Covenant Protestant Reformed Church
83 Clarence Street, Ballymena BT43 5DR
Rev. Angus Stewart
Lord’s Day, 22 October, 2023
“And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed,
and heirs according to the promise” (Gal. 3:29)
Morning Service – 11:00 AM
Unity Between Individual Churches (I) [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 4:1-24
Text: Ephesians 4:1-24
I. Unity in Christ’s Body
II. Unity in Extraordinary Offices
Psalms: 122:1-9; 78:30-35; 84:1-6; 133:1-3
Evening Service – 6:00 PM
Unity Between Individual Churches (II) [youtube]
Scripture Reading: Revelation 1:9-2:7
Text: Revelation 2:1-7
I. Unity in Doctrine and Life
II. Unity in Sacraments and Worship
III. Unity in Government and Discipline
Psalms: 42:1-5; 78:36-41; 19:9-14; 101:3-8
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
Quote to Consider
Louis Berkhof: “Thus the Reformed system honors the autonomy of the local church, though it always regards this as subject to the limitations that may be put upon it as a result of its association with other churches in one denomination, and assures it the fullest right to govern its own internal affairs by means of its officers. At the same time it also maintains the right and duty of the local church to unite with other similar churches on a common confessional basis, and form a wider organization for doctrinal, judicial, and administrative purposes, with proper stipulations of mutual obligations and rights. Such a wider organization undoubtedly imposes certain limitations on the autonomy of the local churches, but also promotes the growth and welfare of the churches, guarantees the rights of the members of the Church, and serves to give fuller expression to the unity of the Church” (Systematic Theology, p. 584).
Announcements (subject to God’s will)
A new issue of the British Reformed Journal is available on the back table for subscribers. New subscribers (£10 for 4 issues) are very welcome.
Catechism classes tomorrow:
5:00 PM: Corey, Jason, Katelyn, Maisie & Sebastian (Seniors NT)
5:45 PM: Felicity, Grace, Jonas, Keagan, Liam, Lucas, Sammy, Somaya, Sophie & Yossef (Beginners OT – Book 1)
6:30 PM: Eleanora, Hannah, Jorja, Penelope & Xander (Juniors NT)
7:15 PM: Angelica, Bradley, Jack, Josh, Samuel & Taylor (Essentials)
8:00 PM: Alex & Nathan (Pre-confession)
Tuesday Bible study will meet at 11 AM to consider the local church as mother.
Belgic Confession class on Wednesday at 7:30 PM will discuss apostasy in the New Testament Scriptures.
Ladies Bible Study Fellowship meets this Friday at 9:30 AM at church. We will be discussing Psalm 73. All the ladies are welcome. Ask Beth, if you have any questions.
The Reformed Witness Hour broadcast next Lord’s day (Gospel 846 MW at 8:30 AM) by Rev. Bruinsma is entitled, “To a Thousand Generations” (Ps. 105:6-8).
Rev. Stewart will be speaking at a conference in Budapest, Hungary. He and Mary will be in Hungary from Monday through Friday (6-10 November), so catechism classes, and the Tuesday and Wednesday studies, will be cancelled that week.
Ye Are My Witnesses has now been translated into Hungarian, published on-line and printed in hard copy. It will be made available at the conference in Budapest.
Offerings: £1,449.45. Donations: £130 (Texas, USA).
Translation Additions: 1 Polish and 1 Spanish.
PRC News: Rev. Smit accepted the call to Randolph PRC. Rev. Kortus accepted the call to Zion PRC.
The Necessity of Membership in a True Church
Prof. David J. Engelsma
THE NECESSARY MEMBERSHIP
What is necessary is membership in a visible, instituted church, a congregation that can be seen, especially, as a gathering for worship on Sunday and that is properly organized, or instituted. No one may evade the admonition to church membership by responding, “I belong to the invisible, holy, catholic church of Jesus Christ, even though I am not a member of a visible institute, or organization—a local congregation.”
I am quick to add that in an important, even essential, respect the church is the holy, catholic (universal) church made up of all God’s elect in all ages, out of all nations, peoples, and races. This is the church as she originates in the eternal decree of election, as God sees the church, as we will first see her at Christ’s second coming, and as she is being gathered by Jesus Christ throughout history everywhere on earth. At present this elect bride of Christ is invisible. She is not an institute but a spiritual body.
