The Semper Reformata Podcast

Halloween.What does 31st October mean to you? Halloween or Reformation? Here's what God says:- Deuteronomy 18:9–12 When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch. 11 Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. 12 For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.

Pride and Punishment2 Samuel 24:11-142nd Samuel 24:11-14 is another occasion when David is rebuked, – and this time the rebuke is brought by a man called Gad, described in the text as David’s ‘Seer.’ It is a stern personal rebuke from God himself delivered in the words of the prophet.Read the NOTES HERE.Recorded LIVE at Ballymacashon Church.

TableTalk - Where is God When We Are In Despair?Genesis 42:25-38In this episode we will think aboutJoseph's Kindness to His Brothers.Fear of God and Conviction of Sin.Despair and Desperation.Read the notes here.

Monday Extra - Dr Thomas BarnardoIt's been a long time since we had a podcast dedicated to Christian History, so in this short Monday Extra edition we are going to look at the life of a famous Irish Christian, Protestant and Philanthropist - Dr Thomas John Barnardo.And there's an unexpected twist at the end, given recent events in Northern Ireland!Read the TRANSCRIPT HERE.(Cover photo is AI generated)

Joab's JudgementText: 2 Samuel 18:19–19:8Here’s another of David’s rebukes, in this case from his military general, a man called Joab, and this rebuke will highlight for us a very difficult moral dilemma, – tears of sorrow – or responsibility before God. In David’s case to his office as king.Read the NOTES HERE.Recorded live at Ballymacashon Congregational church, 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down, Northern Ireland.

TableTalk: His Ways Are ALWAYS PerfectGenesis 42:1-24 …And he turned himself away from them and wept.When the famine came, the land of Canaan was ill prepared. They were starving… Egypt has grain, and Jacob’s family are starving. Read Genesis Chapter 42:1-24 to find out what happened. Let’s try to apply some of the lessons from this part of the narrative.Read the NOTES HERE

Ballymacashon Harvest - Morning ServiceJeremiah 8:20-24A solemn warning by the prophet Jeremiah: "Harvest is past, summer is ended, and we are not saved."Recorded live at Ballymacashon Congregational Church, 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down,Read the NOTES HERE.

Harvest Service at BallymacashonRev Jackie Brown, the Chairman of the Congregationl Union of Ireland, preaches on Proverbs 30:24-28.Recorded live at Ballymacashon Church, 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down.

Abigail's Advice1 Samuel 25 and 2 Timothy 4:2 The Christian must speak the truth in love even when it costs us, even when it means confronting power, because Scripture alone is the final authority, Christ alone is Lord, and God’s glory alone is our only purpose.There is a marvellous illustration of this in the life of King David, and we find it in 1st Samuel 25. It’s that period in history when the young David is being hunted by King Saul, and David has been driven to live the life of an outlaw. This time the rebuke came from a woman called Abigail, whose husband Nabal had refused sustenance to David's men, and had insulted David himself. Should David enact revenge upon the scoundrel Nabal, or should he wait for God's timing, for, "Vengeance is mine says the Lord, I will repay..." Romans 12:19 That's where Abigail intervenes.Recorded LIVE at Ballymacashon Church, 78 Saintfield Road, Killinchy, Co.Down BT23 6RNRead the NOTES HERE.