First Presbyterian Church of Villa Rica

Order for the Worship of God
SUNDAY, November 7th, 2021, 11 AM

At Church and Online
(Live Stream and Online Bulletin)

Nursery 10 AM to 12 PM
10 AM Bible Study for all ages
11 AM Worship Services

 GATHERING OF GOD’S PEOPLE
“Gather the people to me, that I may let them hear my words, so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children so.” – Deuteronomy 4:10

PRELUDE
(As we prepare our hearts for worship let us quiet our hearts and our cell phones.)

Live Stream

Sermon:  by Reverend Ben Weber

Ben and his wife Leah met at Samford University and have been married 8 years. They have 2 children, Ellie is 5, Jake is 2. Ben is the Field Director of Campus Outreach, Birmingham. (COB).  His ministry focuses on three areas: Leading all COB staff, Overseeing the vision of COB, and Evangelism and Discipleship among students, athletes, and coaches at the University of West Georgia.

Direct YouTube Link

Bulletin/Order of Worship

WELCOME & ANNOUNCEMENTS
CALL TO WORSHIP
INVOCATION

(All Scripture references are from the English Standard Version, ESV, unless otherwise noted.)

Worship through Hymn of Thanksgiving

“There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood”

Verse 1

There is a fountain filled with blood,
Drawn from Immanuel’s veins;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains:
Lose all their guilty stains,
Lose all their guilty stains;
And sinners, plunged beneath that flood,
Lose all their guilty stains.

Verse 2

The dying thief rejoiced to see
That fountain in his day;
And there have I, as vile as he,
Washed all my sins away:
Washed all my sins away,
Washed all my sins away;
And there have I, as vile as he,
Washed all my sins away.

Verse 3

E’er since by faith I saw the stream
Your flowing wounds supply,
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die:
And shall be till I die,
And shall be till I die;
Redeeming love has been my theme,
And shall be till I die.

Verse 4

Then in a nobler, sweeter song
I’ll sing your pow’r to save,
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave:
Lies silent in the grave,
Lies silent in the grave;
When this poor lisping, stamm’ring tongue
Lies silent in the grave.

Verse 5

Dear dying Lamb, your precious blood
Shall never lose its pow’r,
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved, to sin no more:
Be saved, to sin no more,
Be saved, to sin no more;
Till all the ransomed church of God
Be saved to sin no more.

Worship through Confessional Reading

(NIV) Psalm 2

¹ Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
² The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the LORD and against his anointed, saying,
³ “Let us break their chains
and throw off their shackles.”
⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
the Lord scoffs at them.
⁵ He rebukes them in his anger
and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,
⁶ “I have installed my king
on Zion, my holy mountain. ”
⁷ I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:
He said to me, “You are my son;
today I have become your father.
⁸ Ask me,
and I will make the nations your inheritance,
the ends of the earth your possession.
⁹ You will break them with a rod of iron;
you will dash them to pieces like pottery. ”
¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
be warned, you rulers of the earth.
¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear
and celebrate his rule with trembling.
¹² Kiss his son, or he will be angry
and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

 

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Worship Through Songs of Praise:

“Your Grace Is Enough”

 Verse 1

Great is Your faithfulness O God
You wrestle with the sinner’s restless heart
You lead us by still waters into mercy
And nothing can keep us apart

Pre-Chorus

(So) remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise O God

Chorus (2x)

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Verse 2

Great is Your love and justice, God
You use the weak to lead the strong
You lead us in the song of Your salvation
And all Your people sing along

Pre Chorus

(So) remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise O God

Chorus (2x)

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

Pre Chorus

(So) remember Your people
Remember Your children
Remember Your promise O God

Chorus (2x)

Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough
Your grace is enough for me

 

“Offering“

Verse 1

The sun cannot compare to the glory of Your love
There is no shadow in Your presence
No mortal man would dare to stand before Your Throne, Before the Holy One of Heaven
It’s only by Your blood it’s only through Your Mercy, Lord I come

Chorus

I bring an offering of worship to my King
No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing
Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due
Oh Lord I bring an offering to You

(Repeat song)

 Chorus (2x, 2^nd time acapella)

I bring an offering of worship to my King
No one on earth deserves the praises that I sing
Jesus may You receive the honor that You’re due
Oh Lord I bring an offering to You

Ending

Oh Lord I bring an offering to You

Oh Lord I bring an offering to You

O, God of mine, I’ll have no idols
O, God of mine, come lead the way
O, God of mine, I’m greatly humbled
This sinner’s heart You came to save

