[Copy+paste from Pastor Tim’s weekly email…]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

          Last night as I worked in my study, I was listening to the wind picking up, making the siding shudder and the windows rattle, and was reminded of autumns and winters growing up along the shores of Lake Erie. This morning I awoke to bright sunshine, near freezing temperatures, and frost on the roof! I know that many are not too fond of cooler and colder weather, but I am hoping for lots of sunny days in the 40s and 50s this Fall, and that maybe we’ll even get snowed in once or twice this winter! Let’s rejoice in the beauty of the creative plan of the Triune God in the cycle of the seasons, the One whom “fire and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds” each offer their praise in fulfilling His Word (cf. Psalm 149:7-8).

          Last week in our Malachi series we talked about the sin of believers purposefully marrying unbelievers (Malachi 2:10-12), in violation of both Old Testament and New Testament commands. This Sunday in Malachi 2:13-16 we’ll see the interconnection between the covenant treachery of mixed marriages and its evil twin the treachery of unlawful divorce. Regard for the Lord and His covenant was so low that Israelite men were divorcing their godly covenant wives without any biblical justification, in order to marry outside of the covenant per 2:10-12. While the Lord has very strong language against both of these serious sins, nevertheless neither constitute the “unpardonable sin.” Praise the Lord that Scripture gives words of hope regarding those who have found themselves in either situation, hope in terms of the work of the Spirit and the Person and Work of our Savior Jesus.

Here are a few things to be aware of in our corporate life as a congregation.

1. Feet and Eat last week was a smashing success; thanks to all who came and to all who had a hand in organizing things, procuring accommodations, and providing for the entry fees. I really appreciated the Spirit’s presence in our fellowship.

2. Over the past few year we have participated in providing Christmas food boxes and Angel Tree gifts for our community through MAMA’s Cupboard. Please keep this on your radar and look for details on how you can participate in the near future.

3.  From the Deacons: We are not planning an official workday this fall but expect to have one in the spring.  However, we are looking for anyone that would like to volunteer to paint the wood frame of the new sign out front.  The church will provide the paint. Please contact Deacon Mick Worley if you are interested in serving this way.

Announcements/Calendar

October 13 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

October 13 – Young Adults Fellowship, 6pm, Worley’s

October 18-19 – Meeting of Presbytery of Ohio, Grove City, PA

October 20 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

October 20 – Service at Sheridan Health Care. 803 S. Hamiltion, Sheridan, 230pm

 Meditations from Pastor Tim 

          Last week we sang hymn #317, “Wake, Awake, for Night is Flying.” Admittedly, it is a bit challenging to sing, although the tune is undeniably lovely. The hymn tune is adapted from the opening chorale of JS Bach’s Wachet Auf! Or “Sleepers Awake!” – and not only is it a marvelous melody, the lyrics reinforce a major encouragement in this week’s sermon, namely that Jesus is our Bridegroom who will never leave us or forsake us for another. Once betrothed to Jesus, His Church rests securely in His love forever. He will never leave us, forsake us, abandon us, divorce us. THEREFORE, we’re singing it again this week!

          In order to help introduce you to this hymn and be better prepared to sing it with gusto (or at least without creaking like an old rusty door!), here are a few links to help familiarize you with the tune.

1. By clicking on the the little icon of the speaker below, you should be able to connect to the version of the tune for #317 that we use in our Trinity Hymnal.
Wachet Auf Phi­lipp Ni­co­lai. Har­mo­ny by Jo­hann S. Bach, 1731 (🔊
If that doesn’t work, this should: http://www.hymntime.com/tch/htm/w/a/k/wakeawak.htm

2. The next two links are for over-achievers and those desiring some serious extra-credit. This is a youtube link to opening chorales of many of J.S. Bach’s most beloved cantatas. Bach’s cantata Wachet Auf, Ruft Uns Die Stimmer translates roughly in English to “Awake, the Voice is calling us!” It is a reference to Matthew 25 (The Parable of the Ten Virgins). Wachet Auf is catalogued in the official list of Bach compositions as “BMV 140” and it can be found at 2:17:12 of the video below. You will notice that the hymn tune we use in hymn #317 is based on the major melody in BMV 140. You will hear the connection immediately.

