We will surround him, make no one judge, no fee. Only Jesus, only Jesus, only he has done this. Where in death and grief, hope is still a thing. Amen. Thank you, Bill. Well, good evening, everyone. Lovely to see each and every one here tonight in the house of the Lord. We welcome you. We pray the Lord will bless us even tonight for this family and friends service. 224 is our opening praise tonight. 224, the page 267. Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power or are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? 224, let's stand and sing unto the Lord, please. ♪ I pray to Jesus for a cleansing heart ♪ ♪ I am washed in the blood of Christ ♪ ♪ I am fully trusting in his grace and his love ♪ ♪ I am washed in the blood of Christ ♪ are you are you When it rests its helmet in the crucify, I march in the blood of love. Are you washed in your heart of love? In the soul-cleansing blood of love? Are you garments of a star made white as stone? Are you washed in your heart of love? When the pride good cometh, will your robes be white, fair and white in the blood of the Lamb? Will your soul be ready for the mansion's pride, and be washed in the blood of the Lamb? Are you washed in the blood of love? In the soaking blood of love? Are your garments put beside a white-eyed stone? Are you washed in the blood of love? ♪ Yes, I, the garments are stained by sin ♪ ♪ And be washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ There's a fountain flowing for the soul of clean ♪ ♪ Oh, be washed in the blood of the Lamb ♪ ♪ Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb? ♪ Let's join together, please, in a word of prayer. Let's look to the Lord, even to glasses tonight, to help us. Let's seek Him even together. Heavenly Father, we bow before Thee this night and we thank Thee tonight, O God, that we are accepted in the beloved. That we can stand before the living and the true God. We thank Thee that we are washed tonight in the blood of Christ. We thank Thee this night that each one that is saved, that each one who's turned from their sin, trusted in Christ, that we have the assurance, we can say with all certainty, I am washed in the blood of the Lamb. Father, we thank Thee for Jesus Christ, leaving the splendors of glory. Jesus Christ walking upon this earth. Jesus Christ living a perfect life and then going to the cross, dying there for our sin, being buried and rising from the dead. We thank Thee for the gospel. We thank Thee, O God, this night that the gospel is the power of God, even unto salvation. Father, we pray that there be one in our gathering tonight still unsaved, still outside of Christ, still on that broad road which leadeth to destruction. O God, at this night that they will turn, they will believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and they will be saved. O Father, we thank Thee at the end of another Lord's day we are found in Thy house. We thank Thee for help already given today in the Sabbath school. We thank Thee, Lord, for the help given in the morning service, and, Lord, that word that was preached. But, O God, tonight we simply cast ourselves before thee. We are poor and needy, yet the Lord does think upon us. Lord, remember us tonight. Bless Tommy as he sings. Bless Mary and as she testifies, O Father, we pray that thou wilt even use those words that she will bring. As she testifies of how the Lord has undertaken and the grace of God in her life, O Father, that thou wilt even use that testimony. to speak to precious souls. Lord, art the one who knows the heart. Lord, we can but look upon the outward appearance. God searches deeper. Oh, Father, we pray that thou would search tonight. That thou would show each one where they stand before thee. And that this night, oh God, in this house, there will be that cry of a newborn babe in Christ. O Father, remember us for good. Bless us as a congregation. Lord, we thank Thee, even for Thy hand upon our youth over the weekend. We thank Thee for the blessing of them, the blessing of that time with them. O Father, bless them and their lives. May this have been an encouragement to walk ever closer with Thee, an encouragement, O God, to give their lives fully to Thee. And Father, we pray that thou wilt be near to them and undertake. Remember our sick. Oh God, we're mindful of those at this time in hospital, those individuals, oh God, who are recovering at home. Those, oh God, of our elderly unable to join with us. Oh Father, be near to them. Touch, we pray thee, their physical body. Encourage their souls. Lord, be unto them all that they need. Oh Father, remember as well those that are away, watch over them, keep them safe in their holidays. Refresh them and bring them back. But oh God, tonight here in this house, oh God, we pray that thou wilt come, that thou wilt bless, that we will know that God is here, that we will hear his voice, hear and answer prayer in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Delighted again to have our brother Tommy Gilmore back with us. We thank him even for filling in for us this morning whenever we were away with our youth for the weekend. I'm going to ask him now to come, and he's going to minister two pieces in song at this time. Thank you, Tommy. Thank our brother for his words of welcome. It's a real joy to be with you this morning. And could I thank you for the folks at the door who said they were blessed with the message. I just thank you for that. He lives the splendour of heaven And his destiny was the Lord's will. There to lay down his life for me If that isn't love The ocean is dry There's no stars in the sky And the sparrows can't fly If that isn't love, then heaven's a myth. There's no feeling like this, if that isn't love. Even in death he remembered the thief hanging by his side. He spoke with such words of compassion Then he took him to paradise If that isn't love The ocean is strife There's no stars in the sky And the sparrows can't fly If that isn't love Then heaven's a myth There's no feeling like this That is in love There are loved ones in the glory who deform you of the mess when you close your eyes. Earthly story, will you join them in their bliss? Will the circle be unbroken, by and by, by and by? In a battered home awaiting, in the sky, in the sky, In the joyous days of childhood, All few told of wondrous love, Pointed to the dying Saviour, Neither dwelt with Him above. Will the circle be unbroken Pie and pie, pie and pie In a pattern of awaiting In the sky, in the sky One by one the seats were empty One by one they went away. Here the circle has been broken. Will it be complete someday? Will the circle be unbroken by and by, by and by? in a pattern over waiting in the sky, in the sky. You