St. Mark's, Portadown

08/09/2026

The truth of the matter is as follows

THE quality of the non-AI-enhanced articles submitted to The Gospel Coalition’s latest ‘Young Adult Essay Contest’ drew this from senior editor Betty McCracken: “I’m encouraged by the good thinking on display as these young Christians wrestle with the live, urgent questions of being human in an age of machines.”
In contrast to those participants’ youthfulness, prominent Nigerian Christian, William Kumuyi -despite being 85 - remains impressively active in a variety of Gospel-spreading roles in his homeland.
And why not? Moses was 80 when he and his brother Aaron (83) first approached Pharoah to inform him of God’s “Let my people go,” directive (Exodus 7:7). Look where that led.
Abraham was 100, and his wife Sarah 90, when their promised son, Isaac, was born. (Genesis 21:5). Again, examine what followed. (Genesis 15:4-6).
As Jesus told/tells His followers: “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26), Two millennia later, evangelical Anglican, J.I. Packer, added this too-often-forgotten fact: “The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.”
That’s a timely reminder, with this being the most technologically menacing and ethically/morally/spiritually bewildering moment in human history.
Oblivious to reality, misled mankind currently is drowning in a polluted ocean of devil-driven deception and dishonesty, disingenuously peddled as truth and enlightenment when it is neither.
So here note these words of that above-mentioned African octogenarian: “The truth is the greatest asset you can have in life.”
We are living in an era of unprecedented assaults of ever-increasing ferocity. The target? Us. The weapon? Deception. The overall objective? Destroy man by distorting truth.
As John-Mark Comer put it in ‘Live No Lies’: “The deception - or really temptation – is, and has always been, twofold: seize autonomy from God; redefine good and evil based on the voice in our heads and the inclination of our hearts, rather than trust in His loving word.”
The on-going war for hearts and minds is waged in print, on our screens and via the soundwaves, with the figurative new kid on the block - unfettered social media - every day unleashing fictitious, fabricated falsehoods on tens of millions of unsuspecting people worldwide.
Although Winston Churchhill is widely credited with having said: “A lie is halfway round the world before the truth has got its boots on,” it’s worth noting that in one of his famous sermons in 1858, Charles Spurgeon - the ‘Prince of Preachers’ - told his congregation: “If you want truth to go round the world you must hire an express train to pull it. But if you want a lie to go round the world, it will fly, for because it is as light as a feather, a breath will carry it.”
We can avoid contributing to this social malaise by following Billy Graham’s sound advice: “Before we speak, ask ourselves these three questions: Is it true? Is it kind? Does it glorify Christ?”
There is another misquote, though given its nature it’s totally understandable that it is attributed – albeit erroneously - to George Orwell, author of the dystopian masterpiece, ‘1984’: “In a time of deceit, telling the truth is a revolutionary act.”
The adjective revolutionary brings to mind two particularly relevant books by two foremost Christian writers; ‘The Day the Revolution Began’ by N.T. (Tom) Wright, and Shane Claibone’s ‘The Irresistible Revolution (Living As An Ordinary Radical)’.
Wright is British, Claiborne is American. Yet despite being from two culturally very different backgrounds, they are as one in their zeal for Christ.
In the final analysis. we turn to the source of truth – and that’s a person rather than some vague philosophical concept (John 14:6).
His name? Jesus Christ, who elsewhere in John’s Gospel also said this: “If you hold to My teaching, you really are my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” (John 8: 31-32).
Of all the promises and all the pearls of wisdom penned or spoken by all of history’s greatest writers and thinkers, none eclipse that. Or Him.
Just a thought…

08/09/2026

5th of October marks the start of our 𝘏𝘢𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘞𝘦𝘦𝘬 called “𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲”.
An invitation for everyone.

🩵 Knowing that 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜.
🩵 𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙞𝙨 𝙏𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.

👀 Watch this space as we reveal the different events that are on during our Harvest Week! 🌾🍁

06/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/182Di1V6Rq/?mibextid=wwXIfr

05/09/2026

A message from the Rector

Good evening all. I will be preaching at all 3 morning services tomorrow starting off a new series as we look toward to our harvest week of mission. Also bacon baps with tea and coffee served in the morning before the 10am service!! William

05/09/2026

Our praise band have found a new song for our Manna service, what do you think?
https://www.facebook.com/share/1BHHaKwT48/?mibextid=wwXIfr

JESUS NAME ABOVE ALL NAMES.Subscribe to our Youtube channel: http...

