Patrick
Special message for Saint Patrick's Day (St. Paddies Day) 17th March 2011
Even though Patrick was born in Britain we can certainly consider him Irish to the very core even to his very backbone. He deserves to stand first and foremost in the ranks of great Irish saints because of his love for and influence upon this island for the sake of the Gospel.
Britain had received the Gospel within 30 years of the day of Pentecost. Some early church writers speak of some of the apostles reaching British soil. The gospel was brought to these Isles as a direct result of the Revival at Jerusalem and so no doubt held a great purity unmixed with centuries of church tradition.
But by the time of Patrick’s birth the revival fires had dissipated in Britain. The great missionary efforts of evangelising Britain and beyond had come to a standstill. Normalcy, church politics and carnality had set in and dark barbaric forces were invading the shoreline of Britain. She was very soon to be engulfed in spiritual darkness and paganism once again.
But God had a plan.
Patrick (Patricius, his name in latin) or Succat (his name in Celt) as he was known to his own people, was born and reared in a village called Bannavem Taberniae in Britain. Many claim him for the west coast of Wales others for the Clyde in Scotland and still others for the west coast of England. The most unlikely claim of all is that he was from Normandy, which is present day France. One thing is sure it was close to the coastline of west Britain.
Some estimate his birth was as early as 372AD, others as late as 390AD.
Patrick’s parents were devout followers of Jesus Christ. His father Calpornius was a deacon in the church who also carried respect and authority in the local community. His grandfather Potitus had been a presbyter or elder in the same community. So he had a strong and spiritual family heritage.
It is worth noting that those carrying spiritual authority in the church were not denied the right of marriage. If it had been then there would have been no Patrick. No such obligation was known in the church of the British Isles at this time. It was only as man began to create his own laws and traditions that such teachings appeared and were forced upon those in ministry. The tradegy of immorality amongst the Irish priesthood not to mention every other nation is the result. The Bible says “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry...” (1Timothy 4:1-3)
Although Patrick makes no real mention of his mother in his own writings Church history tells us a little beginning with her name being Concessa. It also tells us that at a very early age she began to teach Patrick the truth concerning Jesus Christ. She taught him that he ought to fear and obey God, and to love Jesus Christ.
This family into which Patrick had been born were well educated. They spoke the Celtic language but taught their son to speak Latin while he was yet young. To be taught Latin was the mark of good education as well as the mark of Roman jurisdiction and influence. They lived comfortably in their villa near to Bannavem Taberniae farming the ground and making a good living which allowed them the hire of servants.
In the days of Patrick’s youth a rebellious spirit gripped him. He had no time and no thought for God or the faith of his parents. The local elders in his community exhorted him and others unto holiness and rebuked all wrong doing but this made little impression upon Patrick at the time. When about fifteen years old he performed a sinful act which would trouble his conscience for many years to come. It would also remain hidden for many years.
When almost sixteen years old at a time when he was enjoying life and freedom to do according to his own will and carnal desires he fell victim to a wild party of Irish raiders. They killed some of the servants who were with him and took him with them by boat to his new home in Ireland along with thousands of other such captives from this western shore.
During the beginnings of his captivity he was left hungry, half naked, cold and close to collapsing. He was sold by these raiders like a mere animal. His new owner called Milchu was a sheep farmer on the Antrim hills near Slemish in County Antrim who treated him little better than his captors. But all this was used in Gods hand.
He quickly realised that this was God's chastening upon his life for his disobedience and rejection of the gospel. He stood guilty before God knowing that he deserved such a fate because of his sins. But God was very merciful to him. In this state he remembered his years of sin and rebellion against a holy God.
The Holy Ghost opened his hard heart and he turned to God in true repentance receiving God’s good gift of salvation by faith alone. He was lifted out of the mire of sin by the hand of God and made a living stone in the house of God, the Church of the Redeemed. Although a captive his heart was now for the first time free.
From the beginning of his new walk with God he was gripped with a desire to pray. He would wake in the night to pray. He would rise early before dawn to seek God, even in rain, frost and snow without any ill effect to his health. On mountain tops, forests and fields he prayed daily, continually and earnestly. The love of God and fear of God grew steadily in his heart over the next few years.