3. Finally, remember that Bach’s Wachet Auf is sung in German. So….here is a link which puts the entire lyrics of this work into a side-by-side translation format. This way you can listen to the chorale on the youtube link above, and follow the German lyrics and with a quick glance to the right, see the English translation. This will help you to maiximize your listening enjoyment!

http://www.emmanuelmusic.org/notes_translations/translations_cantata/t_bwv140.htm    

Hint: When you go to the link, notice that the entries listed as 1, 3, and 7, with text in all bold, correspond to the lyrics we will sing in #317 in the Trinity Hymnal. The translations to the English are slightly different than what you will find in our hymnal, but you will easily see that the hymnal and the link’s translation are translating the same German words. 

I hope you enjoy this, and that it helps you prepare your heart to worship our glorious Triune God!

See you Sunday!

Pastor Tim

[Copy+paste from Pastor Tim’s weekly email…]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

             I think there is a time when you move from one place to another where it really hits you that, after all the dust settles, after the old utilities are paid, the new ones set up, you discover the leaky faucet in the bathroom and learn how to get to the bank and find the doctor’s office, the insurance office, the post office, it hits you that, hey, we live here now! We are kind of at that place now after a month of life as Hoosiers! We are so grateful for this first month here and praise the Lord that He placed us into such a loving fellowship of Christ followers.

             I hope you will use the attached worship bulletin to prepare your hearts for worship this Sunday. I know you are busy, but take the time to read the various scripture texts, psalms, and hymns, chosen to dovetail with themes found in the sermon. This Sunday’s sermon is on Malachi 2:1-9, “From the Sanctuary to the Dungheap!” (and that is putting it politely.) This week’s sermon will pick up where we left off last week in Malachi 1:6-14. In that passage the priests and people in Malachi’s Day had gotten stuck in the cycle of Despise God’s Glory àDeny God’s LoveàDestroy God’s Worship. A deficient view of God’s glorious Person leads to a deficient view of His Redemptive work, with the result that God’s great Name is trivialized and His worship becomes defiled and corrupted. Worst of all, the great cost of Christ’s atoning work was obscured when blemished, lame, blind, or stolen offerings were brought to be sacrificed. AS you read this week’s text, you might ponder questions like, Does God just sit idly by and let the priests do this with no consequences? What happens when defiant priests refuse to hear what God is saying to them? Is there a perfect Priest or Minister who will never let you down or fail you? Is there a Divine standard for Old Testament priests, or New Testament ministers? What is the “covenant with Levi?” Come ready to dig in to the text on Sunday!

Announcements/Calendar

·        September 29 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        September 29 – Hymn / Psalm sing at the church building, 6pm

·        October 6 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        October 6 – Feet ‘n Eat, after worship at Turkey Run State Park, details forthcoming

 Meditations from Pastor Tim

              This week I found more gems in the spiritual goldmine of Ronald S. Wallace’s powerful devotional/theological work, Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life. I have been using it in my devotions and wanted to pass along the nuggets that I have been finding.

             In the opening section of the book Wallace deals with Calvin’s notion that the Scriptures sometimes use “violent” or “inappropriate” language to describe the self-offering of Jesus to God on the cross. Of course, Calvin doesn’t mean that God has somehow inspired the wrong kind of language to describe the work of His Son in Scripture. But he means that it sounds shocking to our sensibilities to hear that Christ’s death was to “interpose between us and God’s anger” or that, as Calvin wrote, that on the cross Jesus was “beaten and struck by the hand of God.” Yet one quick reading of Isaiah 53 will dispel any notion that Calvin is overplaying the language of Scripture. He was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, led as s lamb to the slaughter, cut off from the land of the living, bruised by God, numbered with the transgressors. So what does this have to do with us? Great question, glad you asked!

             When Jesus thus presents Himself to God to interpose between us and God’s anger, He subjects Himself to God’s judicial wrath, yes, but He also is here consecrating Himself, we can even say sanctifying Himself to God, both as High Priest and King, in order that we might be made into a royal priesthood in union with Him by faith. You might say we are washed by His blood, cleansed truly, then presented Holy before God by virtue of Christ’s presentation of Himself to God as King and Priest. Wallace then unpacks the essence of Calvin’s teaching on this subject in the second section entitled, “The sanctification of the Church in the sanctification of Christ” where he writes,

                           “It is true that Jesus’ self-consecration to His royal priesthood was in a sense entirely vicarious, unique, and something done in separation from the rest of humanity. It was nonetheless in our name that Jesus stood and acted before God. In His atoning and sanctifying work He acted not only as our substitute but also as our representative in the deepest sense of the word. In His person, then, we have indeed been presented to the Father in the full and complete act of consecration to royal priesthood.” [Emphasis mine.]