This sinner’s heart You came to save

This sinner’s heart You came to save

 

 

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PASTORAL PRAYER

….Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

WORSHIP THROUGH TITHES AND OFFERINGS

Offertory Song:

“How Great Thou Art”

Verse 3

And when I think
That God His Son not sparing
Sent Him to die
I scarce can take it in
That on the cross
My burden gladly bearing
He bled and died
To take away my sin

Chorus

Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art
Then sings my soul
My Savior God to Thee
How great Thou art
How great Thou art

Children Released to Children’s Church

Exposition of God’s Word

“Spiritual Multiplication”

Mark 5: 1-20

Reverend Ben Weber

Mark 5:1-20

(ESV) Jesus Heals a Man with a Demon
​¹ They came to the other side of the sea, to the country of the Gerasenes. ² And when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. ³ He lived among the tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, ⁴ for he had often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart, and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and on the mountains he was always crying out and cutting himself with stones. ⁶ And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before him. ⁷ And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me.” ⁸ For he was saying to him, “Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!” ⁹ And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged him earnestly not to send them out of the country. ¹¹ Now a great herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside, ¹² and they begged him, saying, “Send us to the pigs; let us enter them.” ¹³ So he gave them permission. And the unclean spirits came out and entered the pigs; and the herd, numbering about two thousand, rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the sea.
¹⁴ The herdsmen fled and told it in the city and in the country. And people came to see what it was that had happened. ¹⁵ And they came to Jesus and saw the demon-possessed man, the one who had had the legion, sitting there, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. ¹⁶ And those who had seen it described to them what had happened to the demon-possessed man and to the pigs. ¹⁷ And they began to beg Jesus to depart from their region. ¹⁸ As he was getting into the boat, the man who had been possessed with demons begged him that he might be with him. ¹⁹ And he did not permit him but said to him, “Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” ²⁰ And he went away and began to proclaim in the Decapolis how much Jesus had done for him, and everyone marveled.

“Who Is on the Lord’s Side?” 

 Verse 1

Who is on the Lord’s side? Who will serve the King?
Who will be his helpers, other lives to bring?
Who will leave the world’s side? Who will face the Foe? Who is on the Lord’s side?
Who for him will Go? By thy call of mercy, by thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side, Savior, we are thine.

Verse 2

Not for weight of glory, not for crown and palm,
Enter we the army, raise the warrior psalm;
But for Love that claimeth lives for whom he died:
He whom Jesus nameth must be on his side.
By thy love constraining, by thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side, Savior, we are thine.

Verse 3

Jesus, thou has bought us, not with gold or gem,
But with thine own life-blood for thy diadem:
With thy blessing filling each who comes to thee,
Thou hast made us willing, thou has made us free.
By thy grand redemption, by thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side, Savior, we are thine.

Verse 4

Fierce may be the conflict, strong may be the foe,
But the King’s own army none can overthrow:
Round his standard ranging, vict’ry is secure;
For his truth unchanging makes the triumph sure.
Joyfully enlisting by thy grace divine,
We are on the Lord’s side, Savior, we are thine.

Benediction

Doxology: Hymn #731

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise him, all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav’ly host;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Amen.

Worship Through Tithes and Offerings

THIS WEEK AND UPCOMING EVENTS

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SMALL GROUPS TODAY:

Whittle/Dickinson Group: not meeting on WE ARE in the Fight for VR weekend.

Mitchell/Forlaw Group: not meeting on WE ARE in the Fight for VR weekend.

NEW! Missions Small Group for Everyone, Thursday November 11th:  The group has met every 1st and 3rd Thursday evening from 7-8 PM since September. This Small Group meets next Thursday, November 11th for a time of celebration of God’s grace through the “WE ARE in the Fight for VR” conference. This Small Group led by Teaching Elder Tom Myers and Ruling Elder Gary Brittain is sponsored by the Missions Committee, but everyone is invited.  The group will spend the 1st 30 minutes in prayer and thanksgiving, and the second thirty minutes to discuss lessons learned in the “WE ARE in the Fight for VR” Missions Conference on November 5th, 6th, and 7th. This is the last meeting of the group this year.

MISSIONS CONFERENCE with Dr. Harry Reeder and Ben Weber

The Missions Conference will be on November 5th, 6th, and 7th and will continue the theme, “Across the Street, and Across the Sea”.  This year’s emphasis Across the Street will be: WE ARE in the fight for VR!” –The Purpose, Mission, Vision, and Ministry of the Church”.   The November 5th, Friday Evening meal and service will be at the Villa Rica Amphitheater, weather permitting.  Keynote Speaker: Dr. Harry Reeder

Dr. Reeder joins us again for a Saturday Brunch at 9:45 AM in the Fellowship Hall.

