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Emily Bailey

September 25, 2022

Songs:

“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart Wesley Keene Hine
© 1949 and 1953 Manna Music, Inc., Stuart Hine Trust Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Lift High the Name” by Ed Cash, Fionan DeBarra, Keith Getty & Kristyn Getty
© 2013 Alletrop Music, DeBarra, Fionan, and Gettymusic Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Psalm 23 (Surely Goodness, Surely Mercy)” by Shane Barnard
© 2015 Wellhouse Entertainment Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” by Samuel Stennett & Christopher Miner
© 1997 Getty Music Hymns and Songs Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Psalm 9

I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart; I will recount all of Your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in You; I will sing praise to Your name, O Most High.

The Lord sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for justice, And He judges the world with righteousness; He judges the peoples with uprightness.

The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, A stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know Your name put their trust in You, For You, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.

Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds! Sing praises to the Lord, who sits enthroned in Zion!

Amen!

Classic Prayer: John Wesley

O LORD God Almighty, Father of angels and men, We praise and bless your holy name for all your goodness and loving kindness to humanity. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and for your unceasing generosity to us throughout our lives; But above all, we bless you for your great love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. We bless you for bringing us safe to the beginning of a new day. Grant that this day we fall into no sin, Neither run into any kind of danger. Keep us, we pray, from all things hurtful to body or soul, and grant us your pardon and peace, So that, being cleansed from all our sins, We might serve you with quiet hearts and minds, and continue in the same until our life’s end, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Redeemer. Amen.

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Creed: Faithful Father

LEADER:  What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God the Father almighty, creator of heaven and earth?”

PEOPLE:  That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and all that is in them, still upholds and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence.  In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul, and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this life.  He is able to do so as almighty God, and willing also as a faithful Father.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Question 26

Matthew 14:34-15:20 – Kingdom Faith or Mere Tradition?

Pastor Matt Pierson

The Heart of the Matter: Kingdom Faith or Mere Tradition?

  1. Jesus doesn’t want us to confuse the traditions of men with the Word of God.
  2. Jesus wants us to understand the importance of the condition of our own hearts.

“Sanctification (becoming holy), then, is essentially an affirmation of life. The whole purpose of the Christian life is the recovery of the original image of God – in other words, the recovery of the kind of human experience which God intended Adam and Eve to have before the fall.”
 – Ranald Macauley & Jerram Barrs, Being Human

“It is this totally different attitude to worship that separates the Pharisees from Jesus. Both believed in the prior grace of God. But the Pharisees’ response to this was a passion for detailed precision in worship. For Jesus it meant loving obedience, resulting in an intimate relationship with God, whom he called Abba, ‘dear daddy.’ For the Pharisees it was possible to honor God if the services were properly rendered. For Jesus it was impossible unless people’s hearts were turned to God. Let us not persuade ourselves that this attitude to worship, which characterizes the Pharisees, died in the first century. It is alive and well in many a parish church and chapel.” – Michael Green, The Bible Speaks Today

“Tradition is the living faith of those now dead. Traditionalism is the dead faith of those still living.”
 – Jaroslav Pelikan, The Vindication of Tradition

“Unless the heart is right, holiness is impossible. Without love for God, the quest for holiness becomes legalistic. It substitutes human tradition for God’s law and substitutes human effort for God’s grace.” – Daniel M. Doriani, Matthew, Volume 2

“The heart is the principal thing in the relation of husband and wife, of friend and friend, of parent and child. The heart must be the principal point to which we attend in all the relations between God and our souls. What is the first thing we need in order to be Christians? A new heart. What is the sacrifice God asks us to bring to Him? A broken and contrite heart [Psalm 51:17]. What is the true circumcision? The circumcision of the heart [Romans 2:29]. What is genuine obedience? To obey from the heart.” – J.C. Ryle

“Religion says, ‘I obey; therefore I am accepted.’ Christianity says, ‘I am accepted, therefore I obey.’” – Tim Keller

September 18, 2022

Songs:

“I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)” by Charles Hutchinson Gabriel
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“On Jordan’s Stormy Banks” by Samuel Stennett & Christopher Miner
© 1997 Getty Music Hymns and Songs Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“There is a Redeemer” by Melody Green
© 1982 Birdwing Music; BMG Songs, Inc.; Ears To Hear; and Birdwing Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” by Robert Robinson
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: We Bless You, God of All Mercies

ALL: We bless You, God of all mercies, for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life.

WOMEN: We praise You for Your boundless love revealed to us in Your son, our Lord, Jesus Christ, for the means of grace and for the hope of glory.

MEN: Give us such an awareness of Your mercies that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth Your praise not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to Your service, and by walking before You in holiness and righteousness all our days.

ALL: Through Jesus Christ our Redeemer, to whom, with You and the Holy Spirit, be all honor and glory now and forever. Amen! Amen! Amen!

Classic Prayer: Book of Common Prayer 1549

Thou art the inviting One, may we hearken to thee; the Almighty Instructor, teach us to live to thee; the Light-Dweller, inaccessible to man and angels, hiding thyself behind the elements of creation, but known to us in Jesus. Possess our minds with the grandeur of thy perfections. Thy love to us in Jesus is firm and changeless, and nothing can separate us from it. Let us never forget thy patience, wisdom, power, faithfulness, care, and never cease to respond to thy invitations.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: The Providence of God

LEADER:  What do you understand by the providence of God?
PEOPLE:  Providence is the almighty and ever-present power of God by which God upholds, as with His hand, heaven and earth and all creatures; and so rules them that leaf and blade, rain and drought, fruitful and lean years, food and drink, health and sickness, prosperity and poverty – all things, in fact, come to us not by chance, but by His fatherly hand.

LEADER:  How does the knowledge of God’s creation and providence help us?
PEOPLE:  We can be patient in adversity, thankful in prosperity, and for the future we can have good confidence in our faithful God and Father that no creature will separate us from His love. For all creatures are so completely in His hand that without His will they can neither move nor be moved.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Questions 27 & 28

Matthew 14:22-33 – Dare We Trust Jesus?

Pastor Jim Thomas

  1. Jesus doesn’t send His disciples away – He sends them ahead. (v. 22)
  2. You may take your eyes off of Jesus, but He never takes His eyes off of you. You arenever out of His sight and you are never out of His reach.
  3. Faith in Jesus is not merely a leap in the dark, but rather, it is a step toward the light.
  4. Peace is found not in the absence of storms, but in the nearness of Jesus. (v. 32)

The purpose of Jesus’ miracles was to:

  • Display His power and authority
  • Affirm His identity
  • Reveal His compassion
  • Inspire a response

“There is nothing illogical about miracles if a Creator God exists. If a God exists who is big enough to create the universe in all its complexity and vastness, why should a mere miracle be such a mental stretch?” – Tim Keller

“Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them.” – Blaise Pascal, Pensées 265

“Reason’s last step is the recognition that there are an infinite number of things which are beyond it. It is merely feeble if it does not go as far as to realize that.” – Blaise Pascal, Pensées 267

“But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, That I may tell of all Thy works.” – Asaph, Psalm 73:28

“The center of God’s will may be for us the very eye of the storm.”– Alistair Begg“Peace doesn’t come from finding a lake with no storms; it comes from having Jesus in the boat.” – John Ortberg, If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat

“How often we look upon God as our last and feeblest resource! We go to Him because we have nowhere else to go. And then we learn that the storms of life have driven us, not upon the rocks, but into the desired haven.” – George MacDonald

“You will never find Jesus so precious as when the world is one vast howling wilderness. Then He is like a rose blooming in the midst of the desolation, a rock rising above the storm.” – Robert Murray M’Cheyne

September 11, 2022

Songs:

“Crown Him with Many Crowns” by Matthew Bridges, George Job Elvey & Godfrey Thring
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“’Tis So Sweet To Trust In Jesus” by William J. Kirkpatrick, John Andrew Schreiner & Louisa R. Stead
© 2003 John Andrew Schreiner Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Holy, Holy, Holy” by John Bacchus Dykes & Reginald Heber
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Christ the Sure and Steady Anchor” by Matthew Boswell & Matthew Papa
© 2014 Getty Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Faithfulness of God

ALL: The word of the LORD is right and true; He is faithful in all He does.