             What is the practical payoff of this devotional theology for your daily life? Meditate on this which immediately follows the quote above: “The fact that we have been once-for-all consecrated as a royal priesthood in Christ can be the basis of the confidence with which we can continually approach God in worship and prayer and thus seek to live the Christian life.” You don’t come to Him in yourself; you come before Him because Christ has first consecrated Himself to God on your behalf! So when you pray, pray confidently in Christ. When you come to worship on Sunday, come confidently, for Jesus your Great High Priest, offered His blood and died; your guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside; His powerful blood did once atone, and now it pleads before the throne!

See you Sunday!

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Tim

[Copy+paste from Pastor Tim’s weekly email…]

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

              We continue to bless our great God for the warm welcome given to us as we get settled in here at CCOPC! May Christ always be magnified in and through our local expression of the Body of Christ!

Malachi Series

               I hope that you will take some time and read the book of Malachi as we begin our study of the last book of the Old Testament. Last Sunday we heard how the gracious Lord loves His straying people so much that He is willing to “take them to court” in a covenantal lawsuit, with the promise that if the people would return to Him, that He would return to them. This week in the opening 5 verses we will see how the Lord opens His covenant lawsuit against His people, which is never aimed at “winning the case” but rather at “winning His people” that their hearts might once again beat for Him alone.

  Young Adult Fellowship at McClymonds this week  

              One thing to notice a little different about this week’s calendar (see below!) is that the Young Adults Fellowship will meet at the McClymonds’ home at 921 Maidstone Avenue, Westfield. Please come and enjoy the teaching and fellowship and food! Even if you don’t usually attend, or if you just want the fellowship, come! Elder Brian will have a teaching time for the Young Adults and everyone else can just hang out, fellowship, and eat! We ask that if you think you can come, just send a reply to me at tmcclymonds3@gmail.com.

  A Lesson in Practical Presbyterianism  

              This week’s calendar also provides an opportunity to learn a bit about how our presbyterianism works out in practical ways. On Monday members of the Session will meet with the Visitation Committee of the Presbytery of Ohio. This annual meeting takes place as a way to concretely display the love of Christ from the regional church toward the local church. It models the idea that our Lord Jesus, that Great Shepherd of the sheep, came down from heaven to visit His people for their spiritual good. It also stands in an analagous position to the shepherding visits the elders make to individuals and families within the congregation.

              Likewise, the Visitation Committee is the shepherding arm of the presbytery to local congregations to help them in whatever pertains to their spiritual welfare. Far from being a visit where the presbytery comes with a “biblical white glove” to try to pick up whatever “dust” it can, this meeting is seen by the elders as a time of growth, fellowship, and learning from fellow laborers in the broader church within the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Resolution of conflicts, deaconal strategies, evangelistic outreach strategies, practical tips on keeping better sessional records, how to improve service as elders taking care of congregation members – these and more topics can come up at the Visitation Committee meetings.

              Members of the committee are presbyters, ministers and ruling elders from across the presbytery,  men who have a passion for all the congregations of this presbytery,  and who genuinely seek to help the Sessions in any ways that might be needed. In fact, some of you might know one of the members of this committee…yes, our very own Pastor Emeritus Mark Melton will be there, no longer with a “session hat” on but with his “presbytery hat” on, as one of the trusted pastors serving on the Visitation Committee who help shepherd the flock of God on a regional level! Please pray for this meeting, that the Lord would provide safe travel to all, and that the spiritual welfare and health of CCOPC might be promoted.

