Covenant
Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus
Stewart
Lord’s Day,
22 February, 2009
"Quicken
me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep
the testimony
of thy mouth" (Ps. 119:88)
Morning Service -
11:00 AM
Knowing
Our Sins and Misery [download]
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s
Day 2; Jeremiah 17
I. Knowing Our Sins
II. Knowing Our Misery
III. The Blessedness of this
Knowledge
Psalms: 63:1-8; 18:1-7;
39:5-12; 32:3-6
Evening Service - 6:00 PM
The Holy Spirit in
Ephesians (13)
The
Fruit of the Spirit [download]
Ephesians 5:9
I. The Meaning
II. The Application
Psalms: 113:1-9; 18:8-13;
119:1-8; 143:5-11
Contact Sean Courtney (covenantreformedaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk) for
CDs of the sermons.
CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk
Quote to Consider:
Thomas Manton: "Certainly that religion is
good which only employeth men in doing good, and obligeth us to seek the
welfare of others as we would do our own. It enjoineth us ‘to do good
to all, especially to the household of faith’ (Gal. 5:10). We cannot
take delight in all, for some are an offence to the new nature which is
in us; but we must do good to all, and seek their happiness. The love of
benevolence or good will is opposite to the hatred of enmity, and the
love of complacency and delight to the hatred of aversion and offence.
We cannot take pleasure in sinners, but yet must do them good. Suppose
they have disobliged us, yet enemies are not excepted: Matt. 5:44, ‘Love
your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you.’
None can be such enemies to us as we were to God in our natural estate.
Now it is the duty of a Christian to revenge injuries with courtesies:
Rom. 7:14, ‘Bless them which persecute you; bless and curse not;’
and verse 21, ’Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’"
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
We welcome Stephen Rushton to our worship
services today. Every one is invited to stay for tea after this
evening’s worship service.
Catechism:
Monday, 7:00
PM - Campbells at the manse
Tuesday, 4:30
PM - Jacob Buchanan
Tuesday, 5:30
PM - Murrays
Tuesday, 6:45
PM - Hamills
Wednesday,
1:00 PM - Lydia Napier at the manse
Midweek Bible Study meets on Wednesday, 7:45 PM
at the manse. We will consider I Peter 2:1, 4f. on "Living Stones,
the Chief Cornerstone and the Spiritual Temple."
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day
(8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW), is entitled "Jesus’ Trial Before
Pilate" (Mark 15:1-5) by Rev. Haak.
Next Lord’s Day morning we will take our monthly building
fund offering.
The Council meets next week Monday, 2 March,
at 7:30 PM at the manse.
Ladies’ Bible Study meets next week Tuesday, 3
March, 10:15 AM, at the Murrays.
Offerings: General Fund - £546.44. Donations:
£50 (C. R. News), £26 (lecture), £20 (Building Fund).
Upcoming
Lectures:
Limerick,
Fri., 6 March, 7:30 PM - John Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation
S. Wales,
Fri., 20 March, 7:15 PM - John Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation
Website Additions: A new "Eschatology
Resources" page has been added.
PRC News: Immanuel PRC (Lacombe, Canada) has called Rev. W.
Langerak (Southeast, MI) to be their next pastor.
Belfast Telegraph and News Letter (11 & 12
February, 2009)
Commenting on Scripture's prohibition of women in
church office (pastor, elder or deacon): "I suffer not a woman to
teach, nor to usurp authority over the man" (I Timothy 2:12),
John Calvin, the chief formulator of historic Presbyterianism, denounces
women in the ministry as "monstrous."
Tragically, in 2009, the 500th anniversary of
Calvin's birth, those in the Presbyterian Church in Ireland (PCI),
like Rev. Stafford Carson, who oppose women office-bearers are in
a "minority," as the newly elected moderator himself
admitted. This monstrosity (to use Calvin's terminology) is now the
majority position of a denomination whose roots lie in the Calvin
Reformation. The teaching of the Genevan Reformer and, even more
importantly, the Word of Christ regarding church office is
rejected. Not "truce" (Rev. Carson) or "muddle" or
"fudge" (Alf McCreary) but "monstrous" (Calvin's
word) best describes the unfaithfulness of the PCI. Rev. Angus
Stewart