MEN: Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness to the skies.

WOMEN: You, O Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.

MEN: The LORD is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.

WOMEN: O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in Your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

MEN: The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving toward all He has made.

ALL: For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Source:  excerpts from Psalm 33, 36, 86, 100, 143 and Romans 8

Classic Prayer: Thomas À Kempis

All things that seem to belong to the attainment of peace and contentment, without You, are nothing, and do bring in truth no contentment at all. You therefore are the End of all that is good, the Height of life, the Depth of all that can be spoken; and to hope in You above all things is the strongest comfort of Your servants. To You therefore do we lift up our eyes; in You, our God, the Father of mercies, do we put our trust. … Protect and keep our souls amidst so many dangers of this corruptible life, and by your grace accompanying us, direct us along the way of peace one day to our home of everlasting brightness.

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Creed: Jesus – Fully God, Fully Man

LEADER:  Who is Jesus Christ?
PEOPLE:  Jesus Christ is the eternal Word and Son of God, the second person of the Holy Trinity. He took on human nature to be the Savior and redeemer of the world, the only mediator between God and fallen humanity.

LEADER:  What is the relationship between Jesus’ divine and human natures?
PEOPLE:  At the moment of Jesus’ conception, the divine nature of the one eternal person of the Son was united to our human nature. Therefore, Jesus Christ is fully and truly both divine and human, but without sin. His two natures are united without division, separation, mixture, or change.

LEADER:  What does the union of Jesus’ two natures teach you about His ministry?
PEOPLE:  All Jesus does as a human being He also does as God. His human words and deeds are saving because they are the words and deeds of God the Son.

Source: ACNA, Questions 48, 57 & 58

September 4, 2022

Songs:

“Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord)” by Matt Boswell & Matt Papa
© 2020 Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing, and Messenger Hymns
Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“We Will Feast in the House of Zion” words and music by Sandra McCracken
© 2015 Drink Your Tea Music and joshmooreownsthismusic Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“How Deep the Father’s Love for Us” words and music by Stuart Townend
© 1995 Thankyou Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Jesus Paid it All” by Elvina Mabel Hall & John Thomas Grape
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“My Savior’s Love (What Tongue Could Tell)” by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa & Keith Getty
© 2019 Getty Music Publishing, Messenger Hymns, Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Love Your Enemies Publishing Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Congregational Prayer

Lord, fill our hearts with reverence for You. Make us hunger for Your Word and passionately desire to walk in Your ways. Forgive us our sins, for they are many. Give us a greater glimpse of Your glory as we offer You this praise and worship.

We thank You for the way You have rescued us over and over, through many difficult things. Come now and help us in this:  to place our trust, hope, and confidence in You.

May Your name be honored in our conduct. May Your kingdom be made visible in our relationships. May Your will be done in our hearts and minds. This we pray in the name above all names, Jesus Christ, to whom belongs all glory, forever and ever, amen!

Classic Prayer: Evelyn Underhill

I bless thee for the means of grace; teach me to see in them thy loving purposes and the joy and strength of my soul. Thou hast prepared for me a feast; and though I am unworthy to sit down as a guest, I wholly rest on the merits of Jesus, and hide myself beneath his righteousness; …While I gaze upon the emblems of my Savior’s death, may I ponder why he died, and hear him say, I gave my life to purchase yours, presented myself an offering to atone Your sin, shed my blood to blot out your guilt, opened my side to make you clean, endured your curses to set you free, bore your condemnation to satisfy divine justice. May I rightly grasp the breadth and length of this design – draw near, obey, extend the hand. Take the bread, receive the cup, eat and drink, testify before all men that I do gladly, in faith, reverence and love, receive my Lord, to be my life, strength, nourishment, joy and delight…until that day when I hunger and thirst no more, and sit with Jesus at his heavenly feast.

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Creed: The Apostles’ Creed

We believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord; who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell.

The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from there He shall come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy universal Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body,  and life everlasting. Amen.

Confession of Sin

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone. We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent. For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart. In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Matthew 14:14-21

Bread for the Journey
Guest Malcolm Guite

Stones into Bread by Malcolm Guite

The Fountain thirsts, the Bread is hungry here,
The Light is dark, the Word without a voice.
When darkness speaks it seems so light and clear.
Now he must dare, with us, to make a choice.
In a distended belly’s cruel curve
He feels the famine of the ones who lose,
He starves for those whom we have forced to starve
He chooses now for those who cannot choose.
He is the staff and sustenance of life,
He lives for all from one sustaining Word,
His love still breaks and pierces like a knife
The stony ground of hearts that never shared,
God gives through him what Satan never could;
The broken bread that is our only food.

The Bread of Life by Malcolm Guite

Where to get bread? An ever-pressing question
That trembles on the lips of anxious mothers,
Bread for their families, bread for all these others;
A whole world on the margin of exhaustion.
And where that hunger has been satisfied
Where to get bread? The question still returns;
In our abundance something starves and yearns,
We crave fulfillment, crave and are denied.
And then comes One who speaks into our needs,
Who opens out the secret hopes we cherish,
Whose presence calls our hidden hearts to flourish,
Whose words unfold in us like living seeds:
Come to me, broken, hungry, incomplete,
I am the bread of life, break me and eat.

August 28, 2022

Songs:

“Christ is Risen, He is Risen Indeed” by Ed Cash, Keith Getty & Kristyn Getty
© 2012 Gettymusic and Alletrop Music. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Hallelujah, What a Savior” by Philip Paul Bliss
Public Domain. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“I Need Thee Every Hour” by Annie Sherwood Hawks & Robert Lowry
Public Domain. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“One Day (When We All Get to Heaven)” by Beth Redman, Leonard Jarman & Matt Redman
© 2017 Said And Done Music, sixsteps Music, Thankyou Music, worshiptogether.com songs & Remaining portion is unaffiliated. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: We Give You Thanks, O Lord

LEADER:  For all the gracious opportunities and privileges of the passing week,
PEOPLE:  We give You thanks, O Lord.

LEADER:  For the kind invitation to keep a day as holy unto You,
PEOPLE:  We give You thanks, O Lord.

LEADER:  For this house of worship and these brothers and sisters,
PEOPLE:  We give You thanks, O Lord.

LEADER:  For the gift of song and a voice to raise in worship,
PEOPLE:  We give You thanks, O Lord.

LEADER:  For the strong assurance of the Gospel, for Your redeeming love, and the transforming presence of Your Holy Spirit,
PEOPLE:  We give You thanks, O Lord!

ALL:  As we return to the cycle of common tasks, keep us ever grateful for Your good gifts. As we come to worship You, be the fountain of refreshment for our souls, the purifying wind that cleanses our imaginations, and the light that illuminates our minds to see the timeless truths of Your Word. We pray these things in the matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!

Classic Prayer: Jonathan Edwards

Almighty God, you are the foundation and fountain of all being and all beauty, from you all is perfectly derived, upon you all is most absolutely and perfectly dependent; from you and through you and to you is all being and all perfection; your being and beauty is as it were the sum and comprehension of all existence and excellence, much more than the sun is the fountain and summary comprehension of all light and brightness of the day – to you, O God, be all praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength forever and ever. Amen.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: What Does God Require of Us?

