rulers, and brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans. And the multitude rose up together against them, and the magistrates rent off their clothes and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailer to keep them safely, who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison and made their feet fast in the stalks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God. And the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had fled. But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no harm, for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas. and brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them and rejoiced, believing in God with all his house. And when it was day, the magistrates sent the sergeants, saying, Let these men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go. Now, therefore, depart and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly, uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison. And now do they thrust us out privily? Nay, verily, but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the sergeants told these words unto the magistrates, and they feared when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city. And they went out of the prison, and entered into the house of Lydia. And when they had seen the brethren, they comforted them, and departed. And turn forward also to 1 Timothy chapter 2, 1 Timothy chapter 2, and I want to read the first four verses. 1 Timothy chapter 2. I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings, and for all that are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. Amen. There ends our reading from the Word of God. I want to refer to those passages, but just before we do, let's unite our hearts again in prayer. Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we do give thanks tonight for the Word of God, for, indeed, the fact that it is quick and powerful, that it speaks into every situation of life. And Thy Word is truth, for it is not simply written of men, but men wrote as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. And, Lord, we give thanks that we can come to Thy Word and trust what it has said can be applied to every situation of life. And, Lord, as we consider Thy Word tonight, We do pray that it would point us more and more to the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour, that it would point us more and more and help us conform to the likeness of Him. Speak to each one of our hearts, and we pray all that is said, all that is done would uplift His precious name. Forgive our many sins, we ask. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Well, if you will keep open the Bible passage from 1 Timothy 2, I want to refer to these verses, because here in this passage, the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is writing about something he clearly regards as extremely significant. That's why he urges us in verse 1 to consider it first of all. that is of utmost importance. And the subject of the Bible's enthusiasm here is the subject of prayer. Prayer for all men, that is, prayer for everyone in general, but prayer for kings and for all that are in authority in particular. And since the Word of God considers prayer for earthly governments to be such an urgent duty of Christian believers, we stand to learn important truths by considering this passage in greater detail. So, first of all, we are called upon to pray for kings and for all that are in authority. Now, for those first century Christian believers receiving that letter, that meant the Roman emperor first and foremost, together with all of the provincial governors and officials. Now, this must have sounded like an extraordinary instruction. Put yourselves in the circumstances of those first century believers. At that time, there was no Christian ruler anywhere in the world. The Roman emperor of the day was Nero, who was an anti-Christian despot. He was throwing believers to the lions. And this is who they are called upon to pray for. And throughout church history, at various times and in various places, Christian believers have had good reason to fear their governments. But nevertheless, note the kind of prayer we are urged to bring before God in these verses. It is not simply a general appeal that God would judge the pagan rulers and replace them with some kind of recognizably Christian government. whether the political authorities were hostile towards believers, or whether they were benevolent to us, or whether their attitude fell somewhere in between the two, the urgent instruction of Scripture is that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made on their behalf. And the passage goes on to explain why it is so important to pray for those in authority. In verse 2, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. The preservation of peace and stability, the upholding of the rule of law and order is a key purpose of civil government. The Bible reminds us of that in Romans chapter 13, the powers that be are ordained of God and they're there to avenge the evil doer and commend those who do right. And a good government will make laws that result in a free and a stable society. Christian believers within those societies will be free to worship God and free to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty. So is the motive to pray for those in authority basically a selfish one? Should we be praying for those ruling over us so that we can have an easy time of