Covenant
Protestant Reformed Church
Ballymena
Rev. Angus
Stewart
Lord’s Day,
8 July, 2007
"Teach me
thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth:
unite my heart
to fear thy name" (Ps. 86:11)
Morning Service -
11:00 AM
Stephen, the First
Christian Martyr (1)
Stephen, the Deacon
Acts 6:1-7
I. A Church Problem
II. A New Office
III. A Glorious Result
Psalms: 96:1-7;
91:1-5; 63:1-8; 119:33-40
Evening Service -
6:00 PM
Stephen, the First
Christian Martyr (2)
Stephen, the Disputer
Acts 6:8-15
I. The Wonder Worker
II. The Wise Disputer
III. The Falsely Accused
Psalms: 114:1-8;
91:6-11; 4:1-7; 119:161-168
For audio cassettes of the
worship services or CDs of the sermons, contact Sean Courtney (cprcaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk)
CPRC website:
www.cprc.co.uk
Quote to Consider:
Don Doezema: "... the conflict [in Acts 6-7]
was never, strictly speaking, a personal one. Calvin is right when he
says that ‘the Church was attacked in the person of one man.’
They hated Stephen, in other words, because he belonged to the church.
Their hostility toward the church, in turn, was an expression of their
hatred of Christ, to whom the church belongs. And where Christ is most
clearly seen, as He was in the work and message of Stephen, there will
also be manifest the fury of Satan, in the opposition of the wicked
world" (Upon This
Rock, vol. 3, p.
76).
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
The Beacon Lights are available on the back
table.
At this past Monday’s consistory meeting, we
received official notification of the establishment of a sister-church
relationship with the PRCA.
Membership Class: Tuesday, 7:50 PM at the
Hallidays.
Last Week’s Offerings: General Fund - £621.54,
Building Fund - £403.40. Donations: £100 (Building Fund), £50
(Building Fund), £10 (C. R. News).
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day,
15 July (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW), is entitled "Search and
Know" (Psalm 139:23-24).
Advanced
Notices: Thurs., 12 July, CPRC Stall in Ballee Playing Fields
Wed., 25
July, CPRC Stall at Clogher Valley Show
Sat., 28
July, CPRC Stall at Antrim Agricultural Show
Fri., 17
Aug., Lecture in Limerick on "The Psalms vs. Common Grace"
Fri., 14
Sept., Lecture in S. Wales on "The Perseverance of the Saints"
Fri., 26
Oct., Reformation Day Lecture in Portadown Minor Town Hall
Fri., 2 Nov.,
Reformation Day Lecture in Ballymena Protestant Hall
On 22 & 29 July and 5 August, Rev. Michael
DeVries, pastor of Wingham PRC in Wingham, Ontario, Canada, will be
preaching for us. On 12 August, Elder Philip Rainey and Seminarian
Martyn McGeown will lead the services. Rev. Stewart will be in the U.S.
from 16 July to the 13 August. He will be preaching in the U.S. as
follows: 22 July - AM in Hudsonville PRC, and PM in South Holland PRC.
29 July & 5 August - AM & PM in Hope PRC in Redlands, CA. 12
August - AM in Faith PRC, and PM in Georgetown PRC.
Website: Five German translations were added this
week, as well as an article entitled "Does
God Really Desire to Save the Reprobate."
PRC News: Elder Peter Vander Schaaf and Prof. R.
Dykstra left on Friday on behalf of the Contact Committee to visit
amongst others Dr. J. Klautke in Germany and Rev. R. Ilyasov in Russia.
They plan to return home on July 23. Please remember this in your
prayers. The new trio for the Philippines is Revs. DeVries (Wingham,
ON), Haak (Georgetown, MI), and W. Langerak (Southeast, MI).