Ben Weber will join us for a Saturday evening BBQ at the church at 5:45 PM, again for Sunday morning Bible Study as well as deliver the sermon in the 11 AM Worship Service.

PRAYER CARDS
Please complete the prayer request form in the right margin of this page, or if on your phone, scroll to the bottom of the page to find the form.  There are also index cards next to the bulletins on the tables in the back. Pastor Tom would like to know how he can pray for you. You may enter your request in the form on this page, put them in the offering box, or hand them to Pastor Tom.

MISSIONARY OF THE MONTH
Please be in prayer for our missionary of the month.

CHURCH LUNCHEON!

There will be a potluck lunch following the service on the 3rd Sunday of each month. That’s November 21st next. Bring a dish to share. This is a time of fellowship with old and new friends.  Visitors are welcome! There is always plenty of food.

NEW MEMBERS CLASS

Session 2 of a three week new member’s class is being held on November 14^th and Session 3 will be on 17^th during the Sunday Morning Bible Study hour at 10 AM.  Everyone is invited to come and review the doctrine and polity of the PCA and our church.  Josh Whittle and Pastor Tom Myers will be leading this class.

Women In the Church will be decorating the for Christmas on November 27th at 9:30 AM.

(Please Stand As Able)

This Week in Our Church Life

HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL NATIONS
Prayer Group now meets via Zoom at 7 PM.
Call the church office for info.

WOMEN’S BIBLE STUDY
Wednesdays at 10am, PRECEPT BIBLE STUDY

A 10-week ladies precept Bible study began on Sept. 8^th at 10am. The group is studying the 7 Churches  of Revelation. Contact Debby Morgan for more info. If childcare is needed contact Jeanie Forlaw.

Other Resources

Kingdom Outreach:  See our Missions and Outreach Page

 What is Happening this Week, this Month?  Visit our This Week page.

A YEAR IN TABLETALK
You are invited to join us in reading through Tabletalk devotions for the year of 2021. January’s edition will be available by the offering box in the Sanctuary. You can purchase a subscription by calling 1-800-435-4343 or by visiting the Table Talk website. You can also begin a free subscription through the website.

Continue to pray and encourage one another.1 Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

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COVID protocols: The leadership strongly recommends that everyone wear a mask in common areas when not seated for worship or Sunday school. We understand that many of us have been vaccinated, or have antibodies from getting the virus, and may not want to wear masks anymore. We would urge you to do so for any among us that are in poor health and susceptible to a severe reaction, or have a condition that does not allow them to be vaccinated. Currently the hospitals in Georgia are at capacity and we don’t want to add to the strain on their resources. Current reports are that this strain of the virus may start declining soon so we are hopeful that this strong recommendation will only be in effect until the end of September.  

Philippians 2:3-4
(ESV) Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. 

The Elders and Deacons of First Presbyterian Church of Villa Rica.

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Secondary Resources for Further Study
(The Bible itself being the only Living, Infallible, Sufficient, and Authoritative rule of faith and practice.)

W.M.F Chapter 18 Of  Assurance of Grace and Salvation

Although hypocrites and other unregenerate men may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and carnal presumptions of being in the favor of God, and estate of salvation (which hope of theirs shall perish): yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavoring to walk in all good conscience before him, may, in this life, be certainly assured that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, which hope shall never make them ashamed. 2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable persuasion grounded upon a fallible hope; but an infallible assurance of faith founded upon the divine truth of the promises of salvation, the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made, the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God, which Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance, whereby we are sealed to the day of redemption. 3. This infallible assurance doth not so belong to the essence of faith, but that a true believer may wait long, and conflict with many difficulties, before he be partaker of it: yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things which are freely given him of God, he may without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means, attain thereunto. l And therefore it is the duty of everyone to give all diligence to make his calling and election sure, m that thereby his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, the proper fruits of this assurance; so far is it from inclining men to looseness. 4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation divers ways shaken, diminished, and intermitted; as, by negligence in preserving of it, by falling into some special sin which woundeth the conscience and grieveth the Spirit; by some sudden or vehement temptation, by God’s withdrawing the light of his countenance, and suffering even such as fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light: yet are they never utterly destitute of that seed of God, and life of faith, that love of Christ and the brethren, that sincerity of heart, and conscience of duty, out of which, by the operation of the Spirit, this assurance may, in due time, be revived; and by the which, in the meantime, they are supported from utter despair.