it? Well, by no means. In case we miss The ultimate point is spelled out for us in verses 3 and 4, where we read, for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who will have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. So, ultimately, the matter of praying for those in authority is a matter of evangelism and the freedom to live a godly life. The Bible here traces a direct line from government authority through to religious liberty down to opportunities for sharing the gospel. Now, sometimes, We in the West, in the 21st century, in our relative comfort, our relative ease, we can get into our minds romantic notions that religious persecution would be a wonderful catalyst for gospel outreach. And certainly it's true there have been occasions in history when the blood of the martyrs has been the seed of the church. But those occasions are remarkable precisely because they are the exception. If we were to go this evening to our brethren in Christ in North Korea, or in Saudi Arabia, or in Vietnam, and we were to ask them how easy they find it to share the gospel in their countries, I expect that many of them would give their right arm in order to have a government that would allow them to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, and they would give the right arm in order to have a government that would allow them to share the gospel in public. The full and the widespread proclamation of the gospel, which we see in these verses, is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, It depends largely in human terms on the freedom of individual Christians to live quiet and peaceable lives. So, how does that relate to us here today as believers in Belfast in 2015? Well, here in this nation, God has been very gracious to us. We have enjoyed a long period of, generally speaking, good government by the Bible's definition. For decades, indeed for centuries, the governing authorities in the United Kingdom have maintained political stability. They have refrained from interfering in the affairs of churches. They have permitted individual Christian believers to live quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, and they have allowed virtually unrestricted the proclamation of the gospel. Our parliament and our law courts have laid down many precious freedoms and liberties which remain even to this day. Today, in 2015, in the United Kingdom, there is still no law against sharing the gospel. Today in 2015, in this country, churches still have complete freedom to decide who they will or will not admit into membership. There's still freedom over the doctrines that they adhere to. There's some nations of our world where there are state-registered churches where the government controls what is preached, where the government controls who is in membership. But here in the United Kingdom, we do not have that, thankfully. Today, in 2015, in this country, street evangelists can still freely preach the gospel on the street corners, and they can still freely distribute evangelistic literature door-to-door, house-to-house, in the towns and streets of our neighborhood. And today, in 2015, in this country, Bibles can still be placed in many hospital bedsides and in many hotel rooms. And as Christian believers, we should rejoice greatly at this heritage. We should thank God for it, and we should seek to take advantage of every opportunity it presents us with to share the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ and sins forgiven through His bloodshed. But we cannot take it for granted. If you read the newspapers, if you follow current events, you must surely be aware that there is an active atheist attack upon our culture at the present time. There are people in positions of influence in government departments, in public bodies, in education, and in the media. people who would gladly abandon our Christian heritage. And, of course, they don't say that that's what they're trying to do. Of course they don't. They're more devious than that. They're more deceitful. They use buzzwords. They use smooth-sounding arguments. They talk about promoting equality or diversity or human rights. But in reality, when you scratch beneath the surface and when you read the small print, what these people are trying to do is to take away the liberties that currently allow Christians to live godly lives and take away the liberties that currently allow us to share the gospel in public. No doubt you may have heard of some individual examples within the last couple of years in the United Kingdom. A nurse has been suspended from her job simply for offering to pray for a sick patient. And street evangelists in Birmingham have been told by police that they have committed a hate crime by distributing gospel tracts through doors in a housing estate with a high Islamic population. Well, these developments are matters for concern, but not for despair. we do still have gospel freedom in this nation. And the prayers that we bring before God for those in authority over us must include an awareness of some of those threats. But, and this conclusion will underline everything else I share with you this evening, it is surely true that whatever it is right to pray for, it is also right to work for. It was C. H. Spurgeon, the famous Baptist pastor of 19th century London, who once said these words. He said, some praying takes the form of action, and an act may be a kind of consolidated practical And bear in mind too that perhaps the most basic liberty