Covenant Protestant Reformed Fellowship
Ballymena
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 02 April, 2006
"But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people;
that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you
out of darkness into his marvellous light (I Peter 2:9)
Morning Service - 11:00 AM
The Catholicity of the Church
Heidelberg Catechism, Lord's Day 21; Ephesians 2:11-22
I. The Meaning
II. The Basis
III. The Implications
Psalms: 47:1-9; 38:14-22; 22:27-31; 67:1-7
Evening
Service - 6:00 PM
The Office of Believer (3)
When a Brother Sins and Does Not Repent
Matthew
18:15-20
I. The Initial Steps
II. The Later Steps
II. Our
Calling After Excommunication
Psalms: 90:1-7; 39:1-5; 101:1-8; 141:1-5
For audio cassettes of the worship services, contact the bookstore.
CPRF website: www.cprf.co.uk
Quotes to Consider:
Calvin: "The Church ... is the society of all the saints, ... spread over the whole world, and existing in all ages, yet bound together by one doctrine, and the one Spirit of Christ, cultivates and observes unity of faith and brotherly concord."
Rev. Ron Hanko: "The idea that one language is better suited to express the Christian faith than another, or that people of some races do not make very good Christians, denies the catholicity of the church. So does the notion that one country or people represent in some special sense the kingdom of God, as dispensationalism and British Israelitism teach (Doctrine According to Godliness, p. 234).
Announcements (subject to God’s will):
The second offering this morning is for the building fund. We now have about £190,000 to put toward our building.
The Callenders would like to thank the Fellowship for the cards, visits, and especially prayers on their behalf since Mr. Callender’s stroke. He continues to get therapy and is making progress with his speech and coordination.
Catechism: Tuesday at 5:30 PM at the Murrays (Membership class at 6:30 PM) Thursday at 7 PM at the Hamills
Bible Study will be held this week Wednesday at 8 PM at the manse.
Rev. Stewart is scheduled to speak to a year 12 religious education class at Ballycastle High School on Thursday, 6 April.
Don’t forget the lecture this Friday, 7 April, on "The Synod of Dordt," which drafted the original 5 points of Calvinism. The lecture is at 8 PM here at Ballymena Protestant Hall.
The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day, 9 April (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW) is entitled "Surely this was the Son of God!" (Mark 15:39).
Reserve Monday, 17 April ("Easter Monday"), for a congregational outing. More details in next week’s bulletin.
Website: Martyn McGeown’s article on "Fundamentalists and the ‘Incorruptible’ Blood of Christ" is now on-line. We also have some or all of the Three Forms of Unity and the ecumenical creeds in Chinese, Croatian, Czech, Dutch, French, German, Greek, Italian, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, Ukrainian and Welsh.
Upcoming Lectures: "The 7,000 Who Have Not Bowed the Knee to Baal," S. Wales, 21 April
Last Week’s Offerings: General Fund - £1302.03. Donations: £39 (building fund), £140 (tapes).
Of Censure and Ecclesiastical Admonition
Article 71
As Christian Discipline is of a spiritual nature, and exempts no one from Civil trial or punishment by the Authorities, so also besides Civil punishment there is need of Ecclesiastical Censures, to reconcile the sinner with the Church and his neighbour and to remove the offence out of the Church of Christ.
Article 72
In case any one errs in doctrine or offends in conduct as long as the sin is of a private character, not giving public offence, the rule clearly prescribed by Christ in Matthew 18 shall be followed.
Article 73
Secret sins of which the sinner repents, after being admonished by one person in private or in the presence of two or three witnesses, shall not be laid before the Consistory.
Article 74
If any one, having been admonished in love concerning a secret sin by two or three persons, does not give heed, or otherwise has committed a public sin, the matter shall be reported to the Consistory.
Article 75
The reconciliation of all such sins as are of their nature of a public character, or have become public because the admonition of the Church was despised, shall take place (upon sufficient evidence of repentance) in such a manner as the Consistory shall deem conducive to the edification of each Church. Whether in particular cases this shall take place in public, shall, when there is a difference of opinion about it in the Consistory, be considered with the advice of two neighbouring Churches or of the Classis.
Article 76
Such as obstinately reject the admonition of the Consistory, and likewise those who have committed a public or otherwise gross sin, shall be suspended from the Lord’s Supper. And if he, having been suspended, after repeated admonitions, shows no signs of repentance, the Consistory shall at last proceed to the extreme remedy, namely, excommunication, agreeably to the form adopted for that purpose according to the Word of God. But no one shall be excommunicated except with advice of the Classis.
Article 77
After the suspension from the Lord’s Table, and subsequent admonitions, and before proceeding to excommunication, the obstinacy of the sinner shall be publicly made known to the congregation, the offence explained, together with the care bestowed upon him, in reproof, suspension from the Lord’s Supper, and repeated admonition, and the congregation shall be exhorted to speak to him and to pray for him. There shall be three such admonitions. In the first the name of the sinner shall not be mentioned that he be somewhat spared. In the second, with the advice of the Classis, his name shall be mentioned. In the third the congregation shall be informed that (unless he repent) he will be excluded from the fellowship of the Church, so that his excommunication, in case he remains obstinate, may take place with the tacit approbation of the Church. The interval between the admonitions shall be left to the discretion of the Consistory.
Article 78
Whenever anyone who has been excommunicated desires to become reconciled to the Church in the way of repentance, it shall be announced to the Congregation, either before the celebration of the Lord’s Supper, or at some other opportune time, in order that (in as far as no one can mention anything against him to the contrary) he may with profession of his conversion be publicly reinstated, according to the form for that purpose.
(Church Order of Dordt)