“We are constantly on a stretch, if not on a strain, to devise new methods, new plans, new organizations, to advance the church and secure enlargement and efficiency for the Gospel. This trend of the day has a tendency to lose sight of the man, or sink the man in the plan or organization. God’s plan is to make much of the man, far more of him than of anything else, for men are God’s methods. The church is looking for better methods, whereas God is looking for better men. This vital, urgent truth is one that this age of machinery is apt to forget and the forgetting of it is as baneful in the work of God as would…
Read MoreThe Sixth Commandment “You shall not murder. 105. What does God require in the sixth Commandment? That I do not revile, hate, insult, or kill my neighbor either in thought, word, or gesture, much less in deed, whether by myself or by another, but lay aside all desire of revenge; moreover, that I do not harm myself, nor willfully run into any danger. Wherefore also to restrain murder the magistrate is armed with the sword.
Read MoreO GOD, forasmuch as without thee we are not able to please thee; Mercifully grant, that thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. – 1662 Book of Common Prayer
Read MoreThe marriage relation lies at the very root of the social system of nations. The public morality of a people, and the private happiness of the families which compose a people, are deeply involved in the whole question of the law of marriage. . . . Happy are they, who in the matter of marriage observe three rules. The first is to marry only in the Lord, and after prayer for God’s approval and blessing. The second is not to expect too much from their partners, and to remember that marriage is, after all, the union of two sinners, and not of two angels. The third rule is to strive first and foremost for one another’s sanctification. The more holy…
Read MoreClick here for tomorrow’s bulletin. MORNING WORSHIP (9:30): Charlie Wingard, preaching: Ecclesiastes 3:16-5:7 ADULT SUNDAY SCHOOL (11:00): 1. READING THE BIBLE BIBLICALLY A study of how to use the structure, genres, and themes of the Bible to read it with more wonder, depth and understanding. Having considered how these aspects are seen throughout Scripture as a whole, we will apply them to reading select books of the Old and New Testaments. 2. INTRODUCTION TO CHRISTIAN ETHICS Using the Westminster Larger Catechism, the class surveys important moral decisions that contemporary Christians face. Issues include the role of God’s law in a believer’s life, the sanctification of the Lord’s day, abortion, capital punishment, end of life issues, sexual purity, fidelity in marriage,…
Read MoreIn Singing and Making Music by Paul Jones, organist and music Director of Tenth Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, describes the church’s music program for children, The Tenth Schola Cantorum: From the Middle Ages the Church was the center of musical, religious and even general education. Churches had schools of singing called schola cantorum in which the music of the church was learned by young choirboys and men. In the twentieth century the Church’s role in the education of children was greatly reduced, and the public or private school today that provides meaningful musical education for children is a rarity. Singing is one of the few known eternal activities (Isa. 6; Rev. 4-5). We must reclaim the right and responsibility to teach…
Read MoreVarious & Sundry: October 4
Kelly Kapic writes, “Sometimes in reaction to our culture, which often confuses love with sappy sentimentality, Christians are tempted to let the pendulum swing too far in the other direction. We say things such as ‘love is not a feeling—it is a commitment.’ While I am sympathetic with the concerns of well- meaning Christians, I have to admit that concept of love is depressing if it exhausts one’s definition of love.” Read more. Carl Trueman recommends five biographies. “Why Tough Teachers Get Good Results.” Classroom etiquette for scholars and gentlemen. Well-known preachers comment on the number of hours they spend preparing their sermons.
Read More“The church actually used to be the center of musical education, but this responsibility was handed over to the state decades ago. Sadly, more and more we are witnessing the removal of music from the core of American education. Where does this leave the church now that most public education has made music an extracurricular subject? If the church does not teach the children of God to sing, who will? If the children of God do not have something to sing about, then one might well ask, ‘Who does?’ When we abdicate this responsibility, we forfeit our right and duty to teach to covenant children the songs of the people of God. What songs will be learned instead? “Research tells…
Read MoreA critical question in the historic controversies regarding the Lord’s Supper is: Where is Christ’s physical body when the Supper is served? The Western Church puts forward three major answers. First, Rome teaches that the body and blood of Christ are present not only in heaven, but also physically in the bread and wine. At the time of their consecration at the Mass, the bread becomes the actual body of Christ and the wine becomes the actual blood of Christ. The outward appearance of the bread and wine remain unchanged, but their substance (what the elements really are) is changed into Christ’s body and blood. This view is known as “transubstantiation.” (See Westminster Confession of Faith, 29.6). Second, Lutherans reject…
Read More“In the older world we left behind, people thought of adversity as inevitable. Adversity was a consequence of the fall for those of a Christian outlook. But even for non-Christians it was never seen as an unexpected intruder in life. It was never thought that life should be without pain. Pain, disease, setbacks, disappointments, and wrong done to us were all seen as part of our life in this world, part of its texture, a thread woven with all the other threads through the fabric of our daily experience. Adversity was seen, even, as a necessary component in life. Today we resent adversity as an interruption in our pleasure seeking, a rude disruption of our opportunities and our sense of…
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