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"Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." -- Matt. 5:3 From The Pursuit of God by A.W. Tozer Before the Lord God made man upon the earth He first prepared for him by creating a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. In the Genesis account of the creation these are called simply "things." They were made for man's uses, but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come. Within him was God; without, a thousand gifts which God had showered upon him. But sin has introduced complications and has made those very gifts of God a potential source of ruin to the soul. Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and "things" were allowed to enter. Within the human heart "things" have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer, but there in the moral dusk stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for first place on the throne. This is not a mere metaphor, but an accurate analysis of our real spiritual trouble. There is within the human heart a tough fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covets "things" with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns "my" and "mine" look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant. They express the real nature of the old Adamic man better than a thousand volumes of theology could do. They are verbal symptoms of our deep disease. The roots of our hearts have grown down into things, and we dare not pull up one rootlet lest we die. Things have become necessary to us, a development never originally intended. God's gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution. … There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in the life. Because it is so natural it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is; but its outworkings are tragic… We must in our hearts live through Abraham's harsh and bitter experiences if we would know the blessedness which follows them. The ancient curse will not go out painlessly; the tough old miser within us will not lie down and die obedient to our command. He must be torn out of our heart like a plant from the soil; he must be extracted in agony and blood like a tooth from the jaw. He must be expelled from our soul by violence as Christ expelled the money changers from the temple. And we shall need to steel ourselves against his piteous begging, and to recognize it as springing out of self-pity, one of the most reprehensible sins of the human heart. If we would indeed know God in growing intimacy we must go this way of renunciation. And if we are set upon the pursuit of God He will sooner or later bring us to this test. Abraham's testing was, at the time, not known to him as such, yet if he had taken some course other than the one he did, the whole history of the Old Testament would have been different. God would have found His man, no doubt, but the loss to Abraham would have been tragic beyond the telling. So we will be brought one by one to the testing place, and we may never know when we are there. At that testing place there will be no dozen possible choices for us; just one and an alternative, but our whole future will be conditioned by the choice we make. Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter and dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Thus says the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have grasped, to subdue nations before him and to loose the belts of kings, to open doors before him that gates may not be closed… For the sake of my servant Jacob, and Israel my chosen, I call you by your name, I name you, though you do not know me. 5 I am the LORD, and there is no other, besides me there is no God; I equip you, though you do not know me… (Is 45:1,4-5 ESV) More than a hundred years before the great Persian king Cyrus the Great was born and rose to power, Isaiah through the Spirit of God, made this prophecy about the king who would one day be born and conquer much of Asia. Although Cyrus’ primary ambition in conquering the world lay in his own desire for power and to expand his kingdom, we learn here in Scripture that the plans of even the mightiest monarchs are under the authority of God who is in heaven. God appointed this king to be his servant, though Cyrus did not love him. God gave him the power to conquer and rule, even though Cyrus did not worship him. Yet, despite Cyrus’ radical devotion to his own ambitions, the God of heaven used him to rebuild the Temple at Jerusalem and to restore the worship of his great Name! How true the proverb is that says, “The king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will” (Prov 21:1). Believer, do you realize that the mightiest, most ambitious, most corrupt, and most self-centred leaders of this world are all under the authority of a sovereign God? What they may mean for evil in your life, God intends for good. Though they think themselves to be mighty sovereigns, they are at the same time unwitting servants of the Most High though they do not acknowledge or know him. The arm of our God is mighty and he empowers not only the hands of those who love him, but also of those who do not, to ultimately bring him glory and serve his purposes. Therefore, let us never be overly crushed by the rise and fall of political leaders in this world. For the kingdom of God is not of this world, and even the mightiest in this world are his servants. And our God who named them before they were born, will use them for the good of his people, for the upbuilding of his church, and for the glory of his Name. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God (Rom 13:1). Article by: Samuel Chua

