Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 15 June, 2025
If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed” (John 8:36)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM – Rev. Josiah Tan
The Healing of the Daughter of the Syro-Phoenician Woman [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Matthew 15:1-28
Text: Matthew 15:21-28
I. The Woman’s Plea
II. The Disciple’s Indifference
III. The Woman’s Great Faith
IV. The Lord’s Mercy
Psalms: 23:1-6; 22:15-20; 93:1-5; 22:23-28
Evening Service – 6:00 PM – Rev. Josiah Tan
Prayer for Acceptance in God’s Sight [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Psalm 19
Text: Psalm 19:14
I. The Meaning
II. The Basis
III. The Certainty
Psalms: 19:1-6; 92:1-4; 19:7-10; 19:11-14
For CDs of the sermons and DVDs of the worship services, contact Stephen Murray
If you desire a pastoral visit, please contact Rev. Stewart or the elders
CPRC Website: www.cprc.co.uk • Live Webcast: www.cprc.co.uk/live-streaming
CPRC YouTube: www.youtube.com/cprcni
CPRC Facebook: www.facebook.com/CovenantPRC
Quotes to Consider
Matthew Henry on Matthew 15:21-28: “We have here that famous story of Christ’s casting the devil out of the woman of Canaan’s daughter; it has something in it singular and very surprising, and which looks favourably upon the poor Gentiles, and is an earnest of the mercy which Christ had in store for them. Here is a gleam of that light which was to lighten the Gentiles (Luke 2:32).”
John Calvin: “David asks still more expressly to be fortified by the grace of God, and thus enabled to live an upright and holy life. The substance of the verse is this: I beseech thee, O God, not only to keep me from breaking forth into the external acts of transgression, but also to frame my tongue and my heart to the obedience of thy law. We know how difficult it is, even for the most perfect, so to bridle their words and thoughts, as that nothing may pass through their heart or mouth which is contrary to the will of God; and yet this inward purity is what the law chiefly requires of us. Now, the rarer this virtue—the rarer this strict control of the heart and of the tongue is, let us learn so much the more the necessity of our being governed by the Holy Spirit, in order to regulate our life uprightly and honestly. By the word acceptable, the Psalmist shows that the only rule of living well is for men to endeavour to please God, and to be approved of him. The concluding words, in which he calls God his strength and his redeemer, he employs to confirm himself in the assured confidence of obtaining his requests” (Comm. on Ps. 19:14).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
We welcome our visitors from Singapore and Australia to the worship services. Rev. Josiah Tan will be preaching for us again today.
Everyone is welcome to stay for tea after the evening service as we say farewell to our guests. Tea Rota: Group A. Rev. Tan will be giving a presentation about our sister-church the CERC.
The Council meets this Monday evening at 7 PM.
Tuesday Bible study will meet this week at 11 AM to continue our study of the Council of Nicea (AD 325) on its 1,700th anniversary.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Haak is entitled, “The Prophet Who Ran Away” (Jonah 1:3).
Offerings: £2,279.91 (1 June), £2,034.57 (8 June). Donations: £20 (England), £200 (New Jersey).
Translation Additions: 2 Polish, 2 Spanish, 1 Swahili and 8 Urdu.
Greetings to the CPRC from many office-bearers and members of the PRC at their recent 100th anniversary celebration and synod.
PRC News: Rev. Smidstra declined the call to serve as minister-on-loan to Provident PRC in the Philippines. Cornerstone PRC called Rev. Spronk. Grace PRC called Rev. DeBoer. Hope PRC (Redlands, CA) and Southwest PRC called Rev. W. Langerak.
Church Discipline (8) by Rev. Josiah Tan
Schism is not a mere disagreement, nor simply a departure—it is the grievous sin of unlawfully tearing apart the body of Christ, His beloved bride. Scripture condemns it in the strongest terms. Romans 16:17: “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.”
The sin of schism is not softened with time. It is often judged by God through further schism. When that spirit takes hold, it multiplies division upon division, as pride, defiance and suspicion fester unchecked.