we have as believers living in a democracy is the liberty to use democratic means to defend liberty. In other words, the most effective way of preserving existing gospel freedoms is to use them. And the apostle Paul provides us with a biblical precedent and example for that. The same apostle who writes in this passage, urging prayer for those in authority for the sake of gospel freedom, that same apostle himself used his legal freedoms to remind the governing authorities of the liberties they had as a church. I'm referring, of course, to the passage that we read from in Acts 16, and I know that passage in Acts 16 is familiar to many of us. We are there in awe and in wonder as Paul and Silas are in the prison cell, chained and bound, and singing praises to God in that inner prison cell. And, of course, the earthquake comes, and through God's mercy, And through his providence, the Philippian jailer and his household are gloriously saved and brought to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And those are the events we know well in Acts 16. But what about some of the other details? Why were they in the prison cell? Well, the magistrates in Philippi, in response to what is really an anti-Christian lobbying campaign going on, these magistrates have Paul and Silas flogged, publicly beaten, and thrown into the inner prison without ever giving them a legal trial. But it becomes evident at the end of Acts 16 that Paul and Silas are Roman citizens. and they have done nothing illegal, and their punishment is absolutely outrageous. Roman citizens have been beaten, flogged, imprisoned, without having been given a proper and a just trial. And when the magistrates and the sergeants in Acts 16, in Philippi, try and release Paul and Silas quietly, when they try and release them discreetly, the apostle Paul has none of it. At the end of the chapter, he insists that the magistrates come down to the prison cell and escort them out. They're not getting away with letting the men go privily or discreetly or quietly. No, he insists that they escort them out. And this action serves as a warning to the Philippian authorities, serves as an embarrassing public acquittal. It shows that preaching the gospel is not illegal in that city. And after that forceful reminder from the apostle Paul, The magistrates would be much more wary of dealing heavy-handedly with believers in the future. So, let's make sure we take on board those lessons from the Word of God, from the life of the Apostle Paul, both the instruction to pray for those in authority and the example of defending gospel freedom in the book of Acts. These have laid down for us a series of principles which remain strikingly relevant even today in 2015. First of all, religious liberty is very precious because it allows us to openly live out our faith and to publicly proclaim the gospel. Secondly, government authorities have the power to protect or to restrict our gospel freedoms. Thirdly, we should therefore urgently pray for those in positions of authority. And fourthly, our prayers should be accompanied by courageous action which uses the gospel freedoms we already have and which challenge all threats to them. And it's my prayer that at the end of our service together this evening, each one of us will have a better idea about some of the things we can be praying for and some of the things that we can be acting upon. And we trust that God in his mercy will be pleased to use our prayers and our actions as His ordained means of preserving gospel freedom in this country for the honor of His name and for the glory of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior. And tonight, those of you who know the Christian Institute work know that we exist to defend gospel freedom and liberty of conscience, freedom to live according to God's Word in the day-to-day lives of our nation. And I'm aware probably most of you are familiar with the work, but I do want to give a little report on it, and in giving that report I want to give an introduction also for any who are not so familiar. The Christian Institute is a Christian charity. It was established in 1991. The headquarters are in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in the northeast of England, and we exist to defend the truths of the Bible on current moral issues within the public arena. So, issues such as the sanctity of life. If you follow current affairs, you'll know that Matters such as abortion and euthanasia are debated in the law courts and in the parliaments and assemblies of our nation, and the Institute would seek to defend the sanctity of life and biblical truth on those matters. We also speak on the sanctity of marriage. Again, the law in our nation and parts of our United Kingdom has redefined what marriage is. Parliamentary systems and politicians in many cases have undermined true marriage and the Christian Institute seeks to defend marriage in law as God ordained it, as the union of one man, one woman. We seek also to defend liberty of conscience and we work with Christian believers within the UK who are being unlawfully harassed and discriminated against because of their faith. And how do we go about doing this work? Well, the Institute believes it is very important that what it says is right, it's true, it can stand up to scrutiny in the media, and so we conduct research, we employ staff as researchers who look through the parliamentary schedules, who look through legal medical, scientific reports who gather