LEADER: What is the duty that God requires of mankind?
PEOPLE: The duty which God requires of mankind is obedience to His revealed will.

LEADER: What did God first reveal to mankind as the rule of their obedience?
PEOPLE: The rule that God first revealed to mankind for obedience was the moral law, given in summary form in the Ten Commandments.

LEADER: What is the summary of the Ten Commandments?
PEOPLE: The summary of the Ten Commandments is to love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.

Source: Westminster Shorter Catechism in modern English, Questions 39-42

Matthew 13:53-14:14

Jesus’ response to rejection, grief and need
Pastor Jim Thomas

The person of ChristMatthew 1-4
The principles of ChristMatthew 5-7
The power of ChristMatthew 8-12
The parables of ChristMatthew 13

“Earth is crammed with heaven and every common bush aflame but only those who see take off their shoes. The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries.” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Matthew reminds us that with the coming of King Jesus into the world, the kingdom of heaven was also breaking in…

 

What is the kingdom of heaven?

Where God’s name is honored and God’s righteous reign and rule are respected; where kingdom perspectives, kingdom values, kingdom vision, mission and goals are all embraced.

What kind of world do we really want to live in?

 

Matthew 13:53-58 reminds us:

  1. Familiarity often breeds contempt
  2. Jesus knows our experiences of living in a world plagued by rejection, grief and relentless need.

How did Jesus respond to rejection?

  • With resolute faithfulness Jesus continued His journey to the cross.
  • The cross is the place where Jesus established an irreversible basis for our acceptance before God. The cross is the most brilliant display of God’s love, justice, mercy and wisdom.


“The One who deserved to be loved and worshipped, was willing to be reviled and rejected, so that we, deserving rejection, would be forever loved and accepted by the Father.” – Paul Tripp

“God treated Jesus as we deserve — He took our penalty — so that, when we believe in Him, God can treat us as Jesus deserved (2 Cor. 5:21). More specifically, Jesus’ prayers were given the rejection that we sinners merit so that our prayers could have the reception that He merits.” – Tim Keller, Prayer

“We can begin each day with the deeply encouraging realization, I’m accepted by God, not on the basis of my personal performance, but on the basis of the infinitely perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ.” – John Owen

 

Matthew 14:1-12 reminds us that…

Jesus did not sidestep the crucifixion; He transformed it into a resurrection.

 

“The realization that Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of prophecy, and that the apparent defeat of the cross is revealed or unveiled in the light of the resurrection as a victory, completely transforms and galvanizes those who grasp it.” – Malcolm Guite, Why Poetic Imagination is Necessary to Understand Biblical Prophecy

“God has been attentive to my mourning. He has been ever close, close enough to catch my tears in a bottle as they fall from my eyes. I wonder if perhaps the bottle of my tears might sit on the shelf next to the tears Jesus wept.” – Kim Thomas, Finding Your Way Through Grief

Matthew 14:13-14 reminds us that…

There is a day coming when Jesus will set the world to rights. No more sickness, no more dying, no more sadness, no more crying.

“Resurrection means that the worst thing is never the last thing.” – Frederick Buechner

“Grace relentlessly pursues, relentlessly forgives, relentlessly transforms, relentlessly restores, all of which we relentlessly need.” – Paul Tripp

Matthew 13:44-52

The Treasure of the Kingdom
Pastor Tommy Bailey

A few of the ways parables help us:
● Parables give us pause.
● Parables invite us to reflect, consider and respond.
● Parables reveal truth to those who have ears to hear.

“No one ever spoke like this man!” – John 7:46 (ESV)

“Your eyes will behold the king in his beauty…” – Isaiah 33:17 (ESV)

“If we only had eyes to see and ears to hear and wits to understand, we would know that… the Kingdom of God is what all of us hunger for above all other things, even when we don’t know its name or realize that it’s what we’re starving to death for. The Kingdom of God is where we belong. It is home, and whether we realize it or not, I think we are – all of us – homesick for it.” – Frederick Buechner, The Clown in the Belfry

What do you treasure?

“You can know the lyric of the gospel but not hear the music.” – Scotty Smith, Searching for Grace

Where I spend my time, where I direct my attention and how I steward my resources reveals who or what I treasure.

“But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith — that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection…” – Philippians 3:7-10 (ESV)

“Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small. Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.” – Isaac Watts

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep in order to keep what he cannot lose.” – Jim Elliot (from The Shadow of the Almighty by Elizabeth Elliot)

August 21, 2022

Songs:

“May The Peoples Praise You” by David Zimmer, Ed Cash, Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend
© 2016 Alletrop Music, Getty Music Publishing & Townend Songs  Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“The King in All His Beauty” by Matthew Boswell & Matthew Papa
© 2015 Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing & Messenger Hymns. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“My Worth is Not in What I Own” by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty & Graham Kendrick
© 2014 Gettymusic, Make Way Music. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Give Me Jesus” words and music by Fernando Ortega
© 1996 Metro One. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: There Is None Like You

There is none like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours.
All the nations You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And shall glorify Your name.
For You are great and do wondrous things; You alone are God.
Teach us Your ways, O Lord, That we may walk in Your truth; Unite our hearts to fear Your name.
We give thanks to You, O Lord our God, with our whole hearts, And we will glorify Your name forever!

Source: Psalm 86:8-12

Classic Prayer: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; My cup overflows. Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life, And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: The Holy Spirit

LEADER: Who is the Holy Spirit?
PEOPLE: God the Holy Spirit is the third Person in the one being of the Holy Trinity, coequal and coeternal with God the Father and God the Son, and equally worthy of our honor and worship.

LEADER: What are the particular ministries of the Holy Spirit?
PEOPLE: The Holy Spirit imparts life to every living thing in creation, reveals God’s Word to His people, and calls sinners to a new life of faith in the saving and life-giving work of Jesus. The Holy Spirit unites Christians to Jesus, indwelling them, convicting them of sin, giving them spiritual gifts, and bearing spiritual fruit in their lives.

LEADER: Why does the Holy Spirit give such gifts?
PEOPLE: The Holy Spirit equips and empowers believers with gifts for service in the worship of Jesus Christ, for the building up of His Church, and for witness and mission to the world.

Source: ACNA Catechism, Questions 84, 86 & 87

Matthew 13:24-43

What kind of world do you really want to live in?
Pastor Jim Thomas

“In the eighteenth century, the French atheistic philosopher Voltaire predicted, ‘Another century and there will not be a Bible on Earth!’ What irony, then, that Voltaire’s house later became the headquarters of the Bible Society, printing and distributing many thousands of Bibles.” – Amy Orr-Ewing, Beyond Opinion

The person of ChristMatthew 1-4
The principles of ChristMatthew 5-7
The power of ChristMatthew 8-12
The parables of ChristMatthew 13

Major themes of the Parables of Jesus:

  • The already-but-not-yet kingdom of heaven
  • God loves and invites us to come to Him, even though we are sinful
  • Some people respond to God with faith; others respond with unbelief, scoffing, scorn, orindifference

“The kingdom of heaven”

  • Mentioned 32x throughout Matthew
  • Mentioned 8x in chapter 13

What is the kingdom of heaven?

Wherever God’s name is honored; where God’s righteous reign and rule are respected; where kingdom perspectives, kingdom values, kingdom vision, mission and goals are all embraced.

What kind of world do you really want to live in?