But this week, we take up the closely related and necessary question: If sinful division is schism, when is separation righteous? What, then, is reformation?
In Reformed church polity, not all separation is condemned. There is such a thing as lawful and necessary separation and reformation—a Spirit-led return to the true worship of God, the 3 marks of the true church and proper government of Christ’s church.
For a spilt to be true reformation, it must be done according to God’s Truth and God’s Order. That it must be done according to God’s Truth means that it is only when the 3 marks of the true church are impenitently and being stubbornly compromised. Then and then only can there be true reformation.
That it must be done according to God’s Order means that it must follow the truth and principles of God’s word in church polity. One may not say that the truth is above all and ignore the order set forth in God’s word, as if God’s order is not truth or lesser truth.
Consider a mother who sinned against her son. The son may not say, “Mum, by you sinning against me, you have forfeited your authority. Now you have to listen to all that I have to say.” The son may have been wrongly sinned against, but that does not throw out God’s order and command to honour his mother.
Or imagine if a young person, confused by what is taught in his university, says at dinner that he thanks God for common grace. And the father, instead of seeking to clarify or understand if the son is confused or deliberately in error, tells the son, “You will never ever be my son, get out of my house.” That the truth is important does not mean God permits rash or excessiveness in our action and judgment. The way in which things are done and the truth are important to a regenerated child of God.
Now what does it mean that a church split must be done in an orderly way for it to be a righteous reformation?
First, all means of protest and appeal must be exhausted before a split. Second, the separation must be conducted through the judgment of a consistory.
Note with me the first principle, that all means of protest and appeal must be exhausted before a split.
Imagine this scenario: An elder believes his minister is teaching error. What must he do? He may not publicly declare the church apostate and walk away. He must submit to Christ’s order.
He begins with protest—first to his consistory. If that fails, he appeals to classis and then to synod (where such exist). If every lawful avenue has been pursued in good faith and the assemblies silence him, then—and only then—he may resign as an individual. Now he may speak and write publicly against the church, in meekness and reverence, testifying to the truth, while waiting on God.
Second, the separation must be conducted through the judgment of a consistory. No individual or group may declare the church false or break from her apart from the lawful oversight of elders.
No individual or private group may presume to pronounce binding ecclesiastical judgment or act on behalf of the church apart from the body of God-ordained elders. Christ has entrusted the government of the church to the office of elder (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5; Belgic Confession 30-31).
Only when a consistory, as a body, determines that the denomination has lost the marks of the true church and has bound the truth in unrighteousness—only then may they lawfully lead the congregation in separation, continuing the ministry of Word, sacrament and discipline as an instituted church.
This principle is critical. In Reformed church government, the consistory of each local congregation is the only lawful governing authority over that church. No broader assembly of hundreds of ministers and no minister of the congregation itself may usurp that local authority of the elders.
A Case Example: Doctrinal Deviation in the Denomination
Suppose a pastor becomes convinced that the denomination has committed a serious doctrinal error—perhaps by adopting and binding the churches to a new, unbiblical confession. What may he do? He may not, under any circumstances, unilaterally separate the congregation from the denomination. The government of the church is not in his hands.
His calling is to bring his concerns to his consistory, submit to their judgment, and work through the lawful process of protest and appeal.
If his consistory agrees with his doctrinal position, the consistory then brings up a protest/appeal to the broader assemblies (Classis or Synod) to let the broader assemblies judge on the matter. This is crucial, as what takes place in the broader assemblies is not the decision of mere men but of the Holy Spirit working through men. This is made plain in Acts 15:28, when the delegates to the Jerusalem Council (a broader assembly like a Classis or Synod), having made their decisions, declared, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things”.
Only when this process of protest and appeal has been exhausted, and when the consistory determines that remaining in the denomination would violate their conscience before God, may the local congregation withdraw in a manner that preserves the order Christ has ordained. In that case, the pastor is not acting alone—he is under the oversight and judgment of the body of elders.