He believed the reason for this great fervency of heart and life was that the Spirit of God was burning in him as a fire. This was God's place of preparation for this missionary vessel for six years 
during which time he learnt the language and ways of the Irish people.
HIS ESCAPE AND LONG JOURNEY HOME TO BRITAIN
Then one night during a time of fasting and seeking God, the Lord spoke to him in a dream and told him that he would soon return to his own land. Again a second time the Lord came to him and showed him a boat prepared for his deliverance at a place he had never been to which was 200 miles away.
It is remarkable that during his six years of captivity as far as we know he had never tried to escape but now being convinced that this was the Lord speaking to him he acted upon it immediately. Obedience was now a stronger power over his heart than the desire for freedom itself.
And so at the word of the Lord he fled the sheep hills and his owner of six years and went in the strength of the God of Elijah. On the day he arrived at his destination a boat was there just ready to leave. He offered the captain money for the journey but in an angry and harsh manner the captain turned him down. Patrick turned his back and walked away praying unto the Lord as he did so. Suddenly one of the other men called out to him to ‘come, hurry’ and to join them in the vessel.
By sea they travelled for the next three days and then having reached dry land they walked for the next 28 days through a barren landscape. This was thought to be in Gaul, present day France others think Britain but there is still something of a mystery attached to this. By now they were hungry, weak and half dead. All through the journey Patrick was a witness to them concerning the only true and Mighty God. When these rough men reached a stage when all hope of life itself was gone they sought this Christian to call upon his God - if He was real - for they would surely die of hunger.
With full confidence Patrick proclaimed that his God was able to provide for them that very day, for nothing was impossible for Him. Just then a heard of pigs appeared out of nowhere and stood before them; quickly these sailors caught, killed and ate them. The men remained in that same spot for two days until they regained full strength.
Again after some years Patrick fell into captivity but again the Lord encouraged him saying it would last but two months and so it did. Eventually after years of tribulation he returned to Britain and his family.
They were so glad to see him and with great joy besought him to remain with them forever more. He soon became a deacon in the local church and was fully established back into his community. After he had settled at home he had a vision in the night like Paul's Macedonian call in the Book of Acts. An Irishman called Victoricus came to Patrick, in his hand he carried letters, he gave one to Patrick who read it.
It began with “The voice of the Irish...” as he read he began to hear the voice of those who dwelt near the western sea (Irish Sea), they called to him “come and walk among us once more.” This broke him deeply then he woke up. Again at other times these same voices would come to him in the night and the Spirit of God prayed and interceded through him for this people. It was the Spirit of God compelling him to return to Ireland.
HIS TRIAL
A situation was also to arise which would change his good standing amongst his own people. It had seemed that his good character and calling was manifest to all and some believed he should be made a Bishop. But a number of the older brethren turned upon him so very viciously by casting upon him past sins that it almost caused him to stumble in his walk with God. They brought accusations against him concerning the sins of his youth when he was only 15 years old before he knew Christ.
On the day of his rejection the Lord came to him and revealed to him who it was that was behind this attack. It was the closest friend of his youth to whom he had revealed his innermost heart. But the Lord assured him that whoever touched him was touching the apple of His eye and so strengthened His servant.
Many then tried to prevent him going to the Irish. They whispered behind his back, they laughed and scorned at him. While some opposed him, his commission and his calling because of youthful sins, others opposed it because they thought it foolish. Why should he go to such a pagan godless people? If God was going to send someone to do such a task it would certainly not be such as him.
Christ’s commission in his Latin version of Scripture burned in his heart and mind. After years of trials and preparation he was ready. And so imitating the Apostles who first went out to preach and believing that the Gospel must be preached in all Nations as a witness before the end, he went forth to Ireland on this holy and wonderful work to convert the heathen. (Some say this was about 405 and others 432).