Kingdom of heaven parables:

  1. Two kinds of kingdoms
  2. The nature of the already-but-not-yet kingdom of heaven
  3. The astonishing growth and purpose of the kingdom of heaven
  4. The radical influence and impact of the kingdom of heaven
  5. The ultimate fate of each kingdom

We can know with some clarity what Jesus intended to convey in v. 37-43:

  • The one who sowed the good seed = the Son of Man (Jesus)
  • The field = the world
  • The good seed = the sons of the kingdom
  • The weeds = the sons of the evil one
  • The enemy who sows them = the devil
  • The harvest = end of the age and the coming judgment
  • The harvesting reapers = God’s angels
  • The destiny of the weeds = destruction in the furnace of fire
  • The destiny of the wheat = to be kept safely in their Father’s “barn” until the day theybegin to shine like the sun!

The kingdom of heaven protects us from misplaced hope, unwarranted despair and unnecessary cynicism.

“Today the world has so infiltrated the church that we are more beset by traitors within than by foes without. Satan is not fighting churches, he is joining them. He does more harm by sowing tares than by pulling up the wheat. He accomplishes more by imitation than by outright opposition.” – Vance Havner

“The Christian is a man who should walk through this life as conscious that it is but transient and passing, a kind of preparatory school. He should always know that he is walking in the presence of God, and that he is going on to meet God; and that thought should determine and control the whole of his life.” – D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

“If the kingdom of heaven is at hand, as John the Baptist says, then all our other kingdoms are called radically into question, including my own private kingdom, and yours.” – Fleming Rutledge

What kind of world do you want to live in?

August 14, 2022

Songs:

“Come, Thou Almighty King” by Felice de Giardini
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Come Behold the Wondrous Mystery” by Matt Papa, Matt Boswell & Michael Bleeker
© 2012 Dayspring Music, Bleecker Publishing & Centricity Music Publishing Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“It is Well with My Soul” by Philip Paul Bliss & Horatio G. Spafford
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Christ Our Hope in Life and Death” by Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker & Matt Papa
© 2020 Getty Music, Messenger Hymns, Matthew Merker Music, Jordan Kauflin Music & Love Your Enemies Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Psalm 118

LEADER: Give thanks to the Lord for He is good;
PEOPLE: His faithful love endures forever.

LEADER: Let those who fear the Lord say,
PEOPLE: “His faithful love endures forever.”

LEADER: Open the gates of righteousness for me;
PEOPLE: I will enter through them and give thanks to the Lord.

ALL: This is the gate of the Lord; The righteous will enter through it. I will give thanks to You because You have answered me and have become my salvation. The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came from the Lord; it is wonderful in our eyes.

LEADER: This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.
ALL: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Classic Prayer: Henry Thornton

Almighty Lord, our God, whose eyes are in every place beholding the evil and the good, and who sees not only our outward actions, but all our most secret thoughts- we pray you to maintain in us this day a constant sense of your presence, and to preserve us from sinning against you. We are exposed to dangers by night and by day; our lives are in your hands, and unto you do we look for preservation from every evil. O Lord, teach us to be ever mindful of you. When we go out and come in, and when we are alone and in company, may we bear in mind that you are continually with us, and that you take account of all we think, and speak, and do. Amen.

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Creed: What is God?

LEADER: What is God?
PEOPLE: God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.

LEADER: Are there more gods than one?
PEOPLE: There is but one only, the living and true God.

LEADER: How many persons are there in the Godhead?
PEOPLE: There are three persons in the Godhead: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one God, the same in substance, equal in power and glory.

Source: Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 4, 5 & 6

August 7, 2022

Songs:

“Psalm 150 (Praise the Lord)” by Matt Boswell & Matt Papa
© 2020 Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing, and Messenger Hymns Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Almost Home” by Lauren Papa, Matt Boswell & Matt Papa
© 2021 Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Getty Music Publishing, Love Your Enemies Publishing, and Messenger Hymns Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Your Name” by Paul Baloche & Glenn Packiam
© 2006 Integrity’s Hosanna! Music and Vertical Worship Songs Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Praise to the Lord the Almighty” by Joachim Neander & Catherine Winkworth
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“When I Survey the Wondrous Cross” by Isaac Watts & Lowell Mason
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“It Was Finished Upon That Cross” by Jonny Robinson, Nigel Hendroff, and Rich Thompson
© 2021 SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia and CityAlight Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Come, Let Us Worship

Come, let us worship God the Father, the maker of heaven and earth!
Let us worship Jesus Christ, the resurrected King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
Let us worship the Holy Spirit, the promised comforter and counselor!
All glory and praise be to the one true God, now and forevermore, amen!

Classic Prayer: George Matheson

Restore my soul, O God. There are green pastures around me for which my eye has no lens; there are quiet waters beside me for which my ear has no chord; restore my soul. The path on which I go is already the path of your righteousness; open my eyes, that I may behold its windows. The place I call dreadful is even now the house of the Lord; the heavens shall cease to hide you when you have restored my soul. May I be content to know that your goodness and mercy shall follow me without waiting to see them in advance of me.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: What is Scripture?

LEADER:  What is Holy Scripture?
PEOPLE:  Holy Scripture is “God’s Word written,” given by the Holy Spirit through prophets and apostles as the revelation of God and His acts in human history, and is therefore the Church’s final authority in all matters of faith and practice.

LEADER:  What does it mean that Holy Scripture is inspired?
PEOPLE:  Holy Scripture is “God-breathed,” for the biblical authors wrote under the guidance of God’s Holy Spirit to record God’s Word.

LEADER:  Why is Jesus Christ called the Word of God?
PEOPLE: ​​The fullness of God’s revelation is found in Jesus Christ, who not only fulfills the scriptures, but is Himself God’s Word, the living expression of God’s mind. The scriptures testify about Him, “In the beginning was the Word,” and “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” Therefore, “ignorance of the scriptures is ignorance of Christ.”

Source: ACNA Concerning Holy Scripture, Questions 25, 30 & 32

Confession of Sin

Most merciful God, we confess that we have sinned against You this day, in thought, word, and deed; by what we have done, and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved You with our whole hearts; we have not loved our neighbors as ourselves. We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of Your Son Jesus Christ, have mercy on us and forgive us, that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.
Grant to Your people pardon and peace, that in Your great mercy, we may be forgiven all our sins, and serve You with a quiet and contrite heart.
In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

Matthew 13:1-23

The Parable of the Sower, the Seed & the Four Soils
Pastor Jim Thomas

 

The person of ChristMatthew 1-4
The principles of ChristMatthew 5-7
The power of ChristMatthew 8-12
The parables of ChristMatthew 13

What is a parable?
What is the purpose of the parables of Jesus?

Reveal and Conceal

The disposition of a person’s heart and mind determines whether or not they come to understand what Jesus is saying through His parables. It is not just “he who has ears,” but rather, “he who has ears, let him hear!”

Overall themes of the Parables of Jesus:

  • The already-but-not-yet kingdom of Heaven
  • God loves and welcomes us, even though we are sinful
  • Some people respond to God with faith; others respond with unbelief, scorn and/or indifference

The Parable of the Sower, the Seed and the Soils:

  1. The call to listen: “behold!” (v. 3)
  2. The parable itself (v. 3-9)
  3. The purpose of parables (v. 10-15)
  4. The blessedness of having eyes/ears of faith (v. 16-17)
  5. The meaning of this parable (v. 18-23)

Who does the sower represent?
What does the seed represent?

“The Holy Scriptures tell us what we could never learn any other way: they tell us what we are, who we are, how we got here, why we are here and what we are required to do while we remain here.”
– A.W. Tozer

What do the various kinds of soil represent?