Announcements/Calendar

·        September 15 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        September 15 – Young Adults / West Side Fellowship group, 6pm at the

        McClymonds’: address is 921 Maidstone Avenue, Westfield — Please RSVP! at 479-799-2227 or tmcclymonds3@gmail.com

·        September 16 – Members of Session annual mtg. w/Presbytery of Ohio Visitation

        Committee in Richmond, 7pm

·        September 18 – Session meeting, 7pm

·        September 22 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        September 22 – Neighborhood Fellowship, 3pm

·        September 29 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        September 29 – Hymn / Psalm sing at the church building, 6pm

·        September 29 – Hymn / Psalm sing at the church building, 6pm

·        October 6 – Lord’s Day Worship, 10:15am

·        October 6 – Feet ‘n Eat, after worship at Turkey Run State Park, details forthcoming

 Meditations from Pastor Tim 

              Once again, some thoughts of my own based on Ronald S. Wallace’s, Calvin’s Doctrine of the Christian Life, a book which manages to be both challenging, readable, and eminently devotional, all in one. In this book’s section on Calvin’s thoughts on “Meditation on future or heavenly life,” we find some rich truth which can help comfort our souls daily when we find ourselves weary of sin in the world, in others, and of course, in ourselves.

              The first idea is that as believers in Christ in a fallen world “we are daily exercised under the Cross by God that we may seek our true rest elsewhere than in this world.” We need a daily way to remind ourselves that this world is not our final home, but that as strangers and pilgrims we seek a better country, a heavenly one. This can be done by recalling that “our Christian life finds its focus and inspiration in the ascended Christ.” We are united to Christ by faith not only in His death and resurrection, but also in His ascension. Though not a mystic, Calvin could write, “Ascension follows resurrection: hence if we are members of Christ we must ascend into Heaven, because He, on being raised up from the dead was received up into Heaven that He might draw us with Him.” While not a mystical notion, it is mysterious, that is, an article of our faith that is hard to comprehend yet nevertheless true. Consider this in the light that Paul himself states in Ephesians 2, that as part of our union with Christ by faith the Lord has “made alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us to sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” [Emphasis mine. TLM]

              Second, how do we “meditate on the future life” then? Remembering this truth that we have been made to “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, ” we recall that, as Wallace puts it, our life in Christ is one “that strains toward a completion and fulfillment that belong to it only beyond death.” Are we looking for fulfillment in all the wrong places, that is, somewhere other than in heaven where the Resurrected and Ascended Christ sits at the right hand of the Father? Since we have also been “raised up together with Christ” in our regeneration, we have experienced a spiritual resurrection which is but the firstfruits of the resurrection of our bodies which we will experience at the Last Day. Calvin will conclude, according to Wallace, that “it is thus that the first fruits which we now taste should stir us up to press forward to the full reality of which they are the pledges.” In other words, when we remember that we are already declared, in a spiritual sense, to have been  made alive, resurrected, and seated together with Christ in heaven, we say something like, “Oh yeah! I am gonna make it after all! God guarantees that this very beginning of joy will someday explode into a veritable everlasting fireworks display of joy and delight in the Lord!”  Calvin referred to this spiritual discipline of thinking on heaven and the eternal future as (Fancy Latin Term Alert) meditatio futurae vitae, the meditation on the future life.

              I myself would call this “pie in the sky” religion in the best sense. This kind of meditation (not to be confused with “meditation” in the eastern mystical tradition, or with so called “transcendental meditation) is often ridiculed as being other worldly or as contrary to “life in the real world,” making Christians open to the critique that “they are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good.”) Nevertheless, Scripture itself urges us to “meditate” in this sense whenever it urges us to consider “who we are in Christ.” Again, Calvin says that in raising our minds up to heaven, we are to engage in the kind of meditation which is a “true and holy thinking about Christ, which forthwith bears us up to Heaven, that we may there adore Him, and that our minds may dwell with Him.” A Christian buoyed daily by delighting in who He is in Christ, and in the sure promises that in the end, all will be well with our souls and bodies in heaven, surely can be a more winsome witness to unbelieving friends and family, not to mention a more positive encouragement to fellow believers who are being worn down by the daily spiritual grind of life in a fallen world.

