Welcome to
Sovereign Grace Bible Church
Sydney, Australia
We preach Christ and Him crucified.
Sovereign Grace Bible Church (SGBC) is a small church located within the Sydney metropolitan area in the suburb of Ryde. We are a unique body of believers who come together from all over Sydney. The attraction being a Christ centred, uncompromising Bible-based ministry of the Word of Life, together with the warmth of true Christian fellowship. Following in the Congregational way, yet we are an independent church. We also have inter-denominational relationships with other Reformed, Bible-believing churches and ministers in Sydney as well as other parts of the world. SGBC is a mainstream evangelical, reformed and puritan church with a sense of history and with a vision for the future.
SGBC embraces the five main expressions of Reformation theology:
- Scripture alone
- Christ alone
- Grace alone
- Faith alone
- To God alone be all the glory
Pastor’s Message
March 2026
Many would agree that one of the most distressing programs we view these days is that of local and world news. When we think that things just cannot get any worse they do. It is with a great sense of relief we turn our thoughts and hearts towards the scriptures as there we find strength and solace in the promises of God.
Often the focus of the world is on getting while the main focus of the Bible is on giving. ”For God so loved the world He gave” Jn. 3:16. Jesus came into our world, and into our lives, as testimony to the loving heart of God whereby all who believe in the redemptive work of Calvary have everlasting life, and shall never perish, but have passed from death unto life.
The pilgrimage to heaven is lined with uncompromising and unmistakable blessings. Though undeserved we are reminded that, “He that spared not His only son but gave Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him freely give us all things” Rom. 8:32. In seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness we are assured that whatever we have need of in our spiritual lives God will guarantee its supply.
Until then confirmed as the sheep of His pasture, conformed to the image of Jesus, we keep our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus who will never leave or forsake His Elect until faith gives way to sight and then for evermore.
Robert & Fiona
Jehu and You
1. The chariot wheels of Jehu were spinning at a pace
His horses trained and seasoned like champions in a race
Where’re he went the dust would fly and everybody knew
Where Jehu was coming from and even going to.
2. The feature of his lifestyle was symbolised by speed
In him was found no evidence of selfishness or greed
His heart was fully furnished with graces from above
As he pursued God’s purposes of righteousness and love.
3. Elijah the prophet had faced the problem too
Confronted by the priests of Baal whatever should he do
He called down fire from heaven the offering to consume
And warned apostate Israel of devastating doom.
4. Did Israel learn her lesson? The scriptures answer No!
For many sad years later their walk with God was slow
Their ear was not attentive to what God’s word declared
Their hearts resented every word as if they never heard.
5. Jehu just could not handle this disrespect and scorn
He set his heart to purge the land from which God’s law was torn
Through skilful intervention all priests of Baal were slain
And Israel from the ashes believed in God again.
6. Believer heed the warning and from your sin depart
Be done with worldly idols let Christ have all your heart
Lest Satan should deceive you and lead your heart astray
Rejected by the one who is, “The Truth, the Life, the Way”.
Rev. T.J. Robert Aiken (30th Jan. 2026)
SGBC News
Notices
Sermons & Resources
Sunday Morning
Sunday Evening
Wednesday Bible Study
Services & Bible Studies
Our minister, Reverend Robert Aiken, is a native-born Northern Irishman and husband to his loving wife Fiona. The church is directed by elected male deacons.
Parents attending our church services with infants or babies can use a separate room adjoining the main church hall if they wish to. The service may still be heard live over audio speakers in the adjoining rooms.
Sunday school – All children are welcome to join. Children will start in the main service with their parents until before the message, and will then leave to participate in the Sunday School programme. The Sunday evening service will usually have a short children’s talk prior to the main message.
We have wheelchair access and other amenities for mobility access.
Our History and Present
Sovereign Grace Bible Church has a rich and noble heritage with it’s roots firmly planted in the foundation, function and faith of the New Testament church.
