Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People
As we approach the end of the year there is much we could say about the signs around us, heralding louder and clearer than ever the imminent return of the Anointed Son of God. The earth surely groans under the weight of Man’s wicked rule. This year has seen many political changes not least of all in America and the UK, two nations potentially drawing closer together as the seeds are sown for a changing World Order. Russia strengthening herself and Europe more than ever a mixture of Iron and Clay. Oh how we long for that day, “Even so come, Lord Jesus”.
As we await the consummation of Yahweh’s purpose and overthrow of the beast system that dominates the world “Here is the patience of the Saints, here are they that keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ” (Rev 14:12).
We remember that we are called out and separate, but life continues to be a daily struggle. If Yahweh wills, we will once again seek to provide help and encouragement to all at the Bible School in May next year, at the new venue, Yarnfield Park. Our first speaker next year is Bro Andrew Smith of the Earlswood Ecclesia and his theme is OUT OF EGYPT HAVE I CALLED MY SON, his talks should resonate with the issues that confront us every day. To introduce his studies, he has written the following:
"We find the words of this theme title in the gospel through Matthew ch2 detailing Joseph and Mary’s flight to Egypt with the Lord Jesus to escape the slaughter ordered by Herod. This title thus has its primary application to the Lord Jesus but in type and shadow its scope is much wider. It has relevance to all throughout history who have truly sought after their Creator and the eternal blessings that He will provide to the faithful. In these days of slipping standards when the thinking of the world penetrates ever deeper into the brotherhood the divine principle of being “called out” is in danger of being lost. Yet it is a principle that we forget at our eternal peril. We are not part of this world. By grace we belong to the world yet to come, to be established by the Lord Jesus at his return. Only by the sacrifice of the true Passover Lamb may we flee the Egypt of this day and be fitted to be his help-meet ruling with him in righteousness in the Kingdom of God, an honour infinitely greater than anything this world offers.
In these talks we will, God willing, consider the outworking of this divine principle in the lives of the faithful of old and in the Exodus account. Taking the subject right back to first principles we will find its basis in the Genesis creation record. We will consider also the historical context; the scriptures give indication of when in history the Exodus fell and fascinating detail comes out of this. Alongside this we will look at some astounding archaeological discoveries which accord remarkably well with detail in the inspired word. Above all we must each derive exhortation and encouragement in these last treacherous days of gentile times.”
We certainly look forward to Brother Andrew’s studies.
Since we last wrote we are saddened to learn of the falling asleep in September of Sis Julie Shaw of Oldham Ecclesia a former attendee of the School, our Sister sleeps in the hope of resurrection awaiting as we do, the day of our Lord’s return. Sis Lorna White has recently fallen and broken her wrist and Sis Pat Plant is due to have an operation in December we hope and pray both our Sisters will, in the Father’s mercy, soon recover.
Even though our numbers exceed those of recent years there are still spaces if you haven’t yet booked or know of anyone who is thinking about it. Please book as soon as you can.
Your Brother in the glorious hope we share
Bro Paul, on behalf of the committee
Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People
A summer has flown by since we were enjoying fellowship together at the school in May – we are a season closer to our Master’s return! The angels are hard at work as we can see from the news each day, preparing the nations for ‘the battle of that great day of God almighty’, with the escalating warfare on Israel’s borders (and further afield), the continuing cry for peace in the Middle East, whilst the destruction continues in Ukraine (and also to some extent in Russia too). We wait to see what the outcome of the forthcoming presidential election in USA will bring and hope that it turns events to the soon return of our Master.
For those of us who were at the school this year, here’s a brief recollection of the themes and exhortations we received. Under the overall theme of “I delight to do Thy will”, Bro Richard Mellowes spoke on The Psalms in Hebrews, showing us how many times the apostle takes recourse to the Psalms to establish the themes and principles he was trying to instil into the Hebrews – we were particularly taken by the number of times that Psalm 110 is referred to, in differing aspects, to establish the supremacy of Christ, through whom we have hope of salvation. Our overall theme for the school was taken from one of these psalms, of course – Psalm 40.
Bro Tim delivered a really positive, exhortational study on The Fruit of the Spirit, illustrating just what it means to ‘delight to do Yahweh’s will’ in our lives, considering the principles of the development of fruit (the natural being typical of the spiritual) and the constant ‘growth’ this requires in us. He then spent time looking at the individual aspect of the fruit and how this should be manifest in the way in which we live, and how we deal with one another, to live and walk in the Spirit.
In the third study, Bro Jonathan looked at the manifestation of Divine glory through the medium of light (Let There be Light), setting a firm and detailed foundation for our understanding of this subject from the early chapters of Genesis and then (eventually…) moving on to establish the development of the manifestation of the light of the glory of Deity in His son and ultimately in us – a great hope, if we delight to do His will.
