Friends were welcomed at the service on Sunday evening in the Avenue Centre, Tenby. Hymns and songs, accompanied by keyboard and flute, were followed by an open time of prayer.

Mick Quirk then spoke about the importance of knowing the Bible to anyone who wants to communicate the gospel effectively.

This week's 'problem page' issue was a young lady who had become a Christian, but whose father kept sending her coarse jokes along with family news. There was a varied discussion as to what she should do, as she didn't want to estrange her family, but felt they might be deliberately trying to offend her new lifestyle.

After drinks were served, the pastor, Rev. Peter Richmond, continued his series of talks about Joshua.

He said that taking Jericho meant controlling trade routes - and that's why the city was protected by two walls, as archaeology shows. And it was also so well supplied that it could have sat out a siege for years.

Encountering a man with a drawn sword, at first Joshua did not realise he was facing the 'Commander of the Lord's Army.' His divine instructions for battle must have seemed strange, but they took the onus off Joshua and, amazingly, the Israelite army obeyed.

Thirteen times the soldiers circled the outer wall, bearing the gilded ark of God's presence and saying nothing; then with shouts and trumpet blasts, the inner wall fell flat towards the outer wall; the outer wall fell flat and formed a ramp - except for the part adjoining the house of faithful Rahab, which was left standing. No 'forlorn hope' was needed here - the whole army could just march in. But it was God's victory and they were allowed no spoils of war. The whole city was destroyed by fire, as archaeology has confirmed.

Four hundred years later a king who rebuilt the walls and gates of Jericho was cursed with the death of his sons. He found that God's word cannot be mocked.

The pastor spoke of the warnings people had ignored over generations. Unlike Rahab they had chosen to do nothing about it. They just kept on sinning, and Israel was used to punish them. But Peter gave reminders of God's patience. "He does not want anyone to perish, but to come to repentance."

This Sunday's service is at the Avenue Centre, near Tenby library at 6 pm. For further information, please visit http://www.hesed.co.uk">www.hesed.co.uk or telephone 01646 681805.