Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
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Covenant Protestant Reformed Church

 

Ballymena

Rev. Angus Stewart

Lord’s Day, 7 June, 2009

 

"Quicken me after thy lovingkindness; so shall I keep

the testimony of thy mouth" (Ps. 119:88)

 

 

Morning Service - 11:00 AM Sem. M. McGeown

David’s Victory Over the Uncircumcised Philistine     [download]

Scripture Reading: I Samuel 17:1-52

Text: I Samuel 17:1-52

I. The Enemies

II. The Issues

III. The Victory

Psalms: 44:1-8; 29:1-5; 56:1-7; 144:1-8

 

Evening Service - 6:00 PM Sem. M. McGeown

The Sin of Giving Our Seed to Molech      [download]

Scripture Reading: Leviticus 19:16 - 20:7

Text: Leviticus 20:1-5

I. An Abominable Sin

II. A Covenantal Sin

III. An Intolerable Sin

Psalms: 89:1-6; 29:5-11; 103:13-18; 78:4-8

Contact Sean Courtney (covenantreformedaudiostore@yahoo.co.uk) for CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services.

CPRC website: www.cprc.co.uk

CPRC YouTube Site: www.youtube.com/cprcni

Quotes to Consider:

A. W. Pink on I Samuel 17: "‘When the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him’ (v. 42). First, Eliab had taunted, then Saul had sought to discourage, and now Goliath scorns him. Ah, the one who (by grace) is walking by faith must not expect to be popular with men, for they have no capacity to appreciate that which actuates him. But true faith is neither chilled by a cold reception nor cooled by outward difficulties: it looks away from both, unto Him with whom it has to do. If God be ‘for us’ (Rom. 8:31), it matters not who be against us. Nevertheless, faith has to be tested—to prove its genuineness, to strengthen its fibre, to give occasion for its exercise. Well may writer and reader pray. ‘Lord, increase our faith’" (The Life of David, p. 36).

Announcements (subject to God’s will):

We welcome Anne & Audra Miedema, Julie Rainey’s sister and niece, to our worship services today. We also welcome David Crossett back from India.

A new Protestant Reformed Theological Journal is available on the back table for all interested parties.

Today, Ivan Reid, our church treasurer, is giving out this past year’s financial report to CPRC members, etc.

The second offering this morning is for the building fund. The foundations of our building have been started and some of the concrete poured. We plan to add more photos on our website as the building progresses (www.cprf.co.uk/articles/building.htm).

This Friday, Rev. Stewart will give a lecture in Portadown on "Calvin vs. Darwin: Anniversaries, Origins and Worldviews." Please contact Rev. Stewart if you would like a lift to the lecture.

The Reformed Witness Hour next Lord’s Day (8:30-9:00 AM, on Gospel 846MW), is entitled "Strengthen Each Others Hand in God" (I Samuel 23:16-18).

Upcoming Lectures: 

Limerick, Friday, 19 June, 7:30 PM - Calvin vs. Darwin 

Ballymena, Friday, 10 July, 8 PM - Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation (I) 

Ballymena, Friday, 17 July, 8 PM - Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation (II) 

S. Wales, Thursday, 23 July, 7:15 PM - Calvin vs. Darwin

Offerings: General Fund - £609.70. Donations: £100, £6 (CDs & DVDs).

PRC News: Rev. Hanko declined the call to Lacombe (Alberta, Canada). Rev. Kuiper (Randolph, WI) declined the call to Calvary (Hull, IA). Holland PRC called Rev. Eriks (Hudsonville, MI). Byron Center PRC called Rev. Bruinsma (Pittsburgh, PA).


"Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation" Conference in Portugal

Last Wednesday and Thursday (3-4 June), I gave two speeches at a conference in Lisbon, Portugal entitled "Calvin’s Battle for the Reformation." The event was sponsored by a Portuguese denomination, the Christian Presbyterian Church of Portugal (Igreja Cristã Presbiteriana de Portugal, ICPP). The organising committee did a fine job, hanging an attractive banner announcing the conference theme at the front of the church and providing attendees with a helpful programme and a booklet containing excerpts from Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion.

On the first night, the saints assembled to learn about the great Genevan Reformer, while in the nearby Sporting Lisbon football stadium the devil provided entertainment for some of his slaves through Australian rock band AC/DC. Thankfully the racket could not be heard in our church building and the main difficulties caused by the concert were increased traffic and the scarcity of parking spots. Before the first lecture, Nuno Pinheiro (the interpreter), Rev. Manuel Luzia (Nuno’s pastor and an organiser of the conference) and I were interviewed before the TV cameras of the Evangelical Alliance of Portugal. The cameras stayed around to record the start of the speech. Some of this footage is to appear later on Portuguese national television [now on the CPRC YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7uRyQUKf2w].

As well as native Portuguese, attendees included those who originated in the US, Brazil and Sâo Tomé, an island off west Africa and a former Portuguese colony. Calvin would have approved of the singing of Psalms 1 and 100; he used to sing to the tune of the latter in St. Pierre’s Cathedral in Geneva. The saints in Lisbon were a most appreciative audience, listening very well as I spoke a sentence or clause in English and Nuno translated it into Portuguese. The people were very engaged in the question and answer periods after both speeches, with questions ranging from the execution of Servetus and the state of the Church of England to key points of Calvin’s theology for today and the way forward for Reformed churches in the twenty-first century. Those whose English was up to it bought a number of books on or by Calvin and other literature, and took DVDs of debates on Calvinism and charismaticism plus free pamphlets. The two meetings were recorded on camcorder and should be going on-line too (http://presbiteriana.com.sapo.pt).

Rev. Luzia, the saints of the ICPP and other visitors asked me to pass on their regards to the CPRC and to let you know that they are praying for you. Greetings also from Nuno and Alina Pinheiro who were with us in Ballymena for a long weekend at the start of May and who, with their children Tarsis, Tamar and Lucas, attended the 2008 British Reformed Fellowship Conference in Co. Fermanagh. Nuno and Alina and their children made delightful hosts for our time in the Lisbon area and we were superbly treated by them and our Portuguese fellow believers.

Photos from the Calvin conference in Portugal can be viewed online (http://presbiteriana.com.sapo.pt/3junho.htm and http://presbiteriana.com.sapo.pt/4junho.htm). Rev. Francisco Moura, who attended the conference, has a report on it on his blog (http://franciscomoura.blogspot.com/2009/06/conferencia-batalha-de-calvino-pela.html).

Let us pray for the cause of Christ in Portugal!

By grace,

Pastor

Left to right: Rev. Glenn Camenisch, Gerson Júnior, Nuno Pinheiro, Rev. Stewart and Rev. Manuel Luzia