Isaiah 53

Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? ² For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.³ He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

⁴ Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.⁵ But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.⁶ All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.⁷ He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.

 ⁸ By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? ⁹ And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.¹⁰ Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand.¹¹ Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. ¹² Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many,
and makes intercession for the transgressors.

Canons Of Dort

The first main point of doctrine, divine election and reprobation

Article 1: God’s Right to Condemn All People

Since all people have sinned in Adam and have come under the sentence of the curse and eternal death, God would have done no one an injustice if it had been his will to leave the entire ­human race in sin and under the curse, and to condemn them on account of their sin. As the apostle says: “The whole world is liable to the condemnation of God” (Rom. 3:19), “All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23), and “The wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Article 2: The Manifestation of God’s Love

But this is how God showed his love: he sent his only begotten Son into the world, so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (1 John 4:9; John 3:16).

Article 3: The Preaching of the Gospel

In order that people may be brought to faith, God mercifully sends messengers of this very joyful message to the people and at the time he wills. By this ministry people are called to repentance and faith in Christ crucified. For “how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without someone preaching? And how shall they preach unless they have been sent?” (Rom. 10:14-15).

Article 4: A Twofold Response to the Gospel

God’s wrath remains on those who do not believe this gospel. But those who do accept it and embrace Jesus the Savior with a true and living faith are delivered through him from God’s wrath and from destruction, and receive the gift of eternal life.

Westminster Confession of Faith

Chapter 10  of Effectual calling

1.All those whom God has predestined to life, and only those, he is pleased to effectually call at his appointed and accepted time, by his Word and Spirit, out of that state of sin and death in which they are by nature, to come to grace and salvation by Jesus Christ. In this call, he enlightens their minds spiritually, in a way effective to salvation, so that they understand the things of God. He takes away their heart of stone and gives to them a heart of flesh; he renews their wills; and by his almighty power he makes them determined to do what is good. This effectually draws them to Jesus Christ, yet in such a way that they come completely freely, being made willing by his grace.

2. This effectual call comes entirely from God’s free and special grace, not from anything at all foreseen in the person, who is completely passive in it until, being made alive and renewed by the Holy Spirit, he is enabled by it to answer the call and to embrace the grace offered and conveyed in it.

PRAYER

We are able to talk to God. He speaks verbally to us in His Word and nonverbally through His obvious providence. We commune with Him through prayer. Charles Hodge declared that “prayer is the converse of the soul with God.” In and through prayer we express our reverence and adoration for God; we bare our souls in contrite confession before Him; we pour out the thanksgiving of grateful hearts, and we offer our petitions and supplications to Him.

In prayer we experience God as personal and powerful. He can hear us and act in response. Scripture teaches both the sovereign foreordination of God and the efficacy of prayer. The two are not inconsistent with one another, for God ordains the means as well as the ends for His divine purposes. Prayer is a means God uses to bring His sovereign will to pass.

Prayer is to be addressed to God alone, either to God as Triune or to the distinct persons of the Godhead. To pray to creatures is idolatry.

Proper prayer has several requisites. The first is that we approach God with sincerity. Empty and insincere phrases are a mockery to Him. Such prayer, far from being an exercise of godly religion, is an offense against God.

The second is that we approach God with reverence. In prayer we must always remember to whom we are speaking. To address God in a cavalier, casual, or flippant manner, as we might speak with our earthly friends, is to treat Him with the contempt of familiarity. As people pay homage to a king or entering his presence with a posture of respect and obeisance, so we come before God in full recognition of His supreme majesty.

The third requisite, which follows from the previous ones, is that we approach God in humility. Not only must we remember who He is, but we must also remember who and what we are. We are His adopted children. We are also sinful creatures. He invites us to come boldly before Him, but never arrogantly.

God instructs us to be earnest and fervent in our requests. At the same time, we come in willful submission. To say “Your will be done” is not an indication of a lack of faith. The faith we bring to prayer must include a trust that God is able to hear our prayers and that He is disposed to answer them. Yet when God says no to our request, this faith also trusts in His wisdom. God’s wisdom and benevolence must always and everywhere be assumed by those who entreat Him with petitions.

We pray in the name of Jesus because we do thereby acknowledge His office as mediator. As our High Priest, Christ is our intercessor even as the Holy Spirit is our helper in prayer.