  • Road-hardened soil
    • hears/rejects/hardens
    • We need to beware the incremental hardening of our hearts. Our desperate need to continually break up the fallow, uncultivated ground of our hearts and remain teachable and reachable.
  • Rocky and shallow soil
    • hears/raves/caves
    • When we become aware of our spiritual shallowness the best response is to cultivate healthy soil by the removal of any obstacles to our faith and mix in additional good soil.
  • Thorn-choked soil
    • hears/easily distracted/easily deceived
    • When our faith is being choked out by anxieties and deceitfulness, the bestresponse is some spiritual “weed and feed.”
  • Good soil
    • keeps hearing/learns/bears fruit

“How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the law of the Lord and in His law he meditates day and night.
And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.”
– Psalm 1:1-3

Which kind of soil represents your heart today?

  • Road-hardened soil
  • Rocky and shallow soil
  • Thorn-choked soil
  • Good soil

“Jesus’ explanation of the parable focuses on the different types of hearers and the fact that it is the prepared soil that is capable of bearing a rich harvest. Sowers must sow indiscriminately, but hearers must be careful to ensure that they are rich soil, capable of receiving and nurturing the seed, which his the word of God.” – Joe M. Kapolyo, Africa Bible Commentary

“The greatest single secret of spiritual development lies in personal, humble, believing, obedient response to the Word of God. It is as God speaks to us through His Word that His warnings can bring us to conviction of sin, His promises to assurance of forgiveness, and His commands to amendment of life. We live and grow by His Word.” – John Stott

July 31, 2022

Matthew 12:22-50 – No Neutral Ground
Pastor Matt Pierson

“Our leisure, even our play, is a matter of serious concern. There is no neutral ground in the universe. Every square inch, every split second is claimed by God, and counterclaimed by Satan.”
 – C.S. Lewis

Recurring themes from Matthew 11 and 12:


  1. Honest doubt vs. willful unbelief
  2. Belief and allegiance vs. unbelief and resistance
  3. The gentle offer and invitation of Jesus

5 Pericopes of Matthew 12:22-50:


  1. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (v. 22-32)
  2. A tree is known by its fruit (v. 33-37)
  3. The sign of Jonah (v. 38-42
)
  4. Return of an unclean spirit (v. 43-45
)
  5. Jesus’ mother and brothers (v. 46-50)

No Neutral Ground

  1. Our hearts were never designed to be empty.
  2. Reverence for God leads to understanding of God.
  3. Our repentance is met by God’s forgiveness
.

“The warning of the return of the unclean spirits is pictorial commentary on Jesus’ earlier warning against neutralism… neutrality toward Jesus is an empty house; unmoved ‘belief’ in Jesus is a merely swept but unoccupied home; mere interest in Jesus, with no commitment to Him, is a house in danger of haunting… for our empty, swept, tidy houses will be filled sooner or later by something, because houses are made for occupancy.
” – Frederick Dale Bruner, The Christbook

“The ultimate issue in relation to Jesus Christ is not one of semantics (the meaning of words), but of homage (the attitude of the heart); not whether our tongue can subscribe to an orthodox formulation of the person of Jesus, but whether our knee has bowed before His majesty. Besides, reverence always precedes understanding. We shall know Him only if we are willing to obey Him.” – John Stott, The Authentic Jesus

“The unbelieving mind would not be convinced by any proof, and the worshiping heart needs none.”
 – A.W. Tozer

“I believe in order to know.”
 – Augustine of Hippo

“There are only two kinds of people – those who say, ‘Thy will be done,’ to God, or those to whom God, in the end, says, ‘Thy will be done.’ All that are in hell choose it. Without that self-choice, it wouldn’t be hell. No soul that seriously and constantly desires joy will ever miss it.”
 – C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

“All God does in the end with people is give them what they most want, including freedom from Himself. What could be more fair than that?”
 – Tim Keller, The Reason for God

“…That is not at all the situation of most of those who come to pastors fearing that they have committed the sin against the Holy Spirit. Those who fear they have committed it cannot have committed it! For those who sin against the light, against the Holy Spirit, deliberately ascribe to evil what they know comes from God. And it is unforgivable not because God will not forgive, but because those who practice such deliberate self-deception cannot bring themselves to the requisite repentance.”
 – Michael Green, The Bible Speaks Today

“Come to Me, all who labor are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.”
 – Matthew 11:28-29

“And whoever comes to Me I will never cast out.”
 – John 6:37

July 31, 2022

Songs:

“His Mercy is More” by Matt Boswell & Matt Papa
© 2018 Getty Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“My Jesus I Love Thee” by William R. Featherston & Adoniram Judson Gordon
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“There is a Hope” by Mark Edwards & Stuart Townend
© 2007 Thankyou Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“He Will Hold Me Fast” by Ada Ruth Habershon & Matthew Merker
© 2013 Merker, Matthew Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: How Majestic is Your Name

O Lord, our LORD, how majestic is Your name in all the earth! Just this morning, the sun declares the beauty and persistence of Your unrivaled power. Come now, Lord; set all our hearts and voices free to worship You.

It’s been You, Lord, who has protected us while we slept: who has provided for our every need, who has given us strength for every battle, who has made a way through every wilderness.

May our souls find peace in Your presence. May our sorrows fall at the feet of Your joy. Help us rest in Your sovereignty and faithfulness; help us to honor Your name, walk in Your ways, and praise You with all our being. Hallelujah, amen!

Classic Prayer: Basil the Great

O Lord our God, teach us, we beseech Thee, to ask Thee aright for the right blessings. Steer Thou the vessel of our life toward Thyself, Thou tranquil Haven of all storm-tossed souls. Show us the course wherein we should go. Renew a willing spirit within us. Let Thy Spirit curb our wayward senses, and guide and enable us unto that which is our true good, to keep Thy laws, and in all our works evermore to rejoice in Thy glorious and gladdening Presence. For Thine is the glory and praise from all Thy saints forever and ever.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: Repentance and Faith

LEADER: What does it mean to repent?
PEOPLE: To repent means that I have a change of heart, turning from sin – fully serving myself – to serving God as I follow Jesus Christ. I need God’s help to make this change.

LEADER: What does it mean to have faith?
PEOPLE: To have faith means that I believe the Gospel is the truth: that Jesus died for my sins, rose from the dead, and rules over my life. Therefore, I entrust myself to Him as my Savior, and I obey Him as my Lord.

LEADER: What does God grant in your new life in Christ?
PEOPLE: God grants me reconciliation with Him, forgiveness of my sins, union with Him in Christ, adoption into His family, citizenship in His kingdom, new life in the Holy Spirit, and the promise of eternal life.

Source: ACNA: Salvation, Questions 11, 12 & 15

July 24, 2022

Songs:

“Come, People of the Risen King” by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty & Stuart Townend
© 2007 Thankyou Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Revive Us Again” by John Jenkins Husband & William Paton MacKay
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Our Great God” by Fernando Ortega & Mac Powell
© 2002 New Spring, Word Music & Dejamesolo Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“The Lord is My Salvation” by Keith Getty, Kristyn Getty, Nathan Nockles& Jonas Myrin
© 2016 Getty Music Publishing & Sweater Weather Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Make a Joyful Noise

LEADER:
Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth! Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into His presence with singing!

PEOPLE:
I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

LEADER:
Believers in Christ, bless the Lord; Let all that is within you bless His holy name!

PEOPLE:
My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!

ALL:
Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, For His steadfast love endures forever! Amen!

Classic Prayer: John Calvin

Grant, Almighty God, that as you constantly remind us in your word, and have taught us by so many examples, that there is nothing permanent in this world, but that the things which seem the firmest tend to ruin, and instantly fall and of themselves vanish away, when by your breath you shake your strength in which men trust- O grant that we, being really subdued and humbled, may not rely on earthly things, but raise up our hearts and our thoughts to heaven, and there fix the anchor of our hope; and may all our thoughts abide there until at length, when you have led us through our course on earth, we shall be gathered into that celestial kingdom which has been obtained for us by the blood of your only begotten Son.

