Easter Convention at the Martyrs 2025

We extend to you all an invitation to attend our denomination’s annual Easter Convention taking place, DV, from Good Friday to Easter Monday at the Martyrs Memorial Free Presbyterian Church.

• FRIDAY 18th April | 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 8.00pm
• SATURDAY 19th April | 𝐌𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 7.30pm
• MONDAY 21st April | 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞 7.00pm

Easter is a special time of reflection and thankfulness and we would encourage you all to make the effort to attend these meetings in person and enjoy fellowship and blessing from the singing and messages too.

Everyone welcome. Light refreshments served after each meeting.

“But the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.” Matthew 28:5-6

Directions

Friday Youth Rally

The sermon, based on Isaiah 6, focuses on the transformative power of a spiritual vision of God, using Isaiah’s experience as a model for young people.

Key points include:
Vision of God’s Majesty: Isaiah’s vision of the Lord, high and lifted up, shifts his focus from earthly reliance (King Uzziah) to divine sovereignty, greatness, and holiness. This vision reveals God’s nearness and power, urging believers to see Him as the ultimate King.

Awareness of Sin: Encountering God’s holiness, Isaiah recognizes his own sinfulness and the depravity of his people. This conviction highlights human unworthiness but points to the solution—God’s provision of forgiveness through a substitutionary sacrifice, symbolized by the altar’s live coal and fulfilled in Christ’s atoning work.

Call to Action: Isaiah’s response, “Here am I. Send me,” reflects a vision that leads to mission. God calls him to reach the unconverted and unconcerned, a challenge extended to the audience to share the gospel with a sinful world, starting locally and potentially expanding globally.
Spiritual Vision Over Physical Sight: Drawing from Proverbs 29:18 (“Where there is no vision, the people perish”), the sermon emphasizes the need for a spiritual vision of God to avoid spiritual destruction. A secular quote underscores the tragedy of having sight but no vision, applied spiritually to inspire purposeful action.

Application: The preacher encourages young people to emulate Isaiah’s surrender, seeking a vision of God that inspires them to serve in their communities, churches, and beyond, with a passion to extend Christ’s kingdom, as exemplified by John Knox’s plea for Scotland.
The message urges the audience to move beyond mere physical sight, embrace a transformative vision of God, and respond with active commitment to His call, proclaiming the gospel to a lost world.

Saturday Evening Missionary Rally

Summary of the Sermon on Luke 24:33-53

The sermon, delivered by Rev. Colin Mercer, focuses on Luke 24:33-53, emphasizing the theme of “Knowing Christ’s Blessing.” It recounts events following Jesus’ resurrection, particularly His final interactions with His disciples before His ascension. The key points are:

