Hopewell Herald – August 14, 2020
Dear Congregation,
Many of you are in the neighborhood of 1Samuel 4, as you read via the M’Cheyne plan. This passage has an important application for a congregation who are committed to the means of grace because they are the means by which Christ grows us in Himself by His Spirit.
The ark of the covenant of God (v4, etc.) was a wonderful gift. It contained covenantal items (the tablets of the law, a jar of manna, and Aaron’s budded rod). But, more than that, it resided in the Holy of Holies, and its lid was the mercy seat, and the cloud that arose when the high priest put the fire in his incense shovel mimicked the glory cloud. Indeed, as they say in v4, it was the place where Yahweh communicated Himself to them, “Yahweh of hosts who dwells between the cherubim.”
But there is a danger of confusing the Lord Himself with the means by which He communicates Himself to us.
Reading, preaching, praying, singing, the Supper, the Lord’s Day itself. All of these are means by which the Lord communicates Himself to us, conforms us to Himself, and delights us in Himself.
But it is also possible to treat each one the way that Israel treated the ark. As if the means of God’s grace are themselves God or His grace. But, as many of our fathers have wisely said, “the best of means are means at best.”
The reason all of these means are wonderful is that it is Christ Himself who has appointed them and uses them. When we come to the means, what we should really be doing in our hearts is coming to Him Himself, by means of those means.
Let us so conduct ourselves in such sincerity and truth unto God that it would make a confused or lying accuser of anyone who would say, “these are their gods” (cf. 7–8).
Looking forward to coming to Him together with you,
Pastor
MEN’S BREAKFAST TOMORROW MORNING, 6:30a.m.
Service project afterward is at the Heldmans’. Job list is: landscaping, pressure
washing, some construction projects. If folks could bring carpentry tools that
would be helpful. And if anyone has a cordless circular saw, that might come in
handy. If you have any questions please contact Tim Heldman for more
information.
LORD'S DAY – August 9, 2020
9:50 a.m. Breakfast Line Opens
10 a.m. Sabbath School
This week, we continue a series on topics related to important
issues that people around us are talking much about right now, continuing this
week to study what Holy Scripture teaches us about “Racial
Reconciliation.” (This week’s subtopic is This week’s subtopic is Real Reconciliation
and Real Privilege)
11 a.m. Public Worship
▫Children’s Catechism
for Aug 16
Q42. Why can none be saved through the covenant of works? A. Because
all have broken it, and are condemned by it.
▫Shorter Catechism
for Aug 16
Q50. What is required in the second commandment? A. The
second commandment requireth the receiving, observing, and keeping pure and
entire, all such religious worship and ordinances as God hath appointed in His
Word.
Psalms and Hymns
TPH394 “Eternal Spirit, God of Truth”
ARP34C “O Sons and Daughters, Come”
TPH5 “Hear My Words, O Lord”
Scripture Text for first portion of worship service
2Timothy 1:7–10
Scripture Readings
1Samuel 15:24–35
Ephesians 4:14
Luke 7:36–50
Sermon Scripture text and topic
We will be hearing from Genesis 31:36–55 about the seriousness of having God,
in Whose hands are all our lives, as witness for our oaths.
1 p.m. Coffee Fellowship and Catechism Class
1:15 p.m. Fellowship Lunch & Open Mic Time
Members are encouraged to bring way more than enough, so
that there will be plenty for everyone, including any members or
guests who are deciding last-minute whether or not to stay.
At open mic time, we’ll begin with birthdays and anniversaries and
recitations of the memory verse:
(Genesis
31:50) If you afflict my daughters, or if you take other wives
besides my daughters, although no man is with us—see, God is witness between
you and me.
2:45 p.m Psalm/hymn Sing
Carryover song requests from last week:
Blue: 119S, 32AB, 6 |
Red(P):
Red(h): 153, 257│265*, 375, 498t300, 446, 299│
(if you wish to make this week’s requests in
advance, please feel free to reply to this email, and let me know!)
3:45 p.m. Evening Sermon from Ephesians 4:14
Hopewell this Month
Hopewell’s Presbytery
Prayer Focus for August:
Bethel ARP in Oak
Hill, AL
August Psalm of the Month
ARP34C O Sons and Daughters, Come
Upcoming Events
•August 15, Men’s
Breakfast, 6:30 a.m.
•August 19, Prayer
Meeting, 6:30 p.m.
•August 30, Sermon
to “launch” class series on delighted consecration of the Lord’s holy day
•September 13,
Lord’s Day series begins in the Sabbath School
•September 14, Monthly
Session Meeting, 6 p.m.
•September 19, Men’s
Breakfast, 6:30 a.m.
