all of you to our special welcome service for Brother Mark Gladwell and his family. It's good to see so many here. We welcome especially those who have travelled some distance to join with us in fellowship today. And it gives me a particular joy to have the privilege of presiding over this service because this church has come to mean a great deal to me over the last few years. I was especially grateful when I was invited some four years ago to become the moderator until such time as the Lord brought a pastor to the church. That has been a great experience for me to get to know the church better and to be involved in a number of baptisms too by the grace of God. There have been those who have been truly converted during those years and have testified to their faith from this point in baptism. And that's been a wonderful joy to have a part in that. I've been looking forward to today. Our church at Bexley Heath and many other churches in the area have been praying for the fellowship here quite frequently and with much fervency and urgency that the Lord would lead a pastor to come and join the friends. The Lord is answering prayer and has answered prayer and today is the evidence of it. So we do on behalf of Bexley Heath Church, my own church that is, I wish this church God's richest blessing, and Mark and his family too, as he takes up the pastorate. Now, there are no chairman's remarks on the programme, so that's it. I'm glad I've got that over with. Let's hear the word of God. How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house, they will be still praising thee. Let us bow our heads in prayer. Lord God Almighty, eternal and everlasting God, we praise you and magnify your name this afternoon, for you are a great God, a magnificent Creator, the Lord of all. and our Saviour. We praise you that we can come in the precious name of the Lord Jesus, who came from heaven to live for us, to die for us, to rise again, to prepare a place for us in heaven, as by your grace we have been saved. Lord, we pray that you will draw near to us this afternoon, that we may worship you in spirit and in truth, take away all destructions from our May we delight to be in the courts of the Lord, with your people, which indeed is the house of God. We pray that you will bless our brother who is coming into the pastorate, that this service may mean a great deal to him and his family, and indeed to the church here at Belvedere. We ask it in the precious name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. Our first main scripture reading this afternoon is from 1 Corinthians chapter 2. Paul's letter to the Corinthians, chapter 2. And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling, And my speech and my preaching was not for enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect, yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world that come to naught. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory, which none of the princes of this world knew, for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. As it is written, I have not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit, For the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, sayeth the Spirit of man which is in him. Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak. not in the words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Ghost teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ. May God bless this precious word to us. Now during the years that the church has been without a pastor, A number of Brethren have helped out considerably in ministry, not only on Sundays but some on a regular basis on Thursday evenings too. And some of those Brethren, not all of them by any means, but some of them are taking part in the service this afternoon. And the first one to take part, a brother, Jimmy White, who is actually a member of my church at Drexley Heath. and he is going to lead us in prayer and following that Pastor Bill Gardner from Greenwich will bring scripture reading to us. Thank you Jimmy. Shall we pray? Almighty God, our gracious Heavenly Father, we bow in your presence, realising that we have nothing of ourselves to commend ourselves to you. We praise you this afternoon that because of your great love to us in our Lord Jesus Christ, we can come pleading his merits, his precious blood to cleanse us from our every sin, and his righteousness to fit us for your presence. And how we rejoice that your precious word assures our hearts of the acceptance which we have before you in him, your dear son. This afternoon, our Father, we have come into your house with your people and with your great self because we know that you are here for your promise where two or three are gathered together in your name. There you are amongst them. And this afternoon, our Heavenly Father, we would indeed thank you for your presence and praise your great and holy name for the occasion which brings us together today. How we thank you, our Heavenly Father, that it assures our hearts from your precious word that your eyes are upon the righteous and that your ears are open to their cry. And this afternoon, O Father, we've come to praise and magnify your great and holy name for answer prayer concerning your people here. We just give you our grateful thanks, O Heavenly Father, that you've been so much to them during this time without a pastor. We just give you our thanks, Heavenly Father, for the oneness that existed amongst them. and we just praise your holy name for the wisdom and guidance that you've given them in order that they might come to this wonderful decision to call our dear brother to be pastor here this afternoon and we ask you this afternoon our heavenly father that it indeed may be the beginning of a great session when you will prove yourself to your people that their prayers have been answered in such a wonderful way. So we will start this afternoon, O Heavenly Father, that you will be pleased to just lead and guide and direct your servant as he with your people takes up this work in this neighbourhood. We pray, Heavenly Father, that you will be pleased to prosper your work amongst them. And grant, Heavenly Father, your great name may be magnified in the blessing and building up of your people and in the salvation of precious souls. We thank you this afternoon, our Heavenly Father, for all your servants who have been so faithful in the preaching of your word as they've been your servants here. And we ask this afternoon, our Heavenly Father, as they take part in all that will be done this afternoon, that you will be pleased just to take them up and use them, that your name may be glorified and that we, your people, may be blessed, strengthened and encouraged. And we ask you, Heavenly Father, that should there be any among us who are unsaved, that even today, Lord, their hearts might be challenged. How we thank you that you reminded us in our song, great is the gospel of our glorious God. Our Heavenly Father, as we look into your precious word and read so much about you, then we come to realise that everything about you is absolutely glorious. And as we bow in your holy presence this afternoon, O Father, how we thank you that that gospel of yours given to us in such love is so great that it has saved so many hell-deserving sinners down the year who are even with you now in your presence. And we just ask you, Heavenly Father, that again as your servants during this time with their pastor will spread out the message of the gospel. We pray that you will encourage all of us ever to know that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, that he was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures. Heavenly Father, how we praise you for the blessed prospect which we have in your service. And we ask this afternoon, our Heavenly Father, that as your servants take up the work, that they might have much joy as they look forward in prospect of all that you are going to do amongst them. So hear us, Lord, as we commit ourselves to you, praying that you will give us a wonderful time in your presence, because we ask it through your glory in the worthy and precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Just before I read from Holy Scripture, I would like to bring the greetings of the church at Devonshire Drive in Greenwich. My pleasure over the past four years to come here often on Thursday evenings and to bring a Bible study and it's always been a great delight to do so. You've