              Allow me to add the capstone this section of Wallace’s masterful and devotional treatment of Calvin on this subject. As “high church presbyterians” we believe that the Church is the lampstand of God in the world (cf. Revelation 2) and that sometimes well meaning but independent thinking American believers can fall into the trap of “lone-wolf Christianity.” Calvin, though, will have none of this. Calvin will add, in Wallace’s summary of the Genevan Master’s thinking, that this heavenly meditation is incomplete if done in isolation from our fellow believers in Jesus in the Church:

“…such movement with the mind and heart cannot take place through the unaided efforts of man’s own mind, but only by means of participation in the sacramental worship of the Church, which is for Calvin, the ladder by which the faithful mount up to Heaven, there to participate in Christ, or the hand of God stretched down to us in order to lift us to Himself.”

See you Sunday!

In Christ’s Service,

Pastor Tim

[Copy+paste from Pastor Mark Melton’s weekly email…]

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,

Well, this is one of many “lasts” I have experienced over the last several weeks…my last Pastor’s Post-it. It has been a rewarding experience for me and I trust that many of you have benefited as well. I want to take a minute to publicly express my immense gratitude to a dear sister in Christ who, for at least the last 10 years, has plied me with lots of material each week from which I choose six or seven articles that catch my attention for one reason or another. I shan’t mention her by name lest I rob her of any blessing she might receive from her heavenly Father. A few of you know who she is, just let me say, “Thanks sis…well done…well done.”

Since I will not be in regular contact with you as a group, let me take this opportunity to emphasize how important it is for you to be in attendance at the Special Meeting of Presbytery on August 30 here at our building. On that occasion the Presbytery will be installing Rev. Tim McClymonds as pastor of CCOPC. Your support for him as your pastor begins that evening and your presence indicates a willingness to follow his lead.

The installation service is actually a worship service. There will be most of the elements of a typical Lord’s Day worship service.

Following the service, there will be a time of fellowship in the cafeteria. We’ll need everyone to bring finger foods to eat and our Deacons will take care of drinks. This will, in many respects, a historical evening for Christ Covenant.

Patti and I leave tomorrow morning for a ten day vacation. We’re driving down to Gulf Shores with Damien  & Jess and the kiddos. Then on the way back, Patti and I are planning on stopping at Mammoth Caves and do a little exploring for a couple days.

Jim Strietlemeier will be in the pulpit for the next two Lord’s Days and then he and David Franks will alternate Lord’s Days for the remainder of the month. On September 1, Pastor Larry Wilson will be filling the pulpit as he will be down for Pastor Tim’s installation service. The Order of Worship for this Lord’s Day and next are both attached.

Announcements/Calendar

·        July 27–Work day at Miss Gee Gee’s

·        July 28–Neighborhood Fellowship

·        August 4–Fellowship Meal

·        August 4–Season of Prayer

·        August 11–Young Adults Fellowship Group

·        August 18– Adults Fellowship Group (westsiders)

·        August 25–Neighborhood Fellowship

·        August 30–Installation Service for Pastor Tim

Classic/Encouraging Quotes

“Only when we weigh ourselves against the weight of the glory of God do we begin to realise our need is infinitely greater than we could ever imagine.”  –C.S. Lewis

Just going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in your garage makes you a car. —G.K. Chesterton

Instead of a river, God often gives us a brook, which may be running today and dried up tomorrow. Why? To teach us not to rest in our blessings, but in the blesser Himself. —Arthur Pink

Some people think God does not like to be troubled with our constant coming and asking. The way to trouble God is not to come at all. —D.L. Moody

Contending for the faith and contentiousness are not the same thing. —Hershael York

Make church attendance such a habit that there’s never a need for your kids to ask, “Dad, Mom, are we going to church tomorrow?” —Paul Tautges

Important/Helpful/Challenging Links

The Unlikely Ways of God

            Mark Loughridge

Would you pick an 80-year-old man to lead a slave uprising?

A timid man to lead an army against an all-conquering hoard?

A mild whisper to inspire a dejected prophet?

A shameful cross to bring us to a place of life and honour?

In a world accustomed to social media influencers and brand consultants, would you have picked a rag-tag bunch of nobodies to see your message of salvation went to the ends of the earth?

We live in a world where the big, the powerful, the influential and the instant are what matters. And it is easy for that to permeate our psyche, to colour our expectations of what God is doing.