facts, figures, statistics, and collate all of this research. And then we provide a news service on our website every day. Staff are going through the media outlets and the newspapers from across the British Isles, even from further afield, picking out stories that have been in the news that day that may have interest to Christian believers for one reason or another, and then we publish those news items on our website. So, it's like a Christian version of the BBC News website with matters of interest from across the nation that may have a concern for believers for one reason or another, and they're updated Monday to Friday on a daily basis. We also produce briefings and publications to inform Christian people of the key issues of the day. So, we prepare literature, we prepare resource materials as well, and tonight I have brought with me a few pieces of literature which are on the table by the front door. I have, for example, our latest newsletter, which brings to us the good news, that a majority of MPs at Westminster just three weeks ago rejected plans to legalize euthanasia. In answer to prayer, many believers were before the Lord in prayer about that matter. Many also wrote letters to their MPs, and God, in His mercy, has restrained that evil from our nation at the present time. There's also articles on other issues as well about reflecting our liberty of conscience. On the back, there's a piece about the government at Westminster breaking its promise on Sunday trading plans, and the Christian Institute has made representation to Westminster on that matter. So that newsletter will give you a snapshot of the issues we're currently involved in. There's also this briefing, particularly on the issue of euthanasia or assisted suicide. So if non-Christian friends are asking you, why do you believe what you do as a Christian, then this is helpful. It gives some points that you can make in discussion and conversation with them. I have a DVD on the issue of abortion. This is a very, very powerful DVD. It contains interviews with people whose lives have been touched by the sanctity of life. Now I should say it's not a graphic DVD. It doesn't show abortion procedures. or anything like that, but it does interview people whose lives have been touched, people who have had abortion and suffered post-abortion trauma, who thought it was a quick fix, but they suffered greatly for years to come. People who have had children with severe disability and with very life-limiting conditions, and they share the consolation they had, even in their situation, an hour of trial. And at the present time, you will be aware that in Northern Ireland there is a drive to liberalize our abortion laws. Some very tragic, some very heart-rending cases have been publicized in the media. And the impression is given that abortion is the solution to those difficult cases. And only one side of the argument is presented. I'm not diminishing the sorrow and the great heartache that people face in those situations. But only one side of the story is presented. And in this DVD, people who chose to keep their children, share their stories. So that is also available on the table. I also have a flyer about some of our legal cases and the sort of work that the Christian Institute can help and advice it can give to Christians in business and in the workplace. And those items are on the table out in the foyer by the front door. The good news is I am a Scotsman by birth, as you have heard. and all of the literature is free. So tonight you have been offered free literature from a Scotsman. It doesn't happen very often. Make sure you do not miss your opportunity. So we do provide publications and briefings to inform Christian people. We would help people write to those in authority. We encourage Christians not just to pray about the issues, we want them to do that, but we also ask them to write to MPs and MLAs and to local councils and public bodies, and we give all the information necessary for that. We would speak out on the media from time to time. If those issues of biblical concern are debated, we would be asked often to participate in public debate. And so the Christian Institute staff would make comment on the media from time to time. We would brief politicians and others in decision-making roles, those who make laws and policies that Christians must abide by in their day-to-day lives. And what about the scale of the work? Well, the Institute began in 1991 with one member of staff, our director, who gave up his job as a teacher to start the organisation, and 24 years on the Lord has blessed and prospered the work, and today we have over 40 staff all of whom are committed Christian believers. And we raise our ebonies and we say, hitherto hath the Lord helped us. And the Institute staff, most of them, are based at our headquarters in the northeast of England, but there is a small office in Belfast where two of us work, representing the organization here in Northern Ireland. There's a small office in Glasgow, where two people work, representing the organisation in Scotland. And there's a small office in London, where two people work full-time close to Westminster, and sometimes other staff are based there for particular matters as well. So that's the work. in a nutshell, but a growing area of the Christian Institute's work is defending religious liberty. You see, today we are living in a collapsing culture. I know that you are thinking this weekend about the harvest theme and Galatians 