cut mark to people who love the Word of God. It's always a joy to come here. They always encourage you and bring you our greetings and commend you to the Lord. Now we read from the Acts of the Apostles chapter 10. The Acts of the Apostles chapter 10 and we are going to begin our reading at verse 23. We are breaking into the record of Peter's meeting with Cornelius and it being made plain to Peter that the gospel does indeed embrace the Gentiles as well as the Jews. And we are this afternoon beginning to read from the Acts of the Apostles chapter 10 and at verse 23. Then he called them in and loved them and on the morrow went away with them and certain brethren from Joppa accompanied him. and the morrow after they entered into Caesarea and Cornelius waited for them and had called to gather his kinsmen and near friends and as Peter was coming in Cornelius met him and fell down at his feet and worshipped him but Peter took him up saying stand up I myself also am a man And as he talked with him, he went in and found many that were come together. And he said unto them, Ye know how that it is an unlawful thing for a man that is a Jew to keep company or come unto one of another nation. But God hath showed me that I should not call any man common or unclean. Therefore came I unto you without gain saying as soon as I was sent for I asked therefore for what intent you have sent for me And Cornelius said for days ago I was fasting until this hour and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house and behold a man stood before me in bright clothing and said Cornelius thy prayer is heard and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God. Send therefore to Joppa, and call hither Simon, whose surname is Peter, he is lodged in the house of one Simon of Tanner by the seaside, who when he cometh shall speak unto thee. Immediately therefore I send to thee, and thou hast well done that thou art come, Now therefore are we all here present before God to hear all that are commanded thee of God. Then Peter opened his mouth and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him. The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ, he is Lord of all. That word, I say ye know, which was published throughout all Judea and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached. How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and was poor. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they slew and hanged on a tree, whom God raised up the third day and showed him openly, not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the judge of the quick and the dead. To him give all the prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all of them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard them speak with tongues and magnify God. Then answered Peter, Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptised, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? and he commanded them to be baptised in the name of the Lord. Then said they him to tarry certain days. Thanks be to God for the reading of Holy Scripture. Our purpose here today is not to perform some necessary ceremony to induct Mark Gladwell as pastor in some formal way. I have no authority to do this and neither does anyone else for that matter. He is appointed by the Lord. to this ministry. We are simply here as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ and as representatives of sister churches to recognise the joining together of pastor and people. That joining together which has come about under the guidance of God and with the blessing of the pastor's former church. We are meant to give thanks to God for his gift to this church of a pastor. and to pray for God's guidance and God's blessing upon pastor and people in the future. In Ephesians 4, verses 11-16, the Apostle Paul writes this, And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God and to a perfect man and to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. That we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things which is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, making increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. So at this point it is appropriate that we give the greetings from Marx former church, the Evangelical Free Church at Cheltenham, followed by a relating of the history of Mark's call to this church by the Church Secretary here, and then finally it is fitting that we hear testimony from Mark himself regarding the way that the Lord has led him into the pastorate here. I shall ask three Brethren in turn to go into the pulpit and speak to us. Mr Donald Ingalls from Cheltenham, Mr Paul Orchard and our brother Mark Gladwell. Thank you Brethren. It is my privilege to bring to you from Cheltenham Evangelical Church a Christian love greetings and pray that the blessing of the Lord may be upon you here at Belvidere. I had a phone call the other evening from Mark saying would I just be willing to say a few words being as what is termed the Sending Church I feel that perhaps it is necessary to say a little bit more. I could say well we commend our previous pastor Mark to you and leave it at that. But I feel that it is perhaps necessary to say a little bit more concerning the commendation to you of Mark from us at Cheltenham. Mark was inducted at Cheltenham Evangelical Free Church on the 26th November 1994 and he has been a faithful pastor with us some 8 years since then. What is a commendation? As I understand it a commendation is to speak well of one or indeed to speak praiseworthy of one. But I want us to draw some notes from scripture concerning commendation. In the 2nd letter of Paul to Corinthians chapter 3 and verses 2 and 3 Paul writes this to the church at Corinth. Ye, that is the church, are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men. For as much as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. Now it is comparatively easy, is it not, to write a letter of commendation. But as believers we should bear something about us of the fragrance and the being of our Lord Jesus Christ in other words we should be living epistles of the Lord Jesus Christ In Proverbs chapter 27 in verse 23 there is a verse or a praise of that verse which says this Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flock. Now there is a pastoral scene. Be thou diligent to know the state of thy flock and we can interpret that in a spiritual way. But Mark as pastor of this church has oversight and responsibility for the flock of God in this place. Can I as an elder of Cheltenham Evangelical Church and indeed can Cheltenham Evangelical Church commend Mark to you as your pastor? Can we do that with all integrity and honesty? If we are to follow the principles of a New Testament Apostolic Church Acts 6 clearly defines that those who are set in authority over the church and the early church, the apostles committed themselves to prayer and ministry of the Word. I say to you that Mark is diligent in that charge. In 2 Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 Paul exhorts his son in the faith Timothy study to show thyself approved unto God a workman that need not to be ashamed. rightly dividing the word of truth. I say Mark is diligent in rightly giving time to the study of the word of God and endeavouring rightly to divide the word of truth. In 1 Peter chapter 1 and verse 5 writing to the elders we read this Feed the flock of God which is among you a responsibility of an elder or one who has oversight the pastor of a church I would just say this to the friends here at Belvedere it is the responsibility of the pastor to feed the flock of God in this place but it is also the flock of God in this place who need to have a hunger for that word we have another pastoral seed as a farmer I know that you can take a flock of sheep into pastures new and unless those sheep, unless that flock of sheep is hungry it will not eat of that new pasture it will trample it underfoot and so as the congregation, as the people of God in this place as believers from many representative churches here we as the people of God have a responsibility may God give us that desire, that hunger for himself and for his word. In 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 2 we read something of the attributes and the character of an elder, a pastor, a bishop, an overseer, one who has the oversight we are told that he should be a husband of one wife as far as I know Mark fulfils that