want to say a word of thanks to our brother Tommy for coming and ministering to us in song and what wonderful pieces even and the words of them that bring us afresh to the cross and bring us to the necessity even of salvation not just for one and the whole but indeed for each and every member for you individually that you will be saved and washed in the blood of Jesus Christ. Let me welcome you tonight and we do We pray that the Lord will bless each and every one, those that are visiting as well. We give you a very special word of welcome. We do pray that the Lord will bless and the Lord will draw near to us even as we're here in his house tonight. We do pray that the Lord will bless each and every one and continue as well to bless our young people. We've had a really enjoyable weekend with them and we want to thank you for your prayers and remembering even for the Lord's blessing to be upon that weekend. And most of them, I think, are still awake. Hopefully they'll still be awake by the end of tonight. Sleep was to varying degrees, let's just put it like that. Some went to bed early, some didn't, but that was good because we thank God not just for the meetings and the fellowship, but the times with the young people just sitting around talking. And do pray that the Lord will bless our young people continually. in their lives, in school, in uni, in workplace, all of those things, that they will ever draw closer to the Lord. And certainly the weekend has been a blessing. I'm looking forward to a good long night's sleep. And we're just praying, as we have been, that the Lord will be very near to all of them, and that the Lord will really encourage them. Do remember tonight, afterwards, that there is supper provided for everyone. We'd love to see you stand behind, having a time of fellowship in the church hall. And to all those that have been busy in the catering from team three, we thank you for your efforts. Just to remind you of the announcements as briefly as I can, there's no parent and toddlers at this time, just for the next couple of weeks with the Easter break. But tomorrow evening at 7 p.m., we want to have a planning evening here in the church, just in relation to the holiday Bible club and also the sports week. and do please make that effort to come and even just we want to go through hopefully as briefly and as quickly as possible just getting all of the various parts in place and if you're able at all those weeks both start of July and then the other week in August for the sports week. If you're able, whether it be all of the week or some of the nights, or some of the days, some of the nights, then do please speak to us. And do even make that effort to come tomorrow night at seven. And we'll plan everything in the will of the Lord for that time. Wednesday evening then, Bible study prayer meeting at 8 p.m. And as always, we encourage and we look for you to come and to study God's word together. and also to pray together, young and old alike. With the Easter break, maybe it gives a young person a better opportunity to be here. With maybe a bit of a break from school or from uni, then do please come and come to study God's word and even to pray. Do remember this weekend, the Easter convention begins in our Martyrs' Church. Friday night, the Youth Rally at 8 p.m. The Reverend Gillian Patterson, the President of the Youth Council, And Saturday night at the missionary rally at half past seven, the Reverend Colin Mercer, the mission board chairman, will be there for that evening. And of course, various singers, various reports night by night as well. And certainly do make that effort if you can. And young people go along on Friday night and go along Saturday night. Hear about the missionary causes, hear about missionaries that are being sent forth from our lands right across the world. And then, of course, next Sunday, here in our own church, there is no Sabbath school or Bible class, just with the Easter Sunday. But there is, at 11.30, the choir will be along to sing. Now, it's greatly reduced. Unfortunately, we're missing a couple with holidays as well. Numbers will be slightly down, unusual. But we're looking forward, as the choir's coming to sing next Sunday morning. And then in the evening time, at 7 p.m. as well, And then I'll be preaching at both services, just on the theme of Easter. But next Sunday evening, we'll also be having the time around the Lord's table. Usually we have it in April on the Sunday night, but usually it's the last Sunday. But Easter this year is that bit later. And what a blessed way to finish off Easter Sunday itself, by remembering the Lord's death until he come. So do remember those services next week. Missionary Council, as well, is the offering for it. Baskets will be in the front porch both morning and evening next week. Continue, of course, to remember those that are sick in our congregation in prayer. Remember Trevor Roy, still in hospital at this time, receiving treatment for pneumonia, and pray that the Lord will continue to touch. We're thankful just to the improvement that there has been even since he went in. Continue to remember Jim Marshall as well. Just pray that Lord's blessing will continue to be upon him, that God will strengthen him day by day. And even for others that we have been remembering, continue to remember them. It's lovely as well to see our sister Betty out with us tonight again. An answer to prayer, just to see God's hand, even upon those of our congregation that have been laid aside. So continue to uphold each other and to bring each other before the throne of grace in prayer at this time. 339, we're gonna sing together as we lift our tithes and offerings. 339, oh what a wonderful, wonderful day. A day I will never forget. After I've wandered in darkness away, Jesus, my Savior, I met. Remain seated, please, as we sing this hymn, and we'll lift our tithes and offerings unto the Lord. Oh, what a wonderful, wonderful day! I wander in darkness away. Jesus, my Savior, I pray. Oh, what a temper and passion I crave. He met the need of my heart. Shadows dispelling like joy I am telling, He made all the darkness depart. Everything, heart and glory, filled my soul. There at the cross to save me. ♪ Heaven came down and glory filled my soul ♪ ♪ Born of the Spirit with life from above ♪ ♪ Into God's family divine ♪ ♪ God seemed like the living, now where is love? ♪ ♪ Oh, all is suddenly divine ♪ At the transaction so quickly was made, Then as a sinner I came. There called me over, a praise they did offer, Each day the old praises were made. Heaven came down, and glory filled my soul, Let's stand for verse number three, please. I have a future in heaven for sure There it glows once