04/09/2026

Join us this Sunday as we worship God together!

Our services this week are:
* 8:30am - Morning Prayer
* 10:00am - Manna
* 11:30am - Morning Prayer

This Sunday, YF will start back during the 10am service!

Faith Finders will also start back next week for all nursery and primary school children!

10am service - https://www.youtube.com/live/I1CVRjw_VyU?si=vidte2GVrVxEurs2

03/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19MeiLSDnX/?mibextid=wwXIfr

03/09/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/19SXNg5JRf/?mibextid=wwXIfr

FBC are joining with our good friends, The Church Flute Band Belfast on the 24th September in the Jethro Centre Lurgan for a concert and a chat around the bands at the kind invitation from Andrew Williamson, Shankill Parish Church.

This is a free event with everyone welcome.

03/09/2026

Join us on Saturday 12th September as we harvest our spuds at the Flourish garden.
Dig/pick your own or have them done for you and stay for a baked/bbq’d spud.
Oh, and it’s all free.

03/09/2026

Never slaves? We might be already
SATURDAY, September 12 will be the last night of the 2026 Proms. Cue “Britons never, never, never shall be slaves,” and “Land of hope and glory, Mother of the free.” Um….
The latest World Population Review (WPR) includes this sobering sentence: “Despite global efforts, modern slavery is widespread, with 167 countries harbouring an estimated 46 million slaves in situations of forced labour and sexual exploitation.”
‘Walk Free’, the international humanitarian group’s estimate for 2025/26 is “46-50 million living in modern slavery worldwide.”
And while Britannica’s definition of slavery - “The condition in which one human being was owned by another. A slave was considered by law as property, or chattel, and was deprived of most of the rights ordinarily held by free persons” - implies it’s a thing of the past, the WPR describes “a system in which principles of property law are [present tense, note] applied to people, enabling individuals to own, buy, and sell other individuals - designated ‘slaves’ - as a form of property.”
Millions are living and working – or, more accurately, existing and being worked - by others in situations which include forced labour, debt bo***ge, forced marriage, human trafficking and sexual exploitation in over threequarters of the United Nations’ 193 member states, the USA and all of Europe, the UK and Ireland included.
According to ‘Anti-Slavery International’ the position in the UK is as follows: “The number of people identified as victims of modern slavery has been rising year on year, with over 23,411 people referred to the authorities in 2025.
“The real number of those trapped in slavery is likely to be much higher, with some suggesting 122,000, while others estimate over 130.000.”
The word ‘slavery’ may well spark memories of the story of the Hebrews’ plight in Egypt, culminating in their exodus as told in the Old Testament book of that name.
That’s chiselled in Judaism’s bedrock, with Jews everywhere observing the celebratory Passover feast each Spring.
It recalls how, by daubing the doorposts and lintel of their homes with the blood of a slaughtered lamb, the Hebrews were ‘passed over’ as the Angel of Death struck the land of their oppressors.
The overlap with Christianity is obvious, Jesus having been the sacrificial lamb of God (Exodus 12:27, augmented by John 1:29 plus a host of further New Testament endorsements).
Hours before His crucifixion, Jesus marked the Passover with the disciples. And it was during that commemorative, communal meal of unblemished lamb, unleavened bread and w**e - symbolising the soon-to-follow shredding of His body by whipping and the shedding of His blood by thorns, nails and spear that He declared the New Covenant (Luke 22:20).
Like the ‘Old’ it replaced, God’s people would be liberated – not from Egypt this time, but from the slavery of sin and death - enabling them to live in spiritual freedom and victory.
‘Enslavement’, then, is not confined to the versions already described. So might we be victims of unrecognised slavery?
Well, Jesus – ‘Truth’’ personified (John 14:6) – warned: “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin IS A SLAVE TO SIN.” (John 8:34).
Here remember “all have sinned,” (Romans 3:23) and that “if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
In his theologically foundational letter to Christians in Rome, Paul wrote: “We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be ENSLAVED TO SIN.” (Romans 6:6).
Also, in his letter to the Galatians, Paul stressed: “For freedom, Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of [sin] slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)
The refrain of the modern hymn, ‘No Longer Slaves’, offers this encouragement:
“I’m no longer a slave to fear,
I am a child of God.”
May that be – or become - true of all who read this… as well as of its author.
Just a thought….