| The 20th annual Scottish Reformed Conference took
place at Hamilton College on the 9th May. Around 550 to 600 people
from as far away as Dingwall and Skye, from the major cities and
the central belt to the southern parts of Scotland, representing
each of the Presbyterian denominations together with Baptist churches
and independent congregations gathered to hear profound and exulting
expositions of the Word of God through Rev Prof Sinclair B. Ferguson
and Rev Eric Alexander. The essential theme of the day of preaching
and fellowship was that of ‘Glory!’ The glory of the
new covenant from 2 Corinthians 3, the glory of Christ from John
17 and the glory of serving God from 2 Corinthians 4 led us not
only into a new appreciation of these great biblical truths but
also into a marvellous, almost tangible joy in fellowship as fellow
believers. |
|
 |
| |
|
|
| All who know and have been blessed in the ministry
of Eric Alexander are so grateful to God that after over 50 years
as a minister of the gospel whose preaching influenced the lives
of countless people his exposition of John 17 was filled with the
riches of the glory of Christ and we were drawn into the very presence
of the Lord Jesus Christ to gaze upon that glory as it is revealed
by the Holy Spirit for our blessing. |
| 
Left to right:
Rev Eric Alexander, Rev Dr Sinclair Ferguson & Rev David Carmichael
(chairman)
|
|
We were able for a time to bask in
the wonder of that glory, knowing that to do so would deeply impact
our lives so that we would desire more consistently to live for
his glory. To give such a moving study is not the work of a brief
glimpse at the glory of Christ but the result of a lifetime of
knowing him and walking with him in the joy of sonship and service.
It was our great privilege to hear this beloved preacher again
after his recent throat operation. His sermons are being made
available at a new designated website: www.ericalexander.co.uk.
Rev Prof Ferguson is greatly missed by so many in Scotland and
we were all so thrilled that he gave up some of his own time to
be with us at our conference. His skills as a teacher and preacher
were so evident in the way he opened up and revealed the mind
of the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4. |
| As he contrasted the old and new covenants we came
to see anew our privileges as Christians. We were also challenged
about never losing heart in the work of God by refusing to be enamoured
with anything else but the pure truths of the gospel and by giving
ourselves in service to one another as fellow believers and as servants
of Jesus Christ. It is a wonderful thing to observe the way Prof
Ferguson has done just that with his profound intellectual abilities,
with such integrity with respect to the whole realm of theological
study and the Word of God. His on-going ministry may be heard on
his website: www.firstprescolumbia.org. |
| |
|
|
| Such outstanding
expositions were the topic of each conversation in our times of
fellowship. We all so greatly enjoyed these times and many new
ties were made between the Lord’s people who each seek to
serve him where he has set them. It was a special joy to welcome
some of our Chinese friends from Glasgow and we hope in the future
more diverse ethnic groups will be represented to add to the joy
and glory of the fellowship.
Next year we look forward to a return visit
from Dr Dale Ralph Davis
from the USA, whose commentaries on Joshua to 2 Kings have helped
all of us, and to a first visit from the Rev Kenneth
Stewart from Glasgow. |
|
 |
Home