it's alive And it's because of her wonderful ways ♪ Riches eternal and blessings supernal ♪ ♪ From His precious hand I receive ♪ ♪ Heaven came down and glory filled my soul ♪ ♪ Way up the cross the Savior moved my soul ♪ What is a joy to have with us tonight our sister Marion Gary from our martyrs congregation And we do extend to her a very warm word of welcome. And I thank you indeed for coming tonight to bring her testimony. I'm going to hand over the time now to her. And we pray that Lord will richly bless and use her, even as she comes to speak to us. It's a great privilege to be here and to tell of the wonderful, wonderful day when heaven came down and filled my soul. It's a day I will never forget and you know that's over 50 years ago and I'm so glad at the age of 13 that the Lord Jesus Christ became my saviour. I'm so glad that he's in my heart And you know, I stand here today not in any merit of my own, but the Bible says in 1 John 1, verse 7, the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses from all sin. I stand here on the merits of the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. And our desire tonight is holy. to lift up the Lord Jesus, that he would be glorified. We're not here to promote ourselves, but to lift up the name of the Lord. And I'm so glad for how that the Lord saved me. And just to give you a wee bit of a background about myself, well, I was born in East Belfast. And we were born to a typically Belfast family. And my daddy, well, he was a really hard worker during the week. But then at the weekend, he would have taken a lot of drink. And sometimes our home would have been very, very difficult. Sometimes there would have been tears because he would have wrecked the house and the alcohol. But then come Monday, there he was back at work. So we're really so glad that the Lord saved my dad. We prayed for him for over 30 years. And be encouraged, if you're praying for a loved one, And it seems as though they're still so far from God. Keep on praying, just pray, because there's promises in the Word of God. The Bible says that thou shalt be saved on thy house. And, you know, we can take those loved ones of ours that seem so wayward and so far from God, and we can pray and ask the Lord to graciously save them. And I'm so glad that my dad, two weeks before he died, the Reverend David McElveen had the privilege of leading him to the Lord. Well my mum, she was in the home as well and she was saved as a young girl and then whenever she became older, she backslid. She went into the world to enjoy the pleasures of the world for a season. And you know, in my testimony tonight, you're going to hear how the Lord gloriously restored my mom back to the Lord. And that's a wonderful thing to be able to share with you. And you know, like I said, it wasn't easy. being in that home. Many tears, but you know we're so glad the Lord kept our family together. And there are many broken homes about the place today, but we're so glad that the Lord moved in our family. But the first one I remember getting saved in our family was my granny. and my granny got saved, and she was invited to go along to the martyrs, and one night she was sitting in the balcony, and as the preacher preached the gospel faithfully, the Holy Spirit began to bring conviction to her heart, and she realized that she was a sinner. She realized she needed Christ as her Savior, she'd never be in heaven, and you know, as the gospel was preached, she responded to the altar call, she responded to the work of grace in her life, and the Holy Spirit drew her, And she left the balcony and came down the middle aisle and into the inquiry room. And we can truly say today, it wasn't the minister that saved her. There's no man can save anybody. And it wasn't a denomination. But at the cross, at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I saw the light, and now I'm happy all the day. And my granny was transformed that night. And you know what she did? She began to pray for us. She began to pray for her family. Keep on praying is not the message for us believers. Keep on praying for those that seem so far away. And you know, she began to pray specifically for me and mommy, and she really prayed. And then she put action to her prayers, and she invited us to come along. to the church services. So keep giving the invite because many a time mommy and I would have said no, no, no, no. But there was an occasion whenever we said yes. And how that came about was in our land many years ago, the Philippine Choir of Miracles visited and they were advertised in the Belfast Telegraph and it said from headhunters to Christ. What a headline. And as a 13-year-old wee girl, I was mesmerized. I thought, my goodness, what are these people going to look like and what are they going to say? I was really curious to go along and to hear what they would have to share. And you know, whenever I went, we sat in the meeting. The church was packed. It was a wee Bible pattern church at Redcar Street. Ernie Allen took it over years later to become the Every Home Crusade. And I have to tell you tonight with delight, that's the building where I found the Lord as my savior, or he found me. It's not wonderful in that building and how it was used to spread the gospel all over the world years later. What a place to be saved in. But of course, it's the old rugged cross, isn't it? But I'm telling you, that wee group came from the Philippine Islands. were converted headhunters and one was a cannibal. And as I sat there and I looked upon those young people, they stood before me with their regalia. They stood with their feathers around their arms. They stood with their shields and they stood with their spear. And they began to sing, His name is higher than any other. His name is Jesus. His name is Lord. His name is wonderful. His name is counsellor. His name is prince of peace, the mighty God. They had been transformed by the power of God. The missionaries went into that tribe and brought with them the power of the gospel. We heard it tonight, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe of. And that tribe believed as the gospel was preached. It was powerful enough to break the powers of paganism of their lives. Those young people would have been involved in taking hallucinogenic drugs. They would have been bound by witchcraft. But the power of the gospel, it's the power of the gospel that set them free. And there they were trophies of grace standing before me, and as I listened to them and heard their testimonies of how missionaries went into their tribe and won them for Christ, my heart melted. My heart melted, and I realized I may not be in a tribe. But even in our land, there's