status but you see it is a creation ordinance it is something that goes way back to the time of Genesis when God decreed or God ordained for the scripture tells us in Genesis 3 verse 18 it is not good that man should be alone. I will make him and help me for him. And I would say with all confidence this afternoon that Marilyn is indeed a help me to Mark. I have endeavoured to commend Mark to you showing something of the gifts and the talents that God has granted to him. I commend Mark to you for his due diligence. Mark is diligent in the office to which he has been called. He is diligent in prayer, he has been diligent in the ministry of the word and he has been diligent in the care and love for the flock of God at Cheltenham. I go back to our opening thought, the definition of a commendation. to speak one's praise. Well friends we are not here to exalt man. We are not here necessarily to speak well of man and to put man on a pedestal. But we are here to give thanks to Almighty God for the grace, for the gifts and talents that he has granted to your pastor Mark. We are here, as we have already been reminded, to exalt our Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ. and then finally in 2 Corinthians chapter 10 and verse 18 the scripture reads this Fear not he that commendeth himself is approved for not he that commendeth himself is approved but whom the Lord commended we have already been reminded of that this afternoon it is whom the Lord commended and I have every confidence and I trust you have too that we can have that assurance we can have that assurance today that Mark from the evidence that we have experienced in Cheltenham and indeed I trust the evidence that you have experienced thus far that Mark indeed does have the commendation not of man but of the risen Lord himself. May the Lord bless you all. In spring 2001, we were already approaching three years without pastoral oversight and teaching. God had blessed us with faithful and regular teaching from many brethren. Friends had been conflicted at their need to be reconciled to God. and we have been blessed with additions to the church through baptism. We have all been striving for greater love and unity in the fellowship and we have got to know various brethren who were seeking God's will concerning their area of service for Him. During this period we have been particularly grateful for the wise and gracious oversight of our dear brother Colin Vincent. who had agreed to act as moderator during this intregnum. However, whilst we knew it was God's will for us to have full-time pastoral oversight, the Church had not yet been able to take matters any further. I was constantly seeking new contacts. And early in 2001, Eddie Orchard at Bethesda gave me two names who he felt could at least help with ministry during this period. One was of our brother Mark Gladwell. However, when contacted, neither of these brethren felt able at that time to give me any dates. So the year went by, and in the summer, Eddie contacted me again and suggested that another phone call to Mark could be profitable. Through God's grace, it was. Mark preached here for the first time on December 30, 2001. Subsequently, after reviewing the Biblical criteria, the Church's doctrinal position and practice, and other appropriate factors, the Church felt it could move ahead in faith and issued a call on 30 April to our dear brother Mark Gladwell to become pastor of this church. Whilst we have all known God's redeeming and restoring grace, we all need still to be transformed by the renewing of our minds under the influence and teaching of God's Holy Spirit, that as pastor and people working together, we may discharge our solemn responsibility to go and make Christ known. Thank you for your interest and prayers. please continue to pray for us. Facing a task unfinished that drives us to our knees, a need that undiminished rebukes our slow flees, we who rejoice to know thee renew before thy throne the solemn pledge we owe thee to go and make thee known. Well friends I'd like to begin by thanking you all for coming this afternoon. It's so wonderful to see the chapel filled to capacity and also many in the schoolroom as well. And we're grateful that you've been able to come along and to share in this time this happy occasion with us and with the fellowship here. It's good to see some friendly faces from Cheltenham and also some as far as Gloucester. It's good to see members of our own family here together with members of other local gospel churches. Thank you for coming and making this occasion so special. And then I would like to say a big, big thank you to the members of the fellowship here for the tremendous welcome that you've given to us as a family since we moved into the area just over a week ago. At one point we didn't think that we were coming, that we thought the induction would pass and we'd still be in Cheltenham. But how we thankful to God for bringing us here, bringing us into the local area to live among you. And it's been a great joy to see the helpfulness and the love and the affection that has been shown to us by members of the fellowship since moving in. and also the love shown to our two daughters Sarah and Debbie as they had to move to Belvedere ahead of us. You welcome them into your homes and into your hearts and we are extremely grateful to God for that. Now the relationship between pastor and congregation has often been likened to a marriage. It begins of course with that initial attraction then there follows the period of courtship culminating in the marriage ceremony itself where the two parties meet together like this in the presence of God to make their vows and promises to one another in the presence of many witnesses. It's a very happy, a very joyous occasion but it's also a very solemn and also a very serious one as well. And we believe in arranged marriages not of course arranged by man but by a loving Heavenly Father. As we have heard already from Paul, the Lord was working in the hearts and lives of his people here at the same time he was working in our lives in Cheltenham. As Paul has mentioned, it was about 18 months or so ago when Paul first contacted me and asked me if I would come and preach. at that time I didn't feel any direct leaving to leave Cheltenham we were very happy and settled in the work and so I declined the invitation but towards the end of last year we began to feel quite unsettled in the work we both felt this and we couldn't really put our finger on the reason why there was no particular circumstance in the church that was pointing to this but we just felt very unsettled and we wondered whether the Lord was indicating that there was a move close by. Anyway, we committed the matter to the Lord and then within a matter of days I had a visit from one of our church deacons, a church trustee, who had to sadly inform me that the financial support that had been set apart for my ministry in Cheltenham was running to an end and that they couldn't foresee supporting me beyond June that the Lord was leading us on. We didn't tell anybody at that time, I don't think. We kept it to ourselves very much as a family. And we spread out the matter before the Lord. And then all of a sudden, the phone started ringing. And suddenly, out of the blue, three churches phoned me, one after the other, asking if I would consider coming to preach with a view. And this is really the first time that anything like that had happened during my eight years in Cheltenham. We really took this as further confirmation of the Lord's leading in our lives. And of course, one of those churches was Belvedere. I can vividly remember my first visit here. As Paul has mentioned, it was the last Sunday of the year. We were feeling quite tired indeed, I think, after a busy Christmas. We really didn't know much about the work here, only what Eddie and Sheila had told me. And we didn't even know where it was. We had to get the map out and try and trace this place called Belvedere. and then when we arrived on the Sunday morning we got a bit lost and we found ourselves going round the streets of Lower Belvedere and our daughters happened to mention that the area didn't look very pleasant they put it more strongly than that certainly in comparison with the heart of the Cotswolds it's quite different and yet as soon as we arrived at the chapel here we were given such a warm reception that we instantly felt at home and one with you And as I began the