As you will all be aware, next year’s school will be in a new venue, God willing, Yarnfield Park in Stone, Staffordshire. Although it’s ‘early days’, we are building a good relationship with the management at the centre and, although we do not have their minimum numbers, they have agreed that we can use their ‘Connex’ facility (which is a ground floor, self-contained meeting area with very good facilities). We feel well blessed in this respect. There is much work to do, though, in moving to a new centre, for example, Bro Geoff Jacks has been investigating the audio visual systems to assess whether we need to enhance these to suit our presentation and recording purposes, and also, having more children booked in than at recent schools means we need to review the facilities required to enable them to have as profitable and enjoyable time as the rest of us – we are grateful for the work of all those who assist the committee in many and various ways.
In terms of numbers, we have a relatively large number of bookings (94 currently) so if you are aware of anyone who is thinking of booking in, please let them know that we’re advising to book as early as people are able (although we do still have space both for full bookings and day visitors).
We don’t have any particular welfare news to share in this bulletin but we are aware of a number of brethren and sisters who are or have been recently unwell so please keep them in your prayers.
Your brother in the bonds of the Truth
Bro Roy, on behalf of the committee
Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People
As we look around the world today, we all appreciate that there are so many signs which indicate that our beloved Lord and Master must be at the door and very soon we will be called away to judgment.
After the past two years of the Ukraine war, it now appears that Russia is now gaining the upper hand, particularly as some of the support for Ukraine from western Europe appears to be waning. Therefore, Russia is inching ever westward in her influence, reminding us that the Gogian confederacy must include Magog, Togarmah and Gomer. We continue to watch with interest as Yahweh positions the nations in place for when he will bring Russia down into his land. We pray with the apostle John, “Lord Jesus come quickly”
Our final main study this year, will be led by Bro Jonathan Legg, to the theme ‘Let there be light”, he has supplied us with the following introduction to his studies.
“These talks are with the intention that we may be caused to consider the principles of light and see the uplifting exhortation contained therein. We hope to show that a believer's faith and hope centres upon THE LIGHT that is revealed within the pages of the Bible and that by considering the scriptural record of light we are considering God, His character and His glory...but most importantly we are considering His purpose. We are told by Jesus Christ to look up, to lift up our heads and know that our redemption draweth nigh, and with that in mind the purpose of this consideration is an exhortation to fix our minds firmly upon the future, to redeem our time, to walk in the light, recognising that our God is light and in Him Is no darkness at all. God manifestation is the purpose of the Spirit, and that purpose will soon be a reality upon this Earth. Let us then consider light, its meaning, and its outworking to the end that our faith is increased, our hope is certain, and our vision is clear. An exhortational consideration of light, as revealed in the scriptures of truth; Light is that which is synonymous with and representative of the glory and character of the one true Eternal Spirit, He who is styled The Creator, and He who is shown forth to His children as The Father. Light is that which was spoken of by the commandment of God back in the beginning and is that which is the source of the manifestation in the future age. It is essential then that those who have a desire to be a part of that future age spend time to meditate upon these things in order that we walk as children of light.”
Bro David, on behalf of the committee, in anticipation of The Coming Kingdom
Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People
The New Year has started lively to say the least, with more named storms up to 10 so far this season (at the time of writing) we have no doubt that stormy wind is fulfilling His word (Psalm 148:8). Since named storms began in 2015 only one year has seen more (2016 – 11 storms in total) but this season we still have over 2 months to go!
Looking wider a field there is a great deal of significant development in the world all heralding the approaching storm of Armageddon. 2024 has been dubbed the election year with 64 countries holding elections including Britain and America. It is then quite possible that by the end of this year the world will be a very different place. There are warnings sounding about impending war with Russia, the possible need for conscription to form an “army of the people” to back up the shrinking armed forces of the UK. A time of trial and testing like we have not seen for 70 years may soon be upon us. With many of our young people and young baptised perhaps needing to prepare for a time they thought may never come. There is nothing new under the sun and whilst faces change and the setting, the heart of man is just the same – deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9).
We must do our best in the time that remains to hold fast and resist the works of flesh and bring forth the fruit of the spirit, to this end at the school this year Bro Tim Plant will lead us in his studies on the fruit of the Spirit. Bro Tim writes:
“The Apostle Paul, in writing to the Galatian ecclesias, had many concerns regarding how quickly they had departed from the gospel that he had preached to them. He highlights the influence of those who sought to bring them into subjection to the ritual of the law and, in particular, the law of circumcision.
He spends much of the epistle reminding them that the gospel that he had preached, did not originate from the teachings of men and that his apostleship was not appointed by men but rather, both were from God.
With this context in mind, he reminds them (in the fifth chapter and at verse 19) of the contrast between the works of the flesh and the fruit of the Spirit:
“Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.”
Clearly, we are all well aware that the works of the flesh do not change, and that each one of us has a natural propensity to bring forth those works, whilst the fruit of the Spirit requires effort and diligence to develop. We look forward, God willing, to spending the week in considering the fruit of the Spirit and how the development of that fruit will result in us living and walking in the Spirit”.
We certainly look forward to Brother Tim’s studies.