APOSTLE TO IRELAND
And so he went forth like the apostles of old, who were not called, equipped and sent by man and councils but by the living God who endues with the power of the Holy Ghost. Some Catholic biographies perpetuate the fallacy that he was sent by the Catholic pope of Rome but as we already have seen he did not even have the backing of local church leaders. In fact in all his writings he never once mentions popes, Rome or foreign jurisdiction. The religious authority of both Rome and its Bishop were not even heard of in Britain until the end of the seventh century. This is fact and can easily be proven.
He was a debtor to the Irish and God gave him great grace to see many “re-born.” So great was the work that sons and daughters of kings gave themselves to labour for God. Many slaves also believed in the Lord even when forbidden by their masters. Signs and wonders were done which the Lord had shown him would be done many years before. Under his ministry thousands turned from paganism to Christ.
During his evangelistic trips there were those who many times wanted to kill him but God preserved him. He sought to raise up and train a host of labourers to carry forth the Gospel. He never returned to Britain but laboured in this land of Ireland for some 30 years planting hundreds of churches. He was truly an Apostle, pioneer, preacher and prophet.
In his later days he wrote in Latin what he called his Confession which was a simple biography and statement of faith and a Letter to Coroticus. He lamented his inability, simplicity and brevity in writing. The people he had long evangelized could neither read nor write. This letter is filled with Scripture because he was filled with Scripture. It is filled with praise and glory to God because again that is what filled him. It is filled with talk of prayer because his whole life was one perpetual prayer. It is filled with a burden for the salvation of lost souls for that was what filled his heart.
His life in a striking way resembles that of the Apostle Paul. Little is known of his death, some estimate he died in 461 others in 466, but one thing is sure, he did live and he did make known the glory of God to his generation.
At some point not long before death he of necessity wrote various letters and testimonies. Two of them, his Confession, or what we could call his testimony and his Letter to Coroticus have been preserved to us down over the generations and are now available in the English language for all to read. Other testimonies written hundreds of years after his death add a wealth of rumour and tradition but these two documents preserve the true character, testimony and personal writings of the real St. Patrick.
It is worth noting that these are the only historical writings that exist from the Britain and Ireland in the fifth century. They are unique writings.
Recent historians not able to understand the sudden change of kings and a people from magic and Druid gods to Jesus Christ in Irelands past history come up with an array of natural theories. Some even state that the Irish just added Jesus to other gods. But this is neither accurate historically or practically. Patrick preached repentance with power; he confronted this national religion and its worship of the sun, idols and trees. He sought a pure church without mixture or confusion.
Early on he went to Tara, the centre of religious worship in Ireland to confront two of the top wizards. Under his preaching many people believed, including the high king of Ireland who had once been set against Patrick. Under the fear of God King Loegaire gathered his elders and council and so turned to Christ.
Archaeologists and historians inform us that there was an amazing temple of worship at Tara that was famed throughout the land. They say it was suddenly destroyed, burnt to the ground by the people themselves. To me this sounds like the result of a spiritual revival, the fruit of repentance.
As Ireland began to blaze Britain began to fall into a deep darkness, for the candlestick had been removed. But Ireland under the impact of Patrick’s ministry became the home of a missionary church and movement for the next 400 years that carried the Gospel back to dark Britain and Europe.
And so Ireland became “The Land of Saints and Scholars.”
By Keith Malcomson
NEW BIOGRAPHY ON PATRICK OF IRELAND
I am presently in the slow process of writing a Christian and historical biography on Patrick aswell as the first Church that occupied the island of Ireland. Would appreciated your prayers for this and any input by those who have studied the subject throughly. Im very excited about it but will be doing it at a slow pace as time allows. I dont think Ireland has ever been in such a desperate need to have this powerful and true testimony set before them. A pure Christian Church is needed in these last days of time in Ireland before Jesus returns. Politics and immoral corrupt religion will never satisfy the multitude of hungry hearts in Ireland who must be pointed to a living relationship with Jesus Christ and to the pure simple gospel of the Bible. I do believe that the testimony of Patrick - free from hypocrisy, pride, hierarchy, tradition and deadness can bring a prophetic and hopeful signpost to this generation in Ireland. God Bless you. keithmalcomson@live.co.uk
