From Pastor's Desk

With this issue of ‘Our Messenger’ you will have noticed that we have a new look. The Magazine will also now be produced on a quarterly basis rather than bi-monthly. We hope this will not lessen it’s usefulness. We do value the comments received from time to time and also the fellowship enjoyed in this way with others beyond the Church here in Hailsham.

Something that concerns many pastors today is, what seems to be, a growing lack of confidence in the Word of God. During the course of last year I gave some thought to this and my mind revolved round the silver trumpets that we read about in Numbers 10. In the context we find God giving instructions concerning the movement of the people of Israel as they journeyed through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. Of course, as Christians, that is a picture of us as we travel through life towards the glory that awaits us.

The people were assured, by the sight of the pillar of fire and cloud (Numbers 9:15-23), that the Lord would continually go ahead of them in the person of His Holy Spirit, guiding and protecting them. Then they were assured of His divine presence with them as the Ark of God (Numbers 10:33-35) was in their midst. There God was among His people as they followed His Holy Spirit.

However together with the ‘fiery cloudy pillar’ and the Ark of God, Moses was told to make two silver trumpets (Numbers 10:1-10 from which all following references are taken). Those trumpets were to be used in certain ways which are so instructive for us.

THE TRUMPETS CALLED THE PEOPLE TOGETHER (v1) It is the Word of God that should bind Christians together as individuals and as churches. We could enlarge and consider the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ in whom alone we are one. Here however the emphasis is on the written Word, the Scriptures. This precious Word settles all differences and focuses our hearts and minds on God Himself. What is it that binds us together and moulds us into the people our Saviour and Lord would have us be in this world?

THE TRUMPETS DIRECTED THE PEOPLE’S MOVEMENTS (v1) They governed the lives of the people of God. We do well to ask ourselves what it is that actually governs our movements and lifestyle; by what we order our priorities. Let us encourage one another to live by the Word of God which brings God’s standards before us.

THE TRUMPETS DIRECTED THE PEOPLE’S WARS (v9) Like them the Church of God today is always facing opposition and resistance from the world in which we live. Yet our commission in that world is to go forth with the Word of God bringing the Gospel of God’s grace to lost sinners that they might believe on our precious Saviour and receive eternal life and become His followers through this world and into heaven at last, and all for His glory. Our witnessing and evangelism must be directed by the Word of God. It should control how we go about it and mould the form our evangelism takes. Let us beware of the world’s methods for success. Our hope and trust is in the Lord who gave us both the command to ’go’ and the resource we need in His Word alone.

THE TRUMPETS DIRECTED THE WORSHIP OF GOD (v10) With so much confusion in the Christian world over worship we need some positive direction as to how we should proceed in it so that God is glorified thereby. The trumpets again come into their own. At the risk of being called old fashioned and out of date, I have no hesitation in saying that our worship must be according to the regulative principle. The principles of the style and method of worship are clearly laid down in the Scriptures. How can we dare to come to God in a way that He has not prescribed using the methods of a fallen humanity. As to the content of our worship that too is made plain in the Scriptures. How we thank the Lord for that! There need be no confusion and indeed ought not to be any confusion for God is not the Author of it. The root cause of all confusion is the Evil One and he only succeeds, just as he did in the Garden of Eden, when he is successful in diverting us away from the Word of God.

However the mere possession of the trumpets is insufficient in and of itself. Moses was told to make them and then:

THE TRUMPETS WERE TO BE BLOWN AND ACTED ON Sometimes they were to be blown together (v3) and sometimes singly (v4). Different notes were to be sounded, all of which were important. There was a call to advance and move forward (v5); a rallying call to take up arms would sometimes ring out (v7); A warning alarm might be heard (v9). How foolish it would have been to ignore those calls yet so many seem to close their ears against the word today and many churches are reaping the consequences. Note too that the trumpets were not to be blown in a haphazard way (v8). A certain sound was to be given and proper principles were to be applied. If not there would be utter confusion.

With the trumpets of the Old and New Testaments ever before sounding in our ears through the preaching of the Word, let us encourage one another to go forward together until we come to the time when with joy of heart we hear the last trumpet call to come into the presence of our glorious Captain and Guide.

The Lord be with you throughout the coming months,

Pastor