service that particular morning, I really had a deep sense of the Lord's presence here among you. And as I began preaching, the thing that struck me most was the tremendous enthusiasm that you showed to the preaching of the word. It was a joy to preach. And you were drinking it in. And I know that you were receiving it not as the word of man, but as what it really is, the word of the living God. And it was an attraction. That began straight away. Our hearts were drawn towards you. And we could say it was love at first sight. And we couldn't wait for the next date. And I can honestly say that that love, that affection between us has grown and deepened on each subsequent visit that we have made to you. But I knew then in my heart that if a call was issued, there could only be but one response, I will. And so it is with great joy that I I stand before you here this afternoon, but also with a deep sense of fear and trepidation, realising my own inadequacies, realising the greatness of the task. It was the late Dr Lloyd-Jones who once described the task of preaching as the greatest, the highest, the noblest calling to which anyone could ever be called. And he's absolutely right. There is really nothing in this world quite like it. It is a task that is enormous. The responsibility is overwhelming. And even the great apostle Paul had to confess his own inadequacy for the task. Who is sufficient for these things? And yet, thank God, he was able to go on to say, but our sufficiency is from God, who also has made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit. for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. And so I would earnestly covet your prayers for us for the future days. Together, as pastor and people, we may know God's richest blessing upon this union, that it may be a fruitful one, and that God, even here in Belvedere, may be pleased to bear his holy arm and to revive his work in the midst of the years. There's one last thing that I want to add, and I feel that before I finish, reference should also be made and tribute paid to the labours of our dear Secretary, Paul Orchard. I believe that it's due very much to his foresight in making sure that the pulpit was supplied week by week with preachers, that the work has flourished and the work of God has deepened in the hearts of his people. Paul has a high view of preaching, and he rightly believes in the importance of preaching for the building up of the local church and the extension of Christ's kingdom and he has made sure that Sunday by Sunday, Thursday by Thursday the pulpit was filled not just with people who could open their mouths not any Tom, Dick or Harry but people called to preach and people set apart for that ministry Paul is a man of vision, a man of many gifts and talents, a man of great energy And I do count it a great joy and privilege to serve the Lord's clergy for the sake of the gospel. Also, let me mention, too, a happy band of godly deacons as well. Well, may the Lord bless you all. Thank you. Mark, would you stand here, please, Mark, for a moment? Thank you. Yes, you can't escape that, you see. Mark, knowing you to be a man who loves the Lord Jesus Christ as your saviour, and who is resting on the finished work of Christ on the cross, I ask you to respond to three straightforward questions. Do you reaffirm your acceptance of the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments as the inspired, authoritative, inerrant and sufficient word of God, in which alone are found the gospel of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ? and all necessary teaching for the building up of God's people in their faith. I do. Do you acknowledge that God has called you by his Holy Spirit to expand these scriptures faithfully to the congregation here at Free Grace Baptist Chapel Belvedere and to lead these people as teaching elder in all matters relevant to the spiritual life of the church according to the principles of scripture? I do. Do you promise to pastor the members of this congregation with wisdom and care as their under-shepherd, praying for them and counselling them under the guidance of God and in love of the Lord Jesus Christ, keeping watch over them as one who must give account? I do, the Lord being my helper. I'd like to ask the members of the pre-based Baptist chapel here to stand please at this point in time and respond, which we do, to a few questions. Now it may appear to some of us that there are very few members of this church. This isn't true. There's quite a lot standing in the balcony. Some are not standing. There's quite a few, especially young people up in the balcony, and I'm sure there's some out in the hall as well. If you'd like to either come to us or stand just where you are in the hall, you're very welcome to do so. Please would you not wait for another but in unison respond to these questions. Do you acknowledge your willingness to accept the teaching ministry of your brother Mark Gladwell? Do so far as you know it to be the faithful exposition of God's word, to allow that ministry to influence your lives to your spiritual good. Do you undertake to submit to his spiritual leadership so that his work will be a joy and not a burden? do promise to care for him and his wife and family in Christian life, praying for them, encouraging them and relieving them from anxiety and material things insofar as you are able by the help of God and to his glory. Amen. Please will the rest of the congregation stand and join with us in fellowship now as we pray. Lord our God, it is indeed a great joy at this point to recognise and to give thanks to you for the wonderful provision which you have made of a pastor to this church. We join with the members of the church, Lord, the whole congregation here in thanking you from our hearts, acknowledging that Mark is indeed given to the church as a gift from almighty and gracious God. We praise you Lord for everything we've heard during the last few minutes regarding the convictions of the friends here at the church and Mark and his wife themselves. Thank you for the commendation that has come from Chapman. We praise your name and we are united in heart and in mind in commending our dear brother to the ministry here. Lord we commend him to you. We ask that you will uphold him, strengthen him, guide him Help him to continue being diligent as we know he has been already. Help him to be able to study your word with a love for it and not simply a love of study. Help him to love the savour of your word and to love him more each day as he seeks to lead the people in their worship here. We pray dear Lord for members of the church that they may be much encouraged that they may go home this evening and look forward to the Lord's day with joy in their hearts knowing that a new chapter has begun in this church which promises blessing because it is of your will and it is in your great purpose. Lord we praise you and thank you for these things. And we pray Lord that you will especially bless Mark, Marilyn, Sarah and Debbie as they settle into their new home that you will help them all to feel very much a part of the fellowship here in spite of the blessings they've known already in the love that has been shown to them. So bless them continually now in the days to come and especially empower Mark to do a work of an evangelist, a work of teaching, a work of pastoral oversight and care and loving feeding and leading of the flock and we pray that you will be down to him all that he needs We pray these things, seeking the forgiveness of our sins and acknowledging our unworthiness, acknowledging that as Marcus said, he too is unworthy, and yet you are abling your grace and your mercy to use all those who are committed to you, having entrusted the wonderful treasure of the Gospel to poor earthen bastards. And so we thank you for these things, in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Saviour. Amen. The Church here at Gallipedia is in fellowship with other churches in the association of Grace Baptist Churches South East. And it's good to have two of the officers of the association with us, at least two, there may be more. The two that I can see, the secretary of the association, Secretary David Chapman is with us and we welcome him and it's good to see him representing the association and of course coming as a personal friend of the church here. We also have the chairman, Eddie Porter, who is the former pastor of the Church of Borough Green. And