For that reason we need to be recalibrated by scripture. READ MORE…

J. I. Packer’s Thoughts on Holiness

            Sam Storms

A Habitual Attitude

There is no holiness or Christian life that does not have repentance at its core. Repentance is not merely one element in conversion, but a habitual attitude and action to which all Christians are called. It is, argues Packer, a spiritual discipline central to and inseparable from healthy holy living. But what is it? How should it be defined? What are its characteristic features? A close reading of Packer reveals that he understands repentance to entail a number of interrelated themes. The most important dimension in godly repentance is the fundamental alteration in one’s thinking with regard to what is sin and what God requires of us in terms both of our thoughts and actions. READ MORE…

Ten Thoughts about the “Billy Graham Rule”

            Denny Burk

Earlier today, I saw an interview on CNN about a Christian politician who practices the “Billy Graham Rule” (watch above). It is an awkward interview to watch, but it illustrates the cost to men and women who are making a good-faith effort to avoid compromising situations. This is by no means everything that can or should be said about the so-called “Billy Graham Rule.” Nevertheless, I thought I would update something I wrote previously on this topic. I personally believe that the rule is wise and ought to be pursued with rigor by Christians who are serious about holiness and witness. So in that spirit, here are ten brief reflections on this particular discipline. READ MORE…

Jesus Repulses, Jesus Draws

            Tim Challies

I think we all love the story of the Garasene Demonaic, don’t we? It is the story of a poor, pathetic, hopeless, demon-oppressed man and his life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. And there is something in the story I find particularly fascinating.  READ MORE…

Orientation Identity and the Church

            Barry York

In this bravest and newest of worlds, people have taken upon themselves the responsibility to self-identify. Looking inwardly for their truth, they examine their thoughts and passions to determine who they are. If their heart is inclined, or oriented, in a certain direction, then that proclivity becomes who they are.

Just a few short years ago, the big battle in this area was for people to be identified by their sexual orientation. As this article makes clear, this battle was basically won when the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage. In those days, things were “simpler” as you were either straight, lesbian or gay. READ MORE…

6 Effects of God’s Power

            Chris Thomas

We cannot read the Scriptures without at some point coming to terms with the extraordinary display of the awesome power of the God it portrays. And power, by very definition, must have an effect. The power of God is not simply some intellectual truth to grasp and recite. The power of God is real, and it is dangerous, and it is wonderful, and it is comforting; and we must come to terms with how we will respond in the face of it.

Among the countless effects the power of God has, I have chosen six that are significant for us to grasp today.

READ MORE…

Blessings,

Pastor Mark                                                                                                                                       

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight.” J. Gresham Machen

“When Christ calls a man – he bids him come and die.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer

[Copy+paste from Pastor Mark Melton’s weekly email…]

Good afternoon brothers and sisters,

You know of my great affinity for the Psalms. I recently came across a blog post that expresses how invaluable the Psalms are to the Body of Christ, to each believer in the Body of Christ, particularly as they are sung. The Psalms are, after all, our God’s “hymnbook” for His people. Here’s the blog post.

Dear friend,

You should read the Psalms like a balm for your soul. I don’t mean work your way through it like a textbook, I mean to dwell in it like a home. Athanasius spoke of the psalms in such poetic terms that he seemed almost hypnotized by its marvel. For him, it “yielded special treasure” again and again. It was like a “garden that grew every kind of fruit.” Further, the Psalm writers were so indwelt (there is that word again) by the Spirit that they couldn’t help but to speak and sing of the harmonious message of all the Bible that Israel’s God reigns forever and ever.

You have probably heard me talking about singing the Psalms and at this point, if I make another reference to singing the psalms I am afraid you will unfriend me or curse me with imprecations. So, I will spare talking about how psalm-singing changes and forms us into better human beings, flourishing in the poetic garden of Yahweh; I will spare you the talk about how singing the Psalms heal our souls in times of grief, and I will spare you the conversation about how singing the psalms with friends bind us together in a more profound way than anything I’ve ever seen. Again, I don’t want to bother you with my fascination for the Genevan Psalms. I simply don’t want you to think about how the psalms frighten demons in the Bible. That would be too much to talk about and as I said, I don’t want to be that guy that annoys people with all this psalmic talk. It would be too much for you to bear such a friend. So, I won’t say any of those things.

