A Tribute to Jim Gough

At our conference in April we again had opportunity to share fellowship with our brother Jim Gough and his wife Eileen, whom we had first met in Honiton when Don Fortner came to preach for us back in 2007. Jim had appreciated Don’s ministry for some time and was involved that year, as with this, in arranging meetings for Don in the Wolverhampton/Dudley area. The Gough’s appreciation for the faithful preaching of the gospel was further demonstrated by the fact that this year they first travelled north to the New Focus conference in Egglesburn, before driving the Fortners back to Wolverhampton, and then following those meetings, driving them all the way down to Sidmouth for our own conference.

Following the meetings in Sidmouth, however, Jim had to undergo heart surgery, following a period of poor health. Two days after the surgery the Lord was pleased to call Jim home. We heard of this with heavy hearts, being full of sorrow for Jim’s family and friends, whilst rejoicing with Jim himself who is now with the Lord he loves. We will miss his fellowship.

When he heard about Jim, our brother Don Fortner wrote the following tribute:

A Tribute to Jim Gough
(1942 – 2009)

Shelby and I met Jim and Eileen Gough two years ago in Wolverhampton, England. Our hearts were immediately welded together in the sweet fellowship of the gospel. The Lord took our friend home to Glory Friday night. Very few who read our bulletin will even know the name of this man; and you may be wondering why you are reading about him now. The reason is this: Our God teaches us to give “honour to whom honour” is due. Jim Gough is a cherished friend and was (while he lived on this earth) a faithful servant of God.

Jim was an elder at West Park Evangelical Church in Wolverhampton; but that hardly tells the story of his service to Christ and his people. The West Park Church was formed when Jim, Eileen and a few others saw the need to establish a gospel witness in Wolverhampton. He was devoted to the cause of Christ, frequently preaching the gospel at West Park and in other area chapels. Just last week, he and I spent some time discussing one of his new projects: translating and publishing good books in various Indian dialects.

Though my time with him was very limited, I never spent an hour in the company of Jim Gough that was not edifying and profitable to my soul. What higher compliment could one man give to another? Our mutual friend, Bro. Syd Buggins, wrote to me this morning, saying…

“His whole conversation, especially during the last few years, was all of Christ. He could not pray or preach, but it was full of his Saviour. May we be able to say truly, ‘the Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord.’ ………… but O the loss!”


Jim and Eileen opened their home, their hearts and their lives to two strangers from America two years ago. They followed us all over England, insatiably absorbing every word preached. When we arrived in Egglesburn this year, we were delightfully surprised to learn that they had (along with Syd and Joan Buggins) rented a van to drive us from meeting to meeting, making it possible for the six of us to spend many hours together discussing the things of God.

One of the last things we spoke of was the fact that so few who preach, preach Christ. Jim was a soft spoken man who hated conflict and went out of his way to avoid confrontation; but his heart was heavy as he spoke. Yet, he spoke with animated excitement as he encouraged me in the blessed work of the gospel. The very last thing he said to me, as we parted company one week ago was, “Bro. Don, be sure to thank your beloved congregation at home for sending you to preach Christ to us.” — Bless God, soon, we shall meet to part no more!

Don Fortner

Grace Hymns

I've begun to produce a new website which may be of interest to those who wish to find hymn tunes suitable for use with various hymns.

Grace Hymns collects together a number of hymn tunes (as MIDI files) which we have used at Honiton Sovereign Grace Church, and also provides a 'map' matching hymns from 'Gadsby's' Hymnal to the various tunes provided.

I hope to expand on the list (of both hymns and tunes) as time allows, but this is a beginning.

Crucified with Christ (Galatians 2:20)

When Christ died, His people died with Him. When He was buried, they were buried with Him. And when He rose, they rose in Him (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 2:11-13). When considering the death of Christ, this unity, this oneness with Christ is often forgotten – we often, as it were, stand at a distance. But do you see yourself crucified with Christ? Paul did. When he saw Christ crucified, he saw himself, his old man in Adam, slain with Him. “For I am crucified with Christ” he declares in Galatians 2:20. Were you?

When we see this it will dispel much confusion regarding what happened at the cross. For confusion does arise from considering the believer and Christ as two who are separated – from viewing Christ and what happened to Him as ‘over there’, and the believer and what happens to him as ‘over here’. We’ll only really understand what happened at the cross when we realise that the believer and Christ were united at the cross, and not only in that union that stood between Christ and His people from all eternity, but also in the bringing of that people as they are in Adam - in the flesh - into union with Christ at the cross.

