Defenders of the Faith

“I felt compelled to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.”
Jude 3 (NIV)

Recently, I was looking at one of the coins I received in my change and noticed that around the Queen’s portrait is the inscription ‘ELIZABETH II D.G. REG. FD.’ This stands for ‘Elizabeth II Dei Gratia Regina Fidei Defensor’. It’s a Latin phrase, found on all of the UK’s coins, which is translated as ‘Elizabeth II, by the grace of God, Queen, Defender of the Faith.’ For our Queen this not just a mere title along with her many others, but a responsibility and a calling that she has not only taken seriously, but has faithfully carried out in all of her years on the throne.

In more recent years, the Queen’s Christmas messages have become more overtly Christian in tone, with the name of Christ and the use of Scripture at the heart of her message. That message in 2015 was considered by many as her most Christian one to date as she spoke about the darkness of the year just past and the light that can be found in Christ. These messages are shown around the world to hundreds of millions of people, and the Queen has been taking that opportunity to share her faith with such a large audience.

We may never be in the position of addressing millions of people, but there are many opportunities that present themselves to us where we, too, can share something of our faith. Opportunities come up at work or college, in our families or with a neighbour. Do we make the most of those opportunities as they arise? We may not be The Defender of the Faith, but by God’s grace each of us can be defenders of the Faith as we share the good news of what God has done for the world in Christ Jesus. Each of us has a story to tell of how God has worked in our lives, and how He can work in the lives of others. This world desperately needs to hear that story.

This truly is a dark world, so let’s take a leaf out of the Queen’s book and spread the light of Jesus, defending the faith in which we believe. This, too, is our responsibility and one which we must take seriously. It’s a message so important it cannot be left to the Queen of the United Kingdom alone.

Prayer
Father, thank you for our Queen and her many years of dedicated service. May we learn from her example and be defenders of the Faith ourselves in your service.
Amen

Study by Barry Robinson

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About the Author:
Barry Robinson is an Elder in and pastoral worker in the Greater London area, particularly the Camberwell and North London congregations of the Worldwide Church of God UK.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God London
Indian YMCA
Mahatma Gandhi Hall
41 Fitzroy Square
LONDON W1T 6AQ

Meeting Time:
Saturday 2:30pm
Local Congregational Contact:
Martin Ryan
Phone: 07958 386944
Email:   martin_ryan@wcg.org.uk