“In meaning as well as in time, the miracles lie between the incarnation and the ascension. They look backward to the one event and forward to the other.” Westcott “That all our Lord’s miracles were deeply significant, I do not deny. That all were intended to convey deep spiritual lessons, I make no question. All I maintain is that they require reverent and delicate handling, and that to rush into allegorical interpretations of them, is an unwise mode of handling the Scripture, and calculated to bring the Bible into contempt.” Ryle
Sunday Morning Calls to Worship
Call To Worship July 10 2016
We worship the Triune God of miracles: “In calling them miracles we do not mean that they are contradictions or outrages; we mean that, left to her own resources, she (nature) could never produce them.’ C.S. Lewis “God hath a right to dispense with the ordinary laws of nature; he hath a power to alter their course by an arrest of miracles, and make them come short, or go beyond his ordinances established for them. He can dispense with the natural laws, and strain every string beyond it ordinary pitch.” Stephen Charnock “If miracles are impossible, then no amount of…
Call To Worship July 3 2016
We worship our God who gave His commands for the good of His people. The commands of God are perfect. They teach the people of God in every historic covenant to obey God and the New Covenant is no different than any other covenant. The Israelites were instructed to teach and discuss these commandments with the children through all of life. Moses saw God give the Moral Law for all people and for all times. Also, Moses was given specific laws for the people of Israel. All of those laws were good for the people, but not all of them…
Call To Worship June 26 2016
We worship our God the LORD who is one! Israel traveled from Egypt, a land of pluralism (worship of many gods). Egyptians even considered their Pharaoh a god. The Israelites voyaged though other lands and tribes that worshipped several deities, but none of them was Jehovah. He is God eternal who does not change. He planned, created, and sustains all things. Therefore, our God is not one among many possible gods, but He is the one and only God, the LORD. Furthermore, God’s people are commanded to love him with every part of their being. The command is not purely…
Call To Worship June 19 2016
We worship our God who gave the Law to all mankind, and especially, for the good of His people. His commandments teach of His being, power and glory. His Testimonies usher the people into proper worship corporately and privately. God is to be worshipped with all of our being from the very core to the outer shell. He establishes these precepts for practice in daily life and explanation to the younger generation. The commandments, ultimately exist for the good of His chosen ones. So, the best situation for the people includes obedience to the Law and teaching it to their…
Call To Worship June 12 2016
We worship our God who commands watchful prayer in perseverance. God’s answer to prayer, no matter the direction of the answer, does not annul the directive. Paul establishes God’s edict to pray and the time frame, “at all times.” Prayer is not out of mind, but a state of mind for the Christian. He calls the Ephesian church to watchfully pray and petition the Father on behalf of all saints. Perseverance, according to Paul, is the mentality that shapes the order to pray. Prayer is not a haphazard activity. It takes our attentiveness, but it does not require a monastery….
Call To Worship June 5 2016
We worship our God who provided weapons for His people. The weapons He afforded us defend against the flaming arrows of the evil one and are directly from the words of God. At times, it seems believers stand alone in the world. They do not. Yes, they stand with the church, but ultimately they stand with the Omni-present Triune God. Paul directed the church in Ephesus to stand firm with the armor and weapons God provided. Those accoutrements never fail. God never changes. His gifts to His church never fail, so let us worship in awe of the constancy and…
Call To Worship May 29 2016
We worship the God of truth who gives armor to all His soldiers. Paul commanded the church in Ephesus to put on the full armor of God. His command is by way of imagery. Picture soldiers going into battle. The war we face as Christians is a war in which truth, righteousness and the gospel are fundamentals in the fight against the world forces of darkness. We need truth to attack and defend ourselves from Satan’s devices and our own remaining flesh. Righteousness is a necessity to stand against the false mentalities of the world and the gospel grants us…
Call to Worship May 22 2016
We worship our God who is almighty in His being. Due to His all-powerfulness in being, God is almighty in His purposes and protection of His people. Therefore, Paul instructs the church in Ephesus to “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might.” (Eph. 6:10) The command directly goes against the individualism of our day. The Christian never relies or puts trust in self. We must be strong in the Lord. We must place our trust in His strength, purpose, protection and not our own. Certainly, Paul did not say, “Let Go and let God,” but…
Call To Worship May 15 2016
We worship our God who calls people to salvation from every background of life. No matter whether you are poor or rich, God saves sinners, and all mankind is fallen in sin. Socio-economics never calculated any measurement for God’s grace. He saves whom He desires, when He desires and they were bought with a crimson price. So, the church needs to function in accordance with this truth. The gospel does not promise financial equity on this earth for those who believe in Christ. Yet, God promises to provide and care for His people until He comes to gather them for…