6 is very clear. We're not to be deceived, but whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. And that is true in our personal lives. When we do wrong things, when we focus on wrong things, we often will reap it in time. But that is true in a nation's life as well. We have been blessed, as I've said already, with a godly Christian heritage. Christians in past generations have taken their stand in public life for liberty of conscience and for freedom to share God's word. But today, in the 21st century, we are living in a collapsing culture, a culture that is putting through the shredder many of the Christian values that have blessed our nation for centuries. There is a growing disregard for the Word of God and there's an increasingly aggressive opposition to Christian thinking and even to individual believers themselves. And it's in the face of this background that the Christian Institute has become involved in defending religious liberty cases, helping and supporting individual Christians who are being unlawfully harassed or discriminated against because of their faith in business, in workplace, and also in the proclamation of the gospel. When I was speaking in churches three years ago, I would often tell people about the sort of things that are happening in Scotland and in England. But sadly, as many of you will know, these cases are now beginning to arise here in Northern Ireland as well. And one of the cases that the Christian Institute has the privilege of representing at the present time is the case of Asher's Baking Company. Probably most of you are aware of that firm. They're based in Belfast, Newton Abbey. They have six shops. They're run by the MacArthur family, who are committed Christian believers. And the MacArthur family established Asher's Bakery, I think, in 1991. And they run the firm. in accord with their Christian beliefs. Even the title Asher's was chosen for biblical reasons. It was named after the tribe of Asher. The Bible tells us, it says of Asher that Asher's bread shall be fat and he shall yield royal dainties. And so the tribe of Asher were known for their renowned bakers, their culinary skills, and the title of the firm was chosen for that reason. They run it in accord with biblical teaching. They don't open their shops on the Lord's Day. They have been asked to design confectionery and cakes in the past with swear words on them, with offensive, foul language. They've been asked to design cakes and confectionery with lewd pictures, and they have always declined to do so, explaining that they would not use their talents, their machinery, their staff time, their skills, and their equipment. to provide material that was contradictory to the teaching of Scripture and to their sincerely held biblical beliefs. And last summer, Ashers were approached and asked to design and decorate and ice a campaign cake in support of same-sex marriage. It had the logo of a queer space, which is one of these campaign groups, and a slogan calling for same-sex marriage here. And when the MacArthur family saw the order, they looked at it and they realized did contradict their Christian beliefs. They realized that God's word says that marriage is between one man and one woman and that same-sex union is wrong, it's sinful. And so they would not use their skills and their machinery and conscience to design and decorate a cake for that campaign. And when they politely explained their case to the customer, they refunded his deposit, they thought nothing more of it. And six weeks later, they received a letter from the Equality Commission here in Belfast telling them that they were guilty of discrimination and that they would be pursued to the courts. And at that point, the MacArthur family came to the Christian Institute for advice and for help. We were able to assist them. And sure enough, as threatened, the Equality Commission did pursue the case. to the county court in Belfast. It was heard at the end of March over a two and a half day hearing. The county court judge Brownlee over there in Lagonside considered the case and at the end of May she handed down her judgment. She ruled that the MacArthur family or Asher's Bakery had discriminated against the customer on grounds of sexual orientation and on grounds of religion and belief. So obviously we are disappointed with this ruling in the county court. It sets a precedent which is not just about the MacArthur family, it sets a precedent that will affect Christians, in fact it will affect citizens in many other areas of life. If you can go to a business and demand that it prints a slogan, no matter what that slogan says, then you can do that with printers, you can do that with web designers, you can do that with all sorts of businesses. So it is an attack upon our liberty of conscience and religious liberty across our nation. But thankfully the MacArthur family have agreed to appeal their case and the Christian Institute is continuing to support them and the case is expected to go to the Court of Appeal in Belfast next year. Can I ask you, please be praying, we don't yet have a date, but it will be probably in the first half of next year, so do remember the MacArthur family, do remember the Christian Institute, our staff, particularly our legal team, that God would guide us and direct us. And do please also pray regarding the media coverage. One of the most encouraging things is that the MacArthur family have had support even from secular commentators in the media who are