Of this one, universal, and at present invisible church, Jesus spoke in Matthew 16:18: “Upon this rock I will build my church.” To this one, universal, and invisible church, Paul referred in Ephesians 5:25: “Christ … loved the church, and gave himself for it.” We Reformed believers confess the truth of the church in this essential respect in the Heidelberg Catechism:
What dost thou believe concerning the Holy Catholic Church?
That out of the whole human race, from the beginning to the end of the world, the Son of God, by His Spirit and Word, gathers, defends, and preserves for Himself unto everlasting life, a chosen communion in the unity of the true faith; and that I am, and forever shall remain, a living member of the same.
But Scripture also speaks of and teaches the truth of the church in another important respect. This important respect is that the church is a visible, instituted body of believers and their children, in a certain place at a certain time. The same Jesus who said in Matthew 16 that he would build his church taught in Matthew 18:17 that if our fellow Christian sins against us and will not repent when we rebuke him, we must “tell it unto the church.” Telling the church is impossible with regard to the invisible, universal body of Christ made up of the elect. The reference must be to some visible institute with human office-bearers who can hear our case, make a judgment, and then take appropriate action. In this sense of the Bible’s teaching about the church, there is not one church, but there are many churches.
Revelation 2 and 3 address seven churches in Asia Minor. Paul wrote the epistle of Galatians to the “churches of Galatia” (Gal. 1:2; emphasis added). Most of the books of the New Testament were written to various churches in various locations, for example, I Corinthians, to the “church of God which is at Corinth” (1:2).
The Reformed confessions faithfully reflect this aspect of the Bible’s teaching about the church. The same Heidelberg Catechism that defines the church as the one, universal, and invisible body of Christ made up of the elect, and them only, also teaches that the fourth commandment of the law of God requires “that I, especially on the day of rest, diligently attend church, to learn the Word of God, to use the holy Sacraments, to call publicly upon the Lord, and to give Christian alms.” Here, obviously, the church of God is a visible organization and gathering in a certain place, at a particular time in history, whose membership is not all the elect but a certain, limited number of persons. This membership is not necessarily only elect humans.
These two distinct truths about the church do not imply that there are, in fact, two different kinds of churches—one being the universal, invisible number of the elect and the other being the visible organization, or congregation. On the contrary, there is the closest relationship between the church as the assembly of the elect, which is now invisible and which is gathered from the beginning to the end of history, and the church as a visible institution in a certain place at a certain time in history. The local, visible institute, or congregation, is the universal, invisible body of Christ, made up of the elect, as the universal, invisible body takes form in history and manifests herself. Or to state the same truth differently, the catholic, invisible church of Christ takes form and manifests herself in every visible, instituted congregation—if that congregation is a true church.
Just as God desired to take bodily form in, and reveal himself as, a human in the man Jesus, so the invisible body of Christ—the church of election—desires to take visible form in the instituted church.
The practical importance of this truth about the relationship between the universal, invisible church of the eternal decree and the local, visible congregation is great, indeed enormous. Let no one who despises and rejects the instituted church claim to love the church as the invisible body of Christ! His claim is false! The claim is as impossible as it would be for one to claim to love God while despising and rejecting Jesus, who is God in the flesh.
Let no one say that he believes the church as the invisible, universal body of the elect, although he has no use for the visible, instituted church! He does not believe the truth of the church! How can one believe the church that he has not seen when he is unbelieving concerning the church that he has seen?
Yes, and let no one claim to be a member of the universal, invisible body who holds in contempt membership in this church’s manifestation in the visible church! He is not a member of the universal church of Christ! On the contrary, he despises the universal body of Christ.
So intimate, so very close, so one and the same are the invisible church of election and the instituted congregation that the Belgic Confession moves from an explanation of the one, universal, invisible church of election in article 27 to an explanation of the church institute in article 28 with no indication of a change of subject, indeed, as though it continued to treat one and the same subject.
Article 27 confesses the truth about the holy church that “is spread and dispersed over the whole world,” the church that “hath been from the beginning of the world, and will be to the end thereof.” With no indication whatsoever of a change of subject, article 28 confesses the truth about a church from which “no person … ought to withdraw himself, to live in a separate state from it,” a church with “doctrine” and “discipline.”
… Membership in the instituted church—the organized assembly of believers and their children that is visible and exists in a certain place at a certain time—is necessary.