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Creed: What is Our Only Hope?

LEADER: What is your only comfort in life and death?
PEOPLE: That I am not my own, but belong – body and soul, in life and in death – to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

LEADER: What is the chief end of man?
PEOPLE: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

LEADER: What rule has God given to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him?
PEOPLE: The Word of God, which is contained in the scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only rule to direct us how we may glorify and enjoy Him.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Question 1; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Questions 1 & 2

July 24, 2022

Matthew 12:1-21 – Three Essentials for a Flourishing Soul
Pastor Jim Thomas

  1. Rest – quiet confidence in Christ vs. minutiae of our sabbath observances
    • “For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.” (v. 8)
    • “Come unto Me… and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28-31) 2.
  2. Worship – treasuring God’s presence more than any building
    • “Something greater than the temple is here.” (v. 6)
  3. Hope – trusting all outcomes to the one who is trustworthy and sovereign over
    redemption history
    • “Battered reed… smoldering wick… in His name the Gentiles will hope.”

“Come unto Me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-31

“Let but your mind be like the mind of Christ, and you shall find rest unto your souls: a deep rest, a growing rest, a rest found out more and more, an abiding rest, not only which you have found, but which you shall go on to find.” – Charles Haddon Spurgeon

“Traditionalism is the dead faith of the living, whereas tradition is the living faith of the dead.” – Jaroslav Pelikan

“Pharisaic righteousness was an outward conformity to human traditions; Christian righteousness is an inward conformity of mind and heart to the revealed will of God.” – John Stott, Christ the Controversialist

“One of the great dangers for Christians and for the world is that we are far, far too religious. We go to religious movies, we read religious books, we associate with religious people, we eat religious cookies, and we wear religious underwear that is far too tight. Don’t get me wrong. I’m religious too. The problem is that the Holy Spirit isn’t.” – Steve Brown, What Was I Thinking?

“We make a great mistake if we do not encourage the very first movements of a soul towards Christ. Let the ignorant world scoff and mock, if it wants to; we may be sure that ‘bruised reeds’ and ‘smoldering wicks’ are very precious in our Lord’s eyes.” – J.C. Ryle

How long beneath the Law I lay
In bondage and distress;
I toiled the precept to obey,
But toiled without success.

To see the law by Christ fulfilled
And hear His pardoning voice,
Changes a slave into a child,
And duty into choice.
– William Cowper

July 17, 2022

Songs:

“O For a Thousand Tongues to Sing” by Charles Wesley
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“It Was Finished Upon That Cross” by Jonny Robinson, Nigel Hendroff, and Rich Thompson
© 2021 SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia and CityAlight Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“O Praise the Name (Anástasis)” by Benjamin Hastings, Dean Ussher & Marty Sampson
© 2015 Hillsong Music Publishing Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“He Is” by David Crowder, Hank Bentley & Jeff Pardo
© 2021 Capitol CMG Amplifier, Capitol CMG Genesis, Every Square Inch, Inot Music, Jeff Pardo Designee, and sixsteps Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Steady Dependence

Compose our spirits to a quiet and steady dependence on Your good providence, that we may not be anxious for anything, but by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, still make known our requests to You, our God.

Help us to pray always and not faint; in everything to give thanks, and offer up the sacrifice of praise continually;  to rejoice in hope of Your glory; to possess our souls in patience; and to learn in whatsoever state we are, there to be content.

Through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!

Source: John Wesley – edited

Classic Prayer: Augustine

O Lord my God, light of the blind, and strength of the weak, yes, also light of those that see, and strength of the strong-hearken unto my soul, and hear it crying out of the depths. Woe is me! … Lord, help us to turn and seek you; for not as we have forsaken our Creator have you forsaken your creation. Let us turn and seek you, for we know you are here in our heart, when we confess to you, when we cast ourselves upon you, and weep in your bosom, after all our rugged ways; and you gently wipe away our tears, and we weep the more for joy; because you, Lord- not man of flesh and blood-but you, Lord, who made us, remake and comfort us.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: Jesus, the Son of God

Leader: Why is the Son of God called “Jesus,” meaning “savior?”
People: Because He saves us from our sins, and because salvation is not to be sought or found in anyone else.

Leader: Why is He called “Christ,” meaning “anointed?”
People: Because He has been ordained by God the Father and has been anointed with the Holy Spirit to be our chief prophet and teacher who fully reveals to us the secret counsel and will of God concerning our deliverance; our only high priest who has delivered us by the one sacrifice of His body, and who continually intercedes for us before the Father; and our eternal king who governs us by His Word and Spirit, and who guards us and keeps us in the deliverance He has won for us.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Questions 29 & 31

July 17, 2022

Matthew 11:16-30 – An Extraordinary Invitation from Jesus
Pastor Jim Thomas

Matthew 11:16-30

  1. The Peril of Human Presumption (v. 16-24)
  2. The Prerogative of Divine Sovereignty (v. 25-27)
  3. The Extraordinary Invitation of Jesus (v. 28-30)

“Hubris is not simply arrogance, but presumption born of the illusion of invulnerability. That is why nations at the height of their power and prosperity are especially deaf to warnings.” – Os Guinness, A Free People’s Suicide: Sustainable Freedom and the American Future

“We have rejected the position of dependence which our createdness inevitably involves, and made a bid for independence. Worse still, we have dared to proclaim our self-dependence, our autonomy, which is to claim the position occupied by God alone.” – John Stott, The Cross of Christ

Throughout the Bible we learn there are at least three categories of the revelation of God:

  1. The General Revelation of God apparent throughout all creation.
  2. The Written Revelation of God available to us through scripture.
  3. The Living Revelation of God offered through the life and teachings of the historical person Jesus of Nazareth.

“The revelation of which we speak in the Christian tradition is more than the communication of information; it is the giving of an invitation. It is more than an unfolding of the purpose, which was otherwise hidden in the mind of God but is now made known to us through God’s revealing acts; it is also a summons, a call, an invitation.” – Lesslie Newbigin, Proper Confidence

“Come to Me, all who [labor / are weary and are heavy-laden / burdened], and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and [lowly / humble of heart], and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

“You have made us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.” – St. Augustine (354-430), Confessions

“What then are we afraid of? Can we have too much of God? Is it a misfortune to be freed from the heavy yoke of the world, and to bear the light burden of Jesus Christ? Do we fear to be too happy, too much delivered from ourselves, from the caprices of our pride, the violence of our passions, and the tyranny of this deceitful world?” – Francois Fénelon

“God is God. Because He is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience. I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what He is up to.” – Elisabeth Elliot

“Whatever is crumbling all around you in your life, wherever you feel stuck, this remains, un-deflectable: His heart for you, the real you, is gentle and lowly. So go to Him. That place in your life where you feel most defeated, He is there; He lives there, right there, and His heart for you, not on the other side of it but in that darkness, is gentle and lowly. Your anguish is His home. Go to Him. ‘If you knew His heart, you would.’” – Dane Ortlund, Gentle and Lowly

July 10, 2022

Songs:

“How Great Thou Art” by Stuart Wesley Keene Hine
© 1949 & 1953 Manna Music, Inc., Stuart Hine Trust. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Anchor of Hope” by Brown Bannister & Ellie Holcomb
© 2011 Banistuci Music. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Living Waters” by Ed Cash & Kristyn Getty
© 2016 Alletrop Music & Getty Music Publishing. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Jesus, Firm Foundation” by Bryan Brown, Jason Ingram & Tony Wood
© 2012 worshiptogether.com songs, All Essential Music, Open Hands Music, So Essential Tunes, Songs from Exit 71. Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Almighty and Eternal God

Almighty and eternal God, You are hidden from my sight.
You are beyond my understanding. Your thoughts are not my thoughts; Your ways are a mystery.
Yet You make a way for me to find You, to be found by You.