not normally supportive of Christian people, so we don't take that for granted. That is God turning the hearts of kings and of rulers and of those in influence in the media. Do pray that they may continue to have favor in the media coverage and that the Lord would sustain them. I'm sure some of you have met the MacArthur family, or you have seen their gracious but firm stand on television and in the press. So please pray that the Lord would be with them. I just want briefly to mention two other cases that the Christian Institute has defended to show you the sort of range of things we are involved with. One of them is the case of a Christian cafe owner in Blackpool in Lancashire, and this case is from a couple of years ago. A man called Jamie Murray owns the Salt and Light Coffee House in Blackpool, the title is clearly Christian. The cafe has links to local churches, it has evangelistic literature available on the counter, and on the walls of the cafe there are scripture texts. And a couple of years ago, there was a lady in the cafe having some refreshment. She saw the Bible texts on the wall. She did not like them. After she finished her refreshment, she paid her bill and then went off and reported the case to the police and told Lancashire police that in the Salton Lake coffeehouse there were offensive materials on display. And when Lancashire Police received that complaint, without even reviewing the materials, they contacted the cafe owner, Jamie Murray. They told him that he was in breach of Section 5 of the Public Order Act in England. They told him he had to take the materials down office cafe walls and they were warned that they would be watching him. Well, Mr. Murray got in touch with the Christian Institute. We were able to give legal advice, and we found, in fact, that he was not breaking Section 5 of the Public Order Act by displaying scripture texts. Lancashire Police had got the law wrong. We were able to assist him in writing to Lancashire Police, outlining his case, and thankfully, after a period of months, Lancashire Police dropped the case. We do give thanks to the Lord for that. Nobody should face visitation from the police for displaying Bible verses on their walls, and by continuing to take that stand, Mr. Murray has preserved the freedom, not just for himself, but for anyone to display Scripture on the walls of their Christian homes. business. One last case I want to mention is a case that has to be kept anonymous, but it's a case of a Christian lady from Gateshead in the northeast of England. And this lady has been a foster carer. She's provided a foster home for many children out of local authority care down through the years. And she does it as a Christian. And just a couple of years ago, a 16-year-old girl from an Islamic background was placed with this lady. And while the girl was staying with the lady, the girl became interested in Christian things and asked to attend church. And under the rules that social services in Gateshead had set, the lady was not allowed to take the girl to church. But each morning on the Lord's Day, the lady left the house, drove down to church, and the girl went and walked, and they met up at the same church. But the lady, the foster carer, was not allowed to take the girl herself. And in time, The girl became convicted of sin, she became pointed to the truths of the Word of God, and she turned from Islam to put her faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. And the girl asked for baptism at that church. And as soon as social workers heard about the baptism, they went berserk. They took the girl out of the lady's home and placed her back in local authority care. They ruled that the lady, the foster carer, had allowed inappropriate behaviour to take place and they struck her off the foster register. forbidding her to provide foster care again. Well, this was the lady's main occupation. It was her main source of income. She was now forbidden to practice foster care, so she was left without an income. Well, the lady contacted the Christian Institute for help. We were able to get representation for her. The case went to tribunal and thankfully, the tribunal ruled that Gateshead Social Services had acted unlawfully. And so the lady has now been restored to the foster register, allowing her to provide foster care again. So we give thanks to God in his goodness for overruling. Now, if I could be speaking at your services for about 12 weeks on the trot and sharing with you all the cases the Lord has privileged us to work with, but I just want to mention those three tonight. But if you want to find out about our other cases, then take the literature that's on the table and You may be asking yourself, well, what can we do in response to those matters? Well, you know, the Bible says we reap what we sow. We're called as Christians to speak God's truth into every area of life, including in our nation. And if, as Christians, we're simply to hear these things, but do nothing, then we fall short and we will reap. Godlessness is sweeping in our nation and we're called to stand for truth and light in that darkness. And so we must act and we must respond. So I want to leave you with three practical things you can do tonight. The first practical thing you can do in response to those issues is to be informed. Being an effective Christian influence in society will mean that we are kept aware of what is happening and what is going on. And tonight, on your way into the service, you