•October 2-4, HARPC 200th
Anniversary Celebration, with guest speaker Dr. Nick Willborn
Congregational Prayer Requests (new/updates in bold)
▪ Lord’s Day
worship/study, Daily worship/discipleship/evangelism in homes and community
▪ Pray with the
Reformed sidewalk-counseling group @PP in Nashville for their Tuesday and Thursday
ministries. (ongoing) For abortionist Kimberly Looney whose heart is so
heard that she continues despite having recently birthed her own child; (8/5)
pray for the man who flashed a gun at the team; for the man who said he was
there to kill his baby; for the woman who murdered her baby then came out and
heard the gospel in tears; for the slaughterhouse worker who heard the gospel
for 6 minutes on her; (8/6) pray for the man who was considering murder, the
moms who committed it, the woman who blared her horn at them until she ran out
of battery and they had to give her a jump, and the 17yo rape victim who is
considering adding murder to that; (8/12) pray for the woman who heard the
gospel for 10 minutes in the parking lot, for the many many who were here today
to murder their children, for the man who proudly declared that he loves to
murder babies and would have no problem murdering a 2yo, for Stacey pregnant
mom of 6+1 who doesn’t want to murder her baby; PRAISE and pray for the woman
who chose not to do so after being witnessed to; (8/13) pray for Sylvia, who is
considering murder but was redirected to Hope Clinic; PRAISE for healthy mama
Damani and baby girl Royal (8/14) pray for the many who went in during a murder-day
▪ Early Rain Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church,
Christians in Nigeria, and other persecuted churches like them; Pastor Wang Yi
in prison.
▪ Alan McClelland and family in his ministry at Ft. Campbell
▪ Repentance of the Church and the Nations for general
rejection of the Kingship of Christ
▪ Comfort and provision for the LeeAnn Billings family as
they grieve, and PRAISE for her getting FT hours at her job, and for their
testing negative for covid after quarantine
▪ Pray for the Jeffers family, whose granddaughter Isabelle
(14) and then her mother Norma both attempted suicide; there’s a long way to go
medically, financially, and especially spiritually for all involved; please
keep praying for them and for Sue’s ministry to them
▪ Pray for Rebecca Sterling, that the most recent adjustment
of the valve in her brain would have the desired effect, and that the headaches
from the adjustment would subside
▪ Pray with D&L L for her 85yo mother and her heart
issues
▪ Pray with H&K P for her new heart meds to work, and
for September appointment for her feet
▪ Pray with P&D W for their trips back and forth to
Tulsa, and all that is involved in bringing his mother home to live with them
▪ Pray with S&D B for Andrew to be able to wean off the
medicine well
▪ Pray with S&D B and D&D R for Doug and Dianne’s
oldest son Dave. He is not a believer, and is homeless and in despair.
▪ Pray with KC for
her acquaintance Linda who doesn’t seem to know the Lord, and just lost 21 year
old son; and, for her dear friends who need to live a life of faith and
devotion to the Lord; and for friend Patty, a believer, that she will continue
to do well after treatment for uterine cancer
▪ Pray with D&M G that her mother would continue healing
well and not smoking; for Sean; for Jeremiah; and for Sarah and Drew and baby
due January 26
▪ Pray with W&C G for her mother’s health and
caregivers; and for spiritual (and total) well-being of son Greg
▪ Pray with
J&H H for his father’s cancer; for sweetness in his parents’ remaining time
together; for his youngest brother, and the same brother’s son (with CP, and recovering
from hip surgery) and daughter
▪ Pray with R&M J
for Meredith, young daughter of M’s college friend Ashely (and husband Brad),
who’s taking medicine to shrink her brain tumor; and for Meredeth and baby, due
in January
▪ Pray with O&A L
for her unbelieving mother w/heart condition, and her family’s grieving over
her brother
▪ Pray with C&T P
for her dad and family in the loss of his wife Jolene
▪ Pray with AR for
friend Caleb Figura w/mysterious but debilitating gut illness
▪ Pray with D&K R
for their family’s growth in godliness, especially dying to self, godly speech,
and Lord’s Day keeping; and for local pastor/constable Darryl Thrasher, who has
an aggressive, malignant brain tumor; and for secretary Sarah, an unbeliever
who has had cancer before, and had a surgical consult on 7/23 for two new
abdominal tumors
▪ Pray with GR for
friend Abby to come to faith in Christ
▪ Pray with JeR for
believing friend Jeanette Cary’s CHF, Fibromyalgia, & slow-healing wound
▪ Pray with J&M R
for baby Bentley and his adoption process
▪ Pray with J&S R
for the situation with his work furlough; her nephew, who needs life in Christ;
and for her and her family in the loss of her father, especially spiritual
impact on her sisters and nephews; for his whole family, and especially his
mother, as they grieve the passing away of his father; and sister Kathy, who
just lost her husband; and for Celeste and her ministry to her professing
friend who has decided that homosexuality isn’t wrong
▪ Pray with S&V Y
for for her niece Carina and her husband Luke and their newborn daughter
Callaway who was born with an acidemia and is recovering from an extended
period of high ammonia in her blood; PRAISE for his parents getting good
care for father’s health and mother’s dementia, pray for their and his
siblings’ salvation
▪ Please pray with Bethel
ARP in Oak Hill, AL, throughout the month of August
▪ Please pray for the
TN-AL Presbytery to be enabled to plant a faithful church with the resources available
and earmarked for that purpose
▪ Please pray for all ARP presbyteries, churches, and
agencies
▪ Please pray for our nation, state, community and all the officials thereof
Prayer, with thanksgiving, being one special part of
religious worship, is by God required of all men: and, that it may be accepted,
it is to be made in the name of the Son, by the help of his Spirit, according
to his will, with understanding, reverence, humility, fervency, faith, love,
and perseverance; and, if vocal, in a known tongue. (WCF 21.3)
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