Since we last wrote we are saddened to learn of the falling asleep of two former attendees of the school, Sis Alice Willis of West Bromwich and Bro Paul Hart of Rockingham Forest. They both now sleep in the hope of resurrection awaiting as we do, the day of our Lord’s return which cannot be long, “even so come Lord Jesus”.
Your Brother in the glorious hope we share
Bro Paul, on behalf of the committee
Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People,
Loving Greetings in the Hope of Israel that we share.
So, another year draws to a close as we wait patiently for the return of our master and the establishment of Yahweh’s righteousness in the earth. The events around the world but particularly in Israel and Gaza shout loud and clear to us of the constant work of the angels bringing the nations to “the battle of that great day of God Almighty”. So, in a world without hope, we can take great comfort from the Scriptures and, if our lord remains away, our studies at the forthcoming school will bring this comfort before us. Bro Richard Mellowes will focus our attention on ‘Psalms in Hebrews’ and has produced the following introduction to set the scene:-
The epistle to the Hebrews was written to Jewish believers to teach and convince them that the Lord Jesus Christ had completely fulfilled the Law of Moses. The rituals and sacrifices of the Law were therefore no longer required in the present dispensation – both then and now. In tandem with this overall objective the inspired apostle has a clear focus on Jesus Christ as the fulfilment of the Law. As one would expect, the apostle makes extensive use of the Old Testament to make his case. But perhaps surprisingly the main body of evidence he uses to make the case is not from the Law, but from the Psalms, at least in the first half of the epistle. Paul (for we believe him to be the inspired author) quotes from or alludes to 21 different Psalms. Two thirds of these quotations or allusions are in the first 7 chapters. In total, 63 out of a total of 303 verses in epistle reference the Psalms; that’s one in every 5 verses on average taking us back to the Psalms. We plan, God willing, to examine the use of 9 Psalms in Hebrews. We shall draw out some key themes; the emphasis on Christ as both King and High Priest. We shall note that Christ is greater than the angels, although they are the ministers of the Almighty. We shall note Yahweh’s purpose in Christ from the beginning, and how that purpose was worked out though his perfect sacrifice. Finally, we shall seek to draw out key lessons and exhortations for our own discipleship.
We have been continuing to make arrangements for next year’s school, looking into the evening studies and other activities. We have been in regular contact with the staff at High Leigh and have secured formal agreement for the use of the same suite of meeting rooms which we used this year (this had previously been verbally agreed but we wanted to make sure!) and the bedrooms which will be allocated to us. There are some changes taking place at the centre with regards to bedrooms and, understanding these, we believe we have secured the most suitable mix and location of bedrooms.
With sadness, yet in the sure hope of resurrection, we have learned of the falling asleep of Sis Betty Jakeways, who attended the school until ill health prevented it – our thoughts and prayers are with those who mourn. Some of our number are in declining health for various reasons, some are awaiting operations or other treatment so it behoves us, as we pass through the dark winter months, to keep our brethren and sisters in our thoughts – and keep in touch wherever we can.
With much love in the Truth,
Bro Roy, on behalf of the committee
Dear Brethren and Sisters and Young People
Loving Greetings in Yahshua Anointed
It is difficult to imagine that since we met together at High Leigh for our last Bible School that summer has passed and now we are in autumn. One of the positives of these lengthening nights is that it is time for the Bible School Committee, to prepare for our next school, God willing, which is only some eight months away. We look forward to studies from our three speakers: when Bro Richard Mellowes will speak on ‘Psalms in Hebrews’, Bro Tim Plant on ‘The Fruit of the Spirit’, while in our third session we will study the subject ‘Let there be light’ under the guidance of Bro Jonathan Legg.
However, our expectancy of the imminency the Lord’s soon return is real, so these plans may not be necessary. As we survey the world of today, it is clearly in a worse state than ever before, and we reflect on the words of Daniel the prophet. “…there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book”. We remember that as Daniel commented “at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people”. We recognise that the war in Ukraine rumbles on and, without doubt, in our Father’s good time, Gog will move south and enter into the glorious land. The Geneva Academy amongst other things monitors how many current conflicts the world is experiencing. It estimates that there are presently 45 armed conflicts in The Middle East & North Africa, a further 35 in the rest of Africa, 21 in Asia, 7 in Europe and 6 in Latin America - a total of well over a hundred cases of armed conflict. Then there are all the problems with economies, morals, gender, violence on the streets – the list goes on – surely this is a time of trouble such as never was, so we echo with the Apostle John, “Lord Jesus come quickly”.
For your information, the committee visited a different conference centre, to see if we could have future schools there. Much of it was acceptable for our use but the bedrooms would not satisfy our requirements and there is very little outside seating available. With these issues in mind, we have taken the decision to stay at High Leigh for now, but we will continue to look for other venues.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Bro Roy and Sis Flavia and extended family following the falling on sleep of Bro Roy’s mother, Sis Pam Highfield on July 26th. Sis Pam now sleeps with Bro Frank, awaiting the resurrection and the morning without clouds, for which we all long.
With much love in expectation of the coming kingdom and glory
Bro David, on behalf of the committee