Eddie is the chairman of the association at the present time and he's going to just bring a word of greeting from the association to the church and to pastor here. Thank you Eddie. Well I do count it a great privilege not only as the chairman of the Association of Grace Baptist Churches South East but as one of those who have had the joy in a small way of serving the church here during their pastoralist period. And on behalf of the associated churches, some almost 60 churches, it is a privilege and joy to welcome Mark and Marilyn and their family into the church here at Belvedere. Now most of you I'm sure know about the association but for those of you who do not let me tell you that we are an association of some almost 60 churches spread all over the south east of England. From Colchester in Essex to Margate in Kent in the east to Brighton on the south coast, to Abingdon in the west and to Aylesbury and Tring in the north. We are churches that differ in size. There are some that are quite large churches and there are some that are quite small churches. We differ in our situation, the place where we witness. We have churches in the centre of London, in Soho and in other areas of London. We have churches in the towns around the South East. We've mentioned Colchester and Margate. There are some in Guildford and Tunbridge Wells. And also we have churches in the country villages. So I do assure you, Mark, that some of our churches are in as unattractive areas as some of the churches in Gloucester. And I'm sure if you've been here a time, you'll know that. But of course, it's not really the situation of the church in its environment that is so important. It is the people to whom those churches witness. For whether we're in what may be termed physically an unattractive area or physically a beautiful area, the need of the human heart is the same. They are rebels and enemies of God who need the ministry of reconciliation. And if our churches differ in their size and their circumstance and situation, and maybe in one or two other things as well, which we bear with one another in, in fellowship, nevertheless we are all seeking to stand firmly on the great truths of God's sovereign saving grace in the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. and our desire to see sinners saved through the preaching of that gospel. Now our churches in the association, sadly, have not all had pastors. In fact, as far as I can remember during the time I've been associated with the association, there has never been a time in which all our churches have been blessed with pastoral oversight. But it was a joy last Saturday at our 131st annual meetings to announce that seven churches had called pastors and those calls had been responded to with an acceptance. Some of the men had already started their ministry. Others, like Mark, were about to take up that appointment. Some very soon, like Mark, just a week after the meetings. Others will be in the next few months. But it has reduced our number of pastorless churches by half. and for that we are thankful and praise God. And I bring the greetings of those churches with or without pastors and the assurance of our fellowship in the Lord and our love for you and our prayers for you from each of those churches, large or small. We come to thank God for you and for your witness to the Gospel and rejoice again that he has led you in this way. to call Mark as your pastor. We look forward to fellowship with you and to see the work here flourishing and growing. You come, Mark, as I have found, to a people full of love. They love God and the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour. They love His Word. They love one another. They love the churches. with which they are associated and they love the lost as they seek to show, as they reach out to the people of this area with their open air work and their other work for the Lord. And so we do rejoice with you at this time and we do assure you of our prayers as an association and that you can be sure that we are there at any time that you may need our help and our encouragement. And we pray that you will find the association of churches a blessing to you. So we praise God with you and we pray to the Lord for you as you enter onto this new sphere and time of your experience of the Lord's dealings. We pray too of course for Marilyn and for the family. As has already been mentioned and I put it in perhaps a slightly different way We do not regard Marilyn as the assistant pastor. Now some churches do seem, if not in name, then in practice, to think that is so. But though she is not the assistant pastor, she is the pastor's assistant. And she is one who is to assist and help him in his work. And speaking as one who was in the ministry, you cannot really do this task. without the loving, faithful support of your wife. And I'm sure you have that from Marilyn. So we rejoice with you and with the Church here for all your witness to the Gospel. And I would just like to leave you with one verse of Scripture from Joshua chapter 1. And I bring this because I think it is a fitting verse for your situation at the moment. For these words are God's words to Joshua and through Joshua of course to the people of God as they were about to enter a new sphere of their life and witness as the people of God. And I'm sure that there was both excitement and anticipation in the people of Israel as they stood on the edge of the promised land. And it comes from Joshua chapter 1 and verse 9 and I take it not only to Mark but to the whole of the fellowship here. Have not I commanded thee Be strong and of a good courage. Be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed. For the Lord thy God is with thee, whithersoever thou goest. So from the association, Mark, and the fellowship here, we praise God and we pray to the Lord for the future witness of this church. Thank you, Eddie. Following the singing of the next hymn, God's Word is going to be brought to us by two visiting brethren, Brother Douglas Dawson, well known to many of you from Thamesmead, and Douglas is another of those brethren who has been a great help in fairly regular ministry here from time to time during the time without a pastor. And the second preacher who brings the charge to the pastor is Pastor Alex MacDougall who has come from Trinity Evangelical Church in Glasgow. And he has, I gather, become a very good friend of Mark during their years as fairly close neighbours and we do look forward to the ministry of both these brethren in a few moments. Well, like many others, I look forward to this day, one that we have prayed for for a long, long time. that Belvedere should have a settled regular ministry. And it hasn't come about by chance, you've been reminded of that. It's the fruit of the Lord's hand upon a very prayerful and diligently searching people. Now for many members of this church, and I have you particularly in mind, This is the first time that you've been involved in calling a minister. And to you and to everyone else, I want to say that you've taken one of the most momentous and constructive actions open to a true church in calling a minister. And to assist them in understanding what this means, I'm going to ask you to turn to Acts chapter 10. When this was read to us, Phil Gardner reminded you of the first half of the chapter in which Peter is called by the Lord to go to Cornelius and his company in Caesarea. And we're going to focus particularly upon the 33rd verse. I am reading this from the New International Version. Cornelius has welcomed Peter. So I sent for you immediately and it was good of you to come. Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us. Now as a rule of thumb, if I have three points to a sermon, I reckon, just as a rule of thumb, that each of those points is likely to occupy about ten minutes. I've got ten things I want to say. But if you could think of this as a three-course meal in which, in each of the courses, there are several ingredients. In fact, there are three in the first, there are four in the second, and there are three in the third. This verse emphasizes, in the first place, the significance of what you have done. There is a threefold recognition here of what you have done Cornelius as he welcomes Peter says now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us First of all you have recognised in this the authority of God's Word. Cornelius wanted to hear what the Lord had commanded Peter to say to him. And this is in effect what you said as you have called your pastor. We want to hear God speaking. Now this isn't an age that likes authority. If you're interested in sport, you know that so often decisions are questioned by those that are taking part. We've had in the last two or three days a very glaring example of the problems of exercising authority in schools. And marriage so often is sidestepped nowadays for freedom's sake in order that we might do our own sin. Now no church is going to prosper if it resists the authority of the Word of God. And you must ensure at all times that you are under the authority of God's Word in the whole of your lives. The writers of Hebrews described the scriptures as living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. And this is what you're committed to, the authority of God's Word. You recognise that. Secondly, you recognise too the need to be taught God's Word. Like Cornelius, you're saying we need teaching. We need to be taught the Word of God. Now none of us is self-sufficient in respect of teaching ourselves the breadths and the depths of God's revealed truths. Personal study of the Word is vital. Every Christian should devote himself or herself to the Word of God daily. But we've all got our blind spots. We've all got prejudices. We have other weaknesses. And we require instructing. It's like taking a walk in the country with a skilled naturalist. One that opens our eyes to see things that we've seen and yet not really seen. The authority of the Word of God as it is in the hands of one who is called to teach is doing just that. It's showing to us things that we've not seen. It's regulating our lives according to the Word. Thirdly, you have recognised that this man, Mark Gladwell, is God's choice. You didn't pick his name out of the hat. He didn't come to you as someone that has been appointed by a denominational committee. The Lord has said, and you've heard this, this is my man for you. You prayed, you listened to him, you weighed his gifts, you discussed the matter, you prayed again, as he has, and the Lord has brought you together. Cornelius sent for Peter because the Lord told him to. Peter went to Cornelius because the Lord had sent him. It is a divine match and you have recognised God's choice. The authority is recognised in the word, it needs to be taught and here is God's man to do this. Let's move to the second course. The seriousness with which you approach this action is something that you must pay attention to. A fourfold responsibility rests upon you. Now calling a pastor is only the first step. It has consequences as it had for Cornelius and his company. what would have been the effect on Peter and those that came with him if getting to Caesarea they'd found a note on the table from Cornelius saying sorry we're not here to welcome you but my wife's sister has got a new baby and she's asked her to go and see it there is a priority having called You have responsibilities. Responsibility, and you listen to what Cornelius says, Now we are all here in the presence of God to listen to everything the Lord has commanded you to tell us. A fourfold responsibility. First of all to be present. A solemn obligation rests upon the church that calls a messenger to be there to hear what the message is. To listen to what God has to say. Of course there are unavoidable absences from time to time. But the key to a healthy church is that all are present to hear the same things. Remember that after the resurrection the Lord revealed himself to his disciples but Thomas was absent. Now his absence was not only regrettable in that he didn't see Jesus, we're not told why he wasn't there, but it created a gulf between him and the other disciples. They had a blessing that he had missed and as a consequence they couldn't have fellowship in what he had not experienced. Being together means that you share the same word. You're present to hear what God has to say. Be present, secondly be attentive. Why do we come We don't say that we're here simply to listen, but we're going to be attentive. To some of us, this is a severe discipline. Some of us are not good listeners. We allow other thoughts to intrude. And the preacher must do his best to rivet our attention. But you must have the aim in mind to fix your mind upon what he has to say. The secret is to want to learn. We shall find that sometimes the word is more palatable than others. But then some meals we enjoy, don't we, more than others. But if we are hungry we eat what is given to us. Be attentive. Thirdly, be submissive. Why do we listen to preachers? Not because it's the done thing, because if it's just a custom, then the devil will very soon be suggesting to us, well, perhaps it isn't the done thing, perhaps it doesn't really matter. Some congregations regrettably seem to get by in a 10 or 15 minute watery soup. You want the Word of God. Be submissive to it. There is not the least hint that Cornelius was prepared to do anything other than to submit to what God had to say. We are here, he says, to listen to everything, for everything The Lord has commanded you to tell us. He knew that his spiritual well-being, even his eternal destiny, rested upon attending to what Cornelius had to say. This is the attitude of heart and spirit with which we come to biblical preaching. we are to submit ourselves to it. It's not opinion that we want. It's not the latest religious fashion. It's not that it's just interesting. It should be that. It is authoritative. It is the word of God. This is what God says. It will comfort. It will challenge. At times it will make us uncomfortable to believe and condemn. But we must submit to the Word of God. We are present, we pay attention, we submit. Fourthly, be responsive. Be doers of the Word as well as hearers. You must expect your pastor to spell out in the plainest terms what God requires of you. And I think I can say this quite safely, if having listened to a sermon you are not quite sure of the application of it to you, ask. Ask what the relevance is. This preaching is in the mould of the apostles. God has commanded all men everywhere to repent. There is a relevance, there is an application of the scriptures to our lives and we must look for the response. Not simply did we enjoy the sermon? Was it instructive? But is it productive? Find this in the epistles. Again and again the apostles are saying stop doing this and do that. An application of the word to life itself. Clearly Cornelius expected to be galvanised into action. If you look at the latter part of this chapter from verse 44, as a result of Peter's preaching, the Holy Spirit came upon them with power, they were given new tongues with which to speak and to praise God and they were baptised. This was the application of the word. you have this fourfold responsibility. And thirdly, the success that you may expect to follow and there is a threefold reward that you may look for. When God's word is honoured by the preacher and the hearer, you may expect success to follow. And this is central to the understanding of this chapter of Acts 10. The Word of God was shaped and sharpened in Peter the preacher until the Lord had equipped him, but not until then was he ready to go to Cornelius. But at the same time, and you've been reminded of this, At the same time as the Lord was shaping the preacher, he was shaping the hearer. The heart and the mind of Cornelius and his company was prepared by the same Holy Spirit to embrace without reservation the message of new life. So what may you expect? Three things. You may expect your understanding of God's Word to be extended, to be taught. This is the very least that is going to happen if you are those that are present, attentive to what you hear, submissive and responsive. You're going to have an enlarged understanding of the Word of God. Consecutive teaching is essential for spiritual growth. One of the disadvantages, and you will have perhaps recognised this, of a change of ministry each week is that it's very difficult to maintain consecutive teaching. We need it. and your understanding of the word will be enlarged as you have now a pastor to ensure that there is a consecutive preacher. I say the very least you may expect this because secondly you may expect the power of the word to be felt in the church and in your own lives. The quality of church life and of Christian living It is going to be expanded, developed as a result of what you hear. Truth