Thank God for His Grace

Gregory Baugh • November 30, 2018

No need for spears

Have you ever read the Old Testament? Have you noticed the harsh way that sin was dealt with? For example, in Numbers 25, the priest's son, Phinehas, made a name for himself when he, in his zeal for God's honour, drove a spear into an idolatrous Israelite who was in the act of sexual immorality with a Moabite seductress. She met the same fate of her mate as the spear went into her body also. Because of Phinehas' action, God stopped the plague that was destroying the Israelites due to their idolatry. "The Lord said to Moses, “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites. Since he was as zealous for my honor among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal" (Numbers 25:10-11).

God is as zealous for his honour today as he was back then, so why is it that the New Testament instructs, "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted" (Galatians 6:1)? Why the difference between the Old Testament and now? The reason is that another priest came along at a later time, and did some piercing of his own. He did more than end a plague; he took away the sting of death, the consequence of sin. This priest pierced hands, feet, and side. But he did not do this to the sinner. He did this to himself. God who is zealous for his honour, also loves us tremendously. He found a way to punish sin, but save the sinner. He did this by piercing himself on our behalf.

Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him,
and by his wounds we are healed."

Because of what Jesus did, we are not pierced for our transgressions. Rather, we are brought to repentance gently.

As disciples of Jesus, we need to be as zealous for God's honour as Phinehas was. But we must not do so with spears in hand. Rather, we need to be armed with the gospel, telling people that Jesus died for their sin and, as a result, we must live to please him by our righteousness. Let's be grateful that there are no need for spears today. Let's be thankful for his grace.

Elders Nominated

By Greg Baugh • April 19, 2022
The process to appoint elders has begun

Health Centre named after Dr. Kenneth Baugh

By Gregory Baugh • January 22, 2020
The Hon. Dr. Kenneth Baugh OJ was an outstanding surgeon who had a strong desire to better the lives of his fellow man and saw political representation as the way to do so. He was successful in his bid to be a representative in parliament several times throughout his political career, which spanned almost 40 years. He served his country as a member of Parliament, Minister of Health, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, and Deputy Prime Minister. Under his watch at Minister of Health, poliomyelitis was eradicated from Jamaica, a programme of improving dental health was initiated, and the health and well-being of Jamaicans greatly improved.He had the reputation of being calm, fair, and honest, which earned the admiration and fondness from those on both sides of the political aisle. He was awarded the Order of Jamaica in 2016 for his distinguished service to Jamaica. Dr. Baugh was diagnoses with brain cancer in 2015 and was baptized that year. He underwent brain surgery but did not fully recover. He passed away on September 1, 2019. "The passing of the Honourable Dr. Kenneth Lee O'neil Baugh, OJ, is truly a sad day for Jamaica. The nation has lost a veritable patriot who, while being a politician, was never political. He was a true servant who was the epitome of humility, dignity, and integrity" - The Prime Minister, The most Honourable Andrew Holness, ON, MP Health Centre A new health centre being constructed in Point Hill, the constituency which he last served as a Member of Parliament, will be named after him. This is seen as a fitting tribute, seeing that he gave free health care to so many people in that town and the surrounding districts. Ground was broken in November 2019.

Connecticut Connecting with Mo Bay & Sav

By Kirk & Sheree Spencer • April 9, 2019
(Above: Ian, Loida, Samenthur, Tim, and Sheree) It was truly a blessing having Tim and Samenthur Blake, plus Ian and Loida Nicholson, in Montego bay and Savannah-La-Mar (Sav) in March 2019. Tim and Sam are Lead Evangelist and Women's Ministry Leader (WML) in Hartford Connecticut, and they are passionate and experienced church builders. Ian is an Elder, serving with his wife, Loida in the Hartford Church. The Church is known as the Heart; and that is exactly what they brought, lots of love and they gave their hearts as they served the saints. Mark and Sophia Clarke, who moved back to Westmoreland Jamaica late last year, were previously members of the Hartford Church. Through their great love for Mark and Sophie, and their strong Caribbean connection, they decided to visit, serve and inspire the Churches in Montego Bay and Sav. It was a weekend filled with inspirational lessons. Tim and Sam taught the Sav ministry about building a church from a small group. They also visited the Sav infirmary, where they got an opportunity to touch not just the hands but also the hearts of the residents. The Montego Bay small group leaders were called higher by a lesson on Shepherding and Unity from Ian and Loida. The weekend culminated with a BYND service, where 79 disciples had an attendance of 162 person. All praise be to God! Tim preached a heart-moving message that connected with many of the visiting guests and disciples a like. Since then, many persons have started studying the Bible. One evening, two women came to study the Bible and brought three friends along with them. So, the four sisters faithfully studied the Bible with five women. Many more continue to express their desire to seek after God. We faithfully hold on to the scriptures that remind us to rely on God. Luke 10:2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
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