Historically modern Congregationalism began in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Just after Easter 1559 the English queen introduced a bill known as The Act of Uniformity, which was designed to unify the church in what had become a very troubled period of compromise in areas of doctrine and practice. The Church of England in the Middle Ages was almost wholly Roman in its theology and worship. The land was overrun with monks and friars, while churches were full of relics of martyrs and saints. Transubstantiation; adoration of Mary and the Saints were now all part of the English church scene. Parishes of the Church of England were to be found all over the land, but the truth of the gospel was virtually unknown. Parliament had previously adopted another Act known as the Act of Supremacy in which the Monarch was made Head of the Church, giving Queen Elizabeth the authority to govern the disciplines and direction of the Church.
The Act of Uniformity majored on three areas:
- Orderly Worship – Only the Prayer Book was to be used.
- Proper location – Services could only be held in the Parish Church.
- Full Attendance – A fine was imposed upon absentees.
This Act was designed to secure the future and ensure the stability of the Church under the complete control of the supervising authorities. The term Puritan was first used during the 1560s as a term of abuse, and represented the purists who refused to submit to the Act and refused its every demand. The Puritan age lasted from about 1560 to the end of the seventeenth century, and was characterised by an intense struggle as Puritans and Crown disagreed, often vehemently, over issues of doctrine and administration.
As many within the church capitulated to the demands of the Act of Uniformity the Puritan movement saw preaching centers established outside the perimeters of the Act, and these though increasing in popularity provoked the ire of the authorities charged with the responsibility of policing the Act’s demands, and soon under direction from the Queen these gatherings were declared illegal. Those who refused to conform were ejected from their pulpits and parishes with many thrown into prison; and here they continued to affirm Biblical principles and disciplines. John Bunyan wrote his classical work Pilgrim’s Progress while in prison.
The following years brought a series of Acts of Parliament designed to curtail the growth of the Puritan Movement and if possible stamp it out all together. For example, the Conventicle Acts 1664, 1670, made it a punishable offence for anyone over sixteen years of age, except for members of the same family, to meet for any religious service without full and proper use of the Book of Common Prayer. Goods and chattels could be sold to pay the fine and one third of the fine would go to the informer. Houses could be broken into on suspicion and any magistrate, or officer, who did not apply the law would themselves be fined.
In 1665 the Five Mile Act was passed in Parliament confirming it was unlawful for anyone who had been a Parson, Vicar, Curate, or who had been in holy orders; and who did not subscribe to everything in the Prayer Book, to approach within five miles of any city, town, or borough, or within five miles of any parish in which he had ministered. All who broke the law were liable to a fine of forty pounds. This Act seems to have been designed to cut off all support and starve these dissenters into submission. The nonconformists however were determined to keep their witness alive, and their churches intact. It was around this period two great statements were drawn up to clearly identify the doctrinal position of these separatists.
In 1658 one hundred and twenty Congregational churches sent a total of two hundred delegates to the Savoy Palace for the purpose of agreeing upon a Confession that would embody the theological position and ecclesiastical order of Congregational churches. They took as their model the Westminster Confession of Faith recently completed by an Assembly of that name. After two weeks of intense and sustained prayer and dialogue the Savoy Declaration was drawn up, and became the subordinate standard for those who adopted the Congregational position. The Savoy Declaration is Reformed in theology.
Our foundation is built on four principles:
- Christ alone is the head of the church.
- The visible church must properly represent the true church therefore it can be comprised only of Christians.
- The real presence of Christ is present in His church His people, and not ornaments or rituals.
- Each member is accountable and responsible to Christ.
So in essence it is the honour of Christ which is predominant in our church.
For more than four centuries godly men have pursued the way, which is Independent, Reformed, Puritan, and Evangelical. SGBC is part of that way. As such she is a mainstream church with a sense of history, she is also an evangelical church with a vision for the future.
SGBC continues to embrace the Doctrines of Grace and the Five Solas of Reformation theology:
- Soli Deo Gloria To God alone be all the glory.
- Sola Scriptura Scripture alone.
- Sola Christo Christ alone.
- Sola Gratia Grace alone.
- Sola Fide Faith alone.
Statement of Faith
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen.”