declared and truth applied leads to a different kind of living. Cornelius, his relatives and his friends, it was a gospel eye-opener. They were transformed by what they heard. Expect that and pray for it. A church that is constantly being fed by the Word of God is going to be a church, if it's attentive, that will grow and be effective and fruitful. And that's what happened. Acts chapter 10 has been described as the Gentile Pentecost. that just as the Holy Spirit had come upon the Jews in Acts 2, so now the Holy Spirit comes in a significant way upon these Gentiles. And what a difference it made. Expect conversions, expect baptisms, expect yourselves to be made more holy. This is what you may expect as the Word of God is received submissively and obediently. And lastly, your pastor will be a better, no perhaps I ought to say will be a more complete minister as a result of people that want to hear the Word of God. Peter learned a great deal from this experience If sometime you read on in Acts chapter 11 when he has to give an account of this to the Jewish leaders, the Christian Jewish leaders, you'll find him telling that it was to him a new experience. It had expanded his understanding and broadened his ministry as a result of going to Cornelius. But remember You've not called a perfect man. He doesn't have all the answers and he hasn't come to a perfect church either. Not one that knows all the answers either. There is room for spiritual growth on both sides. As the result of this experience Cornelius and his people were blessed, Peter and those who were with him were blessed. And this is what you may expect. Now I've finished. Except for a footnote. Cornelius and his company, here let me read the This again is the NIV, the last few words of the chapter. Then they ask Peter to stay with them for a few days. Now you'll do better than that, won't you? And why? Because this is of the Lord. God has given to you his man, his work, his church. for your good and for His glory. Amen. I have known Mark as a dear friend and brother and associate in the ministry in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire for seven plus years now. We have shared many times of prayer together and studied together in our fellowships, in our fraternals and he has ministered on a number of occasions at the Church of Trinity in Gloucester to our great good and encouragement I count it a joy to be here today and to have a share in this service. I want to say to you that I bring the greetings from the elders and the deacons and the church members at Gloucester. It's good to see one of our elders here with his wife today also. Mark, it is my privilege this afternoon to say some things to you and I feel with some ternity because who am I to tell you? I'm simply a mortal being as you are. But if I put it this way, it's obvious there are a number of things that are very important to those who are taking up ministerial responsibility among the people of God. Some things that are very important for Mark to remember today And I just want to put it that way, I'm simply going to remind my brother and my friend of things that he will know very well indeed, you as his congregation will know, and I know in my own heart the Lord has spoken to me about. A number of things to remember. I want to say three or four things just by way of introduction, then we come to the main point. You will remember, Mark, the vast importance of prayer. in all of your ministry. When Samuel 12, 23, I shan't turn to it, but Samuel asks the question, how could I sin against God by ceasing or failing to pray for you? And it would be a very great sin were Mark to take up this responsibility and not to engage in earnest prayer for you as the people under his care. I want Mark to remember to have confidence in God's unchanging word and in Isaiah 55 and verse 10 and 11 we read these words for as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven and do not return there but water the earth and make it bring forth in bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth it shall not return to me void but it shall accomplish what I please and it shall prosper in the things of which I sent it. Mark, I want to encourage you to remember to have confidence in God's unchanging truth and to preach that truth passionately with that conviction I want to remind you Mark to remember to be diligent in the cultivation of your own spiritual life. Proverbs 4.23 Keep the heart with all diligence for out of it are your issues of life. And no man can pastor the people of God aright who does not remember these three things. There are other things that could be said. But he must have in his mind and heart the realization that prayer is fundamental to everything else. We shall give ourselves to prayer and the ministry of the Word. They go together. And there is need for confidence in God's truth. There is need for diligence in the cultivation of one's spiritual life. But what I want to direct our attention to this afternoon is to be found in the first letter of Paul to the Corinthians, in the passage, the first reading of this afternoon, 1 Corinthians chapter 2 and verse 2. And this of course is intermingled with what has already been said. But the words of the Apostle Paul and what I have called Paul's great resolve he says I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified we live in an age which discounts preaching and we live in an age which discounts conviction about the gospel and what the gospel is we know there are an awful lot of people around today who would accept our preaching if they can accept it with all the other philosophies that are being presented to them. The very thing that was a stumbling block to the Jews Paul tells us he is going to emphasise. Paul who on other occasions we know went out of his way to avoid giving unnecessary offence is dissolved to preach Christ and his death in spite of the fact that the bulk of the Jews would be deeply offended by it. And the reason he did so, or was resolved in that way, is not that he was an awkward kind of individual. Not that he was trying to be difficult. It was that there was no option given by God. The message of Christ and his crucifixion, of Christ his person and his ministry in all its glorious wideness and wonder was of such great importance it could not be played down, it could not be ignored, it could not be sidetracked, sidestepped. And that was the reason that Paul resolved to preach Christ and him crucified. You see, surely we would say if Paul simply wanted to make a name for himself, if that was what he was after in the ancient world, if he was out in his preaching simply to advance his own cause or exalt himself, to build some kind of personal empire, he could have done so by simply adopting the style of those early philosophers and strict Jewish teachers. Paul was not like that at all. He was sent by the Lord to Corinth to preach Christ. He simply declared the message that God had given to him. Well let me ask the question then, why should Paul be so committed to preaching Christ who has been crucified. Why should Mark be so committed to preaching Christ who has been crucified? After all we are told, we are asked today, what about the message of social action? What about the whole question of racial tension and inequality? What about equal opportunities in the workplace? What about caring for the environment and green issues? What about the need for more hospital beds or better educational systems that would help our rising generation? Many would tell us today that the church should be confronting these things at the present time. We don't need, we are told, any message of two thousand years ago. Now we need to say that the Gospel addresses all of those issues and a thousand more besides. But what Paul is showing us here is that the main focus of all his attention was the Lord Jesus Christ in his person and his death on the cross. The great problem you see of the human race, and we've heard this today, rightly so, the great problem is that of the problem of sin. Man's sin and rebellion against God. And the great question is by what means may that sin be forgiven? By what means may men and women be reconciled to God and accepted into God's eternal kingdom? How can they find acceptance? How can they be just with God? And the answer is all found in this gospel that Paul was resolved to preach at Corinth. I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And