Your friend,

Uri

This Lord’s Day we will be giving consideration to the third and final noun from our Vision Statement that serves to identify the means by which we may reflect the glory of God. We exist to reflect the glory of God in our passion for, our devotion to and exaltation of Lord Jesus Christ. We will be addressing the question, “What does the exaltation of Christ look like or sound like…what will it entail?” The Order of Worship is attached.

Next Lord’s Day will be the final sermon I will preach to you from this pulpit as your Pastor. I’m still struggling mightily with what to say, with what I want to leave with you. Please pray that the indwelling Holy Spirit might lead me in the right direction…that He might give me just the right words to say to all of you who I love so dearly.

Please be sure to pray for Pastor Tim. This evening he will be meeting with the Presbytery of the Southwest, seeking permission to have his credentials transferred to the Presbytery of Ohio as well as their concurrence for him to take up the call from CCOPC to be its pastor. This is the next to the last step in Pastor Tim’s journey to becoming the next pastor of CCOPC. The final step is a service of installation for Pastor Tim. We have selected a tentative date of August 30 which will coincide with the week in which he intends to move to the area.

On a related note, Pastor Tim and Anlle are planning to travel to Sheridan on July 19 for a week or so of house hunting. They are not sure how long they will stay but are willing to stay through July 28. John and Cornelia have graciously invited Tim and Anlle to stay in their home for that week as they are on vacation for that period of time.  I’m sure they would be delighted to have dinner with any of you who would like to invite them for an evening. This is a chance for us to once again display our Hoosier/biblical hospitality. Here is Pastor Tim’s cell phone: 479 – 799 – 2227. His email is  tmcclymonds@cox.net

Announcements/Calendar

·        July 14–Young Adults Fellowship Group

·        July 16–Ladies Night Out

·        July 21–Adults Fellowship Group (westsiders)

·        July 28–Neighborhood Fellowship

·        August 4–Fellowship Meal

·        August 4–Season of Prayer

·        August 11–Young Adults Fellowship Group

·        August 18– Adults Fellowship Group (westsiders)

·        August 25–Neighborhood Fellowship

Classic/Encouraging Quotes

God can look sourly, and chide bitterly, and strike heavily, even where and when he loves dearly.—Thomas Brooks

A man’s contentment is in his mind, not in the extent of his possessions. Alexander the Great, with all the world at his feet, cries for another world to conquer. —Charles Spurgeon

A weak faith can lay hold on a strong Christ. —Thomas Watson

If we could hear all that is said of us, it would not flatter us much. —John Newton

Life is wasted if we do not grasp the glory of the cross, cherish it for the treasure that it is, and cleave to it as the highest price of every pleasure and the deepest comfort in every pain. What was once foolishness to us—a crucified God—must become our wisdom and our power and our only boast in this world.–John Piper

Your life is short, your duties many, your assistance great, and your reward sure; therefore faint not, hold on and hold up, in ways of well-doing, and heaven shall make amends for all. —Thomas Brooks

Reformed confessional theology was written not to pick a fight but to protect the church in the battles she already faces and to nurture people in the truth. —Joel Beeke

I wish, brothers and sisters, that we could all imitate “the pearl oyster.” A hurtful particle intrudes itself into its shell, and this vexes and grieves it. It cannot reject the evil, but what does it do but “cover” it with a precious substance extracted out of its own life, by which it turns the intruder into a pearl! Oh, that we could do so with the provocations we receive from our fellow Christians, so that pearls of patience, gentleness, and forgiveness might be bred within us by that which otherwise would have harmed us. —Charles Spurgeon

Important/Helpful/Challenging Links

Three other R’s: Scottish evangelicals of the 19th century can teach us about revival, reformation, and reunion

            Marvin Olasky

In 2012 Manhattan could boast of 31 developments in which a 2,300-square-foot condo would sell for at least $5 million. Seven fat years later, that number has more than tripled. Some are in parts of the city where neighbors a block away are at least relatively poor, so development owners are creating ways for residents not to have to leave their buildings. READ MORE…

Growing Up in a World Like This

            Tim Challies

A short time ago I shared some resources meant to help parents as they prepare to have “The Talk” with their children. But even after looking at those resources I had some questions I wanted to ask, so I spoke to Dr. Chris Richards, who together with Liz Jones has authored Growing Up God’s Way, a book with editions for both boys and girls, that helps prepare young people and their parents for adolescence and adulthood. Dr Chris Richards is a Consultant Paediatrician in Newcastle upon Tyne. He is the Director of Lovewise, which produces material for teaching about marriage and relationships from a Christian perspective in schools and church groups. He is married and has four children. He is a deacon at Gateshead Presbyterian Church. Here is what he had to say about preparing children to grow up in a world like this. READ MORE…

