Short devotional messages by a godly minister from the past are now available for listening to or downloading as mp3s.
Rev John Peter MacQueen was born at Achnahanaid and raised in Ollach and Portree on the island of Skye. It appears that a book by C H Spurgeon, Seven Wonders of Grace, was blessed to his soul in 1922. It discusses the spiritual experience of Manasseh, “the woman that was a sinner”, the dying thief, Saul of Tarsus, the Philippian jailer, Onesimus and then Spurgeon himself. Following his mother’s death, Mr MacQueen went to work with an uncle in Easter Ross. There he was greatly helped by a spiritually exercised old lady who used to recount notes of sermons by the Rev Neil Cameron, Glasgow. She also referred to the timely benefit she often received from that preaching.
Mr Macqueen professed faith in 1928 at Halkirk. After university and divinity training he was ordained to the ministry in October 1934. His calibre even at that stage is seen in his being immediately sent for a two-year trip as church deputy to Canada, Australia and New Zealand. He was the first minister of the church to preach to the groups supporting the church in New Zealand.
In December 1936 he was inducted as minister of the London congregation. His practical kindness to young people of various denominations from Scotland during the war was widely acknowledged. He prayed and worked much for the good of his fellow Londoners in the Blitz. Some of these experiences are described in the recording The power of prayer seen in WW2 London.
His preaching was marked by an emphasis on the need for real regeneration in which “a willing people” are brought to the Saviour. A respected preacher and frequent correspondent in the local and national press, Mr Macqueen continued as an active and campaigning minister until his sudden death in 1961. He was a friend of some in the congregation of Mr Popham of the Gospel Standard Strict Baptists; his funeral worship in London was attended by representatives of the Sovereign Grace Union, the Trinitarian Bible Society and Protestant agencies. His remains were buried in Portree.
The following year, the Synod tribute to Mr MacQueen highlighted his ability in Biblical analysis and criticism of the Roman Catholic Church and her teachings. It also underlined his loyalty to and promotion of the separate position of the Free Presbyterian Church. The Synod’s tribute quoted him as often saying: “Next to my soul’s salvation, I value that witness”.
The short messages were recorded by a family in Scotland in the 1950s and posted to New Zealand for their relatives and church friends there to listen to. They can be heard by clicking HERE and scrolling down to “Rev J P MacQueen” in the “Speaker” box. Listeners should appreciate that the age of the original recordings means that there is background noise.
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