Encouraging Quotes:
"The article ‘The
Presbyterian Church in Ireland and Sodomy’ is a good bit of
reading. 10 out of 10. I am going to photocopy it and hand it out to
people in the Presbyterian Church." - Co. Armagh
"I am forwarding a cheque toward the expense of
continuing to send me copies of the Covenant
Reformed News, and other items of
literature. All that I have been sent is greatly appreciated." -
Norfolk
"... Your article
about John Wesley and review
of the Tomkin’s book surfaced when I looked for information about
Wesley heresy from Google. I was raised in a Free Methodist church,
which is based on Wesley doctrine. Now I embrace a Reformed view, saved
not because of any choice I made ... I now regard Wesley as a wolf who
has wrought incalculable damage to generations in the Protestant
churches ... Thank you for your work." - Idaho, USA
"I received the 5 copies of Keeping
God’s Covenant and have distributed 2 to my Christian friends.
Thanks for these copies ... It is a good reminder to Christians to live
up to the precepts and commandments of God by His grace. May the Lord be
pleased to use this book to build up His church in these perilous
times."
- Singapore
"I am a Roman Catholic, a Franciscan Friar and a
priest ... I came across the article [on your website] on St.
Patrick and while I would not agree with all your observations, I
felt I had to write and say that the article was one of the best I had
read in a long, long time on Patrick the man and not the myth ... I
would like to use some of the article for a paper I am writing on the
nature of early Christianity in Europe ... I thoroughly enjoyed it and
will have no hesitation in recommending it to any of my Catholic friends
and fellow priests ..." - Kent
"We received this afternoon the books that you
gave us. Thank you so much. These will be a great help to us here. I
also thank you for the forwarded articles and bulletin from you." -
Philippines
"It was a true blessing to translate the ‘TULIP’
article by Prof. Barry Gritters [into Ukrainian]. Such a beautiful
doctrine! I have attached my translation and hope many will be blessed
by it too." - Lincolnshire
"Thank you for the excellent CD and further news
... I look forward to your visit in September ..." - S. Wales
"I was so happy when I went on your site and saw
the five chapters translated in French. There are so little written in
French about Calvinism. We are distributing those Five Points to every
pastor that we know, even to our Baptist Association. They reply to us
that they were happy to have it in French ... We pray and thank the Lord
for your ministry and your international site. May God use it as He
pleases ... Yes, I am very interested to receive the C. R. News
..." - Quebec, Canada
"Please find enclosed a cheque for the books.
Thank you also for the other items. The Protestant Reformed
Theological Journal looks very interesting and will further my
understanding of the covenant—particularly as it relates to Adam, and
also the issues raised by the Federal Vision heresy currently going the
rounds. The devil indeed is a very diligent bishop! The meditations
from the Psalms [by Gerrit Vos] looks like being a truly spiritual
feast." - W. Midlands
"Thank you very much. You don’t know how much
your web site has blessed me and how much I have learned thanks to
you." - Co. Antrim
"I like Hoeksema’s ‘The
Curse-Reward of the Wicked Well-Doer’ and his ‘The
Christian and Culture’ for he demonstrates that the common grace
idea that without the restraint of sin by God we would become like unto
devils is unwarranted. Engelsma’s pamphlet on ‘The
Reformed Worldview on Behalf of a Godly Culture’ is also
superb." - Cheshire
"I finished the book Sin
and Grace. It was a great book and very helpful to understand
the error of common grace. Now I’m going to start with [Righteous
By Faith Alone] from Hoeksema, which I am really looking forward
to." - Netherlands
"I am really interested in the truth of
Scripture. At present I am getting a lot of conflicting and different
ideas of what a Christian is. However I shall do as the Bereans advised
and check for myself through God’s Word. I find your web site a very
good source of getting to the meat of Scripture and as I am a very poor
reader I enjoy your audio." - Co. Armagh
"I read your ‘Letter to the Editor,’
published in the Belfast Telegraph today, which I accessed
through the Burning Bush website of Rev. Ivan Foster of Kilskeery Free
Pres. Church. Rev. Foster’s position on homosexuality is equally
plain, consistent and biblical, but it was refreshing to hear from
another church leader from among the Protestant community speaking the
truth in love! Indeed, I was so moved by it, I wrote an e-mail to Sermon
Audio and asked them to consider posting it on the Breaking News section
of their website." - Ohio, USA