Reframing Kindness

            Andrew Roycroft

Redefinition is definitely on-trend in our culture. Words, phrases, and concepts are generally fluid, and are often the tools of a non-democratic process which draws new lines between ‘good’ and ‘evil’ at will. Other linguistic changes seem to simply happen, usage and over-usage leading to their decommissioning and devaluation. One of those words is ‘kindness’, and the shift which has taken place here is symptomatic of wider changes in society and community. In this post I want to probe kindness a little bit, suggesting some subtle ways in which our expectations around this word have altered.

Random acts and covenant kindness

Over the past decade or so our culture and, to a certain extent, the church have bought in to the idea of kindness as an isolated act, as a randomised impulse that ought to be acted on. Paying forward a coffee, passing someone a handwritten note of appreciation, calling someone out of the blue and asking how they are, have become popular ways of showing affection and concern. For many people this is how kindness is now universally coined – it is a brief burst of benevolence, a momentary debit on our energies, resources, or social awkwardness, a credit to our sense of altruism and engagement.

Whatever benefit such acts accrue, they fall far short of how the Bible frames kindness, with its family likeness to ‘grace’. In Scriptural terms, kindness is inherently relational and essentially covenantal, it bespeaks commitment and a long-haul mindset.  READ MORE…

The Most Radical Mission For Christians May Be The Most Mundane

            Brett McCracken

Christians must not conceive of mission as only that which takes us far from home or into harm’s way. Too often, would-be missionaries are energized by the possibility of going across the world to minister to unreached people groups but are not energized by the prospect of going across town to engage in cross-cultural mission with local unreached immigrant or minority communities.

Young, restless church leaders are writing books and attending conferences about urban ministry in London, New York or Buenos Aires. But who is getting excited about planting churches in Midwestern suburbia, rural Appalachia or the tiny towns that dot the farmland in flyover country? Arguably these forgotten, unsexy frontiers of mission are some of the places where gospel-centered, Spirit-empowered church planting is most needed.  READ MORE…

Lay Aside Your Misplaced Fear

               Jon Bloom

If I feared less, I would love more — both God and people. But it is just as true that if I feared more, I would love more — both God and people.

I’ve been praying for a while for God to align my affections and desires with his. And, based on my decades of experience pursuing God, one of the telltale signs that he’s answering my prayers is that I’m forced to face numerous situations and decisions that incite fear — the kind of fear that makes me want to withdraw from the bold words and deeds of love in Jesus’ name that these situations and decisions require. I’m learning that facing such fear, as much as I dislike it, is precisely what I need.

I could almost wish I was a fearless Christian. But there is no such thing as a fearless Christian. READ MORE…

More About Jesus I Would Know

               Kyle Sims

I have found that if you mention theology around some folks they will head towards the door. A lot of people are not interested in how their salvation works. They just want to be end-users. They want to be saved but do not want to know the ins and outs of that salvation. They just want to believe in Jesus and be good. Often I think this is what churches have catered to in their teaching and programs.

My childhood church taught me the simple basics of who Jesus is and that He died for me. They taught me the need to surrender my life to Jesus and trust in Him. What I did not learn was how to express that faith or the theological underpinnings that uphold our faith. While I can remember lessons about the Bible stories and some theological truths like repentance, there was little focus on who God is or how Jesus’ death and resurrection really saved us from our sin. We knew that faith in Jesus saved us, but we had no understanding of how Jesus saved us. A lot of people have the same ideas about their cars. They know how to make them work. They know how to start them, drive them, and turn them off, but they really do not have any idea how they operate other than they use gas. READ MORE…

Blessings,

Pastor Mark                                                                                                                                       

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

“In the sphere of religion, as in other spheres, the things about which men are agreed are apt to be the things that are least worth holding; the really important things are the things about which men will fight.” J. Gresham Machen

“When Christ calls a man – he bids him come and die.”  Dietrich Bonhoeffer