should have been handed a little sheet. It had a picture of the MacArthur family on it, and at the bottom, there's a section for putting down your name and address. And if you want to be kept informed by the Christian Institute, we send people prayer letters. We send you requests for action as well. Simply put your name and address on one of those cards and either hand it to me on the way out the door or there is a grey basket in the table in the foyer like this, pop it in the grey basket. There are pens provided as well. And again, it is a free offer. I won't charge you. There's no subscription for joining and we won't bombard people. with material but we will send you appropriate information for prayer and for responses. Being informed is vital because it makes all that we do that much more effective. Second practical point tonight is to pray and in fact prayer is the most important practical thing we can do about those issues. The only reason it was not my first point is because If you haven't been informed about what's going on, if you haven't received the prayer letter or the newsletter, how can you be praying about that matter? But once you've been informed, the next thing you must do is to pray. We've looked at that already this evening. 1 Timothy 2 commands us to pray for those in authority. Why? that we may lead quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty, that the gospel may be proclaimed across our nation. Liberty of conscience in our land, gospel freedom are being chipped away at. So as Christians, let's be much in prayer that God would be merciful to future generations, that men and women would be reached with the saving use of the Lord Jesus Christ. And thirdly and lastly, I would say to you is write letters. From time to time, the Christian Institute asks people to write to MPs and MLAs. When issues are being debated at Westminster or at Stormont, it is vital that people tell their politicians the concerns they have and ask them to take a right stand. And you might be saying, well, I wouldn't know what to write in a letter. Well, guess what? If you're on our mailing list, if you fill out one of those cards, when the time comes, we'll write to you. We'll say to you, this is the name of the person to write to. Here's the address to write to them at. Here are three or four things to say in your letter. The only thing we won't do is give you the envelope and the stamp to post it. Three weeks ago, there were proposals to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide at Westminster. All the newspapers were saying it would be very tight. In the end of the day, 330 MPs voted against it, 118 voted for it, so it was heavily defeated. God moved in mercy, restrained our nation, and on a human level, a tribute to Christians who wrote. There's a fifth attempt at Stormont on the 2nd of November. to redefine marriage here in our province. On the last four occasions over the last three years, thankfully, it has been defeated. That did not happen in a vacuum. It happened because many Christian people wrote to their MLAs, asked them to take a stand, and a majority did. We need people to be writing again over the next two weeks and also praying that true marriage would be preserved here in our province for God's glory and for the blessing of citizens and our neighbor. So make sure if you've opportunity to write that you take that opportunity for the glory of God and the honor of his son. Thank you very much. for allowing me to share this evening. It's been a privilege to be with you, and we'll be around at the end if you have any questions or comments, and do take the literature, do fill out the cards, and I'll be delighted to talk with you as well. Thank you very much. I'd like to thank a brother for coming and addressing us tonight. We will at this stage bow in prayer and commit our meeting on to the Lord. Heavenly Father, we thank thee for the report that has been given, for the Word of Scripture that has been read and applied. Lord, we know as we look around in our country today that men cannot sow the wind without reaping the whirlwind. Lord, we know that thou hast told us in plain terms, and that has been referenced tonight, that we shall reap what we sow. Lord, we would pray that thou would put the brakes on our country. We thank thee for this last piece of proposed legislation regarding euthanasia that was voted down by our parliament. We pray that again, When the next vote comes to our Assembly, and we have heard various personnel within that Assembly saying in recent months that they've changed their position on the issue, and not for the better. Lord, we pray again that a spiritual sense will prevail. And so we do pray for those who were in authority, and we pray that there will be a victory again for the word of God, for righteousness, for truth on this particular issue. Lord, we would pray. if there be a soul in the building tonight, and they are sowing the seeds of sin, and have been doing so for many, many years, and have not yet come to Christ. Lord, may it be that tonight their soul will be exercised, the Spirit of God will work and prevail, and that I will draw them, like the household of the jailer at Philippi, into the arms of thy great salvation. Come and answer our prayer. Do good for the work of the Institute and for every individual Christian that stands up for the crown rights of the Lord Jesus. Prosper their cause, we pray, and exalt thy word and thy precious name. For Jesus' sake, amen.