You have breathed Your Spirit into me. You have formed my mind to seek You. You have inclined my heart to love You. You have made me restless for the rest that is in You.
You have planted within me a hunger and thirst, only satisfied by the bread of life, the living water.

Thank You for Your waiting presence, Your tender mercies, Your unshaming forgiveness, Your pursuing love, Your trustworthy refuge. Thank You for courage for what You call me to.
Today, tomorrow and the next, we give You praise, honor and glory, almighty and eternal God.

Classic Prayer: Richard Baxter, 1615-91

Eternal, Almighty, and most gracious God, heaven is Your throne, and earth is Your footstool; holy and reverend is Your name; You are praised by the angels of heaven, and in the gathering of Your church on earth. Despite our unworthiness, You have invited us through our mediator, Jesus Christ, to present ourselves and our prayers to You. Receive us graciously. Help us by Your Spirit. Let us stand in awe of You. Put Your law into our hearts, and write it on our minds. Let Your word come to us in power, and help us receive it in love, with attentive, reverent, and teachable minds. Through Your word, allow us to taste the flavor of eternal life. Make us fervent in prayer and joyful in praise. Help us serve You this day without distraction, that we may find that a day in Your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, and that it is good for us to come near to God; through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.

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Creed: Faith in Christ

Leader: How can we be saved?
People: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in His substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own, but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in Him.

Leader: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
People: Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon Him alone for salvation, as He is offered to us in the gospel.

Source: New City Catechism, Question 29; Westminster Shorter Catechism, Question 86

Convoy of Hope

Convoy of Hope is a faith-based organization with a driving passion to feed the world through children’s feeding initiatives, community outreach, and disaster response. In partnership with local churches, businesses, civic organizations and government agencies, Convoy of Hope strategically offers help and hope to communities around the world. TVC has partnered with Convoy of Hope since 2011. A current focus for Convoy of Hope is in Ukraine where the plan is to provide 500 million meals and to send teams to help in schools, orphanages and clinics. Domestically, community events with church and civic group partners are providing a number of services to our cities. For more information or to find out how you can get involved, visit: https://convoyofhope.org.

July 10, 2022

Matthew 11:1-15 – Jesus’ Response to Doubt
Pastor Matt Pierson

Matthew
The King and His Kingdom

Matthew 11:1-15
Jesus’ Response to Doubt


“The word of God in the ancient scriptures and the works of God displayed in the miracles of Jesus do indeed point Him out as the king who has come to bring in the kingdom.”  – Michael Green, The Bible Speaks Today


“…Faith is anything but natural or straightforward. Our is not a simple or an easy reflex to trust in Jesus when life is horrible, and sometimes even when life is wonderful.”
 – Lewis Allen, The Preacher’s Catechism

  • Isaiah 35:5-6, 61:1-2
 
  • Luke 4:17-21
 
  • Malachi 3:1, 4:5-6


Matthew 11:1-15
Jesus’ Response to Doubt


  1. Faith and doubt are companions, not adversaries.
  2. Deserving judgment, we are surprised by grace.
  3. Believers – adventure awaits!

“Christ never failed to distinguish between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is can’t believe. Unbelief is won’t believe. Doubt is honesty. Unbelief is obstinacy. Doubt is looking for light. Unbelief is content with darkness.”
 – Henry Drummond


“Whether your faith is that there is a God or that there is not a God, if you don’t have any doubts you are either kidding yourself or asleep. Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving.”
 – Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking

“God’s capacity to forgive is greater than our capacity to sin; while our sin reaches far, God’s grace reaches farther. It’s a message revealing the radical contrast between the sinful heart of mankind and the gracious heart of mankind’s creator.”
 – Tullian Tchividjian, Surprised by Grace: God’s Relentless Pursuit of Rebels

“Grace is the very opposite of merit… Grace is not only undeserved favor, but it is favor shown to the one who has deserved the very opposite.”
 – Harry Ironside

“To love means loving the unlovable. To forgive means pardoning the unpardonable. Faith means believing the unbelievable. Hope means hoping when everything seems hopeless.” – G.K. Chesterton

“God calls us to a wild adventure, not a tea party, my dear. I don’t follow Jesus because He can give me a life without pain. I follow Him because He is good. Someday I will follow Him right through death, and into our heavenly Father’s house.”
 – Martha Finley, Millie’s Unsettled Season

“The confidence proper to a Christian is not the confidence of one who claims possession of demonstrable and indubitable knowledge. It is the confidence of one who has heard and answered the call that comes from God through whom and for whom all things were made: ‘follow Me.’”
 – Lesslie Newbigin, Proper Confidence

July 3, 2022

Songs:

“Crown Him with Many Crowns” by Matthew Bridges, George Job Elvey, and Godfrey Thring
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Speak, O Lord” by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
© 2005 Thankyou Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“We Will Feast in the House of Zion” by Sandra McCracken
© 2015 Drink Your Tea Music and joshmooreownsthismusic Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Come, Thou Almighty King” by Felice de Giardini
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Trisagion” by Ken E. Read & St. John Chrysostom
© 1995 CByond Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“My Savior’s Love (What Tongue Could Tell)” by Matt Boswell, Matt Papa & Keith Getty
© 2019 Getty Music Publishing, Messenger Hymns, Getty Music Hymns and Songs, Love Your Enemies Publishing Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Great Is The Lord

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, and His greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall commend Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.
On the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works, I will meditate.
They shall speak of the might of Your awesome deeds, and I will declare Your greatness.
They shall pour forth the fame of Your abundant goodness and shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
The Lord is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
The Lord is good to all, and His mercy is over all that he has made.

Source: Psalms 145:3-9

Classic Prayer: The Sunday Morning Prayer of George Washington

Amighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a day which is consecrated to thine own service and for thine own honor. Let my heart, therefore, Gracacious God, be so affected with the glory and majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me, and since thou art a God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draw near unto thee, who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in thy courts, pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept me for the merits of they son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness, reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness, mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me Gracious God, the good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends and country, be our God and guide this day and forever for his sake, who lay down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Creed: What are Sacraments?

Leader: What are the sacraments or ordinances?
People: The sacraments or ordinances given by God and instituted by Christ, namely baptism and the Lord’s Supper, are visible signs and seals that we are bound together as a community of faith by His death and resurrection. By our use of them, the Holy Spirit more fully declares and seals the promises of the gospel to us.

Leader: What is the Lord’s Supper?
People: Christ commanded all Christians to eat bread and to drink from the cup in thankful remembrance of Him and His death. The Lord’s Supper is a celebration of the presence of God in our midst, bringing us into communion with God and with one another, feeding and nourishing our souls.

Source: New City Catechism, Questions 43 & 46

Confession of Sin

Merciful God, You pardon all who truly repent and turn to You.
We humbly confess our sins and ask Your mercy.

We have not loved You with a pure heart, nor have we loved our neighbor as ourselves.
We have not done justice, loved kindness, or walked humbly with You, our God.

Have mercy on us, O God, in Your loving-kindness.
In Your great compassion, cleanse us from our sin.