bondages, isn't there? There's darkness. There's bondages of sin and demons on people's lives in our country. And there's drugs in our country. There really isn't much of a difference, but the gospel for today, for our land, is still the same. It's a part of God unto salvation, and it's the only answer for this nation and for this world. And you know, as I sat there, I realized that I was bound by sin. And where I sat at 13 years of age, I simply bowed my head in that meeting, and I said, Lord Jesus, come into my heart and cleanse me in your precious blood. I need the blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, to cleanse me or I'll never be in heaven. And you know, I'm so glad that night that the Lord came into my heart. And I have to tell you that that week choir sang another chorus, sang another chorus, and it went like this, to the east and to the west, to the north and to the south. You must go, I must go with the gospel of Christ to the black and to the white. to the yellow and to the brown, you must go, I must go with the gospel of Christ. Now, I didn't know anything about dedicating your life to the Lord and for service, but I'm telling you, I saw what can happen in the lives of people who are reached with the gospel. And where I sat in that meeting, I simply bowed my head And I said, Lord Jesus, at 13 years of age, I was just saved five minutes before. I said, Lord Jesus, I'll go where you want me to go. I'll do what you want me to do. And I'll say what you want me to say. That's how the Lord led me. And you know, I didn't tell anybody in that meeting that I got saved. I didn't tell anybody until I was walking up the street. By the way, I don't know whether I mentioned, my mum was in the meeting that night as well, the backslider. So there was the two of us in that meeting and we're so thankful for that. And you know, as we walked up Redcar Street, what a joy it was to turn around and say to my granny, tonight I got saved. You know, that's what the people want to hear. Whenever your loved ones invite you along to church, if you're here at an invite, they're longing to hear that you come to Christ, because they're praying for you, and they want to see you in heaven. Well, the circle being broken was sung tonight, and you know, it was a joy to my granny's heart to hear me say, tonight I ask the Lord into my heart. But you know, can you imagine, the backslider, my mum, She said, tonight I came back to the Lord, two souls in one night. And if that's not an encouragement for you, to keep giving that invitation, keep praying for your loved ones, and keep asking the Lord to save their souls so that your family will be in heaven with you. It's a wonderful thing to invite your family to church and to see them come unto Christ. And you know, whenever I got saved, that was a Tuesday night, and on a Saturday night, my best friend came to the door knocking the door. I was 13, as I say, and she said, Marianne, are you coming to the disco? And I said, oh no, oh no, I'm not going to the disco. I got saved. I got saved on Tuesday night. I'm going to church. And that was my desire. And you know, the Bible does say, in 2 Corinthians 5, verse 17. Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature. Old things are passed away, and behold, all things become new. I had tasted and saw that the Lord is good. I didn't want to go to the disco. There was no competition. I had something in my life that was wonderful. Wonderful change in my life has been wrought. Since Jesus came into my heart, I was saved and I was satisfied and I was so young. Just a few days in the Lord, but the Lord really transformed my life. That girl later, I learned many years later, that she gave her heart to the Lord. So isn't it wonderful to have that knowledge that she has received the Lord as her savior? You know, life is not always plain sailing. You know, I grew up, as it were, I went to school and had challenges in school, as you do, and had to stand up for the Lord, you know, for I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And all you young people, don't be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a part of God unto salvation and the Lord will help you to be a witness and to tell others about him. But you know it's not all plain sailing. I grew up and I got married and at that time I thought my husband was saved but he wasn't genuinely saved. There wasn't fruit in his life and you know we got married and unfortunately within six months of us being married. Maurice took very, very ill. He was only 23 years of age and I was young too, about 23 as well. And, you know, he began to lose the power of his legs and he became into a wheelchair very, very quickly, within a matter of months really. By this time I knew I was pregnant with my daughter Laura. And whenever I went into hospital, it would have been about 29th of November, Laura was born. Maurice had to go into hospital as well because there was nobody really to look after him and he wasn't very well. So Laura was a section and I was in hospital for a period of time and then I got out, but Maurice was still in hospital. But, you know, he was allowed to get out. for Boxing Day and Christmas Day. And so we brought him home for those two days. Let's say a 23-year-old. And it was just for that wee period of time. And he slept in the city, because it was a two-up, two-down house in Belfast. And I lay on the floor beside him, and the babe was in the cot. She was just really born. And Maurice said to me, I want to see the minister that visited me in hospital. I says, oh, no, you're not. Boxing Day. It was Boxing Day. It was a Sunday. And I says, oh, no, no. If you go back to hospital and you would be sicker and it would be all my fault. I says, no, no, no. And he insisted. And Laura was a section, so she was. So it was only a few weeks after a cesarean section. So he insisted. There was an urgency upon his heart. And I said, OK. So I lifted him into the front of a Ford Fiesta, all six foot two of him. and we went around to the church and the minister came into the car and he led my husband to the Lord. And you know what? That was probably the last opportunity he would have had to receive the Lord as a saviour. He didn't see another Christmas. By October the 13th, the following year, he went to be with the Lord. So it was very heartbreaking, but I'm so glad that the Lord saved him. You know, we don't know what a day may bring forth. Maybe you're young and you think you've your life ahead of you. You don't know what a day will bring forth. You need to prepare to meet God, young and old alike. Maurice was only 23, and you know it was hard. And I remember I returned home permanently then to live