Heidelberg Catechism:

Lord’s Day 10

Q&A 27
Q. What do you understand by the providence of God?
A. The almighty and ever present power of God¹ by which God upholds, as with his hand, heaven and earth and all creatures,² and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty—³all things, in fact, come to us not by chance⁴ but by his fatherly hand.⁵

Q&A 28
Q. How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?
A. We can be patient when things go against us,¹ thankful when things go well,² and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that nothing in creation will separate us from his love.³ For all creatures are so completely in God’s hand that without his will they can neither move nor be moved.

Lord’s Day 45

• Q 116.  Why is prayer necessary for Christians?
  A.  Because it is the chief part of thankfulness which God requires of us; and also, because God will give His grace and Holy Spirit to those only who with sincere desires continually ask them of Him, and are thankful for them.
• Q 117.  What are the requisites of that prayer which is acceptable to God and which He will hear?
  A.  First, that we from the heart pray to the one true God only, who hath manifested Himself in His Word, for all things He hath commanded us to ask of Him; secondly, that we rightly and thoroughly know our need and misery, that so we may deeply humble ourselves in the presence of His divine majesty; thirdly, that we be fully persuaded that He, notwithstanding that we are unworthy of it, will, for the sake of Christ our Lord, certainly hear our prayer, as He has promised us in His Word.
• Q118.  What hath God commanded us to ask of Him?
  A.  All things necessary for soul and body, which Christ our Lord has comprised in that prayer He Himself has taught us.
• Q119.  What are the words of that prayer?
  A.  Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

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CHAPTER XVIII Of the Assurance of Grace and Salvation 

1. Although hypocrites and other unregenerate people may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes and fleshly presumptions of being in God’s favor and in a state of salvation (a hope of theirs that will perish), yet people who truly believe in the Lord Jesus and love him in sincerity, trying to walk in all good conscience before him, may be assured with certainty in this life that they are in the state of grace, and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God, a hope that will never make them ashamed.
2. This certainty is not a bare conjectural and probable belief grounded on a fallible hope, but a confident assurance of faith founded on
   • the divine truth of the promises of salvation,
   • the inward evidence of those graces unto which these promises are made,
   • and the testimony of the Spirit of adoption witnessing with our spirits that we are the children of God.
     This Spirit is the down payment of our inheritance, by which we are sealed to the day of redemption.
3. This confident assurance does not belong to the essence of faith, so that a true believer may wait a long time and come into conflict with many difficulties before he partakes of it. Yet, being enabled by the Spirit to know the things that are freely given to him by God, a person may attain it, without extraordinary revelation, in the right use of ordinary means. Therefore it is the duty of each person to give great diligence to make sure of his calling and selection by God, so that by it his heart may be enlarged in peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, in love and thankfulness to God, and in strength and cheerfulness in the duties of obedience, which are the proper fruits of this assurance. Thus this assurance is far from inclining people to looseness.
4. True believers may have the assurance of their salvation shaken in various ways, diminished, and cease for a time,

• • by negligence in preserving it,
  • by falling into some special sin which wounds the conscience and grieves the Spirit;
  • by some sudden or vehement temptation,
  • or by God’s withdrawing the light of his face, allowing even those who fear him to walk in darkness and to have no light.

Yet are they never utterly destitute of the seed of God, the life of faith, the love of Christ and the brethren, sincerity of heart, and consciousness of duty, all of which the operation of the Spirit may use to revive this assurance in due time. In the meantime, they are supported by the Spirit from utter despair.

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Sunday Schedule:

Nursery Provided 1000-1200 AM
1000-1045 Bible Study for all Ages
1045-1100 Break
1100-1200 Worship (Sanctuary & Fellowship Hall), , plus online live-stream.

We thank the Lord for His faithfulness to us and for His hand of protection. Thank you for your support, encouragement and love for each other during these challenging times.

May we continue to labor together in love for the sake of the gospel and God’s kingdom,
The Session

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10:00-10:45       Adult Bible Study in the Fellowship Hall, other ages in various classrooms. (Nursery Provided)

10:45-11:00       Break

11:00-12:00       Worship (Sanctuary, plus live-stream).  Fellowship Hall live stream available for overflow and physical distancing.

Children’s Church (Large Classroom)

Nursery Provided 1000 to 1200 AM

If you or your child have flu-like symptoms or a fever, please stay home and enjoy the Online Bulletin and Live-Stream.

We thank you for your prayers, for the willingness you have shown to be diligent in worship, and for your support of FPCVR.

Prayerfully, The Session