Create in us a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within us.
Restore to Your people the joy of Your salvation and sustain us with bountiful grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

July 3, 2022

Matthew 10:24-42 – The Kingdom Opposed
Pastor Tommy Bailey

The Twelve Apostles

  • Simon Peter
  • Andrew
  • James
  • John
  • Philip
  • Bartholomew
  • Thomas
  • Matthew the tax collector
  • James the son of Alphaeus
  • Thaddaeus
  • Simon the Zealot
  • Judas Iscariot

Matthew 10

  • Commissions the Twelve Apostles (v. 1-4)
  • Clarifies their mission (v. 5-15)
  • Cautions them about opposition (v. 16-24)
  • Comforts their fears (v. 26-33)
  • Contrasts two responses (v. 34-42)

“The fear of God is the fear that cancels fear.” – Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary

The King, His kingdom and His people will face opposition:

  1. The call of Jesus moves us to mission in our square inch of His world.
  2. The care of the Father sets us free from fear of anything opposed to the Kingdom of God.

“How are Christians to react when faced with the opposition of the world? They are certainly not to retaliate. Nor are they to lick their wounds in self-pity. Nor are they to withdraw into a safe place where they are sheltered from the enmity of the world. No, they are bravely to bear witness to Jesus Christ before the world in the power of the Holy Spirit.” – John Stott, The Preacher’s Portrait: Five New Testament Word Studies

“But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, ‘You are my God.’ My times are in Your hand…” – Psalm 31:14-15 (ESV)

“Adoption is the highest privilege of the gospel. The traitor is forgiven, brought in for supper, and given the family name. To be right with God the Judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the Father is greater.” – J.I. Packer

“I am no longer my own, but Yours. Put me to what You will, place me with whom You will. Put me to doing, put me to suffering. Let me be put to work for You or set aside for You, Praised for You or criticized for You. Let me be full, let me be empty. Let me have all things, let me have nothing. I freely and fully surrender all things To Your glory and service. And now, O wonderful and holy God, Creator, redeemer, and sustainer, You are mine, and I am Yours… Amen.” – John Wesley

June 26, 2022

Songs:

“Holy Holy Holy” by John Bacchus Dykes & Reginald Heber
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“It Was Finished Upon That Cross” by Jonny Robinson, Nigel Hendroff, and Rich Thompson
© 2021 SHOUT! Music Publishing Australia and CityAlight Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“I Need Thee Every Hour” by Annie Sherwood Hawks & Robert Lowry
Public Domain Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“O Church Arise” by Keith Getty and Stuart Townend
© 2005 Thankyou Music Used by Permission. CCLI License #2003690

“Doxology” by Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Now and Forevermore

MEN: The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

WOMEN: We dwell in Him and He in us.

MEN: Give thanks to the Lord and call upon His name! Make known His deeds among the peoples.

WOMEN: We will sing to Him, sing praises to Him, and speak of all His marvelous works.

ALL: All praise to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit; to whom all honor and glory be now and forevermore. Amen!

Classic Prayer: Anselm of Canterbury 

O blessed Lord and Savior, you have commanded us to love one another–grant us grace that, having received yoru undeserved bounty, we may love every man in you and for you. We ask your blessing for all; but especially for the friends whom you r love has given to us. Love them, Ofountain of love, and make them to love you with all their heart, with all their mind, and with all their soul, that those things only which are pleasing to you they may will, and speak, and do. And though our prayer is cold, because our charity is so little fervent, yet you are so rich in mercy. Measure not to them your goodness by the dullness of our devotion; but as your kindness surpasses all human affection, so let your hearing transcend our prayer. Do to them what is expedient for them, according to your will, that they, being always and everywhere ruled and protected by you, may attain in the end to everlasting life. Amen.

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Creed: What is the Gospel?

LEADER:  What is the human condition?
PEOPLE:  Though created good and made for fellowship with our Creator, humanity has been cut off from God by self-centered rebellion against Him, leading to lawless living, guilt, shame, death, and the fear of judgment. This is the state of sin.

LEADER:  What is the Gospel?
PEOPLE:  The Gospel is the good news that God loves the world and offers salvation from sin through His Son, Jesus Christ.

LEADER:  What does God desire to accomplish in your life in Christ?
PEOPLE:  God desires to free me from captivity to sin and transform me into the image of Jesus Christ, by the power of His Holy Spirit.

Source: ACNA: Salvation, Questions 1, 2, 16

A Message from the Ministry & Executive Leadership Team

At The Village Chapel we believe all human beings are created in the image of God and we seek to develop a culture that celebrates the gift of life. Our love for and support of women, mothers and children is unchanging because of the love of God in Christ. Therefore, we value and are grateful for every human life, from the womb to the tomb. We neither gloat nor despair over the decisions that come out of Washington. But, we rejoice and hope in the faithfulness of the One who came out of a tomb near Jerusalem.

June 26, 2022

Matthew 10:1-23 – The One True King and His Irrepressible Kingdom
Scotty Smith

“It is not so much the case that God has a mission for His church in the world, but that God has a church for His mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” – Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

June 19, 2022

Songs:

“On Christ The Solid Rock”
Writers: William Batchelder Bradbury, Edward Mote
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

“Leaning on the Everlasting Arms”
Writers: Elisha Hoffman, Anthony Showalter
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

“How Deep The Father’s Love For Us”
Writer: Stuart Townend
Publishing: Thankyou Music CCLI# 2003690

“Christ Our Hope in Life and Death”
Writers: Keith Getty, Matt Boswell, Jordan Kauflin, Matt Merker and Matt Papa
Publishing: Getty Music Publishing, Messenger Hymns, Matthew Merker Music, Jordan Kauflin Music, Love Your Enemies Publishing CCLI# 2003690

“Doxology”
Writers: Thomas Ken, Louis Bourgeois
Public Domain CCLI# 2003690

Call To Worship: Bless the Lord

Leader: Bless the Lord at all times; let His praise continually be in your mouth.

People: My tongue shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long.

Leader: Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!

People: We will tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and His might, and the wonders that He has done.

All: You are great, O Lord God. For there is none like You, and there is no God besides You!

Classic Prayer: Evelyn Underhill

O God, who are the way, the truth and the life, we want Your guidance in all that we do. Let Your wisdom counsel us, Your hand lead us, Your arm support us. Breathe into our souls holy and heavenly desires, and make us like our Savior, that in some measure we may live here on earth as He lived, and do in all things as He would have done. Amen.

Click here to receive TVC’s weekly prayer email.

Creed: Faithful Father

Leader: What do you believe when you say, “I believe in God the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth? ”

People: That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who out of nothing created heaven and earth and all that is in them, still upholds and governs them by His eternal counsel and providence. In Him I trust so completely as to have no doubt that He will provide me with all things necessary for body and soul, and will also turn to my good whatever adversity He sends me in this life. He is able to do so as almighty God, and willing also as a faithful Father.

Source: Heidelberg Catechism, Question 26

June 19, 2022

Matthew 9:18-38 – From Desperation to Salvation
Pastor Jim Thomas

The Miracles of Jesus:

  1. Reveal His compassion
  2. Display His authority
  3. Affirm His identity
  4. Inspire faith, gratitude and worship

“The miracles in fact are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see.” – C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock: Miracles

These 4 miracles have at least three things in common:

  1. They describe desperate people
  2. They describe people with imperfect faith
  3. They remind us that Christ is the answer to all our fears in life and even our fear of death

“Human beings do not readily admit desperation. When they do, the kingdom of heaven draws near.” – Philip Yancey, The Jesus I Never Knew

“God fixes our prayers on the way up. If He does not answer the prayer we made, He will answer the prayer we should have made. This is all anyone needs to know.” – J.I. Packer

“Cheer up: you’re a worse sinner than you ever dared imagine, and you’re more loved than you ever dared hope.” – Jack Miller

“Desperation is never in trouble when it rests on omnipotence.” – Dale Ralph Davis

“It is not so much the case that God has a mission for His church in the world, but that God has a church for His mission in the world. Mission was not made for the church; the church was made for mission – God’s mission.” – Christopher J.H. Wright, The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

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