with Mummy and Daddy, and Laura was a babe. She wasn't even one year old, she was only 11 months old. And I remember being very heartbroken. and crying on to the Lord and saying, Lord, I've lost so much. And I remember looking around the room thinking, I've so little. My life is in this room, really. And as clear as day, I remember the Lord impressing upon my heart that he had nowhere to lay his head. And that says in Luke chapter 8, verse 38. The Lord left the splendor of heaven, we heard about it tonight, knowing his destiny. He left all of that with nowhere to lay his head to save you and me. There's no point in having a pity party, is it? Do you know what I mean? We should have the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Whenever things are on top of us, we need to remember what the Lord has done and give thanks for what we have. And I remember in that wee room looking around, and you know, I saw my pillow. and a thought of my bed, and a thought of a roof over my head, and all the benefits the Lord has given unto me. And I began to praise the Lord, a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness. The Lord brought great peace into my heart through that verse, that he turned my eyes to him. Whenever I saw Jesus and what he had done for me, You know, all of that just melted away from me. I have to confess that. The Lord did it. The Lord heals the brokenhearted, you see. He binds up all the wounds. He is the balm of Gilead. He is everything that we need and so much more. And, you know, I'm so glad that the Lord did that. Well, there it was. What do you do now? What is God's plan for your life when you have all of this in front, you know, around you? And I remember I went back to nursing and finished my training, but within one year after Morris died, I was in the front of the city hall. No, that's not right. Hold on. I began to get a burden for the Philippines. Do you remember that lovely group that brought the gospel to me whenever I was so young? I did love them, I was grateful for them telling me the greatest message you could hear. But all of a sudden, just after Morris died, about a year, I got this burden for the Philippines. And I said, Lord, what are you asking me to do? Do you want me to go to the Philippines? What is your plan? Why do I have this burden? And I remember I fasted and I prayed for three days specifically for this matter. And I left it before the Lord because that's the best thing you can do, young people. You know, when you're seeking God's will for your life, pray over it and leave it with him and then follow as he leads. And so I prayed over it three specific days and nights. And over the next six weeks, I learned to play the guitar, took a desire to suddenly learn to play an instrument. And you know, within six weeks of that burden appearing in my heart in such a deep manner, I was in front of the city hall in Belfast. I was with the youth council and I was given my testimony. And a guy came up to me and I knew him and he knew I'd get saved through the Ministry of Filipinos. And he came up to me and he said, Marian. There's a boat in Belfast Harbor. There is 19 Filipinos on that ship. They are hungry for God, and they want Bibles. That was six weeks after that burden. And I knew, Lord, this is what you're having us to do. So what happened was I rushed home, and I phoned my best friend. And I said, Sharon, she had met that group, too, all those years ago. She knew that group. The Lord makes no mistakes. We met when we were 13, me and her. And you know, I phoned her and I told her that same message that we received. We were told the very wharf that the ship was on and we received permission from the harbour commissioner to go to the port. We had to get all that done. And you know, we went down to that place, the very wharf, the name of the ship, And we had 19 Bibles with us. And we were so privileged, so privileged. What an open door. And whenever we arrived at the ship, you called it the alley off. There was a wee Filipino walking on the deck. And you know, you called him Freddy Barcelona. And he looked at us and we said, We're here to give Bibles. He said, I want the Bibles. The very man that put the request out was walking on the deck. You couldn't have planned it. You couldn't have planned it. Well, we were thrilled. 24-year-old girls, we just were so thrilled. We got the Bibles, and we gave them to Freddie and said, here, we believe you want Bibles. And he says, that's really great. Thank you very much. He says, I tell you what. I will speak to the captain, I will tell the crew, you will come back this evening at seven o'clock, and you will share the gospel with my crew, and my crew will get saved. We were flabbergasted. You would be amazed at giving 19 Bibles, wouldn't you be absolutely jumping for joy, giving the word of God to people that the Lord's put a love in your heart for? We went home with our knees knocking together. We'd never taken a service together. We'd just learned to play a few choruses on the guitar. And you know, at seven o'clock that night, we returned to that ship and shared a simple gospel message. We sang lovely choruses. What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. He is Lord. And we share John 3 and 16. In the Philippines, this coming Good Friday, they'd be trying to shed their own blood because they're full of Romanism. They believe that if they even put themselves on a cross, that they can get peace in their heart. That's what they were bound with. But we had the privilege to tell them what can wash away my sin. Nothing but the blood of Jesus. And you know, after that, that gave us an appetite. That launched a work in the port of Belfast that lasted for more than 25 years. And week after week, day after day, we were in that port bringing the gospel to Filipinos. And you know, it was tremendous. There we were. going during the daytime, linking up with the chief officer or the first officer in the afternoon, giving Tagalog, Filipino literature, where we got in the building where I got saved, by the way. I was getting Filipino literature where the Philippine Choir of Miracles stood and won me for Christ. You couldn't write the script. You couldn't. It just brought joy to my heart all those years later to be standing in that building and have their language put into my hand. God bless the Every Home Crusade. God bless the work they do. It's fantastic. But there we were, giving Filipinos the literature. But, you know, we met other nationalities and we were able to give them literature too. You know, sometimes whenever we went on to the ships, meeting after meeting, it could have been difficult. There was threats and there was dangers. The harbour