It is what believers are in Adam which God judged in Christ when they were united to Him in death. He became what they are, as sinful, fallen sons of Adam, that God might judge them in Him. United with Christ He became what they are – sin. And it is because of the reality of this union that God the Father poured out his vengeful wrath upon His own Son – the One in whom He is well pleased – in order to judge and destroy that very sin, and all that was of the first man Adam, in His Son. And it is because of the reality of this union, that when that sin had been utterly destroyed, and there was no more sin to judge, and no more sins to pay for, and nothing was seen by the eye of justice but the perfect righteousness of God in Christ, that God’s people were, as a result, made to be the righteousness of God in Him (2 Corinthians 5:21). Why? Because they are in Him, and their old man in Adam has been destroyed, and has died, in Christ.

Men may speak of imputation to describe such things. But such language can keep things ‘at a distance’. It keeps the believer and Christ apart at the cross. It, as it were, has the believer over here, and Christ over there, and it takes the believer’s sins and reckons them to be upon Christ, and He having died, it then takes His righteousness and accounts it to be the believer’s. But this is only half the story, for it falls far short of the full depths of the truth of substitution as set forth in the scriptures – it stops short of the reality of that mystical union between God’s people and Christ at the cross, of them being crucified with Christ, of them actually being united to Christ in His death, whilst in their old nature, in order that God might judge and destroy that very nature in His Son (Colossians 2:11, Romans 6:6) and deliver His people from both it and all its consequences, to deliver them from sin, and the consequence of sin – death (Romans 5:12).

Believer – when you understand the reality of how truly you were united with your Saviour at the cross, of how you died in Him, then, and only then, will you truly understand something of the depth of what He suffered, of what He did, for you as your substitute. All the pain, all the suffering, all the travail, all the anguish was His – but it was caused because we were in Him, our Substitute, in whom WE died… and in whom, WE rose again! Praise God!

“For I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.”
Galatians 2:20

The 2009 South West Sovereign Grace Conference

On Wednesday April 22nd and Thursday April 23rd 2009 we hope, in the will of the Lord, to host GraceAndTruthOnline.com’s 2009 Sovereign Grace Conference at the Sidholme Hotel in Sidmouth, Devon.

Following his visit to this area last year we are delighted to welcome back Pastor Don Fortner as our speaker and would like to invite all those who are able to come along and hear him on this special occasion.

Don Fortner’s ministry has been a great blessing to us over the years, a ministry in which the Lord Jesus Christ is always exalted. We trust that others too will find encouragement in hearing this ministry in Devon. May Christ be glorified in the preaching of His Gospel.

For the second year running our venue for the conference is the excellent Sidholme Hotel in Sidmouth Devon. This is situated about 30 minutes south of Honiton on the beautiful East Devon coastline. Not only will visitors be able to attend the meetings at the Conference, but for those who are travelling from afar and wish to make a break of it rooms are available at excellent rates at the hotel – this will also provide opportunity for fellowship with others staying at the hotel. Bookings can be made through the hotel website (http://www.sidholme.co.uk) or by telephone - 01395 515104 (Mention the Sovereign Grace Conference when booking). Alternatively there are of course a number of other good hotels and B+Bs throughout the East Devon area (a quick search on the internet should find some).

Please pencil the dates in your diaries! (April 22nd and 23rd, 2009)

FreeGraceRadio.com

The messages preached at Honiton Sovereign Grace Church are now hosted on FreeGraceRadio.com.

With this being provided as part of the Sermon Audio website, this gives a number of advantages, including the ability to easily search for messages by title or scripture passage, sort them by date etc.

To hear the latest messages simply visit our page on FreeGraceRadio.com.

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The most recent message preached in Honiton Sovereign Grace Church was yesterday, on Sunday 18th January 2009:

“Grounded and Settled” Colossians 1:23 18-1-09 (Ian Potts)

The message behind Christmas

This is that time of year when the world is reminded - should it hear above the noise of its general celebrations - that Christ, the Son of God, came into this world.

But who is He? And why did He come? And where is He now?

Listen to “In Him should all fulness dwell” Colossians 1:19 for some answers.

Free Grace Meetings in USA

Regular visitors to http://www.freegraceradio.com/ may wonder where the various churches listed are actually located. Indeed, if they have been given a hunger and thirst after righteousness, and a love for the truth of the gospel as preached on there, they may well wonder whether there is a meeting within travelling distance of them.

Well, I recently wondered whether anyone had plotted the various meetings on a map... and in the end I decided to produce one. I hope the following may prove helpful to many:

Map of 'Free Grace' meetings in the USA