1. Context and Scripture Reading:
   • The passage begins with the disciples, having encountered the risen Jesus, returning to Jerusalem to share the news of His resurrection (v. 33-35). Jesus appears among them, calming their fears and proving His physical resurrection by showing His hands and feet and eating with them (v. 36-43).
   • Jesus explains that His suffering, death, and resurrection fulfill the Scriptures (Law, Prophets, Psalms) and commissions His disciples to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations, starting in Jerusalem (v. 44-48).
   • He instructs them to wait in Jerusalem for the promised Holy Spirit (v. 49) and leads them to Bethany, where He blesses them and ascends to heaven (v. 50-51). The disciples return to Jerusalem with joy, continually praising God in the temple (v. 52-53).
2. Main Theme: Knowing Christ’s Blessing:
   • The sermon centers on verse 50, where Jesus lifts His hands and blesses His disciples before ascending. This act is presented as the final and most significant moment of His earthly ministry, underscoring the necessity of His blessing for the disciples’ mission.
3. Three Key Aspects of Christ’s Blessing:
   • Importance of Christ’s Blessing:
     • The disciples were few, resource-poor, and facing a hostile, anti-Christian world. Despite their weaknesses and fears, Christ’s blessing was their greatest need, surpassing worldly wealth or security.
     • This blessing is vital for all believers today, enabling them to serve Christ in a hostile world, fulfill the Great Commission, and live faithfully amidst opposition and personal limitations.
   • Imparting of Christ’s Blessing:
     • Drawing a parallel with Leviticus 9, where Aaron, as high priest, blesses Israel after making atonement, Jesus, as the ultimate High Priest, blesses His disciples after His atoning death and resurrection.
     • The blessing is secured through:
       • Christ’s Passion: His blood and sacrifice atone for sin, ensuring believers’ peace and reconciliation with God.
       • Christ’s Prayers: As He ascends, Jesus intercedes for His people, praying for their mission and ministry.
       • Christ’s Power: With all authority in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18), Jesus manages His church’s affairs and empowers its work.
       • Christ’s Promise: His ascension anticipates His return, promising future blessings.
   • Impact of Christ’s Blessing:
     • The disciples’ response to Jesus’ blessing includes:
       • Readiness to Worship: They worship Him, inspired by His blessings.
       • Fullness of Joy: They return to Jerusalem with great joy, renewed by focusing on Christ.
       • Willingness to Obey: They follow His command to wait in Jerusalem.
       • Eagerness to Serve: Empowered by the Spirit (Acts 1-2), they spread the gospel globally.
     • This blessing fuels the church’s ongoing mission, from Acts to the present, ensuring Christ’s promise to build His church against all opposition (Matthew 16:18).
4. Application:
   • Believers are encouraged to thank God for past blessings and pray for continued blessings to fulfill the Great Commission.
   • The sermon highlights the church’s dependence on Christ’s blessing for missionary work, ministry at home, and personal faith, especially in discouraging times.
   • Reports of global mission work (e.g., in Kenya) underscore that Christ’s blessing enables gospel progress worldwide.
5. Conclusion:
   • The sermon closes with a call to trust in Christ, the source of all blessings, who equips His people to serve Him faithfully. The ongoing work of the church is part of the “unfinished” mission of Acts, sustained by Christ’s enduring blessing.

The service includes gratitude for the congregation’s support, acknowledgment of mission board efforts, and a prayer for God’s continued guidance and empowerment in sharing the gospel.

Monday Convention Service

Sermon Summary

A Solemn Charge to You: Rely on Christ’s Might, Pursue Him Unreservedly, and Proclaim His Grace (Luke 8, Matthew 8, Mark 5)

Introduction: Heed the Divine Summons
Envision yourself standing with Jesus on the shores of Capernaum, where He prepares to embark across the Sea of Galilee (Luke 8:22-23). This voyage is no mere journey—it is a revelation of His sovereign power, a trial of allegiance, and a mandate for action. Through tempests, confrontations, and transformations, Christ unveils His authority and beckons you to respond. Dear reader, will you anchor your trust in Him amid life’s tumult, follow Him though the path be costly, and herald His mercy to those around you? Let us traverse this sacred narrative and embrace its imperatives.

Charge 1: Anchor Your Faith in Christ’s Dominion Over Chaos

• The Account: As Jesus and His disciples sail, a ferocious gale engulfs their vessel. Waves surge, the boat teeters, and the disciples, gripped by dread, cry, “Lord, save us: we perish!” (Matthew 8:25). Unperturbed, Jesus reproves their timidity—“Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26)—and with a word stills the storm. The disciples marvel, exclaiming, “What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27).
• Your Charge: When trials assail—be it financial ruin, bodily affliction, or relational strife—where do you fix your gaze? On the tempest or on the Sovereign Lord? Christ reigns over every upheaval. Dare to rely on His might, casting aside doubt. Will you entrust your fears to Him who commands the elements?
• Key Verse: Matthew 8:26-27 – “And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm. But the men marvelled, saying, What manner of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey him?”
• Your Task: Identify a current trial. In prayer this day, surrender it to Christ, affirming His power to bring tranquility.

