Orkney Bible Festival met for their fifth annual festival from 4 – 6 September with guest preacher David Robertson, minister of St Peter’s Free Church, Dundee.
Over the three evenings, David spoke about the Christian’s Magnificent Obsession with Jesus and why he is great.
On Friday evening he took the enthusiastic congregation of 120 through John 4, emphasising the reality of these events and the crying need in Scotland to preach Jesus and the gospel in all its truth. The Saturday afternoon seminar looked at the state of the church in Scotland today, using the newly published Barna Foundation report ‘Transforming Scotland’ as a starting point.
Lively debate
In his talk, David very ably summarised the current situation, teasing out where the Barna report had helpful things to say and where it had missed the mark. A lively debate ensued, but the take-home message of the crying need to preach Christ from the Scriptures was heard loud and clear.
Saturday evening looked at the miracles of Jesus and by the time of the Sunday evening service, interest had surged: 180 packed into Firth Church to worship together as David looked at what the Bible has to say about the places of eternity in Heaven and Hell, with his sermon ‘Jesus, the Return of the King’.
Next year’s festival will run from 2–4 September 2016 with guest preacher Mez McConnell, senior pastor of Niddrie Community Church, Edinburgh and director of 20 Schemes, the church planting organisation which is looking to plant gospel churches in Scotland’s most deprived areas.