is a very dangerous place. You need specific permission to go into the harbour. And, you know, the captain would always look after us and, you know, welcome us more often than not. And, you know, we would have went on and sometimes there was opposition. We went into meetings and there was men, but there was also other ladies. There was prostitutes present at times. There go I, but for the grace of God. And they were there on a different mission. They were trying to take the men out of the meeting. They were trying to take them by the hand and lead them out. And the men were taking their hands out of the ladies' hands and sitting down in the meeting. And we were in one service. And you know, there was a lady there and she came and she stood toe to toe to us and very close. We thought she was going to hit us because we were damaging their business. And she looked into our eyes and she said, St. Jesus loves me. St. Jesus loves me. A broken life and a broken heart. And you know, she must have been in a children's meeting. She must have had a faithful Sunday school teacher because what she had in her heart had to be a seed planted by those faithful servants. And there she was, full of sin, asking for us to sing to her, Jesus loves me, this I know. What a privilege to tell her one more time that he does love her and he can transform her life. That was a great privilege to do that. And you know, We've been in many ports. The Lord opened many doors for us. Yes, we were in the port of Belfast. We were in the port of Dublin. We were in Port Talbot in Wales. We were sent to Redcar in Teesside and Southampton in Liverpool. We've had the privilege of being in many ports. But we were in one specific port in Dunkirk, France. And how that came about was there was a wee Filipino called Noel, and he got saved in Belfast. Then he went back to the Philippines, and he signed on to another ship. And we got a message from him, and he says, please pray for my crew. They're all drunkards. I can't stand the sin on this ship. Please pray that somebody will come and share the gospel with the crew, that they can have an opportunity to have their lives changed and be saved. And, you know, we prayed faithfully day after day after day for that crew for nearly a year, because the contract lasts a year. And you know, the Lord put it in our hearts that we should go to Dunkirk, France. And we went to that port, the two of us. And we had a tremendous time. It was a blessed time. And whenever we stood for the first meeting with that wee crew, we sang a wee song called Mercy Rewrote My Life. God's mercy rewrote my life. I should have fallen, my soul cast out, but God's mercy rewrote my life." And you know, when we finish singing that chorus, one wee Filipino, older man, hardened, a sea man, jumped to his feet and says, stop, I need God's mercy to rewrite my life now. Well, it's like blind Bartimaeus in the Bible, isn't it? He cried out to the Lord for mercy, and the Lord answered his prayer, and the Lord answered the prayer for Vier, and the Lord saved him, and the Lord gloriously saved him. And you know, we went back the next night, and we asked the wee crew, what would you like to sing? And he leapt to his feet and he says, mercy, mercy rewrote my life. And that gentleman has gone to be with the Lord. So it was very timely to hear the gospel, but thank God he responded. And we're so thrilled. And the guy Noel, well, because he had been saved that wee bit longer, we got the crew to pray alongside him and he was nearly ordained. as the pastor on board that ship. They have a floating church, so they had. And we're so thankful for that. And you know, whenever I said we were in the port of Belfast, we did give literature to many nationalities. We met Russians, Chinese, Japanese, German, Turkish. Romanian, you name the nationality, we give literature from Ernie Allen's place into their hands. And there was meetings that we had on board ships that were not all Filipinos and were different nationalities. We were the privilege of being with an Indian crew, for example, and their very Hindu gods were behind us when we were talking about the Lord God Almighty, the one true God, and we didn't mince words. We talked about his name being higher than any other. Everything else is down here, but God is God. the great creator. We made it very clear who we were representing because we're not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And we had the privilege of sharing that message with them. And all those lovely nationalities, Korean included, Indonesians, you name it. But you know, do you remember when I was 13? I said that for a reason. about that dedication time. To the east and to the west, to the north and to the south, you must go, I must go with the gospel of Christ. To the black and to the white, to the yellow and to the brown. I didn't realize that whenever I bowed my head at the age of 13, that the Lord would fulfill that. Every nationality across the world, north, south, east, and west, every color you could imagine, we had the privilege to share the gospel. didn't realise. Young people, God can do more with your life than you can even imagine if you follow his guidance. He will show you clearly what he wants you to do. Say yes, that's my advice. Yes, I surrender all, that's all. He surrendered everything for us, didn't he? Why should we, if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice is too great for me to make for him. And so the gospel was preached. I have to tell you about one ship in particular, and I'll try and control myself a wee bit. This was a wonderful ship. You called it the Annaleen Hart, and we had the privilege of being in this ship. We met with the chief officer during the day. We arranged to come at seven o'clock to sing some lovely choruses, gospel-based choruses, and share the word of God from the King James Version. We don't water anything down. We give it as straight as we could. And you know, whenever we went to that ship, The length of one of these pews was the mess room table, and on that table was alcohol, every type you could even imagine, from the beer to the vodka. We went into that environment and we thought, Lord, we need you. We have to pray, you know, because you need to sober these men up, for example. And we really did feel as though we were going into a difficult situation. But, you know, come seven o'clock, we lifted the guitars and began to calmed the men down, and they sat down, and we shared a simple gospel message. Some of the crew responded, and we did give an altar call. We did. We felt impressed. If there's anybody that would surrender to the Lord, the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It will