By A.W. Pink (1886 – 1952)

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of glory” 2 Corinthians 4:17.

These words supply us with a reason why we should not faint under trials nor be overwhelmed by them. They teach us to look at the trials of time in the light of eternity. They affirm that the present buffetings of the Christian exercise a beneficent effect on the inner man. If these truths were firmly grasped by faith they would mitigate much of the bitterness of our sorrows. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” This verse sets forth a striking and glorious antithesis, as it contrasts our future state with our present. Here there is “affliction,” there “glory.” Here there is a “light affliction,” there a “weight of glory.” In our affliction there is both levity and brevity; it is a light affliction, and it is but for a moment; in our future glory there is solidity and eternity! To discover the preciousness of this contrast let us consider, separately, each member, but in the reverse order of mention.

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By Bruce A. Ritter – with permission
From REAL TRUTH Magazine
Extracts from the article

No Government, Kingdom or society lasts forever. Here are seven factors that contributed to ancient Rome’s demise—warning signs that exist today within the nations of the British and American peoples.

History reveals that all Governments, Empires and Kingdoms of men, no matter how grand, no matter how powerful, ultimately fall. It happened to ancient Egypt, Assyria and Babylon. Even Rome was not exempt; though it dominated much of Europe, Northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of the Near East, and lasted for 500 years, the Roman Empire ultimately fell.

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By John Vinall

Brighton, 15th June 1856

“Be ye therefore followers of God, as dear children; and walk in love,
as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering
and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.” (Ephesians 5:1-2)

This is a very sweet and blessed Epistle, as also is that to the Philippians. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16). And I truly believe that Paul’s Epistles were indited by God’s Spirit. It is necessary for us to see whether this Epistle is directed to us. Paul addresses one Epistle “to all that be in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints” (Rom. 1:7). That is the direction. This Epistle is addressed “to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus.” If I cannot ascertain that it is written to me, I should be stealing it. The world at large has nothing to do with these Epistles. “Christ hath loved us.” None but the children of God can come in here. I want to know whether I am one of these “us.” We have been increasing in our church lately, and some are about to join us this evening, and may have fears as to their being right in doing so. For their sakes I will speak of the evidences of being children. There are four classes – babes – children – young men and fathers. God must add to the church such as should be saved.

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HELP IN HARD TIMES

Dr Alan C. Clifford

(Norwich Reformed Church ) 

‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the LORD upholdeth the righteous. The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied’ (Psalm 37: 16-19). 

1. GOD’S PROVISION

‘A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked’ (v. 16). In every age people are divided into ‘rich’ and ‘poor’. Of course, especially today, recession or not, wealth and poverty can be relative. A ‘poor’ person in the ‘First World’ could be quite ‘rich’ by the standards of ‘Third World’. Yet there’s always a divide between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have nots’.

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By Kenneth D. Barney

The Flood and the destruction of Sodom in the Bible are warnings that
the mercy of a loving God has limits. The spiritual state of the culture
in those days shows what moved Him to wrath.

In Noah’s time wickedness was so flagrant the majority could not even think a pure thought. Violence was so rampant that the earth was filled with it (See Genesis 6:5-7).

The sordid memory of Sodom lives on in our word sodomy. People flaunted their perversion as brazenly as do their modern counterparts. When God sent two angels in human form to deliver Lot, the men of Sodom tried to gang-rape them. The Lord could tolerate such conditions no longer and destroyed the city with fire and brimstone (Genesis19:1-25).

Those civilisations represent what a society can become when God is banished, when there is no restraint on man’s sinful nature, and when the number of believers declines so drastically they become a weak minority.

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By Bishop J.C. Ryle (1816-1900)

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us (and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth”. (John 1:14)

The passage of Scripture now before us is very short, if we measure it by words. But it is very long, if we measure it by the nature of its contents. The substance of it is so immensely important that we shall do well to give it separate and distinct consideration. This single verse contains more than enough matter for a whole exposition.

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BRIGHTON – 30th OCTOBER, 2015

A Public Meeting of Christian Watch took place as planned on Friday, 30^th October, 2015 in the coastal resort of Brighton. This was our first visit to Brighton and it was encouraging to see so many young people in attendance.

The subject of the meeting was “The Spiritual State of the Nation – is there a Remedy?” and the Vice-Chairman, Ian Henderson, in leading the meeting outlined the reasons why Christian Watch was originally formed some 15 years ago – formed for the sole purpose of informing Bible-believing Protestants of the danger of remaining silent whilst the devil – in a variety of guises – made inroads into our Protestant country and Constitution.

Referring to the continuing desecration of the Lord’s Day; ecumenism – with all its links with a range of false religions; the growth and general acceptance of gay rights with its ensuing depravity and the introduction of women Bishops into the Established Churches and the current threat to introduce Constitutional changes, Mr. Henderson gave three possible options:-

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IN TRIBULATION

By Samuel Rutherford

“These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
John16:33

Our tender, loving, and gracious Lord well knew what feeble ones He had to deal with. He knew from painful experience what tribulation was, for He was a “Man of Sorrows and acquainted with grief,” reproached and despised by the very rabble, set at nought by the rulers, and put to the most shameful and painful death that malice then knew. He, therefore, tells His disciples, in the most gentle manner, what they must expect. But He prefaces it with consolation – “In Me ye might have peace.”

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By A.W. Pink

By our fall in Adam we not only lost the favour of God but also the purity of our nature and therefore we need to be both reconciled to God and renewed in our inner man, for without personal holiness “no man shall see the Lord” (Heb. 12:14). “As He which hath called you is holy; so be ye holy in all manner of conversation (behaviour); because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Pet. 1:15,16). God’s nature is such that unless we be sanctified there can be no intercourse between Him and us. But can persons be sinful and holy at one and the same time? Genuine Christians discover so much carnality, filth, and vileness in themselves that they find it almost impossible to be assured they are holy. Nor is this difficulty solved, as in justification, by recognising that though completely unholy in ourselves we are holy in Christ, for Scripture teaches that those who are sanctified by God are holy in themselves, though the evil nature has not been removed from them.

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Report on CRE Exhibition

By:  Michael Hobbis

The annual CRE exhibition found Christian Watch at a new venue this year.  Previously located at Sandown Park, we were now at the ExCel Exhibition Centre in London Docklands.

We will quickly pass over the new logistical problems in setting up our stand in ExCel, but suffice it to say, while we could leisurely unload from our vehicles at Sandown close to the Stand area, in this new location in London we were given just 15 minutes to unload and transport all our materials across the Exhibition – quite some way from the parking area – with the threat of financial penalties if we overstayed.  The same conditions applied at the end of the show.

However, on a somewhat more positive note; once ensconced on our Stand, we were blessed with many opportunities to speak to visitors – although sadly not quite so many as is usual at Sandown.

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