you see if we take all of these other issues, it does not matter how much we preach on those other issues, none of them on their own or all together can bring men or women into the favour and the kingdom of God. They cannot deliver from the wrath to come. They cannot cause men to say I am saved once I was blind now I see. And the reason then that Paul takes up this message of Christ and his death on the cross is precisely because that and that alone is God's way for men and women to be saved. You remember how Paul puts it in Ephesians 1-7, in him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of his grace. You remember Peter, we have been hearing of Peter in these last few moments most helpfully. You remember Peter in Acts 4-12, there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved. and this whole gospel message you see is the message which shall build up you dear people here who are members here tell me the old old story it's a glorious story and we love to hear it and it's this message which shall build you up and encourage you who are part of the flock of God here in Belvidere and you see there is nothing to compare with the gospel for the calming of troubled souls for traumatized spirits nothing to compare with the message of Jesus Christ and there is no other message that can fill your heart with a sense of God's wonderful mercy and grace and kindness the realization that God has forgiven you for his dear son's sake because of what he achieved on the cross. That's why Paul resolved and that's why Mark has resolved and must resolve to preach Christ and his death on the cross. There are, as I've said already, men all around in our day who do despise the message that Paul preached Many of these men profess to be Christians. How you can be a Christian and despise the Gospel is a wonder, isn't it? Such a thing is an impossibility. It is not wisdom in their eyes to preach the person of Christ. It's alright Christ they say, but he was just a mortal man. just like one of us, a little bit better sure, but that's all he was. And therefore it is not wisdom in their eyes to preach Christ who is God in the flesh. Yes, they say you can tell people about Jesus, but it must be a Jesus that they can find and we can find acceptable. You must not be like some of these people who take the Bible literally. That's what they say. But we know what we say. We know what the Bible says. And when people speak in that way, it makes me think of people perhaps like a young man in our imagination. Let's take it for a moment. A young man who's had a course of three lessons at art school. how to be an artist. And he completes the third lesson and he feels himself so competent to be a judge of some great, reverent masterpiece. So he goes to the National Gallery, the Tate Gallery, and he sees that beautiful masterpiece there, that brilliant work of art, except he decides he can improve on it. So he goes with his pathetic little 10p paintbrush from Woolies And he paints a little bit here, a little bit there, a just a bit, we'll cover a bit up here. And he carries on until the masterpiece is marred beyond all recognition. And so men have done down the ages, so men are doing today with our Lord Jesus Christ and his great work of dying on the cross for sinners. They cover up the message, they take away from the message the bits that they find offensive and unpalatable. My dear friends, my dear Mark, you cannot improve on the Gospel. God has given it. It is Mark's task to preach it for the building up of the saints and the salvation of sinners. we could ask who is this person whom Mark is to preach whom Paul was resolved to preach Jesus Christ was truly man he who wept and slept and suffered and bled and died on the cross a true man but yet God in the flesh one who is equal with God one who could heal the sick One who could say to that blind man, go to the pool of Siloam and he washed and he came back seeing. One who has invincible power at his disposal. One who could change the water into wine. Yes, we believe it, don't we? Praise God we believe because this is the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ. The one who could feed 5,000 people with a few loaves and some fish. One who could calm the storm, peace be still. One who could raise the dead. One who accepted worship that was due only to God. Jesus Christ is the one whom Mark is to preach. And he is to preach this Christ with all the grace that God would give him. The only Saviour. and he is to preach Christ, Jesus, as the anointed one, the one invested with all authority from heaven, from God himself, one cent apart from his soul-saving ministry. Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So many things one could say. Paul says, I determine not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. Jesus dying for our sins on the cross. This is the heart of the Gospel. This is the great purpose for which he came. That's why Paul could say, isn't it, in 1 Timothy 1.15, this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. It is Paul of whom I am sheep. He came to die in our place. We see Christ on the cross with the eye of faith. Is Christ there for me in my place? Condemned he stood. And this is the Jesus and this is the Christ whom Mark is to preach. So that God's people can say He took my sins and my sorrows, He made them His very own. so that we who know Him and those who come by this ministry of this church in Mark to know Him can say He paid the debt, my soul is free and when I believe in Him I am given this perfect righteousness that clothing that fits me for heaven the moment I believe in this Saviour Why then such a resolve to preach this message? Why this emphasis? Because by this Jesus alone men and women can find what cannot possibly be found by any other gospel, by any other person, by any other message. They find three things. They find redemption, I refer to that. men and women who are slaves to sin are redeemed, they are brought back from the slavery of sin by this very message. They find forgiveness. They are set free from all the consequences of their sin. God lets them go. Forgiveness. They have a whole new start If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. All things are passed away, all things are becoming. My dear friends, my dear Mark, this is the Jesus you love and you have already been preaching for not only a time in Cheltenham but for many years. Keep on preaching him. I urge you to do so. I plead with you to do so. I remind you, without earnest prayer, without sustained confidence in God's Word, and without the diligent cultivation of your own spiritual life, you will not be able to preach this Christ as you should. May the Lord give you His grace. And may it be that we might find his wonderful spirit being poured out in days to come. Not just here, but throughout our nation. This is what we long for. There is no other message than this. We delight in this. May we continue to delight in it. We give praise to God, honour to his great and glorious name. Amen. Our gracious and loving Heavenly Father, we praise you and thank you for your presence with us today. We thank you for the presence of our risen Redeemer, our glorious Head, our Saviour Jesus Christ. And we do thank you for those things that have been brought before us this afternoon. We realise, O Lord, that there have been encouraging and challenging and searching things. Lord, we are not sufficient for these things. And Lord, we would cry to you, O Lord, for that supplier of the spirit of our Lord Jesus Christ, that we may be strengthened, that we may respond to these things with that willing, loving, and wholehearted obedience, and that we may indeed seek to be the people you would have us to be, to go forth proclaiming and gossiping this glorious gospel, and proclaiming to men and women that there is a sufficient Saviour in the Lord Jesus Christ. We thank you too for providing for our material needs as well and we thank you for the tea that has been laid, O Lord, for us. We thank you for the hens that have diligently prepared it and we do pray that you would bless this further time of fellowship together, Lord, around the tea table. We pray that you would receive our thanks for this food and be in all our thoughts and our fellowship together and may Christ alone have all the glory and the pre-eminence. Now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit continue with us until Jesus comes or calls. Amen.