come to pass. that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. It's not a maybe. If somebody sincerely asks Jesus the Lord, the Saviour, into their hearts, he will come in. It will come to pass. And you know, while some of the crew prayed to ask Jesus the Lord into their hearts, Some of those men that were hardened by sin, while they prayed, lifted the vodka glass and did that. So defiant and so hard, yet many of that wee crew asked the Lord into their hearts. As far as we know, we don't make a list. The angels in heaven make the list. It's all recorded in God's book, not our book. But we thank God for the privilege of being on that ship. We went back the next night. and the other men had departed. They didn't want anything to do with this, but the rest of the men that gave their hearts to the Lord wanted to hear more about God. It's fruit in itself, isn't it? And we just pray that missionaries all over the world would meet with them and encourage them. That would be the desire of our hearts as we were on board those ships. But this ship So we had a tremendous time with that crew, the ones that got saved. We got a disciple ship, you know, the armor of God and whatnot. And you know, that ship sailed. And then what happened was that ship went to one more port, and then it sailed on, OK? So about six weeks later, a sister ship of that company came. And they said to us, did you hear about the Anna Leigh in Hart? And we said, the ship was in Belfast. We had a tremendous time on board. And they said, no, but did you hear about the Anna Leigh in Hart? And what had happened was, when that ship left Belfast, it sailed to one more port, and then it sailed on. When it sailed on. that ship sank with no survivors. The place where the gospel was preached was under the sea. The place where the Lord was mentioned and altar calls were made was under the sea. The ground we stood on to proclaim the gospel was under the sea, and those men perished. And, you know, we thank God for the privilege of having that opportunity to tell them one more time they needed to prepare to meet God. We didn't realize when we were speaking and singing that that crew would perish so soon. And we cried our hearts out when we thought of it. But we thank God Bibles were put on that ship. Tagalog literature in their language was put on that ship. Many of the crew had asked the Lord into their hearts and cried on to the Lord for salvation. And you know our desire is, our heart's thoughts were, When the ship was sinking, that even the saved ones would be encouraged, and those who were perishing around them, to call upon the name of the Lord, that they would be saved. That was our hope, that they would respond even in their dying hours. But we are so glad that we had that privilege at such a timely time to tell them one more time the way of salvation. And you know, if you're sitting in this meeting, what if this was the Anna Lane Hart ship? What if this was a ship and it was about to sink? Where would you be in eternity? Where would you be in eternity? Are you ready to meet God? Family members, will the circle be unbroken? Come to Christ is the call. Come today, make no delay. It's time to get right with God. Don't leave it until it's too late. And you know our hearts were really broken as I say. And we realized more and more how important it was to be clear in sharing the gospel that men need to be saved. The Bible says, whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. And you can call tonight, and he will answer your call. It'll come to pass. As you call, he'll receive you. Just open your heart, open your mouth, and say, Lord, come into me. My heart, you died on the cross. We're remembering this at Easter. Christ came to Calvary to die for you. The blood of Jesus Christ, God's son, cleanses from all sin. It wasn't enough for the Lord to stand on the earth and just say words. wasn't enough to heal the sick. It wasn't enough to touch blinded eyes and open their eyes. The Lord had to die because it's only the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, that cleanses from all sin. It washes away our sin so that we can be purified. made white, redeemed, bought back by the blood of the lamb. What a message we have to share. We're not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the power of God unto salvation. And we need to realize we've got power. We've got the Bible. It's the word of God, isn't it? The gospel's inside it. It's dynamite, and the devil doesn't like it. And he wants to take those souls to hell. Well, do you know what? It's about time we stood up and said, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I'm saying that verse for a reason because I've heard that verse three times today. So the Lord makes no mistakes. Believers, let's get more acquainted with the gospel than we've ever been acquainted so we can share it and see the devil defeated all around us. We want to rescue souls. We don't want to be sitting at ease while those are perishing around us. Those men were perishing and we didn't even know it. People you meet today maybe don't know. You don't know that they could be lost. There could be a step between them and death. There's an urgency. Be up and doing while it is day. But the unsaved, you need Christ. It's the best life ever. And we can assure you of that. And so just to bring you up to date, life is not all plain sailing, as I said. And I have to confess that the last three years has been the most difficult, the most difficult of my life. You'd think if you're a widow at 23, it'd be pretty tough. And it was, it was hard. But you know, the last three have been the most trying that I've ever experienced. In November, three years ago, My mom went to be with the Lord. And you know, I've had the privilege of being in the Philippines five times already. The Lord's given me that desire. My mom bought me the first ticket to go to the Philippines. She was always there for me. And whenever mommy went to be with the Lord, it broke my heart, obviously. I was very, very broken by that. That happened in November. And in the February, a few months later, my daughter Laura, she lost her husband at 39 years of age. Some of you know Christopher Stalford, many of you know Christopher, and what a shock and brokenness we endured during that time. Losing mommy, I was devastated. A few months later, Christopher, and we loved Christopher. Christopher was quite a character, and it was thank God that Christopher was saved, but it was a very, very difficult time. Our mourning was very public. It was hard to deal with. Of course it was. Whenever Christopher died, Laura came to my home. And I remember she had the four children, Trinity, Oliver, Cameron