Articles for the Issue –

A Word for Today – Shebet

Sheber (Corn, victuals) Shebet (Sceptre, rod, staff) Shebi (Captivity, prisoners) The sceptre has been an emblem of those in authority, such as kings, judges and military leaders as well as priests, dow…

Brian Clatworthy

Study

Chairman’s Notes

2018 has brought its challenges for the work of Precious Seed. We started the year by moving our book printing and distribution operation from Northern Ireland to Southampton. Thank you to Howard Coles …

John Bennett

Character Studies in the Book of Proverbs – Part 4: The Sluggard

Time is a very precious commodity. It takes us from the cradle and charts our course through childhood to adolescence and on into adulthood. Time takes us from the school desk to the workplace. Time mea…

John Scarsbrook

Character Studies in the Book of Proverbs

Cover Image – ‘And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write’, Rev. 3. 14.

Lycus River, a tributary of the River Meander, in an area of Asia Minor known as Phrygia – now part of present day Turkey. Nearby were the smaller and less important cities of Hierapolis and Colossae. T…

David’s Roll of Honour

2 Samuel chapter 23 begins with, ‘These be the last words of David … the son of Jesse’. Indeed, scripture is careful to record the ‘last words’ given by men of God, to ensure a seamless transition from …

William Burnett (2)

‘Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you’, 1 Pet. 5. 7. As Peter encourages his trial-burdened readers to cast ‘all your care upon’ God, there are some interesting and simple points to not…

Sandy Jack

Holiness

It seems that a key feature many believers look for in a church is happiness. Whilst happiness is not always wrong, the key characteristic of God’s house is holiness, not happiness. ‘Holiness becometh t…

Randal Amos

Missionary work amongst the Hutterites in Manitoba, Canada

The Hutterites take their name from one of their early leaders, Jakob Hutter. This group had its beginnings during the Reformation and were part of the Anabaptists.1 Both Jakob Hutter, and his wife Kath…

Jack Gould

Organisations

Personalities in the Nativity – Mary

The woman who was chosen by God to be the mother of the Lord Jesus was a woman who combined a remarkable ordinariness with an equally remarkable greatness. In one sense, she was no different from any ot…

Michael Wilkie

Postal Bible School – Canada

It was encouraging to read the following comment, in a recent Christmas card, received from a student – ‘I love learning more about the BIBLE ? Hopefully I can learn more in the years to come’. Over the…

Pete Smith

Organisations

Question Time – Is it wrong for a Christian to go out with someone who is not saved?

Question Is it wrong for a Christian to go out with someone who is not saved? Answer From a natural perspective, it is quite possible that a Christian will find an attraction to someone who is not a bel…

Richard Collings

Question Time

Safeguarding Children at Church in England

In England during 2016/17 there were 13,591 recorded cruelty and neglect offences against persons under sixteen years old. In the same period 43,522 sexual offences were recorded against children under …

Jeremy Gibson

Contemporary Issues

The Epistle to the Colossians – Part 3

The two prayers, vv. 3-14 (continued) The two prayers can be outlined as follows: Thanksgiving, vv. 3-8 – two hearings: ‘Since we heard of your faith … love … hope’, vv. 3-5; ‘Ye heard’, vv. 5-8. Note …

William Banks

The Epistle to the Colossians

The Gospel of Mark – Part 4

The ministry begins, vv. 14-20 (continued) The call of the ministry, vv. 16-20 It seems clear from Mark’s structure of events that those who accepted the Lord’s preaching were few. Rather than the multi…

John Bennett

The Gospel of Mark

The Lordship of Christ is Recognized

Maybe it is not surprising that truths concerning our salvation should tend to interest us most, but there are other truths of equal value in the estimation of heaven – truths which concern the place an…

Sandy Jack

An Assembly of the Lord’s people will be a people among whom …

Assembly Principles

The Messianic Psalms – Psalm 68

Overview Psalm 68 contains just part of a verse that enables us to consider it as being Messianic, ‘Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men’, v. 18.…

Richard Collings

The Messianic Psalms

The Twelve Tribes of Israel – Simeon

A poor start The names of Jacob’s sons were all given by their mothers, with one exception.1 They are loaded with the angst and struggle that pervaded the family, though, again, Judah and Joseph are exc…

Lloyd Stock

The voice from behind

Whilst, as believers, we are pressing on the journey of faith, there will always be two messages in our ears. One message is from the adversary, whose object is to make us stumble or to draw us out of t…

Sam Taufeek

Their Finest Hour – Mary Magdalene

As with so many who have served the Lord faithfully, the name of Mary Magdalene has been much maligned by people of the world, ranging from Popes to film-makers, but the role that she played in service …

John Bennett

What Does the Bible Tell Us About the Future? – Part 1: the Last Days of the Church on Earth

A very high percentage of the Bible is about the future. Some people estimate that over a quarter of the Bible deals with future events. Having said that, we need to bear in mind that the truth of the c…

Stephen Baker

What Does the Bible Tell Us About the Future?

The World, the Flesh and the Devil – Jack Hay

Book Reviews in this Issue

Paperback, 88 pages, Published by John Ritchie Ltd, 40 Beansburn, Kilmarnock, Scotland, KA3 1RH. ISBN: 978-1-912522-32-3. The subjects under consideration in this brief, yet concise, study were addres…

New Testament Church Basics – Understanding Local Assembly Character and Purpose – Michael J. Penfold

Paperback, 60 pages, Published by John Ritchie Ltd., 40 Beansburn, Kilmarnock, KA3 1RL, Scotland. ISBN: 978-1-912522-29-3. For one who was brought up listening to some of the same speakers mentioned i…

From Glasgow to Garenganze – Ian Burness

Paperback, 339 pages, Published by OPAL Trust and Echoes International, 1 Glenannan Park, Lockerbie, DG11 2FA, UK. ISBN 978-1-907098-32-1. A debt of gratitude is owed to the writer for the very readab…