Hebrews 11:1
1. We believe the Bible is the Divinely inspired and infallible Word of God as written and is the sole authority in all matters of Christian faith and practice.
2. We believe God is one, existing through all eternity in three persons; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; co-eternal; co-equal; exercising sovereign power in creation, providence, and redemption.
3. We believe Satan is a fallen angel, a malignant spirit, the enemy of Jesus Christ and of the saints, deceiving mankind. He has been condemned to eternal damnation as a defeated foe.
4. We believe God created man perfect, but after being tempted by Satan, man disobeyed God’s law and thereby all mankind became sinners, falling under the curse and condemnation of a broken law. Man’s whole nature is totally corrupted by sin and his fellowship with God is broken, therefore no-one has the will or the ability to come to God in his own strength.
5. We believe God alone can deal with the problem of man’s sin. God must initiate and confirm a work of sovereign grace in the heart in order for man to be delivered from sin’s bondage and condemnation, and to be restored to a right relationship with God.
6. We believe the holy Scriptures affirm that the sinner is justified by faith alone in the finished work of Christ, that is, His substitutionary death upon the cross and his resurrection from the dead. The works of men and the traditions of the visible church are of no avail in the salvation and justification of the lost. Saving faith is a gift from God.
7. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ was shown to be the Son of God by: His birth; teaching; works; death and resurrection from the dead. He has ascended in power and glory to the presence of God, where He now pleads on behalf of those who call upon Him in truth.
8. We believe God is bringing all human history to a climax which will be marked by the personal bodily return to the earth of the Lord Jesus Christ in power and glory.
9. We believe God has appointed Jesus as Judge and there will be a final judgement. Those who are saved will be raised in a glorified body and enjoy, eternally and to the full, the presence of their Lord in heaven. Those who have rejected Christ will also be raised and banished from God for ever in Hell.
10. We believe all belong to Christ who have been personally redeemed with the precious blood of Christ and upon whom God has bestowed His righteousness as a free gift. They alone are members of the one universal and eternal Church – which is the Body of Christ, the Bride of Christ. Those who are Christ’s are sealed with the Holy Spirit and will never again be irretrievably lost.
11. We believe the Church consists of all who are chosen by the Father, redeemed by the Son, and born again by the Holy Spirit. The Church finds its visible expression in a local assembly of believers, gathered by Christ and under His sole, sufficient and supreme authority, and under the guidance and control of the Holy Spirit are appointed to glorify Christ by promoting His worship, teaching His word to believers and proclaiming His gospel to the lost.
12. We believe the Holy Spirit gives many different gifts to equip all God’s people for various forms of ministry in order to build up the Body of Christ, and that He distributes those gifts according to His sovereign will. A gift is to be valued in the Church according to its contribution to the common good.
13. We believe every Christian is called to love God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength, and to love his neighbour as himself. All are called to be conformed to the likeness of Christ doing all things to the glory of God. The indwelling Holy Spirit makes this new life a reality as God’s children yield themselves to Him.
14. We believe Christ has instituted two ordinances in and through which His person and benefits are represented. In Baptism and the Lord’s Supper, believers identify with the Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Second Coming of Christ, in acknowledgement of His covenant promises to His people.
15. We believe we are under obligation to fulfil the Great Commission given to the Church by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to proclaim the Gospel and make disciples of all nations.
Visit Us
327 Blaxland Rd
Ryde NSW 2112
Australia
Services
Sunday 10 am
Sunday 6 pm
Wednesday 7:30 pm
(Bible Study & Prayer Meeting)
Contact SGBC
Minister: Rev. Robert Aiken
Phone: 0407 826 095
Email: tjrobertaiken@yahoo.com.au
Pastoral Care: Mrs. Fiona Aiken
Phone: 0413 515 005
Deacon: Mr. Chris Ringshore
Phone: 0406 274 845
Deacon: Mr. Ted Vartanesian
Phone: 0403 258 446
Treasurer: Mr. Richard Tan
Phone: 0478 588 564
Secretary: Mr. Paul Pujawiyatna
Phone: 0402 610 620