Charge 2: Pursue Christ, Though the Cost Be Great

• The Account: Before departing, Jesus encounters two aspirants. A scribe pledges to follow Him, but Jesus cautions, “The Son of Man hath not where to lay his head” (Matthew 8:20), signaling that discipleship may demand the relinquishment of earthly comforts. Another disciple seeks to attend his father’s burial, yet Jesus insists, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead” (Matthew 8:22), underscoring the urgency of divine allegiance over even rightful duties.
• Your Charge: What hinders your wholehearted devotion to Christ? Ambition? Societal approval? Familial ties? He summons you to forsake all that competes with His lordship, even cherished pursuits. Will you embrace the cross of sacrifice, declaring, “Lord, I am Thine,” without delay? The hour is now—do not tarry.
• Key Verses:
  • Matthew 8:20 – “And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath not where to lay his head.”
  • Matthew 8:22 – “But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.”
• Your Task: Discern one idol or distraction you cling to. This week, seek God’s strength to release it and take a tangible step toward unreserved obedience.

Charge 3: Believe Christ’s Power to Redeem the Afflicted

• The Account: Upon reaching the Gadarenes, Jesus meets Legion, a man ensnared by demonic oppression. Bereft of garments, dwelling among sepulchers, and self-mutilating, he is so formidable that none dare approach or restrain him (Luke 8:27; Mark 5:3-5). With a single command, “Go” (Matthew 8:32), Jesus expels the demons into a herd of swine, which perishes. Legion, restored, is found “sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind” (Luke 8:35).
• Your Charge: Satan wreaks havoc, binding souls in addiction, despair, or iniquity. Do you believe Christ can liberate them? Consider those you know—or even yourself—entangled in darkness. No soul is beyond His reach. Let compassion stir you to intercede for the broken and trust Christ’s redeeming might. Will you lift up the afflicted in faith?
• Key Verses:
  • Luke 8:27 – “And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs.”
  • Matthew 8:32 – “And he said unto them, Go. And when they were come out, they went into the herd of swine…”
  • Luke 8:35 – “…found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.”
• Your Task: Choose one person ensnared by hardship or sin. Pray daily for their deliverance and extend a gesture of Christ’s love this week.

Charge 4: Proclaim Christ’s Mercy to Your World

• The Account: Freed from bondage, Legion yearns to remain with Jesus (Luke 8:38). Yet Jesus commissions him, “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee” (Luke 8:39). With fervent gratitude, Legion obeys, declaring Christ’s compassion throughout the Decapolis, and all marvel (Mark 5:20). His testimony transforms his community.
• Your Charge: If Christ has wrought salvation in you, your calling is clear: proclaim His grace! Reflect on His work in your life—forgiveness, healing, hope. You need no pulpit; your home, workplace, or neighborhood is your mission field. Like Legion, let love and gratitude compel you to speak. Who awaits your testimony of Christ’s mercy?
• Key Verse: Luke 8:39 – “Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, ќе

System: and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.”

• Your Task: This week, share with one person how Christ has transformed your life. It might be a conversation, a note, or a shared story—proclaim His goodness boldly.

Conclusion: Will You Embrace This Sacred Charge?
Christ is your refuge in the tempest, your deliverer from bondage, your Savior and Lord. He summons you to rely on His unmatched power, pursue Him though it cost you dearly, believe in His ability to redeem any soul, and declare His mercy to those around you. As C.H. Spurgeon solemnly declared, “If you are yourself saved, the work is but half done until you are employed to bring others to Christ.” Do not linger in passivity. Rise, trust Christ, follow Him unreservedly, and let your life echo His grace. Who will hear of Jesus through you this week?

• Pray This: “O Lord, embolden me to trust Thy might in every trial. Grant me courage to follow Thee at any cost. Stir my soul for the lost and equip me to proclaim Thy mercy. Use me to draw others to Thee. Amen.”

Your Roadmap for Action

• Maintain Reverence: As you reflect on this charge, let your own experiences of Christ’s deliverance fuel your zeal. Share a testimony to inspire others.
• Engage Intimately: Pose probing questions—“What tumult threatens you? What hinders your pursuit? Who needs your witness?”—to stir personal conviction.
• Act Promptly: Do not merely ponder these tasks—execute them. Pray, relinquish, intercede, proclaim. Christ is with you, ready to work through you.
• Aim High: Aspire to live with steadfast faith, unwavering devotion, and an ardent zeal to herald Christ’s love, beginning precisely where you stand.