and Abigail sat on my settee and she sat on the coffee table and she sat there and she told them that their daddy had gone to heaven. I remember it so well. And we, Cameron, turned round and said, I think we should pray. What a comfort, what a comfort at such a time that a little one could even point you to the very remedy and help that we need in times of trouble. It was so difficult and so hard, but you know, we're so thankful for the Lord. We're so thankful that the Lord is with us in the hard times and in the good times. And you know, the Bible says in Psalm 61 in verse 2, when my heart is overwhelmed within me, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. And if you're sitting here in this meeting and you're facing a situation that is too hard for you, and I know there's many people who have gone through crises and heartaches, burdens, trouble, and it seems like a tsunami. coming against you or an earthquake, but you know the Lord is faithful and I can truly say, when you pass through the waters, he'll be with you and the rivers, they'll not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you'll not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. The Lord's promised never to leave us nor forsake us and I can stand here in weakness really, but trusting the one who holds my hand, who says, fear not, for I am with thee. And the Lord is with you. Don't let the devil tell you any lies. He is with you, and he will see you through. But there's a word here for you. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I. That overwhelming flood, it's the only answer. And that rock will never crumble below your feet. It's steadfast and it's sure. And this rock is Jesus, the only one. So whenever I'm speaking here tonight, our burden is for the unsaved. You do need to come to Christ. You really don't know what a day may bring forth and really you don't know what you're missing if you don't have the Lord. But you need to be ready for heaven. You don't know what a day will bring forth. And our exhortation is, don't delay. Run to the Saviour because he is waiting for you. His arms are open to receive you. Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out. And we would encourage you to come to Christ. And any backsiders here, well, you know, there's nothing in this world. You need to get back to your first love. We love him because he first loved us, isn't that right? So come to Christ and make no delay. Get back like my mummy did and come to Christ and be restored by his mercy and grace. And for believers, as far as I'm concerned, I'm still going through that fire. I am not through yet. And I'm standing here in great weakness, and great trials I'm still going through every day at this season. But you know when my heart is overwhelmed within me. And if you're in the middle of that today, go to the rock. See it from God's perspective. It's higher ground, isn't it? And you know God is greater. God is greater than any trouble that you're facing. Just leave it with the Lord and go step by step. and gaze upon him. The things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. I'm so glad I have a testimony to give, and that's it up to date. From a child, how the Lord led, how the Lord opened the door, how the Lord fulfilled those promises that he gave me when I was 13, even to serve him among many nationalities. And then, of course, the trials of the day, the heat of the day. Come to Christ if you're not saved. Thank you. Can I say a word of thanks to our sister Marian tonight for bringing to us and the mercy and the majesty of the grace of God. I couldn't help but think of the verse in James 4. It says, what is your life? Some people would say of Marian's life that it's a life of hardship. Others would say it's a life of service. Thank God it's a life that's been surrendered to Christ and it's his. But that verse says, what is your life? And then it goes on to say, it is even a vapor that appeareth for a little time and it vanisheth away. 23 year old husband, 39 year old son-in-law, gone. You're not guaranteed tomorrow. You're not even guaranteed to make it to your car. Are you ready to meet God? Can you say with that assurance in your heart tonight, it is well. Not with my health. Not with my family. Can you say, it is well with my soul? You need to be able to say that. You need to be saved. Salvation, thank God, is real. It's all of Him. My friend, you need to surrender to Him. We're going to sing some words. 364. Couldn't help but think how fitting the second verse of this is, even for Marian. Joy is abounding. Time sister, I couldn't help but smile as you spoke. The joy that's bounding out of her. The joy of the Lord's your strength. Christians, don't be miserable. The joy of the Lord is your strength. My heart gaily sings, cleave I the heavens, mind ups and wings. Why, Christ hath exalted my soul he set free. For Jesus, my Savior, oh, he's precious to me. We're going to sing all three verses. We'll stand as we sing, please. It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, It is Thine, O River, Bring me some wine, my portion shall be. Jesus, my Savior, is precious to me. Precious to me. ♪ Precious is he ♪ ♪ Jesus shall ever be gracious to me ♪ ♪ Joy is upon thee ♪ ♪ My heart daily sings ♪ Jesus, my Savior, is gracious to me. Gracious to me. Gracious is He. ♪ Jesus shall the world be gracious to thee ♪ ♪ O gracious Jesus, our love be thou art ♪ ♪ Peace let me see ♪ ♪ And I shall never be precious to Thee ♪ ♪ Precious to Thee, precious to Thee ♪ Can I say our sister Marian is here. If you have any concerns about where you stand with the Lord, if she can be of any help to you, or myself as well, please. I'd be delighted to sit down and to talk with you. Don't go home without the Lord, but rather go home knowing that he is precious to you. Father, we thank Thee tonight that Thou hast been here in the midst with us. We thank Thee for the grace of God that saves. We thank Thee, O God, tonight that the grace of God is sufficient for every circumstance in life. We thank Thee, even as our sisters said, There is nothing to be ashamed of in the gospel of Jesus Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation. Lord, speak on through thy word, by thy spirit, O for souls to be dealt with tonight, for lives to be transformed. Do it, we pray thee. Not for this church, not for the minister, not for Marian, O God, do it. for thee and for thee alone. And Father, we pray that Christ will receive all of the glory. Bless us now, we pray thee. Accept of our thanks for the good things provided. May we eat and drink to thy glory. Watch over each and every one, both tonight and the days that lie ahead. In Jesus' name.