But as concerning these days which we are passing now, the Apostle says, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Are not these days indeed evil which we spend in this corruptible flesh, in or under so heavy a load of the corruptible body, amid so great temptations, amid so great difficulties, where there is but false pleasure, no security of joy, a tormenting fear, a greedy covetousness, a withering sadness? Lo, what evil days! Yet no one is willing to end these same evil days, and hence men earnestly pray God that they may live long. Yet what is it to live long, but to be long tormented? What is it to live long, but to add evil days to evil days? When boys are growing up, it is as if days are being added to them; whereas they do not know that they are being diminished; and their very reckoning is false. For as we grow in up, the number of our days rather diminishes than increases. Appoint for any man at his birth, for instance, eighty years; every day he lives, he diminishes somewhat of that sum. Yet silly men rejoice at the oft-recurring birthdays, both of themselves and their children. O sensible man! If the wine in your bottle is diminished, you are sad; days are you losing, and are you glad? These days then are evil; and so much the more evil, in that they are loved. This world is so alluring, that no one is willing to finish a life of sorrow. For the true, the blessed life is this, when we shall rise again, and reign with Christ. For the ungodly too shall rise again but to go into the fire. Life then is there again, but that which is blessed. And blessed life there can be none but that which is eternal, where are good days; and those not many days, but one day. They are called days after the custom of this life. That day knows no rising, it knows no setting. To that day there succeeds no tomorrow; because no yesterday precedes it. This day, or these days, and this life, this true life, have we in promise. It is then the reward of a certain work. So if we love the reward, let us not fail in the work; and so shall we reign with Christ for ever. Quoted from Augustine

Check out what's happening this Sunday! Find out who is preaching, sermon topic, and any special events after service. This Sunday Sundays at 10 am 1 341 27th St E, No rth Vancouver, BC Request Livestream Sunday, August 23, 2026. Speaker & Topic. Alex Gulart Sermon title: Counter-Grace During Service. Children's Ministry is on break for the summer and will return in September. Unstaffed nursery is available for anyone with young children to use. For more info on what we do during our Sunday services, check out our Sunday Worship page and how to find us . After Service. Russian-language service is on break for the summer. Farsi service will be held August 23rd. Last updated: Sat Aug 22, 2026

Westlynn Baptist Church events and registration. Find out what is going on and get involved. Events Weekly Calendar Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Aug 22 Details Summer Youth Celebration 2026 Sun, Aug 30 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Sep 05 Details Ministry Fair Sun, Sep 13 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Sep 13 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Sep 19 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Oct 03 Details Westlynn Family Retreat Fri, Oct 09 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Oct 11 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Oct 17 Details CNBC The Gathering 2026 St. John's Tue, Oct 20 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Nov 07 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Nov 08 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Nov 21 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Dec 05 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Dec 13 Details Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Dec 19 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Jan 10 Details Load More

Westlynn Baptist Church in North Vancouver seeks to glorify Jesus Christ and live in accordance with His Word. Join us Sundays 10 am. We exist to glorify Jesus Christ. Join us Sundays at 10 am 1341 27th St E, North Vancouver, BC This Sunday فارسی Farsi по-русски Russian Upcoming Events. More Events Multiple Dates Westlynn Evangelism Walk Sat, Aug 22 Details Multiple Dates Care Centre Seniors' Service Sun, Aug 09 Details Sports Camp 2026 Mon, Jul 27 Details Latest Sermons. Request Livestream Play Video Facebook Twitter Pinterest Tumblr Copy Link Link Copied Now Playing Mislabelled - The Christian's Paradoxical Life | 2 Corinthians 6:8-10 | Samuel Chua 51:25 Play Video Now Playing The Word, The Power, and The War | 2 Corinthians 6:7 | Samuel Chua 51:10 Play Video Now Playing The Pressure Points of Worldliness | James Wong 42:54 Play Video Now Playing Now is the Day - Seizing the Favourable Time | 2 Corinthians 6:1-6 | Samuel Chua 53:23 Play Video God has a purpose for you . What We Believe Learn More Our Story Learn More Sunday Worship Learn More Latest Blogs. The Days are Evil 3 days ago 2 min read Touched by an Angel (1 Kings 19:5-8) Jul 30 3 min read On Jordan’s Stormy Banks Jul 23 1 min read Read More We want to help you take your next step with God